kkgp81

Hello,

I purchased a very well maintained (old people) 2005 Mustang with leather, a 4.0, and a 5 speed. It has 110k miles on it and I figured at $3500 I couldn't go too wrong. I was up for buying a new truck but I figured I would try going this route to get out of the payment rat race. I came out 10k up on my last wagon after dealing with the insurance company on it.


I have driven it a little bit and had the thermostat housing crack on me the other day. That lead to a check engine light for O2S which I find odd. I replaced the one that my reader said and its still an issue. I have read about replacing them in pairs so I ordered the rest online and when they get here I will give it a run.


Now for real repairs.

Clutch- I am fairly certain the clutch is slipping. Oddly it picked up a bearing going bad sound when when I was trying to get it home with the water leak on the thermostat housing. I know all clutches are not created equal but I feel I can buy the LuK kit and be ok in that area. Any thoughts? I will be replacing the clutch kit, flywheel, pressure plate, bearings, etc and whatever else I run into. I have seen my dad change a clutch in the driveway and have been sizing this one up. I may pay someone but I would like to give it a run myself.

Shocks/Springs/Whatever- When hitting a bump it sounds like a bushing or something has gone wrong and you get a loud sound when hitting said bump. The shocks/struts appear to be the original so I figure it wouldn't hurt to replace them. I usually go with Bilstein on my stuff. There are some cheaper options in this area but I know bilstein is quality and works well. I would also be looking at replacing the springs. Any thoughts here? The bilstein kits I am running into suggest that they lower the car. I am looking to stay stock height because some of the shooting ranges I go to are not off real roads. I figured out on my 2005 Jeep that a good suspension system can help a lot.

JJHoover

before putting a lot of money into it I would have someone look at your issues. As far as a clutch if you really don't plan on doing performance upgrades you will have no problem going with a stock type clutch (replaced mine at 180k) just do not get a rebuilt one.

not sure how much the LUK one is but here is a spec.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/spec-s...utch-05v6.html

As far as the shocks you should be ok with any reputable brand, personally I wouldn't worry about the springs unless you know something is wrong with them.

when you replaced to O2 sensor did you clear the codes?

Urambo Tauro

LuK makes totally acceptable stock-replacement clutches, which should last you a long time. No need for anything special on a stock 4.0.

kkgp81

So driving home from the range today she almost left me on the side of the road. I went to shift and when I hit the pedal there was a bit of a pop sound followed by who knows what kinda sound. I lost all pressure on the pedal and the transmission is now leaking brake fluid. I was able to turn it off and start it in 1st and get home shifting without the clutch.

I think its the slave cylinder thingy which if I go that far I may as well replace the clutch while I am in there. I had the clutch looked at the other day and they did something in 3rd/4th gear and said there was no issue with the clutch part but the noise might be a concern. Turns out I guess they were right.

Urambo Tauro

Glad you were able to get it home okay! Yeah, I think you have a good plan there. Fortunately, a lot of those clutch kits (including LuK) do come with a slave cylinder; that helps to make it an easy decision to just do it all at once.

kkgp81

I spent today changing it out. It took roughly 2.5 hours to get it out which wasn't bad because I was just guessing. I had to wait from 12-4 for the mail to run with my new clutch thingy. Had it back in and tested by 8 which I was able to get it back in fairly easy. I probably could have done it quicker but torquing the bolts took forever. I used an ATV jack to drop/raise the tranny. It also helped I had my father in law present to make sure I didn't do anything stupid.

Clutch was factory dated April 2015 and the only thing I can guess is they didn't change out the green pusher throwout thingy. It basically exploded because when I separated the tranny from the motor a bunch of ball bearings fell out. The old clutch had plenty of life left in it but I went ahead and just got it all while I was there to start fresh.

Buckshot Barry

FYI, the popping noise is most likely the strut mounts. They were redesigned in 2008.

Some owners have used the GT500 versions, installed the convertable / GT500 anti sway bar, or the latest revision of the strut mounts that are made from a modified material.

Here is the mother of all threads on the problem

https://mustangforums.com/forum/2005...noise-200.html