New T5 Hard Shift And Clutch Won't Disengage

Nemethjames1

Member
May 15, 2016
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hey all how you guys doing? I am making this post for some opions on what y'all think about the problem I am having.

91 mustang gt with a brand new borg Warner t5 world class. Firewall adjuster, bbk double hook quadrant. Had bbk clutch cable I installed a ford.
But I have to have the cable adjust very very tight just to get into gear and it still feels like it's not getting enough throw. I've tried both hooks on quadrant, making cable so tight it took two of us to do it. But almost seems like a bent throw out bearing fork.. or something else. Cable super tight and it still catches right off the floor, but doesn't fully release til all the way released.
Trans is brand new, maybe 3000 miles on it. Seller gave us a new in box throw out bearing retainer. I'm guessing he knew there was an issue but didn't want to admit it. Changed trans fluid and was nice and pink with no metal at all. But the clutch does not fully disengage no matter how I adjust the cable... maybe bad pilot or other bearing? anyways sorry for the long book to read, any comments would be great!

My brother bought a 1991 mustang gt that is a 93 cobra clone. And it was put together very well, flawless paint, interior upgrades. corbeau Front seats, 03/04 cobra rear seats. Was an auto converted to manual with a t5. Full bolt on car with bbk headers,catless xpipe super 44 flowmasters, msd billit distributor, msd coil, cold air intake with upgraded bbk airflow meter (stock 19lb injectors) edelbrock intake manifold, bbk 70mm tb and spacer, underdrive pullies.... ect.. too much to list.
I installed 373's in the rear end (had auto diff with 2:73's) and car is pretty quick and runs great! On of the best parts is it came with a smog cert that was just a few days old. Nice since it's far from passing smog! And our counties we live in, in cali require no smog. Only on transfer of ownership. He was Asking 7500 I gave him 6k even.
Aside from clutch issue it runs great, 160k miles on chassis.

I'll upload some pix
 
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This may help:
>Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech>
Clutch Help/adjustment
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  1. avatar_male_m.png

    Garyj92New Member
    Hey curious on my 88 notch with a centerforce clutch it doesnt go back up all the way after u engage it. So if you put it in first and let go of the clutch it stays down a slight bit to have it engaged i guess?? It has the bbk firewall adjuster. Anyone else ever have this problem it stays down about 4 inches not that much but one day I didn't see the pedal still down and bad to pull over to the side as there was smoke coming from pass side wheel well!!! Guess that 3-4 inches still has it pressed in?? Thanks guys

    #1Jan 10, 2018
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  2. 19642.jpg

    FastDriver
    15 Year Member

    So it goes back up eventually?

    My guess would be a bad cable. Second guess would be that something is mechanically wrong with your pressure plate.

    Ever have problems switching gears?

    #2Jan 10, 2018
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  3. avatar_male_m.png

    Garyj92New Member
    Nothing wrong with gears, all gears go in fine. Just the pedal not it doesnt eventually go up i just push it back up with my toe just a.quick flick up. So just a cable issue?

    So it goes back up eventually?

    My guess would be a bad cable. Second guess would be that something is mechanically wrong with your pressure plate.

    Ever have problems switching gears?

    #3Jan 10, 2018
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  4. 8790.jpg

    jrichkerStangNet's favorite TOOL
    SN Certified Technician

    Clutch Adjustment for stock and aftermarket setups
    Revised 28-Apr-2016 to include need for longer cable with single hook quadrant

    Clutch adjustment with stock cable and quadrant
    There is a self-adjusting mechanism for the clutch cable. As the clutch wears the cable tension changes, that is why there is a self-adjusting mechanism built into the clutch pedal. There is a toothed plastic quadrant with a ratchet pawl that engages the quadrant. As you pull up on the clutch pedal, it ratchets and takes any slack out of the clutch cable. Mess around with the pedal or even bump it while the end that fits in the clutch fork is loose, and it tries to take up the slack in the cable. That has the effect of shortening the cable.

    Do the clutch adjustment first before considering any other problems. With the stock plastic quadrant and cable, pull up on the clutch pedal until it comes upward toward you. It will make a ratcheting sound as the self-adjuster works. To release to tension of the stock quadrant, use a screwdriver to lift the ratchet paw up and out of engagement with the quadrant teeth.

    You can use a screwdriver to lift the ratchet pawl off the quadrant teeth. That will allow you to move the quadrant to allow more slack in the cable. If the cable is too loose, pull up on the pedal. The ratchet pawl will allow the quadrant to take up the slack in the cable and lock the adjustment.

    Adjustable cables are used when the plastic quadrant is replaced with an aftermarket metal quadrant. The downside to this setup is that you have to get under the car to adjust the clutch. Add a firewall adjuster to an adjustable cable setup and you can spare yourself from getting back under the car to make any fine adjustment that you desire.

    The fancy 2 and 3 hook quadrants are for use with stock length cable and a firewall adjuster. Use the firewall adjuster and screw in and out to take the slack out of the cable and get the clutch engagement point just where you want it.

    Binding clutch cable
    A binding clutch cable will make the clutch very stiff. If the cable is misrouted or has gotten too close to the exhaust, it will definitely bind. 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.

    Clutch pedal adjustment
    Clutch pedal adjustment with aftermarket quadrant and cable: I like to have the clutch completely disengaged and still have about 1.5” travel left before the pedal hits the floor. This means that I have only about 1” of free play at the top before the pedal starts to disengage the clutch. Keep in mind that these figures are all approximate. When properly adjusted, there will not be any slack in the clutch cable. You will have 4-15 lbs. preload on the clutch cable. With a non-adjustable cable and a firewall adjuster, the cable needs to go in the second hook of the quadrant. Single hook quadrants used with a firewall adjuster may make the clutch too tight, causing it to slip. The possible exception to this is the Maximum Motorsports cable which is a bit longer to make it work with a single hook quadrant.

    Adjustable clutch cable tips:
    Loosening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the rear of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the floor.

    Tightening the cable adjustment nut (throwout bearing arm moves to the front of the car) moves the disengagement point towards the top of the pedal.

    Firewall adjuster tips
    Turning the firewall adjuster IN makes the engagement point closer to the floor since it loosens the cable. You have to push the pedal to the floor to disengage the clutch. Too loose a cable and the clutch won't completely disengage and shifting will be difficult. Gears will grind and you may have difficulty getting the transmission in first gear when stopped.

    Turning the firewall adjuster OUT makes the engagement point farther from the floor since it tightens the cable. You push a short distance to disengage the clutch. Too tight a cable will cause clutch slippage.

    Aftermarket solutions to the problem:
    The quadrant needs to be replaced if you use any type of aftermarket cable or adjuster. My preference is a Ford Racing quadrant, adjustable cable and Steeda firewall adjuster. The adjustable Ford Racing cable is just as good as the stock OEM cable. It allows a greater range of adjustment than a stock cable with a aftermarket quadrant and firewall adjuster. Combined with the Steeda adjuster, it lets you set the initial cable preload and then fine tune the clutch engagement point to your liking without getting under the car.

    Using a stock OEM cable, firewall adjuster and a single hook quadrant may result in not having any free pedal travel before the clutch starts to disengage. I found this out the hard way.

    See Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts l 800-230-3030 for the following parts.

    Ford Racing M-7553-B302 - Ford Racing V-8 Mustang Adjustable Clutch Linkage Kits - Overview - SummitRacing.com Cable and quadrant assembly $90

    The Ford Racing Adjustable cable is available as a separate part:
    Clutch Cable, Adjustable, Ford, Mercury, 5.0L, Kit View attachment 575145

    Steeda Autosports 555-7021 - Steeda Autosports Firewall Cable Adjusters - Overview - SummitRacing.com Steeda firewall adjuster. $40

    575166-jpg.596928.jpg


    Fix for the quadrant end of the cable popping out of the quadrant when installing a replacement cable courtesy of Grabbin' Asphalt
    attachments\575167

    Help for those who have replaced the clutch assembly and are still having problems with adjustment:
    The next step doesn't make much sense it you already have the transmission installed, but just for sake of discussion, here it is:
    The throwout bearing sits in the clutch fork arm with the wave springs pressing on the rear flange of the throwout bearing.

    throwout-bearing-placement-in-clutch-fork-arm-gif.86276

    Major differences between the distance between the flywheel surface and the clutch fingers may require tinkering with the clutch fork pivot ball. Stack your old pressure plate, clutch disc and flywheel up like they were when installed in the car. Tighten down all the pressure plate bolts and measure the distance between the clutch fingertips and the flywheel face.
    Too much thickness will cause the clutch fork arm to sit too far back to get the clutch cable on the quadrant. It may even sit against the rear or the bell housing hole for the clutch fork arm. In that case, reduce the pivot ball height.
    Too little thickness will cause the clutch fork arm to sit too far forward and bottom out against the front side of the bell housing hole for the clutch fork arm.. This will prevent the clutch from fully disengaging.
    In other words, the clutch fork arm should sit positioned midway or a little towards the rear in the bell housing hole for the clutch fork arm when the cable is properly tensioned.
 
However I have an afterthought. The OP should jack up the car and have a helper push the clutch in while he watches the clutch fork under the car to see if it's fully engaging. There may be a fork cover like mine which is easily removed with an 8mm ratchet wrench.
 
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