How to Adjust Your Car’s Clutch Pedal
If your car has a manual transmission, you must use the clutch pedal to manually shift gears while driving. This differs from an automatic transmission, which doesn’t have a clutch pedal and shifts gears automatically.
Every transmission system has its pros and cons. A few years ago, one of the best things about a manual transmission was that it gave your vehicle better fuel economy than an automatic transmission. As automatic transmission technology (including dual clutch transmissions) improves, that’s usually no longer the case. However, an automatic transmission cannot match the driving pleasure and connectivity that a driver has in a manual car. But we don’t want to argue with that here.
Operating the clutch and manual transmission requires more effort from the driver as there are more actions that need to be performed while driving. For example, when you put the car in neutral, if you want to stop at a traffic light, you need to press the clutch and shift into neutral to shut off the engine.
If you want to start moving again, you need to press the clutch pedal and shift into first gear. If you don’t take the right action at the right time, you may end up in the wrong gear, losing power and wasting fuel unnecessarily.
The clutch pedal can become misaligned due to heavy use. As you continue to use your car, it will wear out badly. Eventually, the clutch may slip and disengage prematurely. To fix this problem, you may need to adjust the clutch pedal to return it to its normal position. Self-Adjusting
The type of clutch adjustment you make will depend on the type of clutch assembly your vehicle has. If you have a hydraulic clutch pedal, your vehicle must be equipped with a self-adjusting clutch assembly. Adjusting this assembly is very easy to perform as it does not require any mechanical skill.
First, start the vehicle with the engine on and driving. Make sure the parking brake is engaged. Next, use your toe to lift the clutch pedal from bottom to top. This will trigger the auto-adjust technology, which will often raise the pedal higher than normal.
As always, test the results by pressing the pedal with your foot and shifting into gear. Note how far you need to press the pedal before it changes gear. If everything looks fine, the auto-adjust should be working fine. Otherwise, you will need to adjust the clutch manually.
Manual Setup
To begin manual pedal adjustment, you must first turn off the engine. Make sure the emergency brake is engaged. If you are sitting in the front seat, you will need to adjust your head position so that you can see slightly below the dashboard. Then, press the clutch pedal with one hand until it is close to the floor. Hold this position.
Locate the large hook-shaped component in the coupling structure. It should be on top of the clutch shaft. With your foot still on the pedal, pull the hook with your free hand until you hear a “click.” Then release your first hand from the clutch pedal. Your settings should now be complete. Test the results and see if the hatching behavior has disappeared.
Conclusion
Making these settings is actually not difficult at all. All you need is a reasonably confident person who isn’t afraid to mess with the clutch assembly.
You won’t need any auto mechanic skills if you follow the steps below carefully. However, if you don’t feel comfortable reaching under the dashboard of your car, you should ask someone else to make this adjustment for you — it could be a friend, family member, or a professional mechanic.
