New Spec III clutch and aluminum flywheel(with an issue)

XxSlowpokexX

Registered User
OK..So My Spec I clutch was worn paper thin..I have no idea just how that happened but it was trully worn down to the bone. I'll attach some pictures when I get home

Well the new SPEC III clutch installed with my aluminum flywheel is suprisingly soft pedal pressure wise. much softer then my SPEC I..Much Softer. I went from the 11.5" clutch to an 11" CLUTCH with the aluminum flywheel yet I cant say I notice qa difference in acceleration..I did notice however that taking off from a stop does require a bit more pedal and rpm.

I do have one issue however. All of a sudden my car does not want to go into 2nd gear. Even in nuetral if I go to go ino second gear it grinds. I get it into gear but somethings up.

Any ideas guys?
 
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Most likely your 2nd gear syncro was pretty weak in the first place and now you have some drag in the clutch area that is making it a no-go situation. Do the other gears require slightly more effort than before?
 
Find a flat surface and drive onto it. Put the shift lever in 1st and with the clutch pedal pushed in, release the brake. Does the car start moving forward? If so, the clutch disk is hanging up on the flywheel slightly.
 
Most likely your 2nd gear syncro was pretty weak in the first place and now you have some drag in the clutch area that is making it a no-go situation. Do the other gears require slightly more effort than before?

I drove his car home after the install and I drove it to the tranny place when it was grabbing on the rivets. Im not sure how it drove before normally but it takes a bit more pressure then before to put the car into gear. It doesnt have that silky smooth feeling like it did before. I can also agree that the clutch pedal is much easier to push down then the rock hard pedal it had before. The clutch also grabs a little higher then a new clutch should so we are putting the blame on air in the slave cylinder as the reason at this time. It feel's like the tranny is still spinning too fast when you push the clutch in. Damon even said that at a stand still,the tranny is still spinning when he tries to put it in 2nd gear and it grinds. This is another reason why we are blaming air in the system for the grinding.

Im not familiar with hydraulic clutches but we do have the basic idea on how it works. I just have no clue on how to bleed the system. The mechanic who installed the clutch filled the reservoir and let it gravity bleed down through the line then he installed the line back into the slave cylinder and from there I dont know what else he did to pull air out of the system. I feel bad for Damon having spent the money to prevent him from having to do the job himself and yet its still not complete.
 
Unless the system doesn't have the factory fittings on it anymore, and if the slave was the same as the old one, there shouldn't have been any need to bleed. The fittings seal it all in

If you need to bleed, you need to do it like brakes. One person at the clutch pedal, another at the bleeder screw. open the bleeder, have the person push the clutch down, close the bleeder, lift up. and on and on. Use a clear plastic hose to watch for bubbles coming out, and keep going until all bubbles are out. The reservoir is very small, so you need to stay on top of that and make sure you don't let any air in, so keep that topped up.
 
If there was air in the system then fully depressing the pedal would result in the clutch barely disengaging at the bottom of travel. If the clutch is disengaging high on the pedal then it can't be air in the system.

Sounds more like the clutch disc itself is hanging up. I've installed some clutches where the disc did not slide freely on the input shaft splines and I had to actually file the splines to get free movement. If the disc doesn't move freely it will hang up.

Did you replace the slave cylinder before installing the Stage I clutch? An old and corroded slave cylinder cone will dramatically increase pedal effort. If you installed a new slave now that might be the whole reason for the lighter pedal effort.
 
Did you replace the slave cylinder before installing the Stage I clutch? An old and corroded slave cylinder cone will dramatically increase pedal effort. If you installed a new slave now that might be the whole reason for the lighter pedal effort.

The slave cylinder replacement was last years project before heading out to Carlisle. The clutch hanging up makes more sense. I hope the only remedy isn't pulling the tranny back down. :(
 
The slave cylinder replacement was last years project before heading out to Carlisle. The clutch hanging up makes more sense. I hope the only remedy isn't pulling the tranny back down. :(
Be sure of your symptoms before pulling anything apart. I've been down this road before so I know how it goes. If you are certain there isn't anything goofy topside then the only thing remaining is to pull it back out.

What aluminum flywheel did you use?
 
i'm Back...GF got a hold of me. Its a Mcleod aluminum flywheel. DOesnt really feel like there is air in the line and the shifting seems as though it may be a bit better now however teh second gear crunch is still occuring ..Its more then a crunch..Its a dont put me in that gear.

The disc hanging up does make sence. Thats why I'm asking. Ive never had this issue before in any of my other 5 speed cars but there is always a first. I'm going to give it a week or so of driving and see what happens. Maybe even check tranny fluid level to see if something on that end occurred. But it does seem like its hanging up...WONDERFUL!!!!

If this transmission wasnt such a B to pull out I wouldnt mind..With my stang its a 1,2,3 proposition
 
We pretty much have tackled some of the tougher jobs, I guess pulling the tranny out shouldnt be all that terrible. Gus dropped the rear to slide the driveshaft out the tail shaft so that saves pulling the tank down, plus your exhaust is new so it will drop out easily. I would imagine the bell housing bolts on top may be a issue but other then that, Its do-able. If you are at your wits end with it, We'll grab Koch and Tommy on a Sunday morning and bang the job out. Between the 4 of us it should go smoothly. Even though it seems every job we do on our own cars NEVER goes smoothly!!!
We pull intake manifolds off new mustangs and put them back without a single issue but yet we spend 7 hours changing clutches on a 8.8 rear :D
 
Do it twice seems to be the moto for Damon clutch changes.

I know know why only it would create a problem in 2nd only.

Can you get into reverse without grinding?
 
top bolts are easy. Just pop the tranny cross member and lower the trans a bit. As long as you don't feel like you need to see the bolt to turn the wrench, it's simple.
 
But WHy only 2nd gear?....Maybe its just a tad week and this puts it over the edge?

If i have to pull it apart anything I should know as far as assuring is smooth operation?
 
I dont know if taking the shifter our will let you see if parts are moving because of hang up.

Maybe pulling the fill plug with one of those nifty diagnose camera will reveal.

If nothing is hanging then it would probably be a good idea to rebuild the syncros if you are dropping the trans.
 
Can't see anything with the shift lever off. You need to remove the top cover of the trans to see the shift forks. Trans has to come out.

2nd gear, because that's the one that wore out first. Don't need any other reason than that.
 
Being the car shifted fine before the flywheel clutch install I am leaning towards non full engagement of clutch. Is there anyway to get more pedal movement out of the master? I think I am just going to send it to my good trany guy and have him take care of it. I cant deal with this if it involves pulling the tranny..Especially if I do that and it doesnt fix the issue..Ill flip out
 
Being the car shifted fine before the flywheel clutch install I am leaning towards non full engagement of clutch.


I been thinking about this as well, When I drove your car home, I was able to shift into every gear but 2nd without the clutch. The clutch is engaged so its spinning no matter what. I think you were starting to lose a syncro and now its noticable with the new parts. Muscle mustang has ads for syncro replacement kits pretty cheap. It sucks but I think the tranny is coming down either way.
 
Maybe the damage was done by driving the car with a bad clutch.
Syncros go bad in an instant if the material flyes off the blocker.
 
WHen clutch was bad it shifted fine..Just slipped...I been reading up on this and perhaps the sychros were a lil worn however it seems that the variance in aftermarket clutch /flywheels can cause an issue with non full disengagement due to tolerence differences.

Heres some pics of the old clutch

As for its performance...Im 100% happy with it compared to teh SPEC 1...Less pressure good grip.. I did go from 11.5 to 11 inch

The flywheelENgine does rev much smoother which is nice..HOWEVER..I dont like the taking off on a hill spect of the loss of inertia the smaller clutch/lighter flywheel provides..Its actually a PIA..But highway driving is more fun with this setup....Mayeb if I had second gear it be funner stop light to stoplight!
 

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