Anyone Else have clutch problems really soon?

[slythetove]

Approximately 4800 on the odometer.

Mods are only:

Bassani catted X and Catback
Pro 5.0 shifter



Last night on the drive home the clutch pedal starts shucking and jiving at the top.

There is a slight squeal and if you touch the pedal you can hear a clacking sound and feel a pretty strong vibration. Even at idle in nuetral.

It's at the dealer today.


Also, no drag strip runs at all, and no 50 foot burnouts to date. Just the normal stop light runs and regular driving.


Anyone else have problems like that so soon?


P.S. Ford Focus ZX5 is NOT = '03 Cobra.

 

[Elapidae]

Do a search. Sounds familiar.

 

[2k3biz]

Yup!!

sounds familar, I had my clutch replaced at 1400mi. Same squealing sound. I'm chalking this up to the dealer letting everyone and their grandma drive this thing prior to my purchase.

But now i'm starting to get the "squeal" again. I'm currently at 3300mi. I've been babying the shit outta thing after getting her back from the shop, praying nothing else goes wrong, and wham, clutch sounds bad again. We'll see if it gets worse.

 

[matt lankford]

like this?

http://svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24114

hope i can get warranty work, mabey they wont see the flying saucer sized lower pulley

2300 miles

 

[NetworkingGuru]

Originally posted by lotsafastrides

hope i can get warranty work, mabey they wont see the flying saucer sized lower pulley

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :rolling: :rolling: :rolling: :-D

 

[bassin247]

I have roughly 7800 miles on my car and I have been having the pulsating clutch problem off and on over the past 800 or so miles. I am going to bring it to the dealer shortly.

Winter beater comming SOON!

 

[lebda]

I had the pulsating clutch ever since I picked the car up with 4 miles on it. Took the car in at 500 miles and they had to replace the whole clutch assembly. It is tight now! Also if it is a very small problem (not as I did) try adjusting the clutch pedal. Car off, put in 1st gear, depress clutch, release clutch, reach down and pull up firmly with hand, thats it.

 

[2003 Cobra]

Ford uses a BCA brand self-aligning throwout bearing. The self-aligning bearing is loose and shifts around. The front of the bearing is not sealed so some people recommend trying to squirt grease into that area by removing the clutch fork cover to eliminate noise. Timken (available at Autozone) reboxes an NSK bearing which uses a plastic collar (won't wear the front transmission snout) and a fully sealed bearing.

 

[Matt03]

I had the same problem, started squealing around 2500 miles, around 8,000 the clutch was making a lot of noise other than the throwout bearing. I had it replaced around 9,000 miles. My clutch still pulsates and it doesn't grab as hard as I would like it to. I will be putting a stage 4 clutch in sometime this winter.

 

[Bingo13]

I had the same issue after the modding phase started. I installed a Spec2 Clutch and Spec3 PP. I no longer worry about any transmission issues.

 

[ygohome]

Originally posted by 2003 Cobra
Ford uses a BCA brand self-aligning throwout bearing. The self-aligning bearing is loose and shifts around. The front of the bearing is not sealed so some people recommend trying to squirt grease into that area...

The squeel started appearing after about the 3rd week I had the car. After I'd get on it (hard accelerating, redlining, aggressive downshifts, etc...) when I'd come to a stop and lightly push in on the clutch (or even when I'd push it to the floor) it would make a VERY loud squeel.

My dealer 1st replaced the TOB but a week later the same problem would happen. Then I took it to another dealer and they put some metalic grease on the front of the bearing where it rests against that fork thing and ... tuh duh! no more squeel and they did this a couple thousand miles ago now. The service guy said it had a little corrosion on it and that is why it would squeel.

 

[matt lankford]

bingo, any more info on your setup? where did you get it and how much did you spend?

 

[Bingo13]

lotsafastrides,

You have PM.

 

[Fast03Cobra]

I am having a shimmy or shudder in the clutch pedal too. Just started. I'm at 5000 miles. Been doing it since about 4000.

I think it COULD be the excessive heat on the flywheel. Those flywheels on this car are Aluminum and are probably warping??

Also feels like the TOB is crap too...

Not sure what to do. I figure I will let it get worse before I take it in.

Whats up with the "clunk" in the drive train and the slight rear-end whine at higher speeds?

Love the car but god damn these Fords!!!

My 98 Expedition I owned was the joy of my life. Got a new engine from Ford at 50,000 (under warranty). Trans started acting up after 75000 warranty ended.... DAMN FORDS!

What is it that the Japanese are doing so much better than us? I personally think its the LAZY REDNECKS making $50/hr who manufacture these cars.... No attention to detail and DONT CARE about the product...

Just pissed. A $35,000 car should be better than this? A Vette is certainly better, not faster, but better.

:fm: :fm: :fm: :fm:

 

[NetworkingGuru]

Originally posted by Fast03Cobra

Just pissed. A $35,000 car should be better than this? A Vette is certainly better, not faster, but better.

:fm: :fm: :fm: :fm:

Not so sure I agree with that. My vette was reliable, but I had a ton of issues with it (so many, in fact, that I pursued the lemon law). The dealer solved most of them, so I kept the car, and I didn't have very many other issues, but so far, the vette wasn't a lot better mechanically than my Cobra is.