Clutch casues RFI

[adsm08]

So get this...

When I put the clutch in, even just a little bit, my radio goes from crystal clear to a wash of static. My clutch switch is not hooked up, it's bypassed. Same with the NSS switch on the side of the trans, which shouldn't matter anyway, since the clutch pedal is the only thing that makes a difference.

I have no electronics hooked up to the pedal at all.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm kinda stumped.

 

[txgocartB3000]

This is just a wild ace guess...

Somehow you lost a ground or only have a partial ground and when you depress the clutch it becomes the path of least resistance.

This is just a guess so be kind.

Ray

 

[adsm08]

I had that thought too, but it seems to me that it is backwards, if the clutch is creating a ground the problem should come when I let go of the pedal. I think.

When the weather clears up I am going to start grounding stuff and see if that fixes it.

 

[Mark_88]

Check to see if the foam padding that normally covers the firewall (and stops the clutch pedal from hitting the firewall) is intact or missing...

If missing, then your clutch is grounding out something...can't really think of what it would be but...just had mine all apart and there are some very tight tolerances in where the harness sits or runs...the side harness for the rear lights runs pretty close to the clutch assembly...but doesn't contact it that I could see...

 

[Andy D]

Best reason for rev matching shifting ever What does the harness for the cs and the NSS come in contact with?

 

[adsm08]

Mark, I doubt it's that, because I don't have to get the pedal the whole way down. As soon as I push it enough to start feeling resistance from the pressure plate the interference comes in. It's more likely that I am breaking a contact somewhere.

Andy, I don't like speed-shifting. I am not good at it, and I have seen too many syncros torn up by people who are better than I am.

 

[Andy D]

Mark, I doubt it's that, because I don't have to get the pedal the whole way down. As soon as I push it enough to start feeling resistance from the pressure plate the interference comes in. It's more likely that I am breaking a contact somewhere.

Andy, I don't like speed-shifting. I am not good at it, and I have seen too many syncros torn up by people who are better than I am.

Me too, I was being stoopid, hence the

The Rat came to me with a missing ground strap from the engine to the fire wall. I rigged up the engine side, but chickened out at undoing a wiper motor mount to secure it to the fire wall The dash stuff works fine without it. Maybe your's needs it. Quick and dirty may be to give the radio a good ground. also one of those caps for this trouble on the coil. Treat the radio, not the truck.

 

[pjtoledo]

AM only, or AM and FM affected?
if FM left or right, or both?
tape or CD, if applicable?
does the radio have a light? does it flicker during the static?
reset all the connectors a couple of times to scrape possible corrosion off the pins.
as already suggested, go for a bad ground. run a wire directly to the radio.
pull the antenna connector, put a short wire in there and try it.

the usual bang, pull, tug & poke around routine.

one would think if the dash/firewall was deflecting because of pressure on the clutch pedal it would do it with the brake pedal too.
try the brakes with the engine off, a very hard push.
does it happen with the engine off & clutch depressed? that would eliminate static from the throw out bearing and disk.

does the static stay constant, or vary as the pedal is slowly pushed to the floor?
what happens when the pedal is coming back up? slow vs fast.

 

[jpsaxnc]

I don't think a short, or poor ground could generate continuous static, but friction can, a throwout bearing going bad maybe? or the bearing rubbing on the fingers of the pressure plate?

 

[lvwill]

i had this same problem years ago on my 86 gt. after driving me nuts for weeks, turned out to be a bad antenna ground. may or may not be your problem but worth checking.

 

[Mark_88]

i had this same problem years ago on my 86 gt. after driving me nuts for weeks, turned out to be a bad antenna ground. may or may not be your problem but worth checking.

Actually, this makes plenty of sense and I think I experienced the same thing but can't remember...

 

[adsm08]

The antenna ground does make sense. As far as I know it only affects FM, but I haven't tried it listen to anything on an AM band in years, and I don't usually have a CD or thumb drive in the truck unless I am traveling, which I haven't done in a while.

I'll drive it to work tomorrow and pay attention to the other variables and see what I notice. I can say it is the whole time the pedal is down, regardless of time it takes to release, from as soon as I start to apply pressure to the time I get my foot back off.



Mark, don't strain your brain trying to remember too hard. I'd hate for you to hurt yourself and land back in the hospital on my account.

 

[huh?]

this situation sounds curiously familiar to a story my old neighbor related to me a few years ago.

turns out this old hermit who lived at the end of the cul-de-sac helped develop mechanical body parts for the government via his employer, CYBERDYNE, Inc. everyone thought he was some old cuckoo but i had some long interesting conversations with him that, at least as far as i'm concerned, validated his sanity and intellectual claims(although he would sometimes sink into himself mumbling something about "terminators", or something like that). anywhooo.....

it turns out that you, sir, have cybernetic extremities(it helps explain 23,000 posts ) and the servos in your left leg are malfunctioning. my neighbor told me the communication system for the security at their R&D building would go haywire when they tested units that turned out to have malfunctioning servos.

their final fix for this problem in a multibillion dollar project?---get the biggest, shiniest crescent wrench available and, for leg units, cock back and take a full force swing at the shin area approximately 1/2 the distance between the ankle and knee joints. amazing, yeah? wtf would "shiniest" have to do with the crescent wrench being able to fix it? he never said why, it must've been a secret or something.

anyways, there you go- however, i might be wrong on this. if i am mistaken, a crescent to your shin will not likely result in rfi alleviation, but more likely a painful sensation on your leg. in that case, you must just be an electrifying, ford ranger driving kind of guy.

 

[adsm08]

Dude, that's the plot to Terminator.

But now that you mention it, I do know things before they happen, and I do have a strong driving urge to kill some people.

 

[Mark_88]

The antenna ground does make sense. As far as I know it only affects FM, but I haven't tried it listen to anything on an AM band in years, and I don't usually have a CD or thumb drive in the truck unless I am traveling, which I haven't done in a while.

I'll drive it to work tomorrow and pay attention to the other variables and see what I notice. I can say it is the whole time the pedal is down, regardless of time it takes to release, from as soon as I start to apply pressure to the time I get my foot back off.



Mark, don't strain your brain trying to remember too hard. I'd hate for you to hurt yourself and land back in the hospital on my account.

Ha ha. . . Not to worry as I am still actually in rehab.