stiff clutch! whats the problem?

[bigmoose15]

Hey guys,

i went and looked at a '01 Cobra yesterday. The car was perfect except for the clutch. It caught fine, but it was ridiculously hard to push in. to the point where my legs cramped up after a few times pumping it.

my 97 GT is stiff but nothing like this. Is this normal or is it a problem? i believe it has the 3650 tranny.

also, what should be the target price? its an '01 Cobra convertible with 56k. any insight is appreciated. thanks

 

[97speedster]

Probably has a Spec stage 2 clutch in it if so make them replace before you have to.

 

[bigmoose15]

what is bad about a spec stage 2 clutch? why would i want them to replace it?

 

[deftsound]

what is bad about a spec stage 2 clutch? why would i want them to replace it?

some people hate spec clutches some people love them, with that being said I like mine a lot, it's no stiffer than my stock clutch and it releases fine.

Anyway dont listen to everything you hear on these boards the spec clutches arent that bad...

 

[97speedster]

Spec clutches are CRAP!!!!. My brother owns a shop had to replace 7 in less than 2 months due to them going to S&*T and now Spec won't answer calls or e-mails. No they are not just fine they are a problem child.

 

[deftsound]

Spec clutches are CRAP!!!!. My brother owns a shop had to replace 7 in less than 2 months due to them going to S&*T and now Spec won't answer calls or e-mails. No they are not just fine they are a problem child.

maybe your brother sucks at installing them because mine is great

 

[Turbo92PGT]

my spec stage 1 was a hunk of **** that chattered really bad. It did grab pretty good though. =/

I have a stock 04 cobra 11" one right now and its bad ass

 

[97speedster]

So do you have a stage 2? If so just wait it will go out on you.
As far as my brother sucking at Installation you might want to step back on that one alot of people on here (Northwest) know him and his reputation as an awesome mechanic and his honesty. Before you go and blame someone for doing crap work you better be able to back it up. I am sure that my brother has done more work on cars than you have.
Why don't you go back and read the forums where other people have had the same issues with stiff clutches from Spec that turn into roaches and wasted. Or by some chance are you on the payroll at Spec and have some kind of monetary gain that is kicked back to you to come and bad mouth honest hard working people.

It appears to me that you have a bad case of diarhhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain.

If you want to defend a company that won't stand behind their product go ahead. But don't point fingers at knowledgable competent people installing a part from a company that has a bad reputation for producing a vast amount of faulty clutches and then no balls to stand behind it.

 

[Turbo92PGT]

67 effie -

it seems like you are always startin fights on s/n lol. i've talked to you in person and you seem cool. And I saw your car at pony trails, just wondering why you always get all defensive and piss people off online here?

Like the bump steer kit, and now the clutches.

I am with you saying I am unhappy with my old spec clutch, and will never recommend them! I will however say they tried to help by sending me a new pressure plate, but that means pulling the trans AGAIN! lol

 

[97speedster]

Glad to hear that they actually gave you something. I wasn't trying to start any crap but when someone says personal crap about my family I don't take to kindly to it. It is very obvious that Spec has some issues and for a mojority of the people who got screwed by them we have a bitter taste in our mouth. All I was doing was venting on how I got screwed out of about $900 bucks after all was said and done and I had to eat the cost of it with no help from Spec at all. If this guy wanted to disagree great go for it but why drag my family into it, that was totally uncalled for.

 

[Mike97gt]

If the pedal is that hard to push then it needs a clutch cable, pivot ball and clutch fork.. The trans has to come out to replace the later.

BTW. I have installed a few spec clutches and have not had any issues with them.


67effie.. You REALLY need to chill out, I DOUBT deftsound knows your brother at all so why should he or anybody else assume he installed it right, even the best mechanics make mistakes.. Plus there could have been other issues wrong with the car. If you were using a resurfaced flywheel that might have been your issue right there. I am not saying your brother did not install it right, you probably did have a bad clutch but remember we don't know him..


Personally I only trust installations I do

To me a correct clutch installation includes

1. new flywheel, I have run into to many poorly machined flywheels to trust a resurface ever again.. I HATE doing it for free the second time because the guy that resurfaced the flywheel ****ed up.

If you know a really good machine shop that you trust to do it right then you can reuse the old flywheel.

2. new T/O bearing

3. New pilot bearing

4. NEW PIVOT BALL.. not replacing this cheap part while you are there is STUPID.

5. inspect the clutch fork make sure it's not bent and check the socket that fits on the pivot ball for damage. If any damage replace it.

6. make sure you torque down the pressure plate the correct way.. I have seen so many people zap the bolts in any old way This is a sure way to ruin the pressure plate and cause chatters. I would say 80-90 percent of techs don't torque the plate down the right way. If they are not pulling the plate down evenly and in the correct order then they are hacking your clutch job.

7. check the clutch cable and make sure it moves smoothly if not replace it and after you are done check for proper clutch adjustment. MANY of the factory quadrants do not hold a proper adjustment. A clutch pedal that engages to low ( the most common failure of the stock quadrant) can cause all kinds of problems.

I have never had a chatter or stiff pedal on any clutches I have installed this way.. I have fixed many clutches done by other techs or other shops with worn and damaged pivot balls, bad cables, damaged pressure plate you name it I have seen tech error cause it.

 

[tmoneyballin]

I'd say as far as "target price" I would look for no more than $15,000 as your highest offer(out the door if it's a dealer) - assuming it's in near perfect condition. I would definately get under the car and see what kind of setup is going on there as far as tranny/clutch - you'll want to know if you buy the car anyways, and it could motivate you one way or the other as far as your bottom line price. Find out what else is done to the car, but if it's a dealer they will probably have little to no info for you on that one. If the clutch is suspect as outlined above I would definately pad your offer on the car at least a - Dime - as far as covering your butt. Other than that inspect for leaks in all the obvious places and start telling the guy how much you hate the color and the clutch and work that price down - I've seen 01's with one-two owners with similar mileage go for 13.5 - 15k privately and you get the full story as far as car history - as far as price so don't be afraid to play the game with the guy - I talked my guy down like 6 grand when I bought my cobra if I recall! Definately covered some of the mods I've done to it since - Good luck!

 

[deftsound]

So do you have a stage 2? If so just wait it will go out on you.
As far as my brother sucking at Installation you might want to step back on that one alot of people on here (Northwest) know him and his reputation as an awesome mechanic and his honesty. Before you go and blame someone for doing crap work you better be able to back it up. I am sure that my brother has done more work on cars than you have.
Why don't you go back and read the forums where other people have had the same issues with stiff clutches from Spec that turn into roaches and wasted. Or by some chance are you on the payroll at Spec and have some kind of monetary gain that is kicked back to you to come and bad mouth honest hard working people.

It appears to me that you have a bad case of diarhhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain.

If you want to defend a company that won't stand behind their product go ahead. But don't point fingers at knowledgable competent people installing a part from a company that has a bad reputation for producing a vast amount of faulty clutches and then no balls to stand behind it.

lol your brother just sucks at installing clutches, and yea spec is paying me 10000 to say all this.....and yes if you took the time to look at my sig before you shat your pants you would have seen i have a spec stg 2

"step back"...come on man get a life this is the internet i cant imagine taking something so seriously from a message board, why dont you come through your computer screen and do something instead of letting me get a rise out of you

 

[96GTstang46]

+1 for the clutch cable.. My friend had his clutch feel like you were leg pressin 400lbs, then the cable blew out (it was an aftermarket one from Steeda) so that was our issue you there.. but my bet is that, or maybe it has some "Performance" clutch in it or something.. thats just my .02

Oh and i think that Spec 50/50 in my book.. they seem to chatter more than others but they hook up nice.. I have a king cobra and i love it. Its grabs great and is smooth.. IMO

 

[deftsound]

my spec chatters a little in reverse thats it...

 

[twogts4us]

+1 for the clutch cable.. My friend had his clutch feel like you were leg pressin 400lbs, then the cable blew out (it was an aftermarket one from Steeda) so that was our issue you there.. but my bet is that, or maybe it has some "Performance" clutch in it or something.. thats just my .02

+2 on the cable being the issue. Had this exact same problem on my wife's 01. Steeda cable that began rusting inside. Replaced with an OEM cable and it's back to being light as a feather.