Hello Guys My girlfriend puchased an 07 1.3 Copen back in April I think and we noticed then, the clutch was very heavy. After a bit of research here it seemed that it was most likely the cable. It was getting to the point that gear selection was becoming in possible. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy, based on a few threads here, but couldn't understand why, until yesterday at least when I did the job. What a stupid design! Anyway 9.5 hours later car was back together and drives like new now. But what should of been an easy 60 minute job was exceedingly difficult because of the poor deisgn of the bulkhead hole behind the heater matrix. Big thumbs down for that. I've attached a few pictures of the nightmare I faced lol I'll try and get my girlfriend to join up as shes really eager to come to some meets and bring the car along. When is the next one? We're in Nottingham so anywhere in the East Mids would be great! Shout out to the few cars we've seen driving around the area. Thanks Stealth
Oh wow, that looks like it was a pain to do. Well now its all sorted you can drive knowing you wont have to do it ever again for many years to come.
Can I ask where you got the clutch cable from? Is it right hand drive? Only left hand drive cable is available. I have explored every avenue over the past 3 weeks. My car is still sitting in the garage.
Out of interest how does the clutch feel now? I've always felt the clutch was heavy in our 1.3 but figured that might just be the seating position....
Hi Cathy in Liverpool. I am guessing you have a right hand drive Copen? I replaced my right hand drive Copen clutch cable but also had to re-build the very weak mount as you can see by my previous communications. If you have the dash out it is worth checking out the mounting because its a devil of a job to fix later on if its cracked. Anyway i got my cable from Toyota, they took over Daihatsu. Paul, the cable should prob need replacing at around 130,000km and is typically smooth when replaced. If its stiff you are causing fatigue to the mounting bracket and mine developed significant cracks before the cable actually snapped. Previous owner did a 'repair' but still wasn't the best. Mind you my copen isnt the same as yours so they may have engineered a better mount.
Sorry the late reply. Been on holiday. I ordered it offline. Can't remember the place but was about £56 delivered. I can confirm the the LH an RH drive are the same though, and the LH cables do fit the RH car.
It's like a brand new car! Couldn't believe the difference the cable has made. I've read a few reviews about possible causes for it, someone suggested it was the bracket above the pedal thats weak, but it's not. The cable has such an acute bend inside the cabin, it essentially wears from the inside out, through the metal sleeving, which then causes resistance. When both cables were and and straight, they felt the same, but as soon as you bent it into position, you feel the difference.
There was probably an ever so slightly bend where the retainer washer slides into, but not fatigued. It's done 110k miles also. Maybe we were just lucky but looks strong enough given how stiff the cable/pedal was before
Thanks for your reply. I finally got my car back yesterday after getting a clutch cable made at a place called cable tec.
I agree, I think the clutch is quite heavy in the 1.3 Copen. I have a 1.3 and I wonder what it would feel like to have a lighter clutch. Hope all stays well
I have a 1. 3 copen and the clutch is very light... Almost feels like it's not connected Cable has just been replaced by Toyota garage car only has 21k Neither dash nor any interior was removed to change cable
I actually watched a Youtube video sometime last winter by a northern England youtuber who managed to change the clutch cable very easily without dashboard removal. I don't remember the trick, but there is obviously a way round the tight bulkhead exit point. I went to look for that video a while back and could not find it anywhere. My youtube viewing history is incomplete for some stupid reason (I'd not changed any settings that I'm aware of) and attempting a detailed search produced nothing. If it may ring a bell with anyone, the Youtuber in question was into his old Mod bikes, like Lambrettaa and Vespas. I can't believe he's deleted the video, but who knows. My clutch cable is now creaking, so sometime this autumn I'm going to take the plunge and see whether I can install a new one without drawing blood or tears.
