Smoking my clutch :-(

[SheepDog]

Turns out I am dumber than I thought. I wanted to spin the wheels but I only pressed the traction control button briefly (not 9 seconds), I pulled the manual brake, and I slowly slipped the clutch to the friction point while revving up. After a few seconds smoke started to build and I was confused as the wheels didn’t spin.

Really dumb, I should have first asked someone or read how to do this (I later figured out btw).

But anyhow - to the clutch: it really stank in the car for 45 min. It also felt softer at first, and a bit wobbly when shifting from first to second gear. I let it cool off, and it seems ok again. My car only has 6000 miles.
- question 1: do you think I damaged the clutch?

I heard that I should try flooring the car in 3rd gear at 2000 rpm to check for slippage. I did that, what happens when I floor it is very briefly (less than half a second) the rpm oscillate and then pick up equally with the speed.
- question 2: is this slippage?


my guarantee ends shortly. I could buy a non Ford guarantee extension for 3 years for 2500 USD.
- question 3: would you do that, assuming I don’t do stupid shyte like what I described any more? The Mach 1 seems well built!

- question 4: if my clutch is futsch (word play, futsch means broken in German), how much does a repair cost?

No more questions for now!
I did get the wheels spinning once I read how to do it in ChatGPT. I know, I am a loser :-). Still appreciate your thoughts on the questions above.

I had a super fun day again with my Mach 1 despite my idiocy.

cheers all

Was Line lock not functioning?

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[SdoubleW]

Clutch slipping is pretty easy to tell. Especially in high HP car. Just bear down on the throttle, at speed, say 40 in a tall gear and watch the RPMs to see if they shoot up with no corresponding change in the speed of the car.

Yes I did that and the velocity comes in sync with rpm, so no slippage. as others said I think I just took a few thousand miles off of the lifespan of the components, but not much more than that.

 

[Pony2015]

Theres no age limit to when you grow out of dumb, it can last forever.

BD

Well, with respect to an age limit on "dumb" . . . I'm in my 60's and brand new to mustangs (LINK). I wanted to get the rear wheels loose without ruining the tires and decided to take a corner in the rain with traction control off (long press). Moderate throttle and then spun out - not too fast-felt like slow motion - but a complete 360 - and very gently hit the curb with both rear tires (and perpendicular to the road) as coming to a stop. I was surprised how easy it was to lose control, and how helpless I felt once control was lost - important lesson learned that would have been far worse had I mashed the throttle. And had I hit the curb sidewise at substantial speed it would have been $$$$$$, with a clutch replacement looking like small change.

Bottom line, when testing out new skills or "features" (especially anything that could break loose the rear wheels), make sure there are no people or cars anywhere nearby - ideally an empty and pretty wide area with no curbs or other things to run into (hard to find such a spot, though, admittedly). And have some budget ready to cover the cost of failed attempts. So I'm hopefully a little less dumb than I was before -- we will see . . .

 

[Buldawg76]

Well, with respect to an age limit on "dumb" . . . I'm in my 60's and brand new to mustangs (LINK). I wanted to get the rear wheels loose without ruining the tires and decided to take a corner in the rain with traction control off (long press). Moderate throttle and then spun out - not too fast-felt like slow motion - but a complete 360 - and very gently hit the curb with both rear tires (and perpendicular to the road) as coming to a stop. I was surprised how easy it was to lose control, and how helpless I felt once control was lost - important lesson learned that would have been far worse had I mashed the throttle. And had I hit the curb sidewise at substantial speed it would have been $$$$$$, with a clutch replacement looking like small change.

Bottom line, when testing out new skills or "features" (especially anything that could break loose the rear wheels), make sure there are no people or cars anywhere nearby - ideally an empty and pretty wide area with no curbs or other things to run into (hard to find such a spot, though, admittedly). And have some budget ready to cover the cost of failed attempts. So I'm hopefully a little less dumb that I was before -- we will see . . .

You did learn a valuable lesson for sure and also, we are never too old to learn a new lesson/skill.

I was lucky enough to grow up where I could experiment out in the country on wide open spaces and dirt roads so learned very young how to control cars and bikes at speed in power slides and spins without risk to others or damage to vehicle. I am totally confident in my ability to take a car and put it into a 360 degree spin and pull out of the spin completely under full control at all times. Or go thru a turn with the rear end hung out in a power slide without loss of control. I had years of practice in my teens doing all that and much more.

I have always believed that part of driver's education should include these skills for every person that gets behind the wheel of any motor vehicle. We would all be much safer on the roads if drivers had at least come knowledge of basic car control.

BD

 

[_zOmbIE_]

Fun part of my viper, I don't have to "try" to light up the rear, it will easily spin by just throttle application alone in any gear up to 3rd, nothing else required but my right foot

Bad part of my viper, tires are $$$$ in that fitment (like $600 USD for each rear) so it's also an expensive experience :(

 

[CarmeloS]

One of us could be your kids.

Hi Dad!

 

[Pony2015]

Well, I jinxed myself by commenting earlier on this thread. Clutch just went out my 2015 Mustang GT at 29,000 miles (I know . . . , and I'm trying not to make excuses . . . , but can't resist mentioning that there is a backstory involving my son's girlfriend . . . ). And by "went out" I mean that upon arriving at the scene, when I let the clutch out in gear, the car would barely move with smoke billowing from the engine compartment. So I can now answer the cost question . . .

At least in the bay area (Sunnyvale CA), the least expensive but still reputable place (where I have experience) was able to complete the clutch repair for $1630 out the door (includes clutch and all related parts, which were all original stock OEM, labor, and taxes) - and they washed the car too (body shop, so know how to do it right) and tightened the oil pan that was leaking—but they did NOT do the crankshaft position relearn, so I was back in the shop a few days later to get that done (due to a check engine light for misfires)! I sent them a YouTube video which they performed for free- took just a few minutes and the problem went away! I. guess you get what you pay for . . . Also, they did NOT replace the original fly wheel (would have been an extra $200). I made it very clear that I was willing to switch it out, but they double checked and assured me it was fine. In addition, I had them replace the rear main oil seal (since it was already apart) for an extra $25 so $1655 including the seal. Although they said that seal was fine -- it was a cheap and easy repair, so why not? I have used this shop previously for auto body work- but this was the first time for engine repair -- mixed feelings so far -Let’s see how it goes. There was also a $120 tow bill on top of all of that.

I will mention that it is definitely worth checking on prices, but be sure to understand exactly what work each quote covers. Estimates easily exceeded $1800 or more for the same work, and I'm not sure those included the heavy taxes we pay in the bay area. Breaking in the new clutch now!

 

[SdoubleW]

Thanks for sharing. It’s not a disastrous cost, so hopefully not too bad of beef with your son’s lady either

 

[stannypack]

Well, I jinxed myself by commenting earlier on this thread. Clutch just went out my 2015 Mustang GT at 29,000 miles (I know . . . , and I'm trying not to make excuses . . . , but can't resist mentioning that there is a backstory involving my son's girlfriend . . . ). And by "went out" I mean that upon arriving at the scene, when I let the clutch out in gear, the car would barely move with smoke billowing from the engine compartment. So I can now answer the cost question . At least in the bay area (Sunnyvale CA), the least expensive reputable place (where I have experience) was able to complete the clutch repair for $1600 out the door (taxes, OEM parts and labor) - and they washed the car too and tightened the oil pan that was leaking! They did NOT replace the original fly wheel (would have been an extra $200). I made it very clear that I was willing to switch it out, but they double checked and assured me it was fine. In addition, I had them replace the rear main oil seal (since it was already apart) for an extra $55, so $1655 including the seal. Although they said that seal was fine -- cheap and easy, so why not? There was also a $120 tow bill on top of all of that. I have used this shop previously for auto body work- this was the first time for engine repair -- quite pleased so far. Breaking it in now - let's see how it does!

Is that price for an OEM clutch?

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