Manual Transmission question

[MaverickGT]

I agree with you that the clutch spring doesn't make the clunky noise go away. Don't think anyone said that.

The clutch spring replacement is also an assist spring, just gives more pedal feel.

Sponsored

 

[MaverickGT]

Take out the spring, replace the fluid and install a MGW shifter.

I did all this and it was like driving another car.

Fully agree with you on this one, it drives like another car

 

[PJR202]

Man, I thought I was just taking my sweet time at getting smoother on takeoffs and such. My test drive was almost embarrassing with the amount of jerking and bad shifts. I haven't driven a stick in 15 years with the odd exceptoin, but I did everything short of stalling it. If I'm not 100% focused on that clutch it's a sketchy ride for my passenger..lol

I read the spring thread. Thank you, chameleon. I'll do this or get the steeda. It makes my wife think I'm terrible shifter, and I have to teach her how to drive it soon.

 

[Hurricane]

not sure how pedal assist spring can make the "clunky" noise go away...

It won't. It has nothing to do with the "clunk" noise. It's just an option to improve the overall driving experience for the manual trans.

I kind of like that there is an assist spring. I can put the car in a gear and just let out the clutch with zero or minimal gas and not worry about bucking car or stalling out.

It's fine if you like the stock spring, but I have the Steeda spring and can I also let the clutch out without bucking or stalling. That's because it's about rev-matching and keeping the clutch disc(s) from having to do too much work and wearing out prematurely.

Sure~ It does make the clutch feel very mushy, but isn't that the point? I do understand that it's not for everyone.

Ford designed the S550 to appeal to the widest range of people possible in the most countries possible. A softer, mushier clutch probably appeals to a larger range of people. My 65-year-old mother-in-law, a former Mustang owner herself, probably wouldn't like a super-stiff clutch pedal now. A stock S550 would work better for her. On the other hand, my first car, a 1990 Nissan 240sx had a 5-speed with a clutch pedal that required quite a bit of effort to fully engage, but felt great to drive. Going from the 185lb stock assist spring to the 35lb Steeda spring gives you a more traditional feel and a "closer" connection to the car. That's what I wanted.

I have the steering wheel permanently set to "Sport" mode, which increases the effort it takes to turn the wheel around and provides a higher amount of feedback from the road to the driver. A sports car should be felt, as well as driven. I went with the lighter spring for this reason as well.

 

[CB]

Go to the transmission and driveline section and just start reading.

 

[PJR202]

I went ahead and ordered the steeda spring to try first. for 10 bucks it's worth a shot just in case they're right about long term wear on the seals from removing the spring altogether.

 

[Hurricane]

I went ahead and ordered the steeda spring to try first. for 10 bucks it's worth a shot just in case they're right about long term wear on the seals from removing the spring altogether.

That's a good start, but again, it won't do anything to fix the clunking noise or the hang-ups you're experiencing while shifting. I did the Steeda spring first too (bought it March 12th), but it's a totally separate thing from the shifter and transmission issues. After a month, I still wasn't satisfied and bought the Tri-Ax shifter April 5th and installed it last weekend. Like the others have said, it truly feels like driving a different vehicle now. SO much more enjoyable than before.

Like you, I hadn't driven a manual car in about 18 years before getting my GT last fall, so I blamed my poor shifting and lunging on that at first and figured things would smooth out over time. Gave my wife minor whiplash a couple times at first too, lol. While things did get slightly better, the stock shifter is an inferior piece of equipment compared to an aftermarket shifter, no matter which one you buy. Seat time will make you get better at it or more used to it, but a long throw and getting hung up when trying to shift is a mechanical problem, not a driver problem.

 

[cbrookre]

I find that if I shift at 5k+ RPM that I am unable to hear the clunking over the glorious engine and exhaust sounds... just saying

 

[Anthony 05 GT]

Pay attention to where your clutch engages which is kind of high on the pedal up-stroke. Use a little finesse in that area as you release the pedal. I drive 3 stick vehicles and my '15 GT engages higher on the stroke than my other 2 stick vehicles. With about 2 million miles standard shift experience I get in my '15 and I have to remind myself of this because I don't drive it as much.

I also removed the assist spring which is a major improvement and as a tech I believe it's pure myth that removing the spring will cause premature wear on the throwout bearing or slave cylinder. The master cylinder piston would have to be pushed in a bit by the weight of the pedal to cause any problems like this and it's not.

 

[doulos4jc]

...I believe it's pure myth that removing the spring will cause premature wear on the throwout bearing or slave cylinder. The master cylinder piston would have to be pushed in a bit by the weight of the pedal to cause any problems like this and it's not.

+1 Unfortunately opinions like this are buried in a sea of paranoid misinformation.

 

[hiccup]

"Many new Mustang owners have found that taking out the stock OE spring will give you somewhat similar results, but realistically the clutch becomes far too heavy especially if your Mustang is daily driven. Most owners fail to realize the prolonged effects of simply taking out your factory OE spring and not replacing it with another spring. By negating your factory clutch assist spring you will notice chatter/NVH from your clutch pedal. Your clutch pedal will never fully return to stock position without any assist spring, and over time your slave cylinder may begin leaking due to constant pressure on its seals from the clutch pedal not returning to the stock position. Avoid these problems in the future by installing our Steeda S550 Mustang Clutch Assist Spring 35 lb/in into your GT, EcoBoost or V6. - See more at: http://www.steeda.com/steeda-s550-m...b-in-15-16-all-555-7022/#sthash.tHE69084.dpuf "

Not true. . Ive had my spring out for awhile. Clutch is doing fine. No slop at the top. No chatter or feel problems. No struggling to clutch in traffic. There will be no future wear problems on my slave cyl. These designs were around long before clutch assist springs.

 

[POJ 1]

Mine has shifted beautifully since day 1 (2 1/2 months ago) and the clutch is so light it was one of the unexpected bonuses

 

[hiccup]

When I removed the spring the pedal did take more effort to push but in a few weeks time I no longer noticed. With the spring in there it gave it a much lighter though kinda fake feel. When I lurked this site along time ago this was only a "ditch the clutch assist spring". Now you cant talk about it without a steeda counseling session. The spring promoting is ridiculously funny but is their right I guess. Im a machinist in a maintenance dept at work. I deal with springs, seals and bearings all week long. You guys dont have to wait for a delivery in the mail to decide about your spring. The factory spring has dimensions. You have many choices of different pressures to choose from out there. Just venture to your local bearing/seal supply houses.

 

[Fatty]

+1 Unfortunately opinions like this are buried in a sea of paranoid misinformation.

+2. I installed the Steeda spring and five minutes later, I removed it. No spring is perfect.

 

[NewGuard]

I wasn't really planning on buying one, but I test drove a GT just for fun. It was embarrassing - the clutch was way stiffer than anything I've ever driven before, and I was lunging and bobbing like a 15 year old. And I've never even owned an automatic transmission, so I wasn't out of practice. The clutch on my Ecoboost is MUCH better. Even if I had been in the market for a GT, I certainly wouldn't have bought that one, because it was all but undriveable.

My Ecoboost transmission has just the sort of strange feel the OP describes. I don't mind it being very solid, and a little "clunky," but putting it into first from neutral (before even letting out the clutch), it always feels like there's a slight misalignment. If it take it back out of gear and then put it back into first AGAIN (still without letting out the clutch), then everything lines up perfectly. So I suspect that there's a little something that isn't quite calibrated perfectly. It would bother me if it were any other gear, but it doesn't cause problems in any shifts that need to be done fast. I can kind of feel the same thing a little in second, but not nearly so much. And if I just put it straight into first, it still engages fine. It just feels like not all is quite aligned.

Should I worry about having the dealer look at it, or is it something that will break in?

Sponsored