Car Analogy

So thats like driving around with your foot on the clutch all the time, partly pressing it, so that its slipping, causing the smell. But if that were the case, you'd be complaining about clutch slippage under load.

I think its just normal faint break in clutch smell, and your nose in hyper sensitive mode noticing it.

B serious

Freeplay should be about 1/4" or so. If you have less than 0 freeplay, the clutch will always be partially disengaged and will slip. Kind of like leaving your foot on the pedal.

I've never smelled burning clutch after numerous clutch installs on lots of different cars.

I've also never bothered to break in a clutch gently...but that's a different story.

You shouldn't smell burning clutch. That's not part of break-in. You may smell burning oil or grease from the exhaust being touched.

Burning clutch smells like foot odor or burnt hair. Its awful. Is that what yall were smelling?

Car Analogy

The correct amount of play in our cars is achieved when there is zero play between pedal rod and mc. The necessary play is built into mc, per Billman.

If his clutch is partially engaged all the time, he'd have slipping under load.

In my case when I smelled clutch for a while after replacement, it was only the faintest whiffs of smell, only noticable with top down, and only under certain conditions. Like going forward after backing up, so you are driving through air where you just engaged clutch.

Who knows, maybe it was buring grease flung from the clutch I was smelling. But I know what burning grease smells like, though admittedly I don't know if urea grease smells differently, and I know what burning friction material smells like. This smelled like friction material to me. Again, the faintest of whiffs, that I doubt many would even notice. From the op description, that is what I think he is reporting as well.

B serious

Well..."0" freeplay doesn't mean that the clutch starts to disengage as soon as you touch it. That would be incredibly difficult (impossible) to set.

Your clutch pedal should do nothing for about 1/4" of travel.

Car Analogy

Yes. And to accomplish that, zero play between rod and mc. Rod just starts to touch mc, perfectly adjusted.

B serious

?? the rod is always touching the MC. The rod is part of the MC.

You're using the fixed pedal height to thread the rod toward the firewall until you contact the piston inside the MC. You can't see that happen.

That point in position results in about 6mm (.23") of freeplay before clutch disengagement happens.

So...shoot for about 6mm.

If the engagement point is too high for you, dial in MORE freeplay.

Car Analogy

Loosen 12mm locknut, and adjust the rod with fingers only, until it just starts to press piston in. Zero play in linkage. Tighten locknut.

There will still be all the play you need built into the mc. You'll feel about a quarter to half inch of play in clutch pedal.

There is no need to have any actual play between rod and mc piston. All the play that is needed is built into mc. This is per Billman.

B serious

...its the same thing I'm saying, though.

The pedal will be free for about 6mm after "factory recommended" adjustment.

Hence my suggestion of 6mm of PEDAL freeplay.

Car Analogy

Ok, I see now...