New clutch, now hard going into 1st

[mikeD4V]

Thanks. I don’t have any issues going into 1st when the car is off so I’m not sure it’s the same. Can you confirm that you had the same issue as me when you adjusted the reverse lockout pin?

I had to force it into 1st after install. Definitely remember having an oh shit moment on first drive after buttoning it all up but don't recall if it was also with the car off; it's been ~6 months. Where I used to push the knob left then up into gear was no longer in the same place and felt like it didn't want to go in gear. Almost put it back on the lift to poke around. I kept upward pressure while moving slowly to the right and it went in kind of crudely. It also felt like it would stick a little trying to come out of 1st.

I drove the car sporadically for about a week, pumping the clutch ~100 times before driving it (no success), then adjusted the lockout and all was good. In my case, I think it was a combo of a more aggressive/grabbier clutch breaking in and the MGW was adjusted to a looser, beat to hell (2nd) stock clutch (see final carnage below). Hopefully adjusting the MGW helps, it's only a 5 min job after pulling the console (7mm socket and interior pry tools). ~4.5k miles and 4 tracks days on my exedy so far.

OE clutch friction disc by MikeD, on Flickr

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[CrashOverride]

I'd say you got your money's worth out of that clutch!

That flywheel looks pretty nasty too, was it out of the car for a while? Seems like a lot of surface rust.

 

[mikeD4V]

I'd say you got your money's worth out of that clutch!

That flywheel looks pretty nasty too, was it out of the car for a while? Seems like a lot of surface rust.

Yea, all that sat in a box in my storage unit which isn't climate controlled. That's the second OE clutch and it was actually free, covered under warranty bc the first one went at 12k.

 

[Howler5.O]

So I bled the brakes, then vacuum pumped the clutch and it did improve some but did not eliminate the problem. The clutch is not full disengaging when I press in the clutch, and I can actually feel it.

When looking through the inspection holes, I noticed there is a weird wrinkle in the TB. I’m also seeing an uneven pressure on the clutch fingers when the TB is in operation.

Here’s quick video...


I forwarded the info to Bill. We’ll see where he wants to go from here.

 

[JOKER M1]

Great job on the video. Im not gonna speculate since you are in good hands with Exedy. Please keep us informed.

 

[aleccesarenriquez]

I've had this exact same issue since installing a Mantic cerametallic a few months back, but to expand, I also have the issue when trying to engage reverse from a stop after the clutch pedal has been out. I also have the MGW race spec.

We pulled the clutch and noticed there was some slight warping. The discs were resurfaced, and after putting the clutch back in, shifting between gears was very smooth but I still had 1st/reverse gear engagement issue.

I was driving it this way for a while until the trans gave out a couple weeks ago (third gear is gone). I don't know if the issues are related but I've been boosted for about 10k miles (car has 32k) so maybe it was just a matter of time. I don't track the car or powershift; only drive it in Mexico once in a while, most of which starts in 3rd gear. Honestly I baby the trans a bit so I was still surprised it went when it did.

 

[moffetts]

MGW is the common thread so far...

 

[JOKER M1]

Where are you at on this

 

[Howler5.O]

I sent the video over to Bill. He said the dimple is in the dust boot and would not have any affect on the cylinder. Bill still feels that there is a hydraulic issue or possible damage to the cover during shipping that would cause it to lift unevenly and not fully disengage. The MGW is obviously another added component to the situation but I can’t see a reason why the shifter would cause this particular issue. When the car is off, there is no “binding” when shifting into gears. Mechanically, it feels like it’s operating correctly. The issue starts when the car is on.


Exedy is now sending me a brand new kit. Huge kudos to them for their excellent customer service and quick response. Bill has been nothing but helpful. It’s unfortunate that there has been this much hassle but I feel they are going above and beyond on their end.


Next steps are to wait for parts to arrive and checking out a few local shops to do the work. Unfortunately there aren’t any local shops that specialize in mustang performance and the shops that do, are over 2 hours away. I considered doing the work myself but I’ve been short on free time lately and doing the work on jack stands sounds rough. I believe I can find a competent installer and I will be very involved in the next install process. Some of the things I will do are 1)Be very specific about the work that needs to be done 2)Bench bleed the TB before handing over parts to the installer and 3) Be there to inspect parts before they come off and the new stuff when it goes on. If possible, I would like to do everything possible before hand to avoid having to pull it apart for a 3rd time. Any suggestions on this would be helpful!

 

[Howler5.O]

I've had this exact same issue since installing a Mantic cerametallic a few months back, but to expand, I also have the issue when trying to engage reverse from a stop after the clutch pedal has been out. I also have the MGW race spec.

We pulled the clutch and noticed there was some slight warping. The discs were resurfaced, and after putting the clutch back in, shifting between gears was very smooth but I still had 1st/reverse gear engagement issue.

I was driving it this way for a while until the trans gave out a couple weeks ago (third gear is gone). I don't know if the issues are related but I've been boosted for about 10k miles (car has 32k) so maybe it was just a matter of time. I don't track the car or powershift; only drive it in Mexico once in a while, most of which starts in 3rd gear. Honestly I baby the trans a bit so I was still surprised it went when it did.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. My car has been sitting for over 2 weeks. I am afraid of driving it as is and further damaging something. My issue started after I installed my clutch/shifter and worked perfectly before the install. I am hoping the new kit fixes the issue. If i have to pull it apart a 3rd time, I've considered the possibility of upgrading the trans. Why not double down right? lol In the back of my mind I'm thinking I should have bought an auto but how much fun would that be? Keep us informed on your issue and best of luck.

 

[JOKER M1]

That’s a great update and thanks for sharing. Doing it on jack stands isn’t that bad if you can get it about 20” off the ground but I understand your circumstances. Glad it’s going well with Exedy as I wouldn’t expect anything less from them. Look forward to hearing the final results.

 

[aleccesarenriquez]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. My car has been sitting for over 2 weeks. I am afraid of driving it as is and further damaging something. My issue started after I installed my clutch/shifter and worked perfectly before the install. I am hoping the new kit fixes the issue. If i have to pull it apart a 3rd time, I've considered the possibility of upgrading the trans. Why not double down right? lol In the back of my mind I'm thinking I should have bought an auto but how much fun would that be? Keep us informed on your issue and best of luck.

I am throwing in the Ben Calimer stage 1 soon as an interim replacement. I'll be sending my broken one out to him for a stage 3 rebuild. I'm also going back to the stock clutch and the guy that I bought the Mantic used from will be buying back this one, so I'll be picking up a new Mantic when the stage 3 is ready.

Obviously I won't be going to crazy with the stage 1 trans but it'll only be for a few months so it should do the trick.

 

[Howler5.O]

Good Morning,
I am happy to report that the issues I was having has been fixed with the new kit. I had a local shop install the new clutch kit Exedy sent me and it seemed to resolve the issue. The local shop did a great job on the work. They allowed me to be a part of the process and kept me informed on what they saw as they disassembled and re-assembled the new stuff. There really wasn’t anything that stood out as unusual but I can tell you the car runs 1000x better!

The only thing I discovered was some weird play in the throw-out bearing but I am not sure if this is normal. Here’s a quick video… can anyone confirm?



Thanks for everyone’s help and again to Exedy for their excellent customer service and support. Now I have to get the break in miles in but I’m happy to have my car back!

 

[JOKER M1]

Good Morning,
I am happy to report that the issues I was having has been fixed with the new kit. I had a local shop install the new clutch kit Exedy sent me and it seemed to resolve the issue. The local shop did a great job on the work. They allowed me to be a part of the process and kept me informed on what they saw as they disassembled and re-assembled the new stuff. There really wasn’t anything that stood out as unusual but I can tell you the car runs 1000x better!

The only thing I discovered was some weird play in the throw-out bearing but I am not sure if this is normal. Here’s a quick video… can anyone confirm?



Thanks for everyone’s help and again to Exedy for their excellent customer service and support. Now I have to get the break in miles in but I’m happy to have my car back!

That’s great to hear. Guess you can thank the manufacturer ford uses for that issue. It is supposed to spin but I’m not sure about the other play it has. It’s a great clutch, enjoy it when you can.

 

[cop on my back]

I had the exact issue with the exact clutch and the billet steel flywheel. For me it was the fact the shop didn't tighten up half of the pressure plate bolts and the fingers were not even. Excedy is great, they sent me an entire new clutch assembly with the slave and a shipping label to return mine. I ended up doing it myself (pretty easy) and got a full refund from the shop that did the original install. Almost felt like selling my car because of the ongoing clutch issues, now it is a dream to drive again.

Glad you're back on the road with a smile!

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