2000 Mustang GT Cable Clutch - binding

Hey guys I haven't posted here in a while but I was hoping the collective knowledge of GRM could be of some assistance. If anyone is in the DFW area with first hand experience I will buy as many beers as you can drink. Here's my post on the mustang forums (I own a Miata so I'm not sure how good their forum is): http://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l-general-discussion/706578-2000-mustang-gt-cable-clutch-binding.html#post8349762

And the text:

I'm posting about a co-workers 2000 Mustang GT that I've been helping him work on. He bought the car about a year ago and the clutch was spent. I helped him replace the clutch ~6 months ago with an autozone replacement. Clutch felt normal after replacement. Within a month or so the TOB started to sing and the clutch became progressively harder to actuate. We replaced the cable and re-adjusted it. Noticed that the quadrant was on its last legs.

He needs the car so he continued to drive it. Clutch became increasingly difficult to actuate. Adjuster quadrant failed. We replaced the quadrant with an aftermarket one that had the adjuster at the firewall. It works 'OK' for a couple days then clutch continued to be difficult (impossible) to use.

He limped the car over to my garage yesterday and we pulled the transmission back out. The TOB was spent and no longer running concentric (probably .030'' out of concentricity). The input shaft was fairly clean with no galling, it had some play, maybe .010'' at the far end (did not seem excessive). The pivot inside the transmission and pivot on the lever arm had some wear, but was fully expected on a car with 150k miles, nothing out of the ordinary.

We went ahead and brought the old clutch kit back to the parts store and they gave us a new one. We installed the replacement clutch and clutch was still stiff but useable and felt like it was binding at release (ie it felt sticky when I let the peddle out). He needed the car so we got it off the stands and he took it home. Today while he was driving the clutch eventually got to the point it bound up and could no longer be used. He limped it home.

At this point I am at a complete loss for why it is binding up. The cable has a gentle U shape down to the transmission, but the entire assembly is extremely stiff. The TOB is oriented with the high spot away from the lever per the instructions. I did not check the shaft for roundness or run-out while we had the transmission out. My co-worker is no stranger to working on cars and I've done about 10 clutches myself. I've never been so cluster****ed with such a simple mechanism. Short of going office space on this car...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsBB93IqJkE...can anyone advise what to look at next?

Thanks in advance for any replies.''

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Adjustable cable? The "locknuts" are loosening which then lose the adjustment. BTDT.

Thanks for the response Ranger.

The adjuster at the firewall does have a habit of working itself out of adjustment. But I think it is more a symptom of the problem than the actual problem. The clutch mechanism is way too stiff which is causing the firewall to flex and the adjuster to work itself out of adjustment. I've driven plenty of heavy clutches but this is excessive (and feels like crap to boot). Anyone else have any suggestions?

When I purchased my '92 notchback, it had an awful adjustable clutch cable, quadrant, and firewall adjuster. Effort was unbelievably high for a stock clutch. I changed it out for a Maximum Motorsports kit, the effort returned to normal, and it worked perfectly. Most of the aftermarket adjustable clutch cable pieces are junk. I'd either go back to stock or go with the MM kit.

http://www.maximummotorsports.com/Clutch-Cable-Quadrant-and-Firewall-Adjuster-Package-P385.aspx

In reply to dj06482:

I guess I don't understand why the aftermarket kit would be causing it to bind. In my mind the adjuster should only affect the engagement point in the pedal.

It also started getting stiff prior to replacing the adjuster. The whole thing has me quite frustrated. I could start looking for some OEM parts to swap in if you think it will resolve it.

Is the throwout bearing retainer (O.E.) aluminum? If so, I would swap it out for a steel one.

In reply to The_Jed:

The TOB retainer is a stamped steel. No aluminum in the assembly. Anyone else??

Also, apparently Mustang forums suck.. 150 views and not a single reply. Maybe I should coax them on and ask if I should instead post the question on the Miata forum where the girls there will have more experience actually working on cars?? :)

Helterskelter wrote: In reply to dj06482: I guess I don't understand why the aftermarket kit would be causing it to bind. In my mind the adjuster should only affect the engagement point in the pedal. It also started getting stiff prior to replacing the adjuster. The whole thing has me quite frustrated. I could start looking for some OEM parts to swap in if you think it will resolve it.

Most of the aftermarket kits come with a junk cable, not an OEM Ford one. Most of the adjusters don't stay in a set position, which only makes the situation worse. Mustangs have a huge aftermarket, but most of the parts out there are junk. MM is one of the good parts manufacturers...

My 2000 3.8 has always been stiff. When the car was down for a few months I couldn't believe how different it was from most cars when I started driving it again. I am going to be changing my clutch cable soon.The setup I got from American Muscle has a locking screw on the firewall adjuster. . It sounds like he has a bad pressure plate. Maybe even the wrong one.The sticky feeling sounds like you forgot to clean the pressure plate before installing. My apologies if that isn't the case.

In reply to pjbgravely:

No kidding about these clutches feeling very different from a "modern" car. After driving my SX4 for a month, getting back in my '95 felt like the clutch was going to send me through the back window. Stiff, really strong spring action, etc. I'm starting to wonder if my aftermarket adjustable cable is out of adjustment based on this thread.

I forgot something. The SN-95 clutch cable has a defect that can cause the TOB to ride on the pressure plate fingers all the time. I installed a light spring to pull the arm back at the transmission. This can mess up a stock quadrant but it fixed my clutch for many years.

Did his cable come with a bracket? Position is probably important, I have to remember to take a photo of mine before I changed it.

I recently changed my E brake cables and one is binding. I have to find a sweet spot so it moves smoothly. The same might be for the clutch cable.

So what did you find? or did you give up?

I just changed my clutch cable, quadrant and added an firewall adjuster. The new cable was a little longer, the bracket was different but made up for the added length.

When I got done, I took a test drive. The clutch was so hard that my foot hurt when I got home. If I released then reengaged quickly it was unbelievable hard.

I checked online and I found a $100 cable that claimed to have lubricant inside. I realized the one I had didn't have any grease on it. I removed the top of the cable from the quadrant pointed it straight up and started working marvel mystery oil into it. I put as much as I thought I could into without if coming out the other end.

The I went on another test drive. The clutch was the same as before I changed everything, except the feel was much better, and I didn't fell any shuddering like I had before. The transmission also shifts a lot better now.