Clutch slipping?

[mike79]

HOw do you know if your clutch is slipping>? A smell from a fast start on the parkway? I took it to the dealer and told them to look at it, they said its fine, but for some reason I dont trust them because when I get onto the parkway and speed up pretty fast, I can smell something....almost as if its burning. Any ideas?

 

[03ShadowCobra]

Is the E-brake on?

 

[mike79]

lol No.

 

[Cobra'03]

Well, does it chatter when you engage - that ould indicate worn clutch and or hot spotted flywheel?
One way to check is to accelrate under fairly high load, low speed, in a low gear,

Take the car up to about 45 on a hill, shift into 6th, and apply moderate throttle - your speed and your tach should go up smoothly. If the tach overshoots the speedo, you likely have slippage.

Smelling the clutch is driving style - some people are bad at clutch engagement, ride the clutch - sometimes you will set a nitwit at a stop light with the car in gear, clutch in, on a hill, and you can see him rocking the car forward and back as he slightly engages, then disengages the clutch - this may look cool, but it greatly accelratesd clutch wear.

Smooth but rapid engagement of the clutch on take-off and in power on shifts is the tip for long clutch life. No wear canb occur when the clutch engages or is disengaged - it is everything int he middle that makes the difference.

 

[mike79]

Good tips, but why when im going from second, to third gear, shifting at high RPM's(quick shifts), to fourth, fifth, then sixth, at a smooth level(basically gettin on the highway pretty fast, then calming down) do I smell the clutch?

 

[pgordon]

I have an 03 cobra and under WOT (4-6.5k rpms) I get some clutch slippage I think, do not feel it but there is a burning smell. I took it to the dealer and they said it was ok. I think that ford should replace it if slipping but do not think they will. During the test drive of two cobras, both dealers told me the clutch is not covered under warranty. Many have gone to a centerforce clutch or spec.

 

[mike79]

I hear the spec is a great clutch. Does it make that much of a difference when driving?

 

[stang99]

You have provided your own answer about your clutch. You have stated that you smell burning clutch. Your clutch is either out of adjustment or it is burned out to some extent (or it may be both). Under heavy loads it slips and that's what you are smelling. I am surpirsed that you are not having shifting problems. If you have no mods and low mileage, your dealer might replace your clutch under warranty without much arguing. Other fixes outside of warranty include an adjustable quadrant and/or a new clutch.

Originally posted by mike79
Good tips, but why when im going from second, to third gear, shifting at high RPM's(quick shifts), to fourth, fifth, then sixth, at a smooth level(basically gettin on the highway pretty fast, then calming down) do I smell the clutch?

 

[mike79]

The car only has 1400 miles on it, and is two months old.

 

[flyn high again]

Can you get it to smell when you want it to? If you can, try to get a service tech to smell it when it's happening. With your low mileage they should take care of you.

 

[mike79]

I told them of the problem, that the clutch may be slipping. They said everything is fine, but I think its BS. Actually whenever I get on it, I can smell it. THe smell always comes right into the car. It wouldnt be the cats, would it?

 

[mike79]

So wait, let me get this strait...no one ever smells anything burning when they say really get on it? That scares me.

 

[coleman]

here's when i knew that my clutch was slipping...

 

[coleman]

my torque should have been around 470-480...

 

[mike79]

Tetge, when you say shifting problems, what kind of problems are you talking about?

 

[SStupid]

Ford's test

Ford just finished replacing my pressure plate, clutch plate, TOB, and clutch fork. Apparently, there is a new-style, improved SVT clutch because Ford has seen so many problems with the '03 Cobra clutches. It was replaced under warranty. Ford will replace your clutch if it wears before 36K and there's no sign of abuse. Don't ask me how they know if there's abuse. My car has 16K on it and no mods. Anyway, their test for a bad clutch is to start the car rolling in 1st gear, shift into 3rd while going at a slow roll, and mash on the gas. If the tach starts to peg, your clutch is slipping. If you smell clutch, though, I would take it to another dealer for a second opinion.

 

[mike79]

You know something, im gunna go try that right now... Ok. Went into first, then third at the roll...only thing I heard was the car yellin at me for doin that(low vibe). RPM's were smooth. Now im at a loss as to what it could be. Does anyone else feel the car bog when they start off? From first gear I mean?

 

[mike79]

How did you know you had to have your clutch, TOB, and so on, replaced sstupid?

 

[SStupid]

Dealer

I honestly didn't know that it was slipping. My service manager knows Mustangs really well. I took the car in for a loose shifter knob and loose side-vents. He called me back 2 hours later and said I had the dreaded "tick" and a bad clutch. He asked me if I had a hard time shifting into 1st gear. I was, and he told me that is the first sign of a dying clutch. He did that 3rd-gear test to make sure and told me that it was toast. I told him I don't race it, and they pulled it apart and told me it was a part problem , not a driver-related problem. I don't know why they replaced the TOB, fork, and pressure plate. I guess they just wanted to make it right. They're good guys at my dealership. They're still replacing the head. I can't wait to get it back. It ought to run really good with a new clutch.

 

[stang99]

Difficulty getting the car into reverse. Notchy shifting from gear to gear. Hard time shifting at max rpm, may feel as if it is not releasing. It would be best to compare the way your clutch feels now as compared to the way that it did whan you first got the car. If you throw a powershift from first to second does the clutch bite so hard that it blows the tires away? Your clutch may just be out of adjustment. If so, continued slipping is very bad. But, a clutch that is failing usually also causes shifting problems.

Originally posted by mike79
Tetge, when you say shifting problems, what kind of problems are you talking about?