Clutch Issues

[QuickStangGT]

My clutch is extremeley hard to push. Does anyone else have this problem, or is this normal for a 2000 GT. I had a 96 Cobra, and I don't remember the clutch being this tight. If someone can give me some info on this I would appreciate it. I have talked to some tranny shops and some of them say it is fine, and others say it needs to be looked at. It is tight to the point that my wife can barely drive it (not a huge problem for me!!) but I would like to know if it is a sign that something else is going wrong, or if it is all in my mind!!

Thanks!!!

Luke

 

[mity2]

was it always like that? or became hard to push? did you buy it new? or used? did previous owner installed hi-po Clutch?

 

[Mike97gt]

i just went thru the same thing.i had a centerforce DF in there that was installed by the original owner and the thing was impossible to drive it was so stiff.now i have installed the DF in other cars and it was only slightly stiffer than stock.

this is what i had to do to fix it.

first off my clutch cable was slightly binding when i took the trans down i found my pivot ball and clutch fork had HUGE grooves. the clutch fork slides on the pivot ball and on the front bearing retainer, so you can see why the groves in it were making the clutch stiff. plus the sleve of the bearing retainer that the TOB itself slides on was starting to show wear. i cleaned and lubed that

so I replaced my clutch, pressure plate, TOB, cable, clutch fork and pivot ball. and the difference is HUGE. only thing is i did not have the money for another DF so i went with the king cobra. it feels super light to me compared to how stiff my setup was. mine got to the point that it was so stiff on cold mornings i could not push it in all the way even pushing as hard as i could.

 

[QuickStangGT]

I bought the car used and it has been like this since I got it. I don't think it has gotten worse, but I guess I was just scared to find out that something else was going wrong, so I ignored it and dealt with it. I can drive it, no sweat, but I don't think it should be this tight. As far as I know there aren't any aftermarket parts on the car, but I am not for sure.

 

[Mike97gt]

quickstang. i hate to tell you this but i will bet you need to replace the clutch fork and pivot ball and the cable. start with the cable because it's easy you can test this by simply removing it from the clutch fork and seing if it binds. then if thats not it the trans has to come out. mine was the same way. the aftermarket clutch had nothign to do with it. my problem was the whole clutch control system. when the fork and pivot gets that trashed it ruins the cable to.

 

[mity2]

Well, u can remove the access door(?) on trans to see inside. if you see blue or orange or some other fancy color pressure plate, you have aftermarket clutch.
check your wires too. it could have gotten binded somewhere.

 

[QuickStangGT]

I think I might just do a whole new clutch, and cable. The car has 86,000 miles, so I imagine a new clutch wouldn't hurt......? Will the new clutch come with a fork, or is that a seperate purchase? What clutch should I go for?

 

[Mike97gt]

the fork and pivot ball don't come with the clutch. the fork and pivot ball ccost me under 30 bucks if i remember correctly. and they are easy to install while doing a clutch. the pivot ball screws right into the trans and the fork slides over that and the input shaft.

i like my king cobra so far only been in there 2 days.

 

[QuickStangGT]

So you have had your new one in for 2 days now??? Is the pedal easier to push? I am gonna check around and start getting some of this stuff taken care of. What is a good price for a clutch install?

 

[mity2]

the fork and pivot ball don't come with the clutch. the fork and pivot ball ccost me under 30 bucks if i remember correctly. and they are easy to install while doing a clutch. the pivot ball screws right into the trans and the fork slides over that and the input shaft.

i like my king cobra so far only been in there 2 days.

I like kingcobra too. Just don't get SPEC.
Quickstang, are you mechanically talented? because replacing clutch is not hard. It might be time consuming, but not hard. if you have weekend, some friend, beer, and decent set of tools, u can do it yourself

 

[Mike97gt]

yeah i just did mine 2 days ago along with the rear main seal retainer that was leaking. ohh it's much better i almost shoved my foot thru the firewall it was so much easier to push. and thats with a KC that most people on here think is stiff.

i am a ford tech by trade so i did my own install on my lift. i know my shop charges a ton to do them. but if you shop around and ask other members from texas for a good shop to install your clutch. personally i don't think it should cost any more than 400 to install everything. but if it takes more to get a decent shop to do it then pay the extra.

there is a lot that can be hacked in a clutch install. most techs do not torque down the pressure plate with a torque wrench, they do it with a impact gun. also the bolts on the pressure plate HAVE to be torqued down in sequence almost none do this. the main reason people have chatter problems is from improper install.

so if i was you i would shop around and ask a lot of people from your area where to go.

 

[QuickStangGT]

I've done a clutch before on a 77 chevy with an 8 inch lift and 35 inch tires. That was easy because I could sit underneath it and look at what I was doing. I have an ok set of tools. I don't know, I might try it myself. I have a chiltons manual, and I am sure the clutch comes with instructions. I would just hate to screw something up, and have to do it twice. wouldn't be that bad if it was a toy, but it is my daily driver for now. I have to be able to get to work. It was about 8 years ago when I did the last one, and I had a ASE mechanic helping me with it. I guess I'm just a pnzy. I don't want to hurt my baby!!

 

[Mike97gt]

ok do it yourself if you are comfortable doing it. the hardest part is the starter. the top bolt is horrible. other than that it's very straight forward.

 

[QuickStangGT]

I looked through my book, and I think I will let someone else screw it up!! I would rather them mess it up and have to re-do it as opposed to me screwing it up, and having to re-do it. I will do some searching around and see if I can find someone who knows what they are doing. Anything else I should try to take care of since I will have the tranny out anyways?? Nothing else is wrong that I know of, but I know how much of a pain pulling the tranny could be. If someone else already has it out then I can do other stuff as well!

 

[Mike97gt]

not really much else that should be taken care of when the trans is out. it would be a good time to install a X-pipe how about a MGW shifter

 

[QuickStangGT]

Good call on the shifter!! I might do that as well!! Thank you for all the help! I am gonna get the ball roling on this, and I will let you know how it goes!!

Thanks!

Luke

 

[Mike97gt]

no problem, glad i could help. you will be much happier when you get your car back. i am sure your wife will be too.