Brand New Clutch Slipping

[Dagostang]

Car: 1988 5.0 notch-back, 5 speed.

I installed a brand new OEM Luk clutch kit this winter and the last few days have been nice so I've been driving it. My clutch is slipping when I get on the freeway if I stand on it or even at low speeds when I made a turn down a street and got back in the gas it slipped too.

I had the flywheel resurfaced, new pilot bearing, new friction disc, new pressure plate, new throwout bearing, and I adjusted the cable only until the slop was out (no pre-load in the cable).

How can this brand new setup be slipping?!?!?!?!?! The only thing I can think of is the pressure plate isn't applying enough pressure. How can that be though?

 

[tstang93]

i dont know but if your motor leaks oil it could be gettin on the disk from the air blowing under the car on the highway.
not really sure i replaced mine with a centerforce it never slips. If you made and profomance mod to the car the stock clutch stinks and cant hold up

or if you left it sitting a while it may have some rust on it try runnin for a while see if it goes away. just like your brakes if you dont move the car for a few months they grind pullin out of the driveway till you use em a bit

 

[Dagostang]

Yeah... My motor is all stock (lifter tick and all). The only mods I have done motor-wise are equal length headers, an H-pipe, and 40 series FM's. I have a 3.73 gear... When I had the flywheel off I didn't notice any oil blowing down there or any residual oil that would make me believe it was a problem.

Also going slow in 4th or 5th and nailing the gas, the clutch doesn't slip nor going about 50 and dropping it back down to 4th 3500 rpm or so and smashing on the pedal it doesn't slip. I guess the question now is, "what causes an intermittently slipping clutch?"

 

[tstang93]

stock clutch just may not be holding. Ive had a few of these cars and i just picked up a 93 lx the only thing done to it is the intake and exhaust and pullys. my clutch was slipping when i would get on it you could smell it burning i thought it was old and worn out so i picked up a center force dual friction.
After removing the clutch from the car i found that there was plenty of disk left and the pressure plate and fly wheel were both in good shape.. This tells me the stock stuff just couldn't hold the power. I was a liitle surprised myself but now it never slips..
These motor put out power and if your grabbin the road somthins gotta give sounds like its time to upgrade for those high rpm cluth droppin burnouts good luck
Tony

 

[Dagostang]

I haven't even gotten to the high RPM burnouts yet... It's my daily driver, I just wanted to merge into traffic with a little bit of the torque I have on tap.

 

[tstang93]

it comes down to its slippin so if it were mine i would pull it and look at it. Your flywheel is prob blue from slippin you can have it cut and put a new clutch in it. or at least look at it.
Its easy to do take the exhaust down. 4 bolt hold the trans on. pull the drive shaft 4 more bolts.remove cross member then theres the clutch a few more bolts its off
You gotta look at it.
how many miles did you say were on the old clutch
i dont know a bout the oil leak causing it i thought that was my problem but now its ok with the centerforce. I got guys i know doin wheelies with this same clutch so i know it holds

 

[Sonicaceman]

slipping clutch

just want to let you know my car is far from stock, and all i have is a king cobra clutch, the stock clutch should be more than capable of handling what you have in your car. did you break in the clutch or did you mash on it a lot when you first drove it??? clutches have break in time like anything else, if you beat the tar out of it when it's brand new you could have glazed it. your pressure plate might not be seated exactly right, when i did mine i had to take it off the first time because i noticed it was slightly off and wasn't 100% correct. how is the clutch slipping??? is it revving high and not moving at all or is it slight. there are so many variables here. i would check all the obvious things first and if it doesn't get better take it out and inspect it.

 

[Dagostang]

I took my time and had it apart all winter and aligned, torqued, and sealed everything back up. Everything is seated correctly and I'm not beating the snot out of it. If i give it gas to get up to speed on an on ramp the rpm's just raise (slipping). This brand new clutch has less than 100 miles on it. You say there is a break in period on clutches? I doubt I glazed anything, I've been taking it easy.

What is the appropriate break in period? I find it hard to believe that that is my problem. It seems like today when I first started it it slipped when I merged into traffic but then on my way back home from where I stopped for 20 minutes it wouldn't slip and it was hooking up fine. I'm still puzzled.

Excessive abuse is not a variable in this equation...

To me this stock OEM clutch should handle my bone stock motor just fine.

 

[tstang93]

somthins up wit it. i here ya it should hold but once they start slippin it only gets worse. I dont know about the king cobra clutch but if ya change it upgrade
Tony.

 

[Dagostang]

I think I fixed my issue of my brand new clutch slipping. When I put the clutch cable back on the fork I tightened the nut until the slop was out by backing the nut up all the way to the fork. An experienced mechanic told me to try backing that nut off so I had slop in the fork in both directions, engagement and disengagement. It seemed like the fork was too sloppy but after driving it a night and then all today I no longer have any slipping issues. He also told me that there may be break in periods but a new clutch should NEVER slip during it.

Moral of the story: Leave slop in your cable adjustment to make sure that your fork is engaging all of the way.

I hope anyone in the same boat I was in finds this helpful!

 

[Sonicaceman]

slipping clutch

glad you figured out your clutch problem, hope everything works out good for ya. i spent way too much time messing with mine when i first put my new one in. it's always good to know a good mechanic, because no matter how much you learn there is always something else someone can teach ya. peace.

 

[ShortThrow50]

Who woulda thought? Tightening up it cable to much will keep the clutch partially engaged.

 

[StangLover95]

Over Drive Band broken

hey guys i have a 95 v6 3.8l with and AODE transmission and the over drive band is broken i turn the over drive off and drive it can that hurt the car in anyway? is there any problems that can be caused by a broken overdrive? basicly what im trying to say is will driving with a broken overdrive band hurt anything on my car? please please please let me know guys this is very important

 

[90mustangGT]

hey guys i have a 95 v6 3.8l with and AODE transmission and the over drive band is broken i turn the over drive off and drive it can that hurt the car in anyway? is there any problems that can be caused by a broken overdrive? basicly what im trying to say is will driving with a broken overdrive band hurt anything on my car? please please please let me know guys this is very important

Try starting your own thread but no it won't but your tranny is on the way out. You can probably pick one up pretty cheap.