Reasons why the clutch cable breaks or has some other malfunction.
1. Faulty installation - I suspect this is why my cable failed. The rounded piece of metal that slips (is forced) into the clutch pedal fork in the deep dark area that is fun to work in, was not greased and set horizontally creating a pivot point. The cable needs to be set so that the rounded edge of the catch piece odf metal pivots when the clutch is engaged. This is the little piece at the top of the picture that creates a T with the cable. If this is installed vertically it will force the cable to bend at the weld point each and every time the cable is engaged. I'm now going to put an inspection of the position of this cable on my mental checklist of things to look at when changing the oil.
2. The fork on the clutch pedal is mangled from years of use and/or abuse. In this case even if you install the cble correcly the pivot point may not work because the cable does not sit properly in the fork if at all. In this case you will need to get a new clutch pedal as well as cable.
3. The firewall that the cable and grommet pass through is cracked. This creates a flex point or can even tear the metal further or wear against the cable. The most common solution has been to weld new metal over the cracked area using the same section from a donor car or a new piece of sheet metal.
4. The housing on the bottom of your transmission where the cable passes throrugh as an anchor point is typically right next to the ground wire (about and inch away). This can cause some electricity to pass into the clutch cable creating problems.
I'm sure there are more example of how problems come up with the clutch cable these seem to be the most common.
When installing a clutch cable start with the pedal end of the cable and get as much cable as possible in the compartment. A helper pushing on the cable from the engine compartment helped me get that extra cable room. You may want to put a bend on the end of the cable so that you can arc the cable into the fork from above to get the propper seating. you will understand when you try to slip that cable on. Apply grease in the pedal fork prior to installing the cable. Have a pair of long/extended pliers with a curve at the end, a screwdriver, a good source of light up into the pedal. (LED camping light held in mouth so i can swear out loud). Once the cable is properly seating run your cable down to the transmission following the original route being carful not to alter the position of the cable/tong on the pedal fork. Adjust clutch so that you have just under one inch of free play.
Took about 15 minutes of upside down aggravation to seat the cable properly. There in lies the problem. Many of these were not installed properly creating the issues outlined above.
