Car Pulls With Clutch In... Hard To Shift

billison

I like tinted tail
15 Year Member
Feb 27, 2006
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ok, first night now with the 5.0. first things first... man it's good to be back in a 5.0, I was getting looks and compliments all night.


So here's the deal. When on level ground, car running, clutch in, If i start to go into first, I have to really push it into gear, and before it goes into gear, the car will start to creep forward, and I'm realizing that i have to push it into each gear. the guy who sold me the car claims it has an aftermarket clutch, but I have no way to confirm this. The peddle is very stiff. As far as i can tell, it has the original quadrant and cable. My guess is I just need to replace the cable ( from it being stretched) and toss in a new quadrant while I'm at it, but thought i'd ask here first.

here is a pic of my firewall adjuster... thing

View attachment 127695


and does this video properly represent the swap?

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVovmrqtC9k
 
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If it's a stock cable and quadrant than pull the clutch pedal all the way up and push it back down. Adjusts like a ratchet. Check the clutch fork and see if the cable adjusts there. And if the cable has made contact with the header and is melted, it will make it hard to push.
 
Most seem to recommend replacing the cable with an OEM style (i.e.: non-adjustable). I replaced mine with a Ford OEM cable, firewall adjuster, and I already had a quadrant on there. Giving yourself adjustability with the firewall adjuster is enough; you don't need the extra redundancy of an adjustable cable.
 
Clutch adjustment
Do the clutch adjustment first before considering any other problems.
A binding clutch cable will make the clutch very stiff. If the cable is misrouted or has gotten too close to the exhaust, it will definitely bind. The binding common to adjustable cables is often due to misplacement of the adjusting nuts on the fork end of the cable. This will also cause the cable to wear and fray. Both nuts should be on the back side of the fork so that the domed nut faces the fork and the other nut serves as jam or locknut to the domed nut.

Clutch pedal adjustment with aftermarket quadrant and cable: I like to have the clutch completely disengaged and still have about 1.5” travel left before the pedal hits the floor. This means that I have only about 1” of free play at the top before the pedal starts to disengage the clutch. Keep in mind that these figures are all approximate. When properly adjusted, there will not be any slack in the clutch cable. You will have 4-15 lbs preload on the clutch cable.

The quadrant needs to be replaced if you use any type of aftermarket cable or adjuster. My preference is a Ford Racing quadrant, adjustable cable and Steeda firewall adjuster. The adjustable Ford Racing cable is just as good as the stock OEM cable. It allows a greater range of adjustment than a stock cable with a aftermarket quadrant and firewall adjuster. Combined with the Steeda adjuster, it lets you set the initial cable preload and then fine tune the clutch engagement point to your liking without getting under the car.

Using a stock OEM cable, firewall adjuster and a single hook quadrant may result in not having any free pedal travel before the clutch starts to disengage. I found this out the hard way.
See Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030 for the following parts.
Ford Racing M-7553-B302 - Ford Racing V-8 Mustang Adjustable Clutch Linkage Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Cable and quadrant assembly $90
The Ford Racing Adjustable cable is available as a separate part:
Clutch Cable, Adjustable, Ford, Mercury, 5.0L, Kit FMS-M-7553-C302_HE_xl.jpg

[url=http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SDA-555-7021/]Steeda Autosports 555-7021 - Steeda Autosports Firewall Cable Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com
Steeda firewall adjuster. $40
firewall-cable-adjuster-ford-m.jpg
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If you're going to replace your cable, the only ones I can recommend off hand are the stock, Steeeda, or Maximum Motorsports cables. All others I have had experience with, or have read other people having experience with seem to have quality control issues of sorts.
 
The way it's behaving, the cable needs to be adjusted shorter. I can't see :poo: from your picture but if you really have a firewall adjuster, dial it out, away from the firewall several full turns. If you do need a cable, don't get an adjustable one, they all suck. Do the adjusting at the firewall.
 
The cable itself is longer, but the working length is the same. It's not like it creates slack in the system. But you shouldn't try to mount bracket it to the fenderwell like a fox-style cable, just loop it forward of the headers and back along by the engine mount and it's all good.
 
The cable itself is longer, but the working length is the same. It's not like it creates slack in the system. But you shouldn't try to mount bracket it to the fenderwell like a fox-style cable, just loop it forward of the headers and back along by the engine mount and it's all good.

Yeah, I've never understood the purpose of the mounting bracket on these aftermarket cables. None of them ever line up with the stock mounting points on the inner tower.....and I mean none of them. In order to bet my Steeda cable to bolt to the stock location, I'd have to kink it into the most awkward position that would surely cause binding. Might as well just chop the bracket off?
 
The MM is a little bit longer from my memory. No big deal you just need to adjust it up more.
Like MFE stated it works the same, route around the front of the header and down .... you would think I work for them the way I promote the cable setup but it is because I have yet to feel one like it




Sent from my iPhone using my fingers
 
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Ok, better pic, pretty sure it's some kind of aftermarket adjuster. I couldn't get in there good enough to see if the quadrant was aftermarket but I'm starting to wonder.

Tomorrow I'll pull the cover on the tranny and see if its a aftermarket adjustable cable. Tonight I could smell the clutch so I know it's not adjusted right. The fact that adjuster is so far out makes me think either the cable is stretched or its an adjustable cable and the cable needs adjusted at the tranny.
 
That looks like it's extended out a lot, shortening the cable more than it should have to be, unless it's an adjustable cable that was never adjusted tight enough in the first place. But the fact that the clutch drags when depressed, like the cable is adjusted too loose and never fully releases the clutch, is in conflict with the fact that you can smell it. That suggests the cable is adjusted too tight, and is never letting the clutch fully engage, so it's slipping. Maybe the cable is fubar'd down at the transmission end.