clutch real stiff...

[Foxfan88]

ok i got my new clutch cable put in and for the last day the clutch has been real stiff and kind of a PITA to use. After i driving for a while it will feel a bit better but its still hard. I have a King Cobra so it shouldnt be all that hard.

i am kind of thinking of an old TB retainer on the t5?? Would a a steel bearing retainer help with this.

Me and my shop teacher think it may have not been lubricated. Some other kit put it on. He said he used lithium grease.. He tested out my clutch and he said it didnt feel right at all. Way to hard...

any ideas??

 

[cjman15]

Not sure. I have the Heavy Duty FRPP clutch which is the step down from the KC, and it's really stiff too. I really like that about it tho. Is this the first aftermarket clutch you've had?

I like the stiff clutch because girls ask to drive my car and I tell them to try... and they can't push the clutch down to start it. haha

 

[90mustangGT]

Many things can cause a stiff clutch. One is a bad quadrant and cable, but I see that has been replaced, and I assume that it was installed correctly. A bad berring retainer could cause it. Was the pilot replaced with the clutch?

Unhook the cable from the clutch fork and see how easy it is to push the clutch pedal, it should pretty much fall to the floor.

 

[JaysGreenLX]

How long have you had the KC clutch? Mine is quite stiff, almost to the point where my leg hurts in traffic.

 

[5spd GT]

Check that routing on the cable...make sure it is a smooth even curve from the pedal to the clutch fork.

I could see with the throwoutbearing retainer not being lubed it would cause a hard clutch pedal, I would also suspect it to be not very smooth and "catchy" feeling.

White Lithium Grease is good stuff from what I have used of it...

Good Luck

Edit: King cobra is softer than Ford HD clutch. It shouldn't be considered a hard to push in clutch, (king cobra)...

Not much different than stock...

 

[HISSIN50]

So was the engagement effort-filled before the cable (did the cable make a difference)?

I agree that a chewed up bearing retainer can cause a rough pedal travel, but it should not appreciably change hot vs cold.

If this was a parts store cable, a non-adjustable Ford cable is the way to go. 50 bucks from Diversified to your door.

I am with David - I shoot some white lithium in my inspection cover (just hit the bearing retainer and dont spray near the PP/disk area). In my case, it helps, which tells me the retainer has seen better days.

The cable routing that was mentioned by David is big too. I routed mine a little differently than Jeremy does in his clutch article pic, but as David said, as long as it makes the biggest smoothest radius it can, it should be ok (I ran mine along the oil sump, rather than under the K-member ear). I discussed it with Jeremy and we didnt feel it mattered much.

Good luck.

 

[Foxfan88]

well b4 the new cable it was starting to get nice a smooth like stock. I was like yeah its finally starting to feel nice, but that was b/c the cable was strecthing b/c is was getting ready to snap.

My cable is routed b/w the motor mount and the oil pan, its a smooth curve.

The clutch pedal is the hardest its ever been since i have had the 5 speed, the cable made it hard.
I put in a brand new pilot bearing when i did the swap.

with the cable unhooked it does move freely. I am guessing TB retainer, i am getting ready to buy a new rebuilt t5 here shortly and it should have a good retainer so i'll see how it goes then.

 

[old_blue]

Is it an adjustable cable?? If so... chuck it, it is crap. I had one I got off of ebay and my clutch was soooo stiff it was ridiculous and I knew it was wrong since I have been around the 5.0 scene for a long time and even the strongest of clutches felt as bad as mine. I threw it away and got an OEM one from Ford and the difference was night and day. I tried to lube the old cable as well but it didn't work, still stiff. Ford non-adjustable is the way to go.

 

[Roland69]

FOXFAN dosn't mess around does he. He gets S-h-i-t done. I have a stiff clutch as well.

 

[TomCat]

KC clutch here... stiff, but my leg got used to it.

 

[jrichker]

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.

 

[old_blue]

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.

Mine was setup correctly. Just really hard to push. I also have a KC clutch and when I went with a new stock cable it was perfect.

 

[Foxfan88]

i may get the actual ford cable... whats the cheapest place and where can i get em??

What i dont understand is, if the ford cable is so good, why did mine snap??

i mean i can understand a little stiffness, but mine is rediculous. Like today i went to move my car out of the way so i could drive my moms to work, i could barely move it, my wet shoe didnt help but it took alot of muscle.

 

[1SLO306]

KC clutch here... stiff, but my leg got used to it.

same here, i try my right leg on it one day and thought it was stiff as fawk

 

[5spd GT]

i may get the actual ford cable... whats the cheapest place and where can i get em??

What i dont understand is, if the ford cable is so good, why did mine snap??

i mean i can understand a little stiffness, but mine is rediculous. Like today i went to move my car out of the way so i could drive my moms to work, i could barely move it, my wet shoe didnt help but it took alot of muscle.

www.buyfordracing.com sells them for $40 bucks I believe...that is where I got mine. I liked it much better than my dirty adjustable cable.

It could have snapped due to it being close to a header (heat will weaken the "links")...

I would pull the tranny and replace the bearing retainer as soon as possible so you don't have problems...and you can save that clutch.

A King Cobra has a pretty light pedal...

 

[vikingpower]

I've had two BBK cables, and they both suck(ed). I got the second one only becuase Summit replaced the first one since it snapped. The second cable worked good (light pedal like its supposed to be) for a while but now its like leg pressing 500 pounds again. So, I'll be following the advise of most people on Stangnet and getting the Ford cable.

 

[Blk91stang]

I've had two BBK cables, and they both suck(ed). I got the second one only becuase Summit replaced the first one since it snapped. The second cable worked good (light pedal like its supposed to be) for a while but now its like leg pressing 500 pounds again. So, I'll be following the advise of most people on Stangnet and getting the Ford cable.

I've had my BBK on for 2 years now with no problems what-so-ever. Seems like a pretty durable cable to me. Although I just bought the cable from buyfordracing to see if theres any difference in pedal pressure. Just experimenting a little..

 

[morrisracing]

I had this same problem with my 93. Bought the car used several years ago. From day one the clutch was stiff. So stiff that if I came to a red light I would put it in neutral so that I wouldnt have to hold the clutch in. It had a kc clutch. I just figured that it was supposed to feel that way (WRONG). 1st cable snapped, 2nd cable streched. I pulled the tranny, and found that the tb retainer had grooves in it. Installed a new steel retainer and now the pedal feels as easy as a hydraulic clutch. Hope this helps

 

[Foxfan88]

yeah i am thinking my bearing retainer my be bad, but i didnt notice anything wrong with it b4.

also its getting better for some reason. maybe this is how my clutch is supposed to feel.... could be i was used to a stretching cable that was about to snap and never got accustomed to a real good working cable. or maybe i am getting used to it.

i'll play it by ear

 

[5spd GT]

i'll play it by ear

I'd play it by foot