What would you do with this clutch?

[cobradvm]

great advice!!!

AFTER reading your post on the corral, I am not so sure that it was mal adjustment. I am almost certain it is the same lousy spec build quality that my brother was subjected too. Hopefully they'll replace it free, but that will never make up for the two weekends spent replacing it.

LOL - no $h!t on the two weekends spent replacing it!! Not to mention having the car sit on jackstands while the clutch gets sent back. My gut feeling is that it is a failure of the friction plate - I don't know what Spec will say. I have indicated to them I don't want to replace it with another stage 1 - I would be interested in a stage 2 - it will all depend if they are interested in keeping their customer happy or not. I really don't think it was an oil leak, or poor installation - I took plenty of time and double and triple checked everything. But I guess they could simply say that I F'd up and I am SOL. We'll see.

I will keep you all posted.

Howard

 

[v8only]

I will keep you all posted.

Howard

yes, please do. Just so you don't feel bad, here is what my transmission schedule has been (and this is just in the last ten months!!!)


-bro buys 86 gt ttop, ditches honda

-86gt ttop clutch goes out

-after a weekend of hard work, he's the proud owner of a new spec stage 1 and upr adjustable setup (clutch job 1)

-600 miles, literally, the t5 gives out. New spec stage one gets introduced to t5 front seal leak. Spec gives out

-Another weekend later, another brand new spec stage 1 goes in (clutch job 2) This time with the aided benefit of a brand spanking new tremec 3550 and aluminum driveshaft too.

-5100k miles later, spec stage 1 gives out on us. ****!!!!! I am so ****ing sick of this!!!!!

-Brother decides one mustang is not enough, and now he needs his drag mustang. Bro buys an 88 aod 5.0 notch (I have two mustangs as well)

-Brother decides he just does not like the aod. Another 4 days later, aod is in the **** can, and we have swapped in a new t5, and an expensive as hell centerforce dual friction clutch (forget spec), along with all the other conversion crap, he now has a bonified t5 conversion in his notch. 350 miles and counting, cross our fingers. (clutch job 3)

-He is now ready to do (again, again, again) the clutch in his 86. Wtf to use this time, another spec??? (clutch job 4)

-to put the icing on the cake, during all that time I managed to change out the t5 in my vert (trans/clutch job 5)


-Unfortunetly, the t5 I used was the one that leaked all over my bros first spec, + with the addition of a new steel input shaft retainer and new seal. Holding fine so far, but it's starting to make noises, so I am prepping for #6.

ALL of this in a years time!!!!! I have learned more about transmissions, t5's, clutches, and adjustments this year than I have in the last 11 years of owning mustangs, I feel your pain!!

 

[cobradvm]

Update - my experience with SPEC...

Okay - I sent the stage 1 and flywheel back to SPEC ($50 stinkin dollars to ship). They looked at it, but I couldn't get them to give me a straight answer - they did say however that there was no oil on the clutch so it wasn't that. So they sent my clutch back with the flywheel resurfaced, and a new stage 2 clutch (disk and pressure plate) no questions asked. I did indicate in an email that I was interested in up grading to a stage 2.

So today I finished the install - helluva lot easier second time around - and I gotta say this stage 2 seems 100 times better than the stage 1. No chatter - it is practically begging me to stomp on it (must.....fight.....the.....impulse......arghhhhhhh.....this break in period is gonaa suck).

So far - 2 big thumbs up for spec - except I think their stage 1 isn't good - I wouldn't bother with it ever again - go with a stage 2 and you can't go wrong/

Also I put in an aluminum quadrant and firewall adjuster at the same time as well as a new cable - so it all should be fine and dandy.

If something craps out, I'll let you know.



Howard

 

[v8only]

Thanks for that update!!!

I have one as well, we pulled the stage 1 out of my bros car a few days ago, and there was black clutch powder ALL OVER the inside of the bell, and the disc was ground down to the rivets (5100 miles) There was also heat spots, all over the flywheel, the pressure plate, and even the throwout bearing, showing that some serious problems were happening.

Unfortunetly we deduced that the problem was a bad adjustment, causing it to always partially disengage....cable too tight, was like riding the clutch pedal. We decided spec wasn't at fault this time, and scrapped the old spec and put in a new king cobra. I'm going to try a stage 2 however for my next clutch.