[FourDiceS]

I have a little question about my clutch. My car has 156 000 km on it and it´s a 1991 gt and I was wondering how long do clutches last? Because my clutch works fine but I have to release the pedal all the way to release the clutch. Is their a adjustment i can do or does this mean it´s going...

Someone told me to test it you can put yourself in 1st gear and release the clutch all the way and you shoul be able to drive without having to press on the gas. And it did.

Anyway i hope you understand my bad english, thank you very much.

 

[James92Scort]

I drive my car hard as hell and my clutch has lasted since November of 2001. so it´s been a year and 4 months so far. and it still feels strong to me.

 

[FourDiceS]

but is their a agustement i can do??

 

[James92Scort]

I know there is an adjustment... But I´m not the one to be trying to help you with that. Someone else wanna jump in and help a brother out? ;-)

 

[93EGTinLR]

in the manual there is an adjustment that can be made on the clutch pedal rod that goes into the cylinder, but it would be best to invest in the Haynes manual to see the actual workings of the adjustment...btw...mine lasted till 113,000 but I had a rear main go out and that´s why I put a new one in

 

[92gt5spd]

here´s an easy way to tell if ur clutch is good...rev to about 4 grand... then dump it...if it spins tires and grabs right away, then ur clutch is fine...but....if it doesnt and it sounds like u just pulled ur foot off the pedal, then ur clutch is slipping and its bare. Thats the easiest way and the funnest way to check ur clutch

 

[James92Scort]

That´s also the easiest way to destroy your potentially good clutch.

 

[92gt5spd]

eh....chances of it destroying it from just doing it once are very slim...but true..it is..

 

[92gt5spd]

technically, the only time that 1st gear test is gonna work is if ur clutch is soo far gone that it wont grab....the only time i´ve had that happen was i took a 2 hour drive on an already fading clutch and by the time i was about an hour away from my house, i had to stop because my car wouldnt accelerate and i was over heating...i blew a radiator hose that night and my clutch was completely gone... the best indication is if when u shift and u dont feel it surge forward or if it sounds like the engine gradually deaccelerates rather than the rpms just dropping instantly, then ur clutch is goin bad.

 

[James92Scort]

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24-03-2003 at 19:34, 92gt5spd wrote:
eh....chances of it destroying it from just doing it once are very slim...but true..it is..

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Well, at 82,500 miles I was driving my newly acquired EGT home and I started out in 1st, revved it to 2000 rpm and let the clutch out. to my surprise I heard this sort of "boom, clunk clunk clunk" then i heard the engine sputter and sputter. So i shifted into second. "clunk clunk clunk" Thats right, my clutch exploded after I had it for 2 weeks at 82.5k miles. So if he thinks it´s slipping already, clutch dumping at 4k rpm is a good way to destroy it right there or weaken it even more.

 

[92gt5spd]

ok....if i could count the times i´ve clutch dumped i think that i´d remember how many days in a year are....only thing i could possibly see happening in a stereotypic situation is his planetary gears in his transaxle stripping and fuckin up the tranny... clutch dumping does that to transaxles, thats why i blew my last transmission....but a broke clutch plate, chances are they misaligned it... those things have to be precise when its installed...a fraction off and u will not be happy...

 

[James92Scort]

Maybe. but that´s what happened. Clutch dumping isn´t good no matter how you look at it. I´m surprised my neighbors Taurus isn´t in the junkyard. as many times as their kids revved it and shoved it into Drive.

The transmission is one of the most abused and most fragile pieces of equipment on a car...not to mention one of the most expensive things to replace. :-o

 

[Beaverboy]

The EGTs have hydraulic clutch actuation, correct? If so, the only adjustment is to replace the clutch. Hydraulic clutches are made to self adjust. If there were any problems with the hydralic system then you wouldn´t be able to release the clutch until it was pressed in closer to the floor (or you´d have leaking brake fluid).

To test the clutch you need to be in a gear where the engine will meet the most resistance.

DO NOT DUMP THE CLUTCH. If it is worn badly and has warped the flywheel, you could do some serious damage to your car.. like blowing your flywheel up like a bomb.

1st gear testing of the clutch is pointless.. the engine meets the least resistance in 1st gear. Drive down the road at moderate speed so that the car is reving midrange in 5th gear.. cruise for just a bit and then just floor it. If it slips (revs up but doesn´t go any faster) then you need a new clutch.

If it´s becoming increasingly hard to start smoothly from a stop because it´s chattering, then you need a new clutch, or to have your flywheel resurfaced.

 

[92gt5spd]

well i agree w/ u beaver...but theres a better way to know if the hydralic system on the clutch is bad.

The hydrolic clutch(which i just found out it was) is masked. Trace the lines from the fork and it runs straight into the master cylinder. So if u guys are losing brake power and not fillin ur fluid, u might be doin damage to ur clutch. Ur right, they dont get adjusted either. If ur clutch feels like its goin out... check the fork piston. see if its bad and if it is, it just might be ur fork not pushing the throw out bearing or retracting it.

As with the dumping...yeh its not real good for the car, but i wouldnt be too worried about it if its only been done once or twice. If there are heat spots on the flywheel, then thats a worn clutch. If the flywheel is warped, thats cuz someone rode the clutch(hence the clutch would be bad) If u´ve had the car for a while and nothin is chattering and u feel like u´ve got a firm grab, then ur clutch is prollly fine. They are meant to last a good 40,000 with rough driving.(maybe longer, i dunno, this is waht i change mine at)

 

[Foxy]

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24-03-2003 at 18:00, FourDiceS04 wrote:
but is their a agustement i can do??

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My (UK) ´scort has a self-adjusting clutch and recently I had a new clutch cable put in (just as a precaution) and until it had stretched a bit, I had some loss of tension. As I understand it, the cable is controlled by a kind of rachet thingummyjig - get someone with a couple more brain cells than me to have a look for you - Haynes manual has all the info you need. :-?

 

[FourDiceS]

thank you all for the reply this is way more than i needed to know.

You guys are the best :-]