Just got it back from the mechanic again and as I was driving home the clutch pedal fell to the floor. I could still shift up and down while I was moving but I cant shift from a standstill or a roll and the pedal is floppy and weightless. Upon further inspection I found the cable was disconnected from the clutch quadrant and I tried to place it back in to no avail. Does this mean my clutch has failed or just my clutch cable?
Drivetrain 1988 gt clutch problems
- Thread starter Crexun
- Start date
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Buy a can of gojo and get your hands dirty, nothin better!
get under the car and unhook the clutch cable, get under the dash and hook the cable to the quadrant, back under the car and hook the cable to the fork, for more helpful stuff you can do yourself check out the technical/how to at the top of the 5.0 tech forums, get a repair manual and save yourself a pocket full of money, we will talk you through it.
get under the car and unhook the clutch cable, get under the dash and hook the cable to the quadrant, back under the car and hook the cable to the fork, for more helpful stuff you can do yourself check out the technical/how to at the top of the 5.0 tech forums, get a repair manual and save yourself a pocket full of money, we will talk you through it.
I'm just gonna have my mechanic fix it I'm taking a break on touching this car otherwise I'll be touching with a sledgehammer. This latest break came after I had to replace the valve cover gaskets in rain that actually froze me to the car. I still have to find time to put in the new transmission and figure out idle issues. I just want it to drive for a full day at the very least before I try at it myself again. I do appreciate the support and kindness though.
Sorry about the poke in the eye, it's a bad habit that I picked up from dealing all sorts of people who bought the car with no idea or intention of working on it.
Clutch Adjustment for stock and aftermarket setups
Revised 28-Apr-2016 to include need for longer cable with single hook quadrant
Clutch adjustment with stock cable and quadrant
There is a self-adjusting mechanism for the clutch cable. As the clutch wears the cable tension changes, that is why there is a self-adjusting mechanism built into the clutch pedal. There is a toothed plastic quadrant with a ratchet pawl that engages the quadrant. As you pull up on the clutch pedal, it ratchets and takes any slack out of the clutch cable. Mess around with the pedal or even bump it while the end that fits in the clutch fork is loose, and it tries to take up the slack in the cable. That has the effect of shortening the cable.
Do the clutch adjustment first before considering any other problems. With the stock plastic quadrant and cable, pull up on the clutch pedal until it comes upward toward you. It will make a ratcheting sound as the self-adjuster works. To release to tension of the stock quadrant, use a screwdriver to lift the ratchet paw up and out of engagement with the quadrant teeth.
You can use a screwdriver to lift the ratchet pawl off the quadrant teeth. That will allow you to move the quadrant to allow more slack in the cable. If the cable is too loose, pull up on the pedal. The ratchet pawl will allow the quadrant to take up the slack in the cable and lock the adjustment.
Adjustable cables are used when the plastic quadrant is replaced with an aftermarket metal quadrant. The downside to this setup is that you have to get under the car to adjust the clutch. Add a firewall adjuster to an adjustable cable setup and you can spare yourself from getting back under the car to make any fine adjustment that you desire.
The fancy 2 and 3 hook quadrants are for use with stock length cable and a firewall adjuster. Use the firewall adjuster and screw in and out to take the slack out of the cable and get the clutch engagement point just where you want it.
Binding clutch cable
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
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. With a non-adjustable cable and a firewall adjuster, the cable needs to go in the second hook of the quadrant. Single hook quadrants used with a firewall adjuster may make the clutch too tight, causing it to slip. The possible exception to this is the Maximum Motorsports cable which is a bit longer to make it work with a single hook quadrant.
Adjustable clutch cable tips:
Loosening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the rear of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the floor.
Tightening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the front of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the top of the pedal.
Firewall adjuster tips
Turning the firewall adjuster IN makes the engagement point closer to the floor since it loosens the cable. You have to push the pedal to the floor to disengage the clutch. Too loose a cable and the clutch won't completely disengage and shifting will be difficult. Gears will grind and you may have difficulty getting the transmission in first gear when stopped.
Turning the firewall adjuster OUT makes the engagement point farther from the floor since it tightens the cable. You push a short distance to disengage the clutch. Too tight a cable will cause clutch slippage.
Aftermarket solutions to the problem:
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
[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
Fix for the quadrant end of the cable popping out of the quadrant when installing a replacement cable courtesy of Grabbin' Asphalt
Thank you for that detailed response I should have mentioned that the quadrant is aftermarket and I'm assuming the cable is too. I bought this back in november from a couple kids dumber than me and it died after about 100 miles. 7 months and 7 grand later I've driven this thing for a combined total of 3 hours maybe 4 and the fuel pump melted in the tank a couple weeks ago which was cool. I will get under there and check out adjusting the cable before it order the replacement work thanks for the suggestion.
Boostedpimp
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Did the cable just pop off the quadrant or at the clutch fork down by the transmission? Maybe the mechanic didn't have it completely seated or adjusted? Either way look under the dash to see if it's on the quadrant which is at the top of the clutch peddle. Then look under the car at the driver side of the transmission you should see the cable go into a bar looking thing which is the clutch fork. If it's off the clutch fork you'll have to pry the fork back some in order to get the cable through the whole and seated.
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