rt4wd Clutch Cable

skittlenipsskittlenips Wagonist
in Engine & Drivetrain
Well, I've been screwing around trying to find a new clutch cable and I really can't seem to find any good answers. So, I started doing some digging based on this thread:

http://www.civicwagon.com/showthread.php?14205-rt4wd-clutch-cable-replacement-part-number&highlight=clutch+cable+replacement

So here's what I've tried so far:

1. OEM Clutch Cable for 88-91 civic, non-rt4wd: Too short by about 1"

2. Pioneer CA-506 cable: Too short by about 1"



Now I'm doing some digging. Here's a screenshot from Pioneer's catalog: As you can see there's 2 cables for an 88-91 rt4wd wagon (CA-506 and CA-507). The CA-507 is supposedly 61.5" long, but there is no length listed for the CA-507. I tried to call them directly and ask but there's no contact number, only contact via email that I could find.

186.jpg


Also, I looked up a Beck-Arnley part number (093-0602) that was mentioned in the thread above. Here's some info from their website:

1. Part number 093-0600: For fwd civic wagon, Length = 59.21"
2. Part number 093-0602: For rt4wd civic wagon, Length = 60.43"


So, this definitely leads me to believe that there IS actually a difference between the two clutch cables. Why the lengths between the Pioneer and Beck-Arnley parts are so different is beyond me. Maybe there's a difference in the length of the rubber housing that makes up for the difference.

Anyway, I am going to return the Pioneer CA-506 cable to Oreilley's and get them to order me the CA-507 cable, just to see if it works. If that doesn't work, I'm going to return it and order the Beck-Arnley 093-0602 cable.

Comments

  • civtec350civtec350 Wagonist
    napa part # for a 61.417'' cable is 615-1730.
  • jobmanjobman Band Wagon
    Can you post a follow up? Did it work?
  • skittlenipsskittlenips Wagonist
    No, none of them worked. I'm starting to think I don't actually have a manual pedal assembly from a wagon. I'm going to take my pedal assembly out and compare it to one that I know is from a wagon and check. There are so many different length cables out there (from what the manufacturers say the length is), that it seems like a 1" difference shouldn't really be making such a huge difference in the fit of the cable. There's way more than 1" of space in the little adjustment mechanism. I feel like I've been running around in circles a bit...there's no way this should be so difficult considering how many people have done this without any issues. So I'm goin' at it from a different angle.

    That being said...the OEM clutch cable is definitely much better quality than any of the pioneer cables. I would imagine it will last a lot longer and experience less degradation over time, due to a plastic coating around the cable itself. I imagine it would operate smoother because of this as well, considering there's less friction between the rubber "housing" and the cable itself.
  • skittlenipsskittlenips Wagonist
    Reporting back...so I definitely did not have a pedal assembly from a wagon (I think mine was from a sedan or CRX), which seems to have been my problem. The non-wagon pedal assembly I was using had a different distance from the chassis to the under-dash mount point for the clutch cable, due to the shape of the clutch pedal itself. This difference, combined with the larger distance between the rubber housing mount point and the clutch "arm" on the RT versus FWD transmissions was making all of the OEM clutch cables too short (or the housing was too long).


    Once I put in a wagon pedal assembly, I was able to use a regular OEM EF civic clutch cable from Honda with no issues.


    From what I've read and researched, it seems like a non-wagon pedal assembly will work in a FWD wagon, despite the possibility of some minor rubbing of the clutch pedal on the a/c ducts. However, you will run into issues of getting the clutch cable to fit if you use a non-wagon pedal assembly with an RT wagon.


    So, overall there are two fixes I know of if you have an RT wagon with a non-wagon pedal assembly:
    1) Get a wagon pedal assembly
    2) Artificially shorten the rubber housing of a regular EF civic clutch cable by cutting it about 2-3 inches shorter. I used a dremel because the rubber housing actually has coiled metal in it. This will give you enough extra "length" outside of the housing to use the cable. I did this with an old clutch cable I had, and it mounted up fine, but it was ugly, introduced a weird angle to the cable (which I don't think would be a real problem)...so I decided to get the right pedal assembly. If you're in a pinch or something, you can go this route.




    Cheers!
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