Spec stg 3 will not grab please help

1990LXDropTop · Sep 29, 2005

Now I'm confused. I swapped the UPR adjustable cable out today for the stock cable because I thought the UPR cable was causing my clutch pedal to feel "sticky." I was wrong because the clutch pedal still feels sticky and a little jerky with the stock cable. But now my clutch barely grabs. I can still drive it and the tranny goes into every gear, but it feels like my stock clutch did. My friend and I could only get the stock cable on the first hook of the UPR triple hook quadrant. Would that makes a difference? What else could be causing my clutch pedal to not feel smooth when I release it? It feels kind of rough and sticky when released which is really annoying. My clutch was felt fine for the first two days after we installed it, but now between the graspy pedal and hardly any grab to it, it just isn't right. Something is wrong and I don't know where to begin. We tried adjusting it several times with the firewall adjuster but we just can't seem to get it the way it should be. What should I do?

BERT306 · Sep 29, 2005

I had the same problem w/my spec stg 3. It turns out the combination of a worn-out bearing retainer on the front of the tranny (it's what the throw out bearing rides on) and my Steeda adj. cable was dry as a bone on the inside. I squirted some white lithium grease down my cable and worked it back and forth a bunch of time and replaced that bearing retainer on the front of the trans w/steel one, instead of aluminum like the factory one. All is well now....

Also, i could not get my cable on the first hook on my Steeda quadrant either. Dunno?? It's fine on the second....

I would first try to lube your cable on the inside and then adjust it so you have about a 1/2" slack or so(side to side) on the cable near the clutch fork....Oh wait, i just reread your post....I would get that stock non adjustable cable out of there, they are junk.
Hope this helps a little.

Starman · Sep 29, 2005

actually, the stock, non-adjustable cables are about the best ones you can buy. Most of the aftermarket ones don't hold up well and end up breaking or stretching

HISSIN50 · Sep 29, 2005

Agreed with Starman. I would also note NOT to oil the oem-style teflon-lined cables - the grease will have an affinity for dirt and junk up the cable.

I just picked up an OEM-style cable - very nice piece if you ask me.

The MM units are reportedly real nice too.

Are you sure you have the cable routed properly?

A quick read of Jeremy's (V8 only) article can help with getting it all dialed in - or tell us things like your point of engagement, etc. for further help here.

Good luck.

1990LXDropTop · Sep 29, 2005

I'm pretty positive the cable is routed correctly. It is routed just like it came from the factory. Like I said, I removed the adjustable cable and replaced it with my factory cable, but for some reason the factory cable only reached to the first hook on the triple hook quadrant, where as the UPR adjustable cable hooked onto the 2nd hook with ease. I just don't get why my spec stg 3 clutch barely grabs now. It feels like a stock clutch with a really bindy pedal feel. I hate it. I installed a TKO-500, spec stg 3, new throw out bearing, and an aluminum flywheel all together last weekend. The entire tranny/clutch setup is new with fewer than 200 miles. All was well at first, the clutch grabbed hard and the clutch pedal felt as smooth as a baby's ass. Now its terrible. I just don't get it and am very confused. I think I'm going to take it to a tranny shop next week if I can't figure it out. I just hope I'm not damaging anything driving the car like this. The clutch still engages fine, it just doesn't grab like a stg 3 should. I can't even bark 2nd gear. Its very weird.

1990LXDropTop · Sep 29, 2005

BTW, the stock cable hooked on the first hook of the quadrant makes the pedal pressure feel very light compared to what it did with the adjustable cable hooked onto the 2nd quadrant hook.

The clutch engages almost at the top of the pedal.

aleborjas · Sep 30, 2005

you have to loosen yor cable because is too tight and dont let you diaphram to grip the disc

Starman · Sep 30, 2005

are there any leaks, like maybe the rear main seal getting oil on the clutch surface??

On a side note, you said it's an all new setup with only 200 miles on it. Tremec recommends a 500 mile break-in period before romping on the tranny

HISSIN50 · Sep 30, 2005

aleborjas said:
you have to loosen yor cable because is too tight and dont let you diaphram to grip the disc

This is a good thought.

The implication I had before was that you were engaging at the floor - my misinterpretation.

You might be slipping the poo out of it - it might be a lost cause at this point (depending how long you have driven it like this).

Good luck.

1990LXDropTop · Sep 30, 2005

Starman said:
are there any leaks, like maybe the rear main seal getting oil on the clutch surface??

On a side note, you said it's an all new setup with only 200 miles on it. Tremec recommends a 500 mile break-in period before romping on the tranny

I have been driving like an old lady for the passed 200 miles. I did install a new rear main seal but it doesn't leak, at least I don't think does.

1990LXDropTop · Sep 30, 2005

HISSIN50 said:
This is a good thought.

The implication I had before was that you were engaging at the floor - my misinterpretation.

You might be slipping the poo out of it - it might be a lost cause at this point (depending how long you have driven it like this).

Good luck.

Should it be engaging right off the floor? What do you mean by a lost cause at this point? The clutch is brand new with less than 200 miles on it. At first it felt like it didn't slip at all and just wanted to grab and go. Now it feels like a stock clutch almost and doesn't grab really at all. Where should it be engaging?

HISSIN50 · Sep 30, 2005

1990LXDropTop said:
Should it be engaging right off the floor? What do you mean by a lost cause at this point? The clutch is brand new with less than 200 miles on it. At first it felt like it didn't slip at all and just wanted to grab and go. Now it feels like a stock clutch almost and doesn't grab really at all. Where should it be engaging?

I dont mean to freak ya' out.......
With the engagement point, it does not matter as much as ensuring (at this point) that you have a hair or more of freeplay at the pedal. This ensures you are engaging the clutch all the way (no tension in the cable means no preload on the TOB and the Pressure plate fingers).

My thought was that the clutch bit hard at first even though the adjustment was tight because it was new. But if the clutch has been slipping for very long (due to too much cable preload), that can cause irreversible glazing to the clutch friction surfaces. This may not be the case at all, especially since you have been playing with the adjustment and cables and such so much (it just happens that you now have too much preload, but you might not always have had it like this since the install).

So I would ensure you have adequate freeplay in the clutch pedal (I like to be able to press down on the pedal about an inch worth of pedal travel before I feel the TOB meet the diaphram fingers, where it gets a lot harder to push the clutch pedal).

Good luck bud.

1990LXDropTop · Sep 30, 2005

HISSIN50 said:
I dont mean to freak ya' out.......
With the engagement point, it does not matter as much as ensuring (at this point) that you have a hair or more of freeplay at the pedal. This ensures you are engaging the clutch all the way (no tension in the cable means no preload on the TOB and the Pressure plate fingers).

My thought was that the clutch bit hard at first even though the adjustment was tight because it was new. But if the clutch has been slipping for very long (due to too much cable preload), that can cause irreversible glazing to the clutch friction surfaces. This may not be the case at all, especially since you have been playing with the adjustment and cables and such so much (it just happens that you now have too much preload, but you might not always have had it like this since the install).

So I would ensure you have adequate freeplay in the clutch pedal (I like to be able to press down on the pedal about an inch worth of pedal travel before I feel the TOB meet the diaphram fingers, where it gets a lot harder to push the clutch pedal).

Good luck bud.

I made an appointment with a very reputable tranny shop for Monday morning. I'm sick of playing with it and I don't want to things worse, so I might as well leave it for someone who actually knows what they are doing. Also, how do I know if the clutch is slipping? I can still drive the car fine and the clutch engages fine resulting in the trans being able to shift in every gear. I doubt I'm burning the clutch disk because I don't smell or feel it at all. The clutch just doesn't grab they way it did before I put the stock non-adjustable cable back on. The first couple days after the swap I it grabbed like crazy with little slippage. Could it be because I am now using the stock clutch cable, which only reached to the first hook of the triple hook quadrant? Afterall, I did have the adjustable cable attached to the second hook... Anyways, I'm sick of playing with it and am not going to drive it. I'm just going to take it to the shop on Monday which is less than 5 min away from my house. I hope all goes well and hopefully my clutch will be fine, because I don't want to have to buy a new clutch.

Grn92LX · Sep 30, 2005

Put the other cable on it and play with the adjustment more and be sure its routed properly. Didn't spec used to give cheap plastic t/o bearings with their clutches?

darthcual · Sep 30, 2005

Again I must ask, why the stage 3? Do you know how to tell if you need that kind of clutch? Maybe I should clarify for others future reference. Get your stang to about a 20mph roll then shift into fourth gear and gun it. If you have clutch slippage its either A) time for a new clutch, or B) Your making to much power for the clutch u currently have. Remember bigger is not always better. I posted on ur last thread about this that i think its ur TOB retainer. Did you put some high temp lithium grease on it when u reinstalled everything?

1990LXDropTop · Sep 30, 2005

This may sound dumb but how do I feel slippage? How do I know if the clutch is slipping or not?

Grn92LX · Sep 30, 2005

You can cruise in 5th at (for example) 30mph and floor it and see if it slips. Basically giving it WOT in a high gear at a low rpm at a low speed.

My friend had a slipping problem and it was due to too tight a clutch cable. We fixed it with a new cable on a different hook on his steeda quad and all is well. It was a stock clutch.

darthcual · Sep 30, 2005

1990LXDropTop said:
This may sound dumb but how do I feel slippage? How do I know if the clutch is slipping or not?

Your engine rpm will wind up but you'll go absolutely no where. You more than likely will be able to smell the clutch burning.

DemonGT · Sep 30, 2005

not sure about the odd feeling of the clutch..but the spec stage 3 dose engage really high..almost all the way up

Spec stg 3 will not grab please help

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