I am looking for some opinions on my clutch issue, here is what its doing...

It seems very grabby and not smooth. when taking off normally it doesn't want to slip smoothly, the car starts to move and then lurches forward and its 100% engaged. I can stop it somewhat by releasing the pedal very slow but then it will chatter some. I think I can feel a little vibration in the clutch pedal and shifter (more than usual) and it just doesn't feel smooth. Also there are some clicking/rattle type noises that can be heard while the clutch is being released but it stops when the pedal is all the way out. When running in neutral there is no noise with the clutch in or out but I can hear a click and feel it in the pedal about halfway out.

Now the kicker is that it will sometimes act perfectly normal, smooth as butter. It seems to me it gets worse when its warmer outside and I have been driving in the city for some time.

A mechanic guy I know said something about pressure plate and/or release bearing and suggested it might be under warranty since it only has 50,000km on it. I have had it for 5000km or so and the clutch has always acted this way.

Any ideas or suggestions on what might be the problem before I go talk to a dealer about it?

 

Does it seems to get better or worse when the car is fully warm? Or better/worse when it's cold ?

 

It seems to be worse the warmer it is/longer I drive. That said once and a while it goes back to working perfectly and that has happened both in warm or cold driving but these times are becoming few and far between.

As far as I can tell it does not slip, smell, or leak and shifts just fine.

 

My initial guess would be a throw out bearing.. After it's warm try putting it in neutral and pushing the clutch in and out to see if any unusual noises happen.. Also could be a little low on fluid in master cylender.?? Try checking these things

 

In neutral engine running there is no noise with the clutch in or out but I do feel and hear a clunk about half way up on the pedal. It's louder if I just sort of release the pedal and much less if I slowly let it out.

When taking off if I am next to a building I can hear some rattling type noises up until the pedal is all the way out.

Fluid is filled up as well.

 

These mustangs are generally kinda noisy to begin with, after I put an aftermarket clutch in it got a little noisier, the shop said it's normal due to performance clutches don't have noise dampeners in them.. Could possibly be a bubble in the line? I wouldn't know how it got there but try looking up the bleeding procedure. I believe it's jacking the front end up and pumping it many many times but don't quote me on that. This may help a little..

 

I would say the prior owner cooked the clutch a few times and it is now glazed.

Only way to know would be take it apart.

 

There is an access panel in between the engine and the transmission, you should be able to loosen or remove it and look at the clutch and flywheel a little. It might be getting oil, might look burnt, clutch bolts might be loose. Should take 20 - 30 minutes to take a look at it. If you can't tell whats going on, take a few pics and post them here. I agree with Drewsky, It does sound like it might be the throw out bearing, you will not be able to see it or tell much if you could see it. They do rattle when you have a little pressure on the clutch pedal when they are going out. It should be quiet when the pedal is all the way out, even when they are failing.

 

I didn't realize there was an inspection/access cover on these cars, sure would be nice to have a look even if you can't see much.

I'm leaning more toward a slave cylinder/ throw out bearing problem due to how the pedal feels after it's totally warmed up. Perhaps it's getting hung up somehow. It's just not smooth and just all of a sudden grabs. Shifting is a bit jerky as well. I think if it was glazed there would be some slipping no? I can catch good rubber between shifts so it's plenty grippy.

 

So I MAY have discovered what part of the problem is, the darn floor mats! The previous owner decided that it was a good idea to put thick rubber floor mats on top of the stock carpet ones, this was actually preventing the clutch from being fully depressed since the rubber one would constantly make is way up high where the pedals are. After doing a little experimenting I discovered that when the floor mats were in place and the clutch was fully depressed that unless I really pushed the clutch hard I could see the rpms dip a little meaning the clutch was slightly engaging. This would create heat and while it probably didn't cook the clutch pad completely it over time has probably modified it forever. It has now been a week since I ditched the rubber mats and it has worked great. It is still perfect first thing in the morning for the first while and then becomes slightly more grabby after warmed up but has yet to be the super annoying grabby that it was before.

Also several times the accelerator pedal had become stuck under the bloody mats, my fault for not addressing this earlier. I took it to a tranny shop I know and they checked it over and thought the clutch felt pretty normal ( this was yesterday). He said he has seen exactly what I have described with the floor mats before and figures it could have messed the clutch pad up somewhat but he said he'd just keep driving it until it starts to slip/chatter.

Anyway just to update the thread, I hate the ones that just end with no resolution.