2013 GT500 Failed Clutch Thread

DOWNTOWN28

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Finally got my car back after it sat in the shop for 5 weeks. Threatened a lawsuit, so they pulled a clutch out of another brand new Shelby and put it in mine. We'll see how long this one lasts.
 

dustin88lx

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Dustin, does your car have the assist spring shown in this photo?

IMG_1545.gif

Sure does with a pretty beefy spring on it looks about like a valve spring.
 

Snoopy49

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Sure does with a pretty beefy spring on it looks about like a valve spring.

Thanks for looking.
I have a possible theory for the premature clutch failures.
The purpose of the assist spring is to lower the pressure needed to push the pedal to the floor. The Boss 302 guys have had a problem with the spring actually holding the pedal to the floor at high RPM's. The fix was to remove the spring. Ford didn't have this spring on the 2012 GT500, they started using it on the 2013 GT500's when they upgraded the clutch and decided they needed the spring to lower the pressure required to apply the clutch.

My theory is that the same thing is happening with the 2013 GT500, but the new pressure plate is strong enough to keep the pedal from actually staying depressed, but the spring does slow down the return rate on the pedal just long enough to cause slippage of the clutch at high RPM's. Which would increase the chance of glazing of the disk surface. After the clutch disk surface is glazed, the clutch will start to slip under load as well as under WOT during shifting. Clutch slippage generates an enormous amount of heat which would lead to the types of failures observed.
The fix may be as simple as removing the spring. The downside of the spring removal is higher pedal pressure.

Here is a link to the Boss 302 thread. It will describe the spring removal procedure.

Clutch sticking during high RPM shifts *HOW TO FIX IT!*
 
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gkviper192

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I'd definitely do the spring removal. I did it on my boss and made pedal feel much better. I actually prefer a slightly stiffer clutch anyway.
 

daytripper

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Its probably worth thinking about what happens to a clutch b/4 you get the car . You can do a lot of damage to a new clutch if you are an idiot just trying to drive up on the carriers .
I have a 212 SS Camaro and when it had a 1000 miles I was putting it up on ramps to change the oil . That was the only time I ever smelled the clutch . Imagine if it wasnt your car and you didnt give a crap about it . Its possible that some of these clutch failures have been started by the drivers .
 

usmotox

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Might be a good thing to keep the rpms up and dont let the car lug cause all that preasure and resistance goes through the clutch. We plan to feel the car out see where it seems happy and try to target that rpm range. I have done it with the little honda boosted cars we have put together and dont typicaly have clutch issues.
 

jnf

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First post here.
Have about 180 miles on my 13 gt500.
I am smelling clutch almost every time I pull back into the garage.
Hoping that it is break in.
I am curious to see how the spring removal works out for those who are trying it.

Oh yea, car was built 08/09 Got it 08/30.
 
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deljuice

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Another 2013 gt 500 clutch gone...

i have a sterling grey 13 shelby, clutch is gone at 1200 miles..same thing as everyone else on this site..(routine driving)smell, then more (Routine driving) smell, then slip, then in the garbage..this cant be coincidence..oh and by the way..BREAK IN PERIOD? Go check out the svt video on youtube , 2013 gt500 at the drag strip..and you will see svt people beating the snot out of these cars with , are you ready, 397 miles on the tach... 2013 Shelby GT500: Drag Strip - YouTube ...go to 1:38 and look at the tach on the car theyre testing...if they want to blame consumers who have waited three times longer to get on the car than they did, and then not cover it, when it fries, they are nuts....from the day i got the car it smelled.thought it was just breakin in..i waited at least 700 miles before hitting it..and waited till 1300 before any hole shots and 0 to 60 pulls.one night , ten minutes of pulls and its gone?? compared to what they did to the car on the strip testing it? at 397 miles?? i know how to drive, owned an 11 gt 500 and 7 other mustangs... the clutch felt very high to engage in the first place compared to my '11..im very pissed...pay almost 70k , wait for months to get it, and it falls apart..frustrated..must be a defect..
 

Devious_Snake

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i have a sterling grey 13 shelby, clutch is gone at 1200 miles..same thing as everyone else on this site..(routine driving)smell, then more (Routine driving) smell, then slip, then in the garbage..this cant be coincidence..oh and by the way..BREAK IN PERIOD? Go check out the svt video on youtube , 2013 gt500 at the drag strip..and you will see svt people beating the snot out of these cars with , are you ready, 397 miles on the tach... 2013 Shelby GT500: Drag Strip - YouTube ...go to 1:38 and look at the tach on the car theyre testing...if they want to blame consumers who have waited three times longer to get on the car than they did, and then not cover it, when it fries, they are nuts....from the day i got the car it smelled.thought it was just breakin in..i waited at least 700 miles before hitting it..and waited till 1300 before any hole shots and 0 to 60 pulls.one night , ten minutes of pulls and its gone?? compared to what they did to the car on the strip testing it? at 397 miles?? i know how to drive, owned an 11 gt 500 and 7 other mustangs... the clutch felt very high to engage in the first place compared to my '11..im very pissed...pay almost 70k , wait for months to get it, and it falls apart..frustrated..must be a defect..


that really sucks and is very disconcerting to hear

where is it now? dealer? if you can snap pics of it when they pull it out
 

Snoopy49

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deljuice,
What did the dealer say when you took the car in for service? Are they going to warranty the clutch?
 

deljuice

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Its at the dealer now...im seriously trying to get them to put in a better clutch..or maybe take that spring out..i know they wont do a different clutch..but i can almost assure you, this will happen with the new one too..
 

deljuice

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i think theyre gonna cover it...the mechanic thinks some kind of problem with the clutch out of the gate to make it go so fast..
 

BOD89LX

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i think theyre gonna cover it...the mechanic thinks some kind of problem with the clutch out of the gate to make it go so fast..

I am pretty sure it's a batch of bad clutches from the supplier as I have 2000 miles on mine now and close to a hundred passes at the strip and mine is holding up like a champ even with mods on the car, hopefully Ford will get you back on the road in short order.
 

Aero7

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i have a sterling grey 13 shelby, clutch is gone at 1200 miles..same thing as everyone else on this site..(routine driving)smell, then more (Routine driving) smell, then slip, then in the garbage..this cant be coincidence..oh and by the way..BREAK IN PERIOD? Go check out the svt video on youtube , 2013 gt500 at the drag strip..and you will see svt people beating the snot out of these cars with , are you ready, 397 miles on the tach... 2013 Shelby GT500: Drag Strip - YouTube ...go to 1:38 and look at the tach on the car theyre testing...if they want to blame consumers who have waited three times longer to get on the car than they did, and then not cover it, when it fries, they are nuts....from the day i got the car it smelled.thought it was just breakin in..i waited at least 700 miles before hitting it..and waited till 1300 before any hole shots and 0 to 60 pulls.one night , ten minutes of pulls and its gone?? compared to what they did to the car on the strip testing it? at 397 miles?? i know how to drive, owned an 11 gt 500 and 7 other mustangs... the clutch felt very high to engage in the first place compared to my '11..im very pissed...pay almost 70k , wait for months to get it, and it falls apart..frustrated..must be a defect..

What was your build date?
 

MrUnsubtleNinja

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My uncle is sending me the photos of my old parts. According to the tech that installed the new clutch parts, the original pressure plate was defective and caused everything else to wear as well as make the pedal super stiff from day one.

uqu7ymej.jpg


su3y4e6y.jpg


eda4ygyd.jpg
 
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MrUnsubtleNinja

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wow.....thanks for the pics ninja

No problem! :beer:

My uncle, who is friends with the tech that did the replacement, asked him what he did and he said he just took the old clutch out and put the new one in. The pedal feels much. much better over what it did from factory.
 

Tob

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Do you have a copy of the parts list? I'd like to cross it to the list used for 4th revision TSB's on '07 and up GT500's...
 

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