StriderTacticaL

I wanna start off by saying I am EXTREMELY disappointed and frankly starting to get pissed about what happened today.

So after collecting parts for a new clutch setup for several months now (mainly putting it off due to other problems in life), I finally decided to take my car in to get a new clutch setup installed:



Those are $700 worth in parts.

I had it all installed eariler today and immediately I am having a few problems. Everytime I let the clutch pedal out and have the clutch engage, the transmission will rattle. You can see the shift **** rattling with it. It is most appearent when the car is at a stand-still and I put it in first gear and try to take off. I can replicate it best by trying to get the car rolling in 1st without giving it ANY gas at all. So usually you would just let the clutch out very slowly and let it slip and build momentum and get the car moving correct? Well when I do this, my entire transmission and shifter would vibrate/rattle moderately badly.

To put it short, I took my car to a guy I haven't worked with before but was highly recommened to by several buddies of mine. I don't want to make any direct accusations yet, but I did observe a few potentially alarming things occur:

1. I am extremely upset about this one. He used some kind if pulley puller to try and remove my stock pilot bearing. He managed to get 1/2 of it out and then he said it was stuck. He then used an impact gun with some kind of long attachment and went at it for a good 5-10minutes. I was sitting further back at the end of the shop so I wasn't upclose to see exactly what he was doing. All I know is he eventually got the pilot bearing out but it was literally SHREADED into pieces and the lip around the pilot bearing insert on the end of the crankshaft was scratched/scrapped up. I then got up close and took a look at it. It didn't look VERY bad but it was bad enough that when he tried to seat the flywheel, the hole in the center of the flywheel would not slip over the cylindrical piece of the crankshaft with the pilot bearing in the middle. He ended up having to file down a bit of the scrape away so the flywheel would sit.

2. He torqued the flywheel down with a torque wrench but then I realized (too late) that he later mounted the pressure plate on with a really loud impact gun. I did some browsing just now and appearantly the pressure plate it only supposed to go on at 33lb/ft + a 60* turn or a total of 40-50ish lb/ft. The pressure plate bolts are most likely extremely overtightened. Could this be the cause of the problem?


What do you guys think? A friend of mine loosely suggested that the problem I am describing sounds symptomatic of a very "grabby" clutch. He said (and he has one as well) the OEM 03 cobra clutch is not known as a very "grabby" clutch but because the flywheel I chose was a chromoly one, he could have had a very high friction property. I told him I doubt it since I have heard of chromoly flywheels being used before, and the one I used in particular was recommened by someone on this board.


Thanks

zero2005

is that a ralco RZ chromoly flyhweel? what clutch is that, OEM cobra?

think i'd take it back to the shop to find out whats up, might wanna let them know now that you think its messed up.

uberstang1

Well during the break in process you should notice more "grabbiness" and clutch chatter till it is broken in but the extent to which what you are expereince sounds like to me the flywheel surface and clutch surface was properly cleaned or was installed "dirty", which at first would cause severe grabiness but will lead to slippage and premature clutch failure.With the pilot bearing they can be a real PITA to get out, when i did mine a slide hammer wouldnt work and either would the grease trick. I picked up a pilot bearing tool from harbor freight and after 45 minutes of attempets it finally worked, but i did have to chisel out the inner race to get the tool to fit in, but I would NEVER try to chisel between the outer race and the crankshaft thats a very *** backwards thing to do. The damage to your crankshaft may just be superficial but its just the point of the matter.

cliffyk

The pilot bearing issue is common--after using a slide hammer and then the "hydraulic" method failed to remove mine, I had to go at it with an air chisel to smash it apart. This inevitably nicks the crank bore a bit, which I cleaned up with a dremel tool. As long as there is no extensive damage 99% of the lip's centering function remains. The flywheel does have to seat full and true of course.

Did he install new locating dowels, or move them over from the old flywheel?



If not then bring it back and make him do it right, they are 110% necessary to ensure the pressure plate assembly is properly centered.

Other possible issues are cleanliness related; removing the protective coatings from the flywheel and pressure plate--meaning use of solvent and a clean rag, not just wiping them off with this week/month's general purpose rag--and making sure the disc if not contaminated with oil/grease/dirty hands.

Sometimes a bit of "abuse" applied to a new grabby clutch will smooth things out. Not wild burning the crap out abuse, but several moderate starts and riding the clutch to let it slip a bit.

zero2005

how many dowel pins should be on a stock 03 GT flywheel?? if i remember right, my flywheel only had 2 on it when i pulled it... which means that the guy at aamco that rebuilt my trans lost/damaged one and didnt tell me, or it fell out somehow?

cliffyk

Three, as the diagram shows--two would be adequate (barely), but not correct.

Ford did not machined and install three just to make it cost more...

98redstang

As far as the clutch noise youll have to see the shop but the shaking could be the trans mount. Its only a like hard rubber material and they can break. I would have them check that as well.

0949er

I put the same clutch in my car and I can tell you this:

At "LOW" rpms (like 5th gear and 45 MPH) while the clutch is engaged, I can hear some shaking rattling w/ my OEM cobra clutch (that was not there with the stock GT clutch)

I don't really notice it from a standstill, but I can "hear" it if I am chugging at low rpms in 5th

WhiteFoxGT

I would go ahead and say you're dealing with a little bit of clutch chatter. I'd give it 500 miles before I go condemning any part or install just yet. Clutch jobs are so finicky somtimes.. I did a clutch in my friends 94 cobra, he got a ZOOM HD... it was complete garbage. After gettin an adjustable cable and firewall adjuster the pedal felt like crap and it chattered its *** off. Then a week later the TOB fell apart. Ended up installing the old OEM clutch back with a new ford tob and left the adjustable cable in.

But anyway like I said give it a few hundred miles to see if it goes away.

StriderTacticaL

Thanks for the replies. Yeah we used the dowel pins. I bought a new pressure plate bolt kit from Ford and it came with new dowel pins. He did initially say that they fit the flywheel kind of loose so I told him the Ralco flywheel came with their own dowel pins so maybe he wanted to try those? He then said he hammered the Ford ones in again and they fit tight enough. I was standing next to him as he mounted on the pressure plate over the dowel pins