lookin4astang

Ok, when I put my tranny back in, I didn't adjust the cable enough, so it was hard to get it in and out of gear. I went back out today and tried to tighten it up some (adjustable cable). Then it wouldnt engage at all and I was getting some chatter. Tried loosening it past what it was and still nothing. Before I was having to dig the clutch into the floor to engage it. Now no matter which way I go it wont go into gear now.

I need some help. Ive got a dude coming tonight to look at trading me an 86 for it, but he's never gonna do it if it wont even go in gear. Any suggestions?

lookin4astang

No one?

Our meeting got pushed off until Saturday due to bad weather and wrecks on the highway. He decided against coming over. Which is good for me. Now I'll try to go into more detail since I have some time.

Car has a 351W in it. Had to pull the tranny to do a flywheel swap. Everything bolted together nicely, and when I hooked the adjustable clutch cable back up, I just tightened it up a few turns. When I got in the car, it shifted good enough for me to give it a spin around the block. Everything was ok. Didn't really get on it, just drove it enough to check everything. I noticed then, that the clutch cable was going to need to be adjusted due to grinding going into gear.

Fast forward to today which is the 2nd time it's been driven over a 5 day span. Backed out of the garage just fine. Had some trouble putting it into first. Made a lap around the block and came back. It was getting harder and harder to shift and I noticed the tranny had a lot of chatter in it unless I pushed in on the pedal. So I jack it up, and notice the nut is adjusted about 1/4"up on the bolt on the clutch cable, so I tightened it up a bit. No go. Car won't go into gear at all now unless the car is shut off. So, I figured I'd try loosening it just a bit past where it originally was. STILL no go. Car will NOT go into gear at all.

Throwout bearing is BRAND new, as well as the flywheel and the clutch and pressure plate had no wear at all on it when I reinstalled it. Cable is in good condition also. Pedal is fairly firm, but takes almost no effort to push in. Before, I was having to bury the pedal in the floor for it to shift. Tranny fluid was checked today and is full, so no issues there. I can rowe through the gears like butter if the car isn't running.

How exactly does the clutch get adjusted? This is my first go at it, and apparently I'm not doing something right. I know it needs to be adjusted to where it engages when the pedal is a couple inches from the floor. Do I need to loosen the nut on the adjustment or tighten it? And if so, how far?

I really NEED this resolved before Saturday. I have a guy wanting to trade me 2 nice 86 GT's for my 87. I've been after a 4 eye for quite some time and it would be a great deal for me if I can get this worked out. Not to mention, even if the trade falls through, I need to be able to drive my car. My truck is about to go down for some work, so I need my extra vehicle, whichever it may be streetable for work.[&:]

iceman89gt

what kind of clutch is it and what cable is it.

onetrickpony

What did you do to the car? Did you just put a new clutch in it? What weight fly wheel did you put in?

AdderMk2

if you have a firewall adjuster, you need to EXTEND it.

iceman89gt

hes prolly got one like i had adder with no firewall adjust. just adjustment at fork. i junked mine and just got the ram cable with firewall and its super sweet

lookin4astang

Ok I'll try to answer everything.

Stock clutch, and stock fork. Billet Steel flywheel. 28 oz unbalance to fit the 351W.

The cable is the adjustable cable just like the one you buy from 50resto.com. Has an adjuster nut at the clutch fork. It has no firewall adjuster and everything else is stock. Just the adjustment at the fork. Everything is in good condition, so I'm assuming I'm just not adjusting it right. Clutch quadrant is also stock as well, but is functioning properly.

Which way do I adjust to engage the clutch? I'm assuming tighteningthe nutup puts tension on the fork and engages the clutch. How far should I adjust it to allow the clutch to engage when I press the pedal in? I was told it needs to engage a couple inches from the floor but I dunno how far to adjust the cable for this to happen. I might be turning it too much. I have been doing a couple full turns between testing it out. Not sure how far to go.

Here's a pic of the cable:


There's the nut on the end.

ZachW04Stang

Adjust the nut until theres about an 1/8 inch of play in the clutch fork. You should be dead on then.

lookin4astang

So the clutch fork should be able to move a little bit? That might be my issue. Should the fork move up and down any? It seems to have a little play in it up and down. I'll try that tomorrow and see if it works.