Clutch inspection plate.

[Silver 03 Cobra]

I guess most have read my TOB post. I have my car scheduled at another non-SVT dealer tomorrow. I had heard the 03 had an inspection plate on the bell housing. I wanted to look before I took it to the dealer. I got under it and it has a thin sheet metal cover over the opening in the bell housing. Remove one screw and it slides out of small notches on the housing. My yoke moves radially and will strike the bell housing slot on either side. I can see my TOB moving radially over .25 inches. I really do not believe this is normal. It looks like it will not run concentric with the clutch and I think this is the clicking noise in that it gyrates the yoke up and down and it's the yoke I hear hitting the slot in the bell housing. I really believe they've done something wrong.

As you probably read in my other posts the problems I have had with this dealer, what I found this morning really burned me up. I had a bad rattle in my exhaust after I picked the car up after they replaced the TOB. I have JBA headers so I wanted to see if everything was tightened. The driver'side was fine. When I looked at the passenger side I flipped out. JBA does not use studs. I was smart enough to drop the supplied bolts through the flanges. The passenger side is hell to tighten. I took a combination end wrench and bent it 90 degrees so I could hold the head of the bolt. I also had to grind off part of the box because the bolt head is so close to the collector. They had removed one of the bolts and tried to put it in from the bottom. I do not know how they could have gotten a nut on top. I think it would be impossible. The bolt is caught between the x-pipe flange and the header flange. I really believe all they did was screw it in the misaligned plates and could care less how it turned out. I can't believe I don't have a bad exhaust leak. Then I found two large circular dings in my inspection plate that looks like they drove it on the bell housing with a small hammer. Damn, it slides easy as hell.

When i take it to the other dealer I going to have them document everything they find. Then I am going to stick my foot up someone's ass at the other dealer. It pisses me off that they would not even attempt to put a nut on my header bolt. That is the biggest mickey mouse piss poor thing I ever seen. Then I found some film on the rear of my car especially on the window. Since it sat at the dealer for a week, it looks like they cleaned or painted something next to my car. You can actually see where they layed a tarp or cloth over my rear and the border where they didn't cover up the car enough and the crap got on my window. It won't wash out. I hope Bar Keeper will get it off. What the hell is wrong with people today. They don't give a shit about nothing. I really thought about going over to the dealer and confronting the mechanic but I guess it's not worth going top jail over. I'd really like to get the car on a lift and have him look at it just before I inserted my foot in his ass. I'm sure they will say I did all the damage. Ass holes.

 

[f4sfed]

UFB! :cuss:

After the way I myself, was treated at the dealer a couple weeks ago, I have no desire to use my warranty for anything. :gt:

This IS supposed to be one of their flagship vehicles, right? :mj:

 

[i8u]

f4sfed,

You have a PM.:beer:

 

[Silver 03 Cobra]

I took my car to Finish Line Ford in Statesville, NC this morning. The nicest bunch of people I ever dealt with. I told them the problem and asked them to document everything that had been beat on or any loose or missing fasteners. They use Enterprise for their rental and the guy drove up just as I was finishing up at the dealer. They said the yoke should not have any side to side play.

I called my old dealership and spoke with one of the dealers and told him what I found. He said he doubted they beat on anything and then he said the magic three letter word. I guess because I modded my exhaust it is fine to just stick a bolt up in it without a nut. He told me I was free to take it to another dealer. I'll go through the proper channels to tell Ford what they did to my car.

My buddy had his 03 at Finish Line last week to have his chrome wheels put on the car. He bought his 03 in Penn. and he ordered his chromes from them. Finish Line is not an SVT dealer. The dealer in Penn still has his $75 voucher for the labor to change out the wheels. Finish Line did it for free. I said they probably turned it in but he swears they did not. The manager asked him when he took it over about his headlights being fogged up and if he wanted them replaced. My buddy said yes. They said they would order them and tell him they were in for installation. When he went back over that afternoon to get his car after they put on his chrome wheels, they had already changed out the lights because they had two in stock. Now that's service. My dealer rips the rubber strip on my front bumper and here I am 6 months later and still don't have one.

Stay away from Marting Feagin Ford in Morganton, NC. They blow.

 

[Joe Lynch]

I feel your pain. We have a very good non-SVT dealer here, but I only had to use him for the 99 knuckle recall. But it was done right. You guys wouldn't believe the horror stories from the knuckle recall--many dealerships created far more problems than anyone at Ford ever anticipated.
Joe Lynch

 

[Silver 03 Cobra]

Joe, the dealer says the yoke should not move up and down. Is this correct?

I think it is. When you press the clutch in and the yoke moves the TOB forward, it will contact the fingers on the pressure plate, build up friction enough to grab the yoke and swing it till it strikes the opening in the bell housing. I really believe that can't be right. My yoke wobbles all over the place. It looks like the fulcrum/pivot point mechanism is not correct but it's hard to see looking through the slot.