Clutch problems: input shaft? pressure plate?

[JonJon]

Ok, in continuance of my clutch problems.

If you remove the trans shield and look at the pressure plate while the car is idling, you can see it wobbling. That in turn causes the clutch fork to wobble, causing the pedal to wobble, etc.

What does a wobbling pressure plate mean? It bites hard but it makes some very odd noises while it is engaged. If I disengage the clutch the sounds go away. The sounds are hard to describe, 1 is definately the TOB.

A Ford tech told me (the one who initially looked at it) either the pressure plate wasn't torqued down correctly, the clutch wasn't aligned with the pilot bearing correctly, or it's a defective part. The shop is currently looking at my car, he says something is wrong with the input shaft. I had asked the Ford tech about the input shaft, he said if there was something wrong with it, I wouldn't be able to shift very well.

Any ideas??? I'm calling the shop guy back in an hour, he's going to look at the car some more. This clutch install has been a PITA.

FRPP HD clutch, flywheel worked on too. Clutch feels good but makes horrible noises and PP wobbles.

 

[twogts4us]

Dam, JonJon - you just aren't having any luck with this clutch situation are you?!
If it's the input shaft, you are really screwed. Hopefully, it's just your TOB...
Praying for ya bro (and your trannie!)

 

[JonJon]

Dam, JonJon - you just aren't having any luck with this clutch situation are you?!
If it's the input shaft, you are really screwed. Hopefully, it's just your TOB...
Praying for ya bro (and your trannie!)

I spoke to a Ford tech and he doubted it was the input shaft. He said they're really strong.
He wants $47 to diagnose the problem.

Still waiting to hear back from the clutch guy, he said he still thinks it's the input shaft and he hasn't really taken anything apart.

 

[JonJon]

Finally resolved hopefully. $440. He says he took -everything- apart and the clutch looked brand new (I put 700 miles on it). He found out the input shaft and throw out bearing had marred each other, he isn't sure which did damage to which but in the end he sent the trans to some place and got it repaired. Also replaced the throw out bearing and pilot bearing just to be on the safe side.

So, because of Ford's original misdiagnosis of a problem, I'm out $1000. And to add salt to the wound, I have an EXTENDED WARRANTY which covers the freaking transmission. If Ford didn't quote me $1300 for a clutch install I woulda got the work done there probably, which they then would've discovered it was a transmission problem and my warranty would've covered it.



How plausible is that though? That the input shaft was damaged somehow, but NOT by a clutch install? That doesn't sound right?

I'm going to pick the car up at 7.

 

[JonJon]

Ok. A slight glimmer of hope.
I called the extended warranty company, which is a 3rd party company, and I asked them if it would be covered. THANKFULLY he said it -should- be covered and to mail in the information/receipt and crap and they'll review it.

I expect them to stall on this but atleast I can fight with them versus the shop owner who was really cool through this whole situation.

 

[Saleen201]

well i am glad you got everything figured out.

So no cams now ?

 

[JonJon]

well i am glad you got everything figured out.

So no cams now ?

Hah, don't even know for sure if my car is fine... Less than an hour to go. I haven't had a car for 6 days, it's been a MAJOR PITA to get a ride TO and FROM work. My poor nice friends

~10 days total without my car due to this install due to problems with the speedo and this input shaft problem.

I still don't understand why he says the input shaft was the problem but he didn't cause it. If it wasn't there when I brought it in, how didn't he cause it?


Gotta think about the cams for a while, if I do, like you mentioned, it'd be everything, cams, springs, LT's... That's a boat load of $ for part time working me...

but

 

[Saleen201]

i hear ya.. i need a new suspension, my rear shocks are blown (i think anyway) so i need to foot the bill for that. And i just bought the new rims and got my car tuned... i dont have any money either

 

[JonJon]

i hear ya.. i need a new suspension, my rear shocks are blown (i think anyway) so i need to foot the bill for that. And i just bought the new rims and got my car tuned... i dont have any money either

How do you tell if the shocks are blown? That sucks

and btw, what did you pull on the dyno anyways?

 

[Saleen201]

How do you tell if the shocks are blown? That sucks

and btw, what did you pull on the dyno anyways?

Lets just assume you had a front wheel drive car, take out the whole rear suspenstion and wheels so the rear of the car is dragging on the ground. Now to drive around, that is what it feels like. Ever small bump it feels like my car is bottoming out.

I plan on fully upgrading my suspension and brakes durring winter, ill just have to get started sooner then planned.

-Mike

 

[Saleen201]

ohh yeah, i made 270 RWHP and 277 RWTQ, the numbers are a little low, but dont forget i have blower cams and no blower.

I love the power and the exhaust though. I cant go anywhere without getting compliments.

-Mike

 

[JonJon]

Lets just assume you had a front wheel drive car, take out the whole rear suspenstion and wheels so the rear of the car is dragging on the ground. Now to drive around, that is what it feels like. Ever small bump it feels like my car is bottoming out.

I plan on fully upgrading my suspension and brakes durring winter, ill just have to get started sooner then planned.

-Mike

Ah. My 3 month old Mach 1 shocks seem to do that... Thought it was just a rougher ride from the lowered suspension and shock/struts. hmm

ohh yeah, i made 270 RWHP and 277 RWTQ, the numbers are a little low, but dont forget i have blower cams and no blower.

I love the power and the exhaust though. I cant go anywhere without getting compliments.

-Mike

Forget the brake work, do the blower

 

[Saleen201]

Forget the brake work, do the blower

right, then you will be reading a "sticky" thread about how Saleen201 got into a bad accident due to brake failure....

"at least he died with a smile on his face"

 

[JonJon]

True.

Well I picked up my car, clutch feels good. No clanking, no whistling, no nothing. A slight rattling sound when I WOT and it hits the drone zone but car drives good.

We went for a test drive first and on the way back, I noticed the speedo wasn't working.. AGAIN. JUST LIKE LAST TIME!!! Pulled her into his shop, he checked the external sensor and it wasn't tightened thank goodness. Bolted that down, car was good to go.

FINALLY.

 

[Saleen201]

 

[JonJon]

I drove like an ass to work. I couldn't enjoy the car last night, had to finish up homework then sleep. Damn work.


Now I just gotta find a day to go race

 

[GinoGT]

So anyway........what did you need a new clutch for?

 

[JonJon]

So anyway........what did you need a new clutch for?

I had a weird metallic ringing/clanging sound when I would start the car cold (after it sat for a few hours). If I disengaged the clutch, the sound went away. If I drove for 3 minutes, the sound would go away until it sat for a few hours again.

So I went to Ford, they told me it was a clutch problem. I told him "No ****, you're going to charge me $47 to tell me what _I_ told you?" and he tells me "I can't find out what else is wrong without taking the clutch apart and you might as well replace it then. $1300" I told him I'd save up and go back $1300, what a joke. When I picked up the car, the paperwork said "Pressure plate coming loose". I don't know why he didn't tell me that on the phone and that didn't sound so great so I got some quotes from performance shops that Stangnet people recommended. $450-500 for the whole deal, clutch, flywheel, labor.

So I went and got the work done. After I picked the car up, speedo didn't work, clutch shook slightly. Took it back, took a few days for the speedo to be fixed since Ford kept sending the wrong internal sensor or whatever. $42 part. Picked up the car again, the pedal shake was worse. TOB made noise now and there was a weird clunking. Took it back again and that's where this thread started.

In the end, it was the input shaft bearing or something. $125 transmission work.

Freaking Ford. I'm going to go back and talk to that tech, tell him he's crap. I don't understand how he 'diagnosed' my pressure plate coming loose.

 

[JonJon]

Oh, and my stock clutch felt GREAT still. No slippage that I noticed and launched hard still. 57k on that stocker and I learned to drive on it. Though this new FRPP HD clutch bites harder, I chirp 3rd now, I don't think I did before. I always wondered how people would post and say they chirped 3rd. (they had newere GTs though)

Oh, the shop guy did recommend replacing my clutch cable, said it's down to 4 teeth out of 31?