Clutch pedal vibration.... who can help?

[Snakeeyes01]

This is my first "newer" Mustang. Car is a 2001 Cobra, 80k miles. Im the second owner. First owner had the clutch done at 50k. Put in some retarded "Performance" clutch but needless to say it was done wrong. The clutch was slipping and pedal feel was not right when I bought the car so I ordered Exedy stage 2 clutch and new flywheel (exedy also).. The previous throw out bearing came out in multiple pieces which I understand is common for these cars. I installed the new flywheel and clutch, everything torqued to spec. Originally I kept the stock quadrant and adjusted the clutch per the instructions. Broke it in for 800 miles like I was supposed to but the whole time I had a serious "Pulse" vibration in the pedal. It would go away with ever so slight pressure on the pedal. Seemed to get worse with RPM. Lots of advise to replace the stock quadrant so I go the Steeda kit from a local suppler. Quadrant, firewall adjusted and new cable. Got this all in and adjusted to where there is no slack in the cable and the TOB is in constant light contact with the PP fingers. While it is improved, the pulse is still there.

Is this normal? Should the pedal not vibrate at all? What am I missing here?

The release fork did not appear damaged in any way and yes, I am 100% sure the fork is engaged on the pivot ball.

 

[01yellercobra]

The clutch pedal shouldn't vibrate. Did you have the flywheel surfaced when you put in the new clutch?

 

[Snakeeyes01]

The clutch pedal shouldn't vibrate. Did you have the flywheel surfaced when you put in the new clutch?

It's a brand new flywheel... Like I said.

 

[32vApe]

What kind of throwout bearing did you use? The cheap chinese made ones that usually come with the clutch kits or what you get from a parts store will vibrate like that. Get a Ford (not Ford Racing) from the dealer. Or just loosen the cable a little more. You should have a little bit of slack in the clutch cable anyway.

 

[Snakeeyes01]

What kind of throwout bearing did you use? The cheap chinese made ones that usually come with the clutch kits or what you get from a parts store will vibrate like that. Get a Ford (not Ford Racing) from the dealer. Or just loosen the cable a little more. You should have a little bit of slack in the clutch cable anyway.

I used the one that came with the exedy clutch kit. They aren't exactly what I would call cheap.

 

[01yellercobra]

I used the one that came with the exedy clutch kit. They aren't exactly what I would call cheap.

And a few of us have learned the hard way. Something isn't turning straight. Unfortunately you'll probably have to pull tell trans to check it properly.

 

[Snakeeyes01]

And a few of us have learned the hard way. Something isn't turning straight. Unfortunately you'll probably have to pull tell trans to check it properly.

I am in the process of removing the transmission now. I'll put a dial indicated on the flywheel and pressure plate to see what I can find. Maybe the release bearing is the cause as well. Who knows at this point.

 

[NastyNate420]

I have a similar problem with an exedy clutch. The dust cover flew off on the freeway from the fork vibrating. TOB was touching even with the cable off. figured out a couple bolts on the clutch backed out. retorqued them all and it was good for a bit but I think they back out again. Next step is to remove them one by one and re apply loctite. might by new bolt while im at it. as you can tell I really dont want to drop the trans again right now.

 

[Snakeeyes01]

I have a similar problem with an exedy clutch. The dust cover flew off on the freeway from the fork vibrating. TOB was touching even with the cable off. figured out a couple bolts on the clutch backed out. retorqued them all and it was good for a bit but I think they back out again. Next step is to remove them one by one and re apply loctite. might by new bolt while im at it. as you can tell I really dont want to drop the trans again right now.

Just removed the transmission. Found the throw out bearing face had some pretty good runout. Went and got a Timken replacement and was pretty sure I had things under control. Didn't fix it. There were no loose bolts, nothing missing, everything looked good. I used Loctite (blue) on all pressure plate and flywheel bolts. Its been suggested that the release fork could be bent. It sure looked good to me, but maybe its bent ever so slightly and I can't see it. Maybe I can figure out how to change it without removing the transmission for the third time?

 

[BigFatMatt]

Are you re-using the clutch fork? If your TOB was trashed as bad as you're describing, maybe the fork was also damaged along with it. I always replace the fork and pivot stud every time I change a clutch (also cable, quadrant, firewall adjuster, TOB, etc).

It's not a something I want to do twice, so my general philosophy when it comes to big jobs like clutches is to replace everything I have easy access to while the car is apart.

What about this new flywheel you're using? Are you sure it's properly surfaced?

The throwout bearing issues have been beat to death on just about every mustang forum. Use a Ford bearing.

The McLeod clutch I'm currently running had some slight vibration through the pedal while it was breaking in, but it went away after a few hundred miles. The vibration you're describing doesn't sound normal. Good luck dude..

 

[Snakeeyes01]

Are you re-using the clutch fork? If your TOB was trashed as bad as you're describing, maybe the fork was also damaged along with it. I always replace the fork and pivot stud every time I change a clutch (also cable, quadrant, firewall adjuster, TOB, etc).

It's not a something I want to do twice, so my general philosophy when it comes to big jobs like clutches is to replace everything I have easy access to while the car is apart.

What about this new flywheel you're using? Are you sure it's properly surfaced?

The throwout bearing issues have been beat to death on just about every mustang forum. Use a Ford bearing.

The McLeod clutch I'm currently running had some slight vibration through the pedal while it was breaking in, but it went away after a few hundred miles. The vibration you're describing doesn't sound normal. Good luck dude..

The throw out bearing isn't the issue. I've proven this by swapping it. I fail to believe that the ford bearing is the only one that will ever work without issue. Peoples main bitch about "other" brands is durability, not vibration issues. Timken is a well known American brand and I trust that this bearing is not my issue.

At one point in the last someone had a ford throw out bearing completely explode in there. I found pieces of it everywhere in the webbing of the transmission and could clearly make out the ford oem part number. Even the beloved ford bearing appears to have issues as well.

The little metal spring steel was badly damaged when I first took things apart. I attempted to reshape the steel and thought I did a pretty good job. The release fork does not engage the ball very tightly and even the slightest bump will cause it to fall down. Improper fork installation I know can cause the issue I am having as well. I'm going to drop the trans again today and replace fork and ball and I will report back.

 

[BigFatMatt]

Well, no one is going to hold a gun to your head and force you to use the best parts available. We all recommend Ford because we've all had them start squeaking on us when we tried a different brand. You can do the job right the first time, or keep doing it over and over until you figure it out.

Hope the third time is the charm.

 

[Snakeeyes01]

Well, no one is going to hold a gun to your head and force you to use the best parts available. We all recommend Ford because we've all had them start squeaking on us when we tried a different brand. You can do the job right the first time, or keep doing it over and over until you figure it out.

Hope the third time is the charm.

My issue is with a vibration, not a noise. Do you all actually think ford manufacturers the bearings they use? I can assure you they are most likely produced by an outside company as most parts like it are.

The pivot ball is worn and grooved pretty good. It does not sit snug once the release fork is engaged in it. Since the fork and the ball are both showing signs of wear I am going to the ford dealer to get both parts. The timken bearing that I put in seems perfectly fine. There are no other issues that I see with the clutch. The fork does "rattle" however because the pivot is loose on the fork.

 

[P49Y-CY]

when it comes to tob's my experience is that there really is no longevity or performance difference based upon brand or price. the cheapest 614014 bearings (about $15 from the local auto zone) last me just as long, if not longer, than the $50 "ford racing performance parts" bearings i have tried. premature bearing failure is usually related to other issues, such as improper cable adjustment, etc. just my .02.

op - several years ago there was a popular trick that many of us used to use, i can’t remember the name of it now (“freeplay mod” maybe?), but it was basically a spring that would keep a constant rearward pressure on the fork, pushing it towards the rear of the car. i noticed that it did help with pedal vibrations when i used it. best of luck.

 

[BigFatMatt]

So the pivot stud is worn, and the clutch fork was having trouble staying on the ball... but you still decided to re-use these parts and put everything back together? I don't understand why you would go to all the trouble and not change those old parts. Sounds like that could be your issue right there...

I'm not saying the TOB is causing the problems, I'm recommending you switch to a good one if you end up having to drop the transmission for a third time. I've had issues with squeaky TOBs but the Ford ones have never given me any problems. My '98 had a Ford bearing last over 100k miles with no noise.

It's not the brand name, it's more about the design of the bearing itself. Compare them side-by-side and you'll be able to tell the difference. This time I'm actually using a Centerforce TOB. It's a very robust bearing and I think it should last as long, if not longer than the Ford bearings but only time will tell. I'm hesitant to recommend it until I've put thousands more miles on it, but I do like it so far.

 

[Snakeeyes01]

I re-used them the first time mainly because I didn't see how it could cause any issue. That and the local stealership wants a small fortune for the parts. I was lucky enough to get the wholesale pricing today and it still ran me $94 for the release fork and $31. Before that discount the two parts were $180!!

Anyways since I didn't see a real issue with how tight the fork engaged the pivot, I reused them. I do all my own work so the only one I can blame is myself and sometimes I'm ok with a little experimenting. The transmission is currently out, the new pieces are installed. I removed the pressure plate to inspect the flywheel and clutch components this time also. Everything looks excellent. Tomorrow I'll Loctite and retorque the pressure plate and get it all buttoned up. I'm supposed to be at the drag strip around 4 so I hope everything goes smoothly.

 

[Snakeeyes01]

The new fork and pivot have greatly reduced the vibration in the clutch pedal. There is still a very slight vibration that goes away with the slightest pressure. I'm thinking I need to tighten the slack in the cable just a touch.

 

[BigFatMatt]

The slight vibration sounds normal for a brand new clutch. My Mcleod Street Pro vibrated slightly for the first few hundred miles but it went away as it broke in.

 

[Snakeeyes01]

The slight vibration sounds normal for a brand new clutch. My Mcleod Street Pro vibrated slightly for the first few hundred miles but it went away as it broke in.

This clutch currently has approx 800 miles on it.

 

[99Venom]

I am in a similar situation. 1500 miles on a brand new McLeod Street Pro and I've had clutch shudder in 1st and Reverse from a stop. When I tighten the cable to the proper adjustment, the TOB chirps, and when I loosen it the chirping stops but the fork vibrates. The fork seems to be coming off the pivot stud intermittently. I had the same McLeod clutch in my previous installation and never had these issues, but I used the TOB that came with that kit and it failed at 12k miles.

At some point soon I'm taking it back apart and will use a dial indicator on the clutch and flywheel. I'll report back if I discover anything useful that might apply to your situation as well.