Why is my clutch so stiff?

sandiegostang · Jul 30, 2011

Had a stiff clutch since i bought the car. It was overly stiff. I replaced it with a RAM HDX clutch and it is still very hard to push in. I have taken it to a few shops and they agreed that the clutch is way too stiff, but nobody could give me a reason why it was like that. I replaced the stock quadrant with an aluminum one when it broke. The cable was frozen so i replace it with one from Pepboys when i did the clutch. It helped a little. New TOB, pilot bearing, and clutch kit and it is still stiff. Anyone know what i could be overlooking?

BlownFiveLiter · Jul 30, 2011

A few things come to mind. Is your bearing retainer ok? Is the clutch cable routed with a nice sweeping turn, or does it have a tight turn? Is the pivot ball worn out? It's also possible that the RAM clutch is just a stiff clutch to use. The FRPP HD clutch is a heavy clutch to push, but the King Cobra has a nice soft pedal.

LarsD · Jul 30, 2011

First thing I thought of was the bearing retainer that the TOB rides on. How many miles are on the trans?

sandiegostang · Jul 30, 2011

What exactly is the part that you are talking about? I know that the t-5 has a separate bearing retainer, but i am pretty sure that the t-45 just has the TOB that attaches to the fork which rides on the input shaft of the transmission. Are you talking about the input shaft?

sandiegostang · Jul 30, 2011

LarsD said:
First thing I thought of was the bearing retainer that the TOB rides on. How many miles are on the trans?

2000 GT with stock t-45 at 104,000 miles. Rebuilt engine in 09 and now has a 6 bolt crank with 11" flywheel. What is the bearing retainer? everything seemed to ride really smooth when i had the transmission apart from the engine. Then when the trans is hooked up and the TOB starts pressing the clutch it is really stiff. Could it be getting caught up on the shaft somehow?

FEARNO1 · Jul 30, 2011

When I replaced the clutch in my 97 I put in a new clutch cable. After that I had an extremely stiff clutch. I replaced the clutch cable with another one and it fixed my problem. Maybe the cable you got was no good?

COramprat · Jul 31, 2011

My old Spec Stage 1 was pretty stiff also. Just recently swapped to a King Cobra and it's much less pedal effort.

FastDriver · Jul 31, 2011

90% sure it's your clutch cable. Take it out and see for yourself. The cable should slide through the sheath with practically no effort.

sandiegostang · Jul 31, 2011

FastDriver said:
90% sure it's your clutch cable. Take it out and see for yourself. The cable should slide through the sheath with practically no effort.

It is a brand new cable, so it slides without a problem. Now everyone is telling me that OEM is the best and the one i have is from Pepboys. It is adjustable from the bottom; hardly like OEM. Could that be the problem?

trinity_gt · Jul 31, 2011

I agree with the others: It pretty much has to be the cable. New or not, there's something not right, especially if it differs from OE.

Was it the same length as OE? Did it route exactly the same way as the OE cable?

sandiegostang · Jul 31, 2011

Exact same as stock except it is adjustable at the bottom. Anybody know how much a cable from ford will cost?

sandiegostang · Jul 31, 2011

I am also putting a stock clutch in because the flywheel was resurfaced like **** so it has to be replaced with a new one and the clutch is ruined. OEM clutch should be fine for 300 or so crank right? Also noticed that the TOB is right up against the pressure plate when pedal is out. Any ideas?

fiveoho · Jul 31, 2011

an OEM cable from Ford will be pretty salty. i highly suggest a cable from maximum motorsports. i had a few replacement cables prior to my MM and nothing compared. very smooth engagement and even softened the pedal effort.

several of the "brand name" cables out there are crap.

1987stangman · Aug 1, 2011

fiveoho said:
an OEM cable from Ford will be pretty salty. i highly suggest a cable from maximum motorsports. i had a few replacement cables prior to my MM and nothing compared. very smooth engagement and even softened the pedal effort.

several of the "brand name" cables out there are crap.

Just to note. I've went through this on my fox, pretty much the same with the SN cars. I bought a FRPP cable 3 years ago and it's still works well. I tried Autozone and Advanced cables and they didnt last long.

sandiegostang · Aug 1, 2011

fiveoho said:
an OEM cable from Ford will be pretty salty. i highly suggest a cable from maximum motorsports. i had a few replacement cables prior to my MM and nothing compared. very smooth engagement and even softened the pedal effort.

several of the "brand name" cables out there are crap.

What do you mean the Ford cable will be salty? The Maximum Motorsports cable is a ford cable that has the plastic firewall piece removed so it can be used with an adjustable firewall kit and alum quad. I would really like to know why the TOB is right up against the pressure plate, maybe that has something to do with it.

fiveoho · Aug 1, 2011

1987stangman said:
Just to note. I've went through this on my fox, pretty much the same with the SN cars. I bought a FRPP cable 3 years ago and it's still works well. I tried Autozone and Advanced cables and they didnt last long.

i snapped TWO frpp cables in my 95 within 6 months. i ran a MM cable for over 2 years with no issues and sold the car.

fiveoho · Aug 1, 2011

sandiegostang said:
What do you mean the Ford cable will be salty? The Maximum Motorsports cable is a ford cable that has the plastic firewall piece removed so it can be used with an adjustable firewall kit and alum quad. I would really like to know why the TOB is right up against the pressure plate, maybe that has something to do with it.

salty = expensive.

the MM cable is actually not a OEM piece. but built to OEM standards. i used one with a Hays quadrant and fwa. 0 problems.

fiveoho · Aug 1, 2011

sandiegostang said:
What do you mean the Ford cable will be salty? The Maximum Motorsports cable is a ford cable that has the plastic firewall piece removed so it can be used with an adjustable firewall kit and alum quad. I would really like to know why the TOB is right up against the pressure plate, maybe that has something to do with it.

salty = expensive.

the MM cable is actually not a OEM piece. but built to OEM standards. i used one with a Hays quadrant and fwa. 0 problems.

crap. double post. sorry.

sandiegostang · Aug 1, 2011

fiveoho said:
salty = expensive.

the MM cable is actually not a OEM piece. but built to OEM standards. i used one with a Hays quadrant and fwa. 0 problems.

oh. So the parts that contribute to pedal stiffness are the pressure plate and clutch cable? I guess it has to be the Pepboys cable, unless you know of any one who had a different solution.

fiveoho · Aug 1, 2011

sandiegostang said:
oh. So the parts that contribute to pedal stiffness are the pressure plate and clutch cable? I guess it has to be the Pepboys cable, unless you know of any one who had a different solution.

cant offer too much info related to the pressure plate . others here may chime in that could shed some knowledge on that. but yes, a cable can contribute to pedal feel/stiffness.

Why is my clutch so stiff?

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