Derf00

This thread is LOL.

I remember when 05 Mustangs came out, everyone and their brother got one and were complaining about every little thing which was mostly driver related.

Cars have a break in period...Period! It allows the pistons to seat, the brakes to seat, the clutch (or clutch bands if auto) to seat, and lastly the gears to seat.

If the brakes aren't properly seated/broken in, you'll get brake squeal. If the clutch is not properly broken in/seat you will get slippage. If gears are not properly seated (or backlashed which is an install thing) you will get whine, etc, etc.

Both the brake squeal and clutch slipping are symptoms of glazing in this case caused by the new surface of the friction material being put through an improper break in.

At this point, your best bet is to go to the dealer you bought the car from and explain the symptoms, DO NOT tell them you rode the clutch. That's like saying my car is misfiring after I put in new plugs. Dealer will tell you, that's your problem.

While you tell them about the clutch you can mention the squealing brakes. They'll do a diagnostic for free and tell you what they found. In most cases the dealer you bought the car from wants to keep you happy so they will fix it under warranty as long as it's not blatantly obvious you "abused" the car. Be prepared that the service center may ask you about drag racing your car or going to the track. Don't get lulled into a casual conversation about it. They ask for a reason

Boostaddict

We ran into some clutch related issues at the track last night. I'm posting about it in another thread about our track outing .

ShaneM

I came from a 05 gt 5spd to the 10 gt 5speed and the clutch on the 10 and the 11 5.0 feel the same. The problem for me, and i bet a lot of people used to a heavier clutch with the new stangs is that the clutch is so light. i got into the habit of driving with my foot resting on the clutch, but not pushing it in my 05. the pedal was so heavy that was not an issue. My 10 on the other hand, the pressure of my foot resting on the pedal, without me realizing it is enough to depress the pedal a qtr of an inch or so. In the 10 and 11 with such a light clutch, that means you can ride the clutch and not even know it. the only way i realized i was doing it was when i was tooling around one day, picked my foot up to stretch my leg and felt the clutch fully disengage. i bet that lots of these clutch issues are for that very reason. in these cars you simply cant' rest your foot on the clutch or you will accidentally press it in a tiny bit, which will not let it disengage all the way.

2011CS/GT

Shane your right it is almost too easy to push the clutch in. In reminds me of a clutch that is already screwed up. I use to have a 03 Cobra and you had to stand on that dang thing.

cidsamuth

Shane -- terrible clutch discipline. Shame on you.

I yell at my wife for resting her foot on the clutch pedal

ShaneM

lol i only do it when i am going to be shifting soon. otherwise i put it on the dead pedal.

Driver72

You trusted the advice of a small town dealership with the name DUMAS (DUM-***)??? LOL

No seriously, I agree with the others.
Take the car back to the dealer you got it from, don't speak a word of the e-brake advice or anything else.
Just tell them what's going on and let them fix it.
If they ask, you say, "the clutch just started sticking and smelling" as I drove it. I have not abused or beat on the clutch in anyway."

Last word of advice:
Whenever you are given a piece of advice that doesn't seem right or you are unsure of whether that advice is good, get a second or third opinion.
That goes with anything in life, not just your car.

Good luck

Can5.0

I FULLY agree with you. When I picked up my car the dealer reps told me that it didn't require breakin. I'm sorry but I've bought some new cars in the past and they're still tickin like they were new in comparison to equivalent cars with less mileage and I've modified every single one of 'em, driven through winters etc., but they have one thing in common...break-in.

And Shane is right...I was surprised with how light the clutch was for a car of this power. I had to adjust my clutch/shift style when moving from a heavily moded WRX to this...both very enjoyable but different in their own right. But I'm loving the engagement of the Stang cause it's early and effortless. Learned this as I was trying to duplicate the advertised 0-60 time. 1st run was a little rough as I depressed/& released it like a WRX (full travel due to assumption of heavy clutch), the resulting 3.73 gear felt like it slowed it down, then a "buck" when i engaged the next gear. On my 2nd run i did it much earlier proly only a 1/4-1/2 travel before engagement and it was waaaaaay smoother and faster (no bucking just pure acceleration). (BTW all this is after 2500 kms)

Anyway, hope it works out and I agree with the advice given.

2011GTPremium

..................

Can5.0

It's a little hard to describe, but i basically DON'T floor it like I was starting the car, it's most likely half-way to 3/4 to that point, then i shift, and apply a little gas as i release the clutch (just enough so as not to shock the drivetrain). After a while it just becomes one fluid motion. To be honest, as it's broken-in, it feels like a jab at the clutch pedal allows me to shift to the next gear. But I'd recommend easing the new clutch again to get used to the engagement points, this tranny seems to be really smooth and forgiving.

I find all cars have different engagement and release points but just smoothing out application and shifting before really nailing the car makes the tranny and clutch last longer. Good to hear about the repair btw, have fun!!!