Clutch or Clutch Cable

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Ok well i am having a problem and i want to know if its the cable or the clutch... When the cable went on my old stang it just popped and when the clutch went on the old one it just slipped. But on this one I push the pedal down 3/4 of the way and then it engages the clutch but not fully so I have to play with it to get it into first sometimes grind the **** out of it. Any suggestions I am losing my mind here....

 

[Therian]

a firewall adjuster is your friend in this case.

for now, have you tried lifting the pedal up as far as it will go (with your hands) and then forcefully putting it to the ground?

sounds like a clutch cable/linkage problem to me

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Well I pulled it up with my foot and got nothing I am going to try with my hand right now but I doubt thats going to do anything. So should I order an adjustable cable and replace it? Or do I need a new clutch?

 

[Therian]

Well I pulled it up with my foot and got nothing I am going to try with my hand right now but I doubt thats going to do anything. So should I order an adjustable cable and replace it? Or do I need a new clutch?

Don't buy an adjustable clutch cable. firewall adjuster should do what you need...certainly is a lot more cost effective.

If you want to be sure, get the MM kit.

 

[HISSIN50]

I'd agree about the cable/adjustment being an issue (even if your clutch is going too, the clutch is not self-adjusting as it should).

Check out Fiore's FWA and Quadrant also (nice stuff).

Good luck.

 

[Therian]

I'd agree about the cable/adjustment being an issue (even if your clutch is going too, the clutch is not self-adjusting as it should).

Check out Fiore's FWA and Quadrant also (nice stuff).

Good luck.

If I hadn't gone with MM I would have went with Fiore. Top notch quality from what I've seen

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Well right now i dont have the money to get an adjustable quadrant. But I got myself a stock cable and I am going to install it during my lunch and hope for the best.... When I looked at the adjuster where the pedal is it looked like it had taken up all the slack that was left.

 

[Therian]

I'm assuming you didn't have to buy the stock cable??

cause clutch quads are only around 40 dollars...ditto for the firewall adjuster

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Well I bought just the stock cable... But when we went to install it, the old cable looked just like the new one. It didnt look stretched at all. But there was a lot of clutch in that plate that protects the cable. But when we looked in threw that hole were the cable is the teeth where the throw out bearing are looked fine none where broken. I had someone tell me it could be the pressure plate? So should I just order a clutch and hope for the best?

 

[HISSIN50]

To diagnose the PP, the slack needs to come out of the cable first (a loose cable adjustment mimics the symptoms of weak/damaged diaphram fingers in the PP).

If you have the stock quadrant/pawl, it might have started to strip. Post up what quadrant and cable adjustment mechanism you have, and Therian, I, et al can help you out.

Good luck.

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

I have the factory everything. lol Its the stock quadrant i guess and stock cable. I never put the cable in because the one in there looked fine. Umm when I look under the dash at the quadrants i guess where the cable goes too umm i guess it looks fine. but what my friend did was put 3 clamps on the cable to take up some slack i guess I have no idea whats going on but yea and now the car goes into gear again. If it means anything when we look in threw where the cable is the name on what i think the pressure plate is valeo.

 

[HISSIN50]

Valeo supplies the OEM and King Cobra clutch kits (very nice stuff - Valeo has supplied Italian exotics with clutches for decades).

If the cable looks fine but you lost your adjustment, something 'gave'. There's a real good chance the teeth on the pawl/quadrant interface are stripping (it's that or the cable really is stretching). So I'd be prepared for it to let go at some point here. If you feel more slack getting into the cable, get off the road. Sometimes you will feel a pop or thud one or two clutch movements before the cable actually snaps (that's been my experience a few times when the cable's ferrule is about to rip off).

The new quadrant and a FWA will be money well spent. Even if you dont want nice stuff, I think you can get some real cheap generics for like 15-20 bucks.

Random thoughts. Good luck.

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Ok well lets say then I get one of those firewall adjusters from steeda or something. How bad is that to install? Because its really uncomfortable to get under the dash.

 

[Therian]

If I recall, the install took about 20 minutes.

Depending on how tall you are (I'm 5'11") it might be difficult to get under the dash to change the quadrant out. In that case, you'll probably want to take the driver seat out. I've never done it before, but from what I recall, it's not a difficult procedure.

The instructions that came with my MM quadrant were excellent, and the removal of the old one, installation of the new one went smoothly.

on a scale of 1 to 10 for installation difficulty, I'd put it around a 2.

Firewall adjuster is even easier.

 

[HISSIN50]

Therian is more adept than I am. I think that the stock quad/pawl removal is a bit more difficult, but no one has ever called me efficient or smart. Do remove the seat as he mentioned - it's 5 minutes (4 bolts) well-spent.

Once the old quad pieces are removed, like Therian said, it's gravy time (even for me). And all future quadrant swaps will be a simple five-minute affair.

I know it hurts to spend money but if you need even one short tow home, and then need to buy parts and have the week of downtime (shipping time), you'll kick yourself for not having replaced the quad sooner.

Good luck.

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Well I took my chair out on the old stang so yea I guess I will take the chair out and see what I can do about installing a new quad. Its much cheaper than having the car towed home and then the down time I will suffer from from waiting for the new part. So after this I should move onto replacing the clutch if the problem persists right?

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MUST...3QQihZ018QQcategoryZ33730QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hows this one?

or this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UPR-...3QQihZ015QQcategoryZ33730QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[HISSIN50]

If that's what you want you can do it. My (and I might also speak for Therian) choice would be to keep your existing cable (especially if you have a brand new OEM style non-adjustable cable). Then add a quadrant (I personally dont like multi-hook quadrants, but that is just me) and a FWA. Because you're not buying a cable, it might save you some cash too.

The pieces we mentioned above would do you well. The least expensive quadrant I've run is a single-hook UPR piece and it does well, as does their Extreme FWA. I'd try their clicker FWA if not getting Mr Fiorentino's clicker (his is the piece I referred to way at the top of the thread). I understand that money is tight for most folks though.

Anyhow......synopsis: If you have a good cable, I'd get a single hook quadrant and a FWA and call it good.

Good luck.

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

So do you have any links to where I can get one of these you speak of? lol. Also I see most people are against the adjustable cables why is that?

 

[HISSIN50]

Fiore.

MM

UPR.
UPR has more stuff - I just couldn't get it all on one page.

If you dig around on those sites, you can find something that you'll like (UPR will likely be the cheapest).

It's hard to beat the OEM non-adjustable cable (though I had great success with a Ford Adjustable cable on my fox) - that's why folks keep it around. There are fewer success stories than not with the adjustable cables in general - why mess with a known good thing, ya know.



Good luck.