Crappy Ford TOB's

[Mustang5L5]

Well, i knew it was a matter of time.

Was messing around, hit a 1-2 shift hard expecting to chip the tires. Instead, got a small "scuff" and then the clutch felt weird afterwards.

The first 1" or so of loose play felt spongy.

Drove up next to a wall, and heard the faint "chirp chirp chirp" of throw out bearing

Dammit, 38K and now the chirp.

Anyway i'm a little concerned about the clutch. I took it into 4th gear and went WOT and there was no slipping at all. It's just that every time i chirp 2nd hard the clutch feels a little odd for 5 or so miles after

I don't even race or drive my car hard. Every now and then, i'll just chirp 2nd for the hell of it.

So what's a good factory replacement clutch? WHat about a replacement TOB? I don't want to go with a stock replacement, i'd rather upgrade, but i don't want something with a stiff pedal. My car will be staying stock so it doesn't need to handle mega-HP.

I'm not going to replace it over a chirping TOB, but i might if it gets annoying anough and if my clutch continues to feel odd. My friends have a lift, so i can bang it out in a night no prob

 

[SRT Handz]

It Happens...

 

[HoustonGT]

Just go with the King Cobra Clutch kit from americanmuscle.com . Price is very low and it'll last a while especially if you plan on staying mostly stock. I've had mine for about 5k miles and love it so far. The pedal isn't stiff and it grabs harder than the stock with no chattering or other noise.

 

[Mustang5L5]

WIll the KK fit the 01+ with the 11" clutch??

I thought it was for 10.5" clutch cars only?

 

[bakos24]

WIll the KK fit the 01+ with the 11" clutch??

I thought it was for 10.5" clutch cars only?

You sir are correct. the king cobra will not fit 01+ cars. I wanted one for mine but could not get one.
I have a Mcleod now and love it. Pedal is not stiff at all. Pretty much like stock.

 

[whyask]

weres a decent place to order one??

 

[merc123]

Odd, I've never had issues like that and I have 60k on the clock. My TOB chirped/squeaked at about 50k but I never got it replaced... It stopped

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well, it's been chirping maybe 10 miles so far. Clutch holds fine, so i'm not planning a replacment...it's just annoying. It's not even that loud really...something only I will notice really

 

[DTNODYA]

It's chirping at idle only right? And when you push the pedal it stops?

When they start getting really bad, it will start by making a stero feedback type of sound then, after a while, it will change to a grinding sound when you push the clutch (or when clutch is disengaged) ... that's when you should think about replacing it. It should be fine for a while though... (That's based on my experience with my car's TOB) ...

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well, if i drive in 1st or 2nd next to a concrete wall i can sorta hear it bouncing off the walls.

The only way i can hear it is if i am next to something like in a drivethru or a gaurdrail.

ANY pressure on the clutch stops it. I don't even need to push it down, just resting my foot on it makes it stop.

It was louder, but i think it has quieted down slightly the last few miles.

 

[hotdog71]

Your TOB shouldn't stop you from barking on gear change, unless you can't shift fast enough because of it sticking or your clutch is slipping.

I was having ford do the gearbox TSB got them to put in a Cobra clutch on my 03 GT and it works great

 

[mineralgraygt]

does the chirping stop when you step on the clutch all the way down to the floor?

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well, i noticed the lack of "chirp" happened right around the time that the weather in my area started getting colder. That plus my stock tires almost worn out could be the reason why I can't "chrip" anymore. It's entirely possible i'm spinning on the shift but it's silent.

I'm not reading to much into that. I beleive last winter my tires went silent on the 1-2 when the weather cooled off.

I just noticed the problem with the TOB happened after i tried to chirp 2nd.

 

[Mustang5L5]

does the chirping stop when you step on the clutch all the way down to the floor?

Yes, as soon as the pedal moves it stops.

If i push the pedal down 1/2" with my fingertips it stops. Any light pressure at all really.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

Yes, as soon as the pedal moves it stops.

If i push the pedal down 1/2" with my fingertips it stops. Any light pressure at all really.

well thats because you're engaging it enough to touch the diaphram/fingers of the clutch assembly.

Up to you if you feel like changing it or not i guess. I probably wouldn't do one though unless you planned a clutch install too while you're in there.

And i while you may not "beat" on your car, i would classify chirping 2nd gear from time to time some semi-rough driving. 60k on my car and no probs with the original clutch

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well now it stopped. I drove about 20 miles today doing errands and it was silent.

Go figure


I think i'm gonna stop banging 2nd gear hard now

 

[jasonh_86]

I didn't read all this thread.. but..

If it makes you feel any better, my car started that with 40k miles. I never had a slippage problem or any other problems, just the annoying chirping. Sounded like a cricket in my clutch

I've still got the clutch in there at 76k miles.. no issues.

 

[myponyrocks]

most people recomend the stock part number TOB even with a new clutch install. Take that as you will, but some big names in the game have backed this up, and thus I will be doing so when I do my clutch swap in the spring.

 

[kwwheele]

Related question.

I threw a rod bearing in my 98 GT, so I replaced the whole motor with a 03 PI GT. At the same time, I replaced the clutch. Now I've got a clutch noise that I'm dealing with.

The clutch performs perfectly. But has a slight vibration/knock/rubbing when the pedal is depressed. If the car is in neutral with out the clutch depressed, no noise. However as soon as the pedal gets depressed the noise starts. The frequency is directly related to engine rotation too. Here's the funny part. It's not real loud, and doesn't happen when I first start the car. But after I put it in gear and get rolling, it'll make the noise everytime thereafter.

It doesn't sound damaging, just annoying.

Any thoughts?

 

[stangGT97]

I've still got the clutch in there at 76k miles.. no issues.

yeah it's kinda hard to burn out a clutch when you don't have a working motor