FlaminFiero
Active Member
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- #1
Just finished the dreaded clutch job on my 2016 GT. I did this on the floor of my shop with basic tools.
Here is some notes that may help people some day. First note: Its totally doable and no where near as bad as people make it out to be.
Jackstands and Car Positioning
If you wish to remove the transmission fully from under the car as I did, your typical harbor freight 3 ton jackstands are NOT sufficient for this job. While they are safe for the weight, they do not provide enough clearance to remove the transmission at all, especially on a low-lift transmission jack. I used these stand for this job and ended up having to tip the trans off the jack onto cardboard UNDER THE CAR, then jack the car higher off the stand, drag the trans out, then lower the car back down unto the stands. Which wasn't too bad. The problem is putting back up. Lifting the 150 pound back unto the jack UNDER THE CAR is a particular agony I hope nobody subjects themself to. Get taller 12 ton stands to get about 30 inches of lift, it will save your sanity.
Exhaust.
Soak the passenger side catalytic converter flange nuts in PB Blaster atleast a day or more before removing the exhaust. The bottom one is easy to get to, but the top one require about 4 feet of extensions to reach from the engine bay, this drastically limits the torque you can apply. Use 3/8s extensions and come from a very shallow angle along the exhaust manifold, and you can reach it without a swivel. SOAK THEM WELL, this much extension turns your ratchet into a giant torsion bar and limits your breakaway torque.
Transmission Removal
Unbolting the bellhousing bolts is the easiest part of this job. Yes this includes the top 2 bolts that many consider to be a pain in the rear end. Word of advise, do them first. Unbolt the cross-member from the body and swing the trans down. Remove the starter and do the passenger side one, even my big meaty arms fit up enough to guide the socket and 4 feet of extensions on to the bolt. Ratchet the bolt from the back of the transmission. The drivers side one is a bit harder, you'll have to guide the socket on from the extensions, you can see it pretty clearly laying down on a creeper looking up between the drivers side manifold and bellhousing. Easy - Peasy. Once the trans is unbolted put the shifter into 3rd gear to give you maximum clearance and slide the trans on to the cart. When reinstalling, pull the trans up to the block with the bottom 4 bolts, then install the top 2 last.
Clutch Kits
Do not use aftermarket slave-cylinders / throw out bearings. They are all crap. Use a OEM ford one, if you want a bit of a upgrade use the B variant that is found on the newer 18+ Mustangs, its double sealed and has a beefier throwout bearing. Its available from Ford. Thats what I used. Some clutch kits have a little concentric spacer included that is intended to be installed behind the throwout bearing, YOU MUST USE THIS SPACER even if you are using the OEM Throwout Bearing it prevents the overextension of the throwout bearing.
Miscellaneous
If you complete the clutch job and go for a spin and get a flashing check engine light and misfire on random cylinders, this is normal. You will need Forscan or access to a Bidirectional Scanner to preform a Misfire Neutral Profile Correction after install a new clutch or flywheel. (For most applications) The change in weight from your previous setup will make the car think its misfiring. The procedure is super simple, warm car up to operating temperature, start the procedure, rev engine to 4250 rpm as instructed, quickly let the throttle snap to idle when instructed, repeat if instructed. Takes 5 minutes. Just get forscan and a cheap scanner to do this, the dealer is going to take you for 175 or more dollars to do this simple procedure. A 2 month license to Forscan is free and approriate cable is 30 bucks, plus you get access to Forscan which can do a ton for you in the long run.
This is all stuff I would have wanted to know, maybe someone will find it useful one day.
Here is some notes that may help people some day. First note: Its totally doable and no where near as bad as people make it out to be.
Jackstands and Car Positioning
If you wish to remove the transmission fully from under the car as I did, your typical harbor freight 3 ton jackstands are NOT sufficient for this job. While they are safe for the weight, they do not provide enough clearance to remove the transmission at all, especially on a low-lift transmission jack. I used these stand for this job and ended up having to tip the trans off the jack onto cardboard UNDER THE CAR, then jack the car higher off the stand, drag the trans out, then lower the car back down unto the stands. Which wasn't too bad. The problem is putting back up. Lifting the 150 pound back unto the jack UNDER THE CAR is a particular agony I hope nobody subjects themself to. Get taller 12 ton stands to get about 30 inches of lift, it will save your sanity.
Exhaust.
Soak the passenger side catalytic converter flange nuts in PB Blaster atleast a day or more before removing the exhaust. The bottom one is easy to get to, but the top one require about 4 feet of extensions to reach from the engine bay, this drastically limits the torque you can apply. Use 3/8s extensions and come from a very shallow angle along the exhaust manifold, and you can reach it without a swivel. SOAK THEM WELL, this much extension turns your ratchet into a giant torsion bar and limits your breakaway torque.
Transmission Removal
Unbolting the bellhousing bolts is the easiest part of this job. Yes this includes the top 2 bolts that many consider to be a pain in the rear end. Word of advise, do them first. Unbolt the cross-member from the body and swing the trans down. Remove the starter and do the passenger side one, even my big meaty arms fit up enough to guide the socket and 4 feet of extensions on to the bolt. Ratchet the bolt from the back of the transmission. The drivers side one is a bit harder, you'll have to guide the socket on from the extensions, you can see it pretty clearly laying down on a creeper looking up between the drivers side manifold and bellhousing. Easy - Peasy. Once the trans is unbolted put the shifter into 3rd gear to give you maximum clearance and slide the trans on to the cart. When reinstalling, pull the trans up to the block with the bottom 4 bolts, then install the top 2 last.
Clutch Kits
Do not use aftermarket slave-cylinders / throw out bearings. They are all crap. Use a OEM ford one, if you want a bit of a upgrade use the B variant that is found on the newer 18+ Mustangs, its double sealed and has a beefier throwout bearing. Its available from Ford. Thats what I used. Some clutch kits have a little concentric spacer included that is intended to be installed behind the throwout bearing, YOU MUST USE THIS SPACER even if you are using the OEM Throwout Bearing it prevents the overextension of the throwout bearing.
Miscellaneous
If you complete the clutch job and go for a spin and get a flashing check engine light and misfire on random cylinders, this is normal. You will need Forscan or access to a Bidirectional Scanner to preform a Misfire Neutral Profile Correction after install a new clutch or flywheel. (For most applications) The change in weight from your previous setup will make the car think its misfiring. The procedure is super simple, warm car up to operating temperature, start the procedure, rev engine to 4250 rpm as instructed, quickly let the throttle snap to idle when instructed, repeat if instructed. Takes 5 minutes. Just get forscan and a cheap scanner to do this, the dealer is going to take you for 175 or more dollars to do this simple procedure. A 2 month license to Forscan is free and approriate cable is 30 bucks, plus you get access to Forscan which can do a ton for you in the long run.
This is all stuff I would have wanted to know, maybe someone will find it useful one day.
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