Clutch Adjustment

[matthend]

My new to me 04 Roush has an aftermarket adjustable clutch, and I want to adjust it to engage closer to the floor. Can someone tell me if the adjustment is the blue circle towards the top left?

Here is a view from the side, it doesnt seem to be snugup against the metal to me.

Which way do I need to turn to get teh clutch to engage closer to the floor. Also, I hear a sound kind of like a power steering pump that is a little low on fluid when the car is idling but it goes away when I press the clutch. Any idea what that is, or am I just being paranoid?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[biggbronco]

yep thats your firewall adjuster. turning it out will tighten up the clutch while turning it in will loosen it. the noise your hearing sounds to me like your throwout bearing.

 

[Devcon]

glad to see another roush. Do you by chance have the white gauges? thanks

 

[matthend]

Wouldn't the throw out bearing be the opposite situation though? clutch pedal pressed=noise foot ooff clutch=no noise? I am wondering if my clutch cable has stretched because where the cable meets the adjuster it is not tight against it. If I turn the adjuster out (away from the firewall) it takes out the slack, but the clutch then engages even higher in the pedal travel. Any ideas?

 

[matthend]

no, wish i did have the white gauges....

 

[Lugnuts]

I am guessing that you just have a preference for the disengagement down low but wonder why. The lower to the floor you put the disengage point, the shorter the travel you will have of the throw out bearing itself. If it is too short you run the risk of just taking partial pressure off the disc allowing it to slip but continuing to wear. This will not only cause premature disc failure but drag on the drive train will cause you to lose rpm between shifts. This is not only a performance issue but a fuel mileage as well.
Having the release point higher allows you to run through the gears a little quicker and gives you longer travel to completely disengage the clutch.

The bearing may be making noise when the pedal is not pushed in because you have too much slack in the cable. The bearing will touch the pressure plate fingers at all times - unless you have too much slack in the cable. You may be hearing the noise or vibration of the bearing rubbing/bouncing off the pressure plate fingers. When you press the pedal, you push the bearing into the pressure plate fingers which are levers that compress the springs and back the pressure plate off the disc. This will load the bearing and eliminate any loose contact noise.

 

[matthend]

Lugnuts, thanks a lot, that makes a lot of sense. I actually wanted to be sure that it wasnt disengaging too high, therefore not disengaging completely. So I can take the slack out with the firewall adjuster, and that will make the release point higher in the travel? Do I just want to take out the slack, and not adjust out any further? If the release point is too high, will the clutch start slipping?. Thanks again, I am getting an education here

 

[Lugnuts]

Just take out the slack - a lot of companies say to leave a tiny bit of slack in it to make sure that you don't tension it. If you put tension on the cable to the point that the bearing is always pressing in on the fingers of the pressure plate you can get slippage and accelerated wear.

 

[matthend]

the noise came back... i just noticed the lock screw on the adjuster, but i dont think there is a screw in it! This makes sense though right? the cable is loosening without the lock screw being tight? Thanks for any advice offered!