Thank you guys! I really appreciate all of the help!
Oldgixxer, thank you for the page - that's a nice synopsis. It seems to omit adjusting the cable at the left-side case (the far end of the cable), however. If you feel that's important, it might be worth a footnote when throwing up the link (esp since only the service manual [not the owners manual] mentions it).
Turboblew, thank you for the feedback. I'll do my best to really clean the cable up and lube it. I'm a Mustang guy, and with the factory cables, they're teflon-lined and lube actually does more harm than good (because it attracts dust, which causes abrasion). Are these cables not in a similar situation? I ask because I'm in the desert and there's 20 pounds of dust on everything 5 minutes after one cleans it. DOH.
In looking at things and trying to understand the dynamics at hand, I had a question or two:
On the clutch-push piece (#2 in the link above), does that simply pivot in place? I noted the repeated warnings to hold it, and I didn't know if this was for some sort of indexing that occurs, or if it's simply so people don't spin the whole assembly while turning the adjusting screw (thus, accomplishing nothing)?
At the major adjustment, the screw adjuster (#4) only ended up 1/6th of a turn tighter. It seems to me that his adjuster relates to the amount of play on the arm where the cable attaches on the left side of the engine. After I had it set, I ensured that the arm could move (if that adjuster screw was set too tight, the arm would not move and that would be a red flag, no?).
Because the major adjustment accomplished nearly nothing, I checked the cable on the left-side case. It was as tight as it could be (probably having been that way from the factory). I took a good bit of slack out of the cable (the threaded rod which the cable enters is now almost flush with the case, where it used to stick outside the case quite a bit). How does one know when the cable is getting on the stretchy side? Is it as simple as the rod being about flush with the case (one would not want it recessed) and the lever adjuster being adjusted pretty far out, or is there more means of adjustment than stretchable tolerance?
BTW, before I started, I ran the lever adjuster all the way in and it still moves inside the lever assembly (the original purpose of the thread). If one braces the cable just past the adjuster, this slop is not seen. I guess I should try to rig something up to keep the adjuster's play 'preloaded'.
Thank you again guys. I really appreciate all of the help!