• Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech

Clutch Issue? need advice

  • Thread starter Thread starter hotdog71
  • Start date Start date Jan 11, 2010

hotdog71

Member
Dec 8, 2004
427
0
16
Seattle, Eastside
Jan 11, 2010
#1
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #1
Hi All,

I have a strange squeaking sound when I press the clutch peddle in

I don't thinks it the TOB because it only does it when I operate the clutch peddle and it seems to go away when the car gets warm. It's definitely something to do with the clutch and peddle movement.

I got under the car today and pulled the fork cover plate off and tried spray some lithium grease in there but it didn't really help.

I have the Steeda clutch cable and quadrant but I am thinling about putting the original back in but thought i would ask if anyone has had similar issue.

Any comments or ideas are welcome??

Thanks
 
3

302GTS

If you need herpes, I'm your man!
Apr 20, 2009
481
2
18
Largo, FL
Jan 11, 2010
#2
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #2
It's the throwout bearing, definitely. You've caught it early. At first, the sound goes away when the car warms up... Eventually, you'll have a very angry, and very mangled throwout bearing on your hands. When one of mine went WAY downhill, after yanking the bellhousing away from the engine, my face was covered in melted together ball bearings. I went to pull away the bearing from the input shaft, and it was semi-fused together, until I yanked on the bearing and it separated into three pieces...

Get it taken care of fairly soon, man! It'll only get worse.
 
K

Kilgore Trout

Fried or Broiled ?
10 Year Member
Mar 30, 2005
4,749
95
134
Jan 11, 2010
#3
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #3
The trans will have to come out. Do not be spraying any grease in there! Do not attempt to lube the old parts install new parts.
 

patman0911

Founding Member
Jun 5, 2002
2,287
0
46
Tuscaloosa, AL
Jan 11, 2010
#4
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #4
Please don't spray any grease up in there or your next thread will be "Why is my clutch slipping so bad?"

TOBs can make noise with the clutch out or in or both. It's a pretty common failure and it's not unusual for the TOB to go bad before the clutch disk wears out on these Mustangs. Yours will get worse and then it will fail catastrophically so don't put it off for too long and if it starts sounding noticeably worse, that's your sign to get it fixed ASAP.
 

hotdog71

Member
Dec 8, 2004
427
0
16
Seattle, Eastside
Jan 11, 2010
#5
  • Jan 11, 2010
  • #5
Thanks for the advice peps!

Let me try to clarify something it only make the sound when I operate the clutch peddle. So it doesn't make any sounds when the clutch is engaged or disengaged. I notice the peddle resistance changes sometimes its really smooth and then sometimes it rough like is catching on something. The sound is most nasty when the engine is off so do you think it would still be the TOB?

As for the grease I only sprayed the fork area and not the plate and clutch it not slipping.

The biggest bummer is my king cobra clutch only has around 35-40K on it.

Is the TOB an easy change or should I just swap the clutch out too?
What clutch is recommended? I really find the cobra clutch quite heavy for what it is giving in return.

Thanks for the input peps!
 
I

Icemanstang

New Member
Dec 28, 2009
149
0
0
Potstown,Pennsylvania
Jan 12, 2010
#6
  • Jan 12, 2010
  • #6
hotdog71 said:
What clutch is recommended?
Click to expand...
I recently just last year installed a new Centerforce DF clutch.
It is the best clutch I ever used on a Ford Mustang.
I would definitley get another Centerforce clutch again.
 

hotdog71

Member
Dec 8, 2004
427
0
16
Seattle, Eastside
Jan 14, 2010
#7
  • Jan 14, 2010
  • #7
So I thought I would call Ford and get a price for the TOB which was $43.xx +tax then I thought I wonder how much they would charge to fix it so I asked but wish I hadn't at whopping $920.00 + tax just for labor

I had to check what he said so I was sure I heard him right the first time

Does it really take a day to do the change?
 

Mustank

Founding Member
Sep 11, 2001
166
1
18
Germany
Jan 14, 2010
#8
  • Jan 14, 2010
  • #8
Did you change the clutch yourself? If you did, then you already know how to change a tob - the only difference is the last couple of steps.

Changing the throwout bearing isn't that hard, but you have to remove the transmission to do it, so it takes time. If you're doing it on jack-stands, it could easily take a whole day.

It's always a good idea to do clutch and tob at the same time. But - if your clutch is that new, I wouldn't bother changing it yet.

The King Cobra is a decent clutch for moderate setups. If you think it's too stiff, you should probably go to the gym...
 

hotdog71

Member
Dec 8, 2004
427
0
16
Seattle, Eastside
Jan 14, 2010
#9
  • Jan 14, 2010
  • #9
Mustank said:
Did you change the clutch yourself?

The King Cobra is a decent clutch for moderate setups. If you think it's too stiff, you should probably go to the gym...
Click to expand...

I did not change the clutch myself. Actuaclly I had Ford do it for Free when they were doing the gerabox TSB a few yrs back they had trouble with the gearbox TSB and it took them two weeks to do the fix, so I asked them to swap it for my and they did of course I paid for the parts clutch probably had about 50k on it.

I have axle stands and two hudrolic jacks one big, and one small.

go to the gym,

I just find it really heavy I mean its about 3 or 4 times heavier then the stock clutch, but heard some of the other clutchs out ther are just as good but are not as heavy.
 

trinity_gt

10 Year Member
Jan 31, 2003
3,125
81
99
Canada
Jan 14, 2010
#10
  • Jan 14, 2010
  • #10
If the squeak is only present when the pedal is actually moving then it's probably not the release (throwout) bearing. If you don't hear it with your foot to the floor but hear it as your foot is moving to the floor then I'd suspect one of:

- the fulcrum point that the release arm pivots on
- the collar that the release bearing rides on on the front of the trans has insufficient lube
 

joshjwc9

Active Member
Jun 12, 2006
1,095
17
39
Palm Harbor, FL
Jan 14, 2010
#11
  • Jan 14, 2010
  • #11
Holy crap $920 bucks?!! Most Mustang shops around here charge an even $250 for a clutch install plus parts of course. Go with one of two brands if you are going to replace the clutch, RAM or Centerforce.

Everyone has had good luck here with both (it seems at least) and the lower level clutches are cheaper than a King Cobra and have a lighter pedal. Also, did you have the quadrant and cable installed before Ford did your Clutch the last time? Is everything adjusted correctly?
 

hotdog71

Member
Dec 8, 2004
427
0
16
Seattle, Eastside
Jan 14, 2010
#12
  • Jan 14, 2010
  • #12
Hi,

Yes Ford did the cltuch install.

We installed the Steeda quad and cable adjuster kit after the clutch was fitted almost 3 years back now and yes it was correctly adjusted.

The noise which I can only describe as a load squeak/scrapping sound when depressing or released the clutch peddle and I feel the friction on the peddle like its rubbing on something and not sliding smoothly like it should. I sprayed some lithium grease on the arm and tried to get the bearing without hitting the clutch itself and it made it a little better.

The clutch has always felt really heavy and I would prefer slightly lighter since I do quite a bit of stop start as my DD over hear in Seattle Eastside area I405/I5.

thx!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
New kid on the block
  • HydraX
  • Mar 22, 2025
  • The Welcome Wagon
Replies
17
Views
791
The Welcome Wagon Mar 22, 2025
HydraX
H
J
Transmission issues
  • jake411
  • May 9, 2024
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
Replies
9
Views
1K
1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk- Jun 3, 2024
2000xp8
D
PLEASE HELP - T5 in a 66, Clutch Issues
  • DvineProphet
  • Jan 23, 2024
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
Replies
8
Views
2K
1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk- Jan 26, 2024
Realmongo
K
Electrical Weird horn - headlight issue
  • Kuwait-Foxbody
  • May 27, 2024
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
Replies
3
Views
822
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech May 28, 2024
Noobz347
J
New 98 Mustang Cobra Owner
  • jtoates72
  • Apr 14, 2023
  • SVT Tech Forum
Replies
1
Views
1K
SVT Tech Forum Apr 19, 2023
Shuttleman83
S
Share:
Bluesky Email Share Link
  • Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Menu
Log in

Register

  • Forums
  • What's new
  • Media
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?

X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?