Bis clutch cable

[gammakeith]

Hi all,

Could someone let me know if the clutch cable for the Bis is the same as the air-cooled?  Reason I ask is that the wife has just phoned me up saying the one in the car has just snapped so she is not best pleased.  I'm at work at the moment but I should be able to pick one up from Sutton Autofactors on the way home.  It would be good to know if I need to watch out for model differences.

Thanks!

Keith

[1973/126]

 That`s bad luck, but not unheard of.

 I`m pretty sure the clutch cables are the same on both the bis and a/c.

[ChrisRLewis]

According to the Axel Gerstl website they are the same
http://webshop.fiat500126.com/katalog/artikelinfo/115/clutch_cable_assembly

[gammakeith]

Super, thanks for that.  Unfortunately, it seems that they are now getting hard to get hold of. Sutton Autofactors say that they can no longer get them.  I have so far bought 2 off ebay only for the seller to get straight back and say they are out of stock.  Looks like the specialists (or possibly Fiat) will be the only source now

Keith

[gammakeith]

Managed to sort it last night.  What should have been a fairly simple job turned a bit tricky when the new cable outer refused to slide into the bracket on top of the gearbox.  Obviously the new cable outer was a little bit wider. Getting that bracket off was not fun as it had to come off for "adjustment" and access for spanners was tight.  The nice waxoyl that I had plastered all over the underside made it all a bit unpleasant. 

Keith

[drcdb15]

I got a new clutch cable a few months ago from a Fiat 500 specialist, Nathan Robertson at Fiat 500 Classic (and also a choke cable). Prior to that I'd shopped around for the best price and from memory found about 6 different suppliers in the UK, and of course there are others in Europe like Axel Gerstl. I didn't get the impression that there was any problem with the supply of this or other control cables for the 126 models. It seems from all the different web sites that most differences are at the cable ends (as opposed to length or diameter etc) and there are many ways of adapting a coupling and of gripping a cable that are perfectly good engineering to get something to fit the situation. Fiat seem to have used a plethora of cable ends/nipples/split pins/plastic snap-on clips/ferrules and so on even within a single model when a single type would be perfectly adequate for all of them, with obviously a more heavy duty option for the clutch.

[gammakeith]

Its the "Firstline" cables that are no longer available.  Any such listings on ebay (there are still some) will likely get back with no stock (as two others did with me).  The main motor factors also list the cable as no longer available as they obviously just source from Firstline.  As you say, specialists can still supply no problem (but are more expensive).  The one I got in the end listed suitability for 500 and all 126.  The clutch end was a simple pin fixing and the box end a threaded rod both of which matched the previous cable.

Keith