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Got a spec stage 1 clutch, any how to's?
- Thread starter davesvt98
- Start date
KyleQ
Hard-core CEG'er
I've done 4 transmission swaps - it can be done without removing the engine and without moving the transmission too far. I'm sure many people will chime in, but you can remove the transmission from the car and slide it far enough away so it will sit on the sub-frame (after you lower it). Otherwise you can go the route of removing the engine and transmission together - obviously you will need a way to lift the engine out to do this -
Here is a link to my thread - happened to me within 3 months of owning the car
http://svtoatc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5742&highlight=transmission
If you go the route of leaving the engine in place - here are some rough steps to get this done. I'd suggest getting either a shop manual, Chilton's, or Haynes before starting.
Park in a flat surface - preferably cement with a roof overhead - loosen lug nuts on both front tires
Jack up car, block rear tires. Place jack stands behind rear sub-frame - jack up and support rear of car (not necessary - unless your a bigger guy like me :laugh: )
Remove both front tires - remove 2 15mm bolts holding the caliper on the drivers side - hang with wire. PB blaster CV nut on both sides of the car - as well as the roll resistors on the bottom of the car, the rubber mounts on the transmission, the sub-frame bolts, and anything that looks like it attaches to the sub-frame or transmission. Also hit your y-pipe -> should come off.
Unplug battery at this point, the battery, tray and intake must be removed.
Tackle all of the roll resistors under the car that attach the transmission to the sub-frame and the sub-frame to the car. Keep the bolts separate and clearly label the zip-lock bags you put them in .
Support the radiator through holes in the PLASTIC pegs that come through the rad core support on the top of the car - I've used welding wire multiple times without any problems. Remove the rubber supports on the sub-frame - I think there should be 4 ~4mm bolts holding them on, spin them 180* out of the way. I think you should have an air damn under there, my car didn't, some did. Remove that before this.
There is some A/C components mounted to the sub-frame - unattach them from the sub-frame.
Remove the drivers side cv nut - discard, 1 time use, although, I've always re-used them.
There are multiple ways of doing this, but I found this to be the easiest. If you don't have a slide hammer and the tool to remove the stub-shaft from the transmission, pop it out of the transmission at this time -> just turn the wheel all the way to one direction and it will have enough play to do so.
Pull the cotter key and spin nut until it is flush with stud - gently hit with hammer until it pops loose - remove steering link.
This is for a 2bolt LCA - never seen a 4 bolt.
Remove both LCA bolts and spin off top retaining strut nut -> pull the entire strut, CV and LCA out of the car at once -> be careful with this stuff.
If you done have a slide hammer - cut the retaining strap off the stub-shaft boot next to the transmission and pop the boot off - gently pull on the CV until it slides out - stuff rag into greased area to keep clean, cover end of CV shaft for the same reason.
For the passenger side CV - I left the brakes on and the LCA attached - remove the CV nut and removed the nut on top of the CV so I could pop it down and removed the 2 ~10mm bolts holding the vibration dampener on the motor so the CV would slide out. The vibration dampener is the thing hanging off the motor that the CV shaft goes through to help with vibration.
If your MTX fluid starts leaking when you remove the CV's - drain the transmission, there is a large HEX plug on the front for that purpose.
Now we address more things under the hood -
Without the intake tube and battery box we can see the whole transmission. Support the motor from the lifting hook on the passenger side so you can remove the motor/transmission mount.
Remove the transmission/motor mount from the car - you can now see the shift tower. Remove that as well, I believe it is 2 bolts and 2 pegs - take a look at the starter - it is hidden a little bit by the intake, that will eventually come off if it needs to.
To remove the shift tower you will have to remove the shifter cables - this can be done from underneath or through the wheel well - take your pick, may have to use both. I used a small crowbar to pry them off - I believe there is also a bracket holding the cables to the side of the transmission, remove that if you need to.
There is a plug that goes into the back of the transmission - that is for your spedo - can be a PITA, it will eventually come out - just be patient. I've gone up the wires until I found a plug and undid that one one of the cars.
Before you drop the sub-frame, go into your car with a ~10mm socket and remove the 1 bolt that hold the steering together on your car, remove it, slide the arm up and yank off the linkage - sames time and a rubber boot!
At this point you can lower the sub-frame - be careful, you don't want to have the internal (half-assedly welded) nuts to spin, thats real fun on top of a fun project.
Drop the front 2 bolts, loosen the rear 2 - check for anything attached or anything that will bind - pay attention to exhaust, remove if needed.
Push down on the sub-frame - it can flex pretty good.
At this point I like to use a cardboard diagram to help where the bolts are supposed to go. There are a few different sizes and it is important to know where they go if you want to have hair by the end of this project. Just stencil out the rough shape of the transmission and where the holes are - when you remove a bolt, poke it through the cardboard where it came from.
Take pictures as you go - there are grounds on the transmission as well as some wires going into it - it is important that you put these back where they came from. -> remove brake line from transmission - a #2 pencil helps to stop the fluid from leaking...
Have a buddy help with the removal of the transmission, it is heavy. Slid if off the motor and rest it on the sub-frame - you can twist it around, you just need enough room to get that the bolts holding on the flywheel -> you can do the TB after the clutch is installed.
Install clutch and flywheel according to directions, make sure they are clean when you install. Putting the transmission back on the car is easier with 2 people - after the transmission is on and has at least a couple of bolts in it, you are home free. Put things back together how they came off, torque to specs found in literature you got BEFORE starting this project.
If you don't want to do all of this, find someone who can - you can get this done with a complete set of metric 1/2" and 1/4" sockets and a few wrenches, a torque wrench, a jack, and a few jack-stands. You should be able to get this done in a weekend.
I may have missed a few things, but the important stuff is there - I' sure you had fun reading this
Here is a link to my thread - happened to me within 3 months of owning the car
http://svtoatc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5742&highlight=transmission
If you go the route of leaving the engine in place - here are some rough steps to get this done. I'd suggest getting either a shop manual, Chilton's, or Haynes before starting.
Park in a flat surface - preferably cement with a roof overhead - loosen lug nuts on both front tires
Jack up car, block rear tires. Place jack stands behind rear sub-frame - jack up and support rear of car (not necessary - unless your a bigger guy like me :laugh: )
Remove both front tires - remove 2 15mm bolts holding the caliper on the drivers side - hang with wire. PB blaster CV nut on both sides of the car - as well as the roll resistors on the bottom of the car, the rubber mounts on the transmission, the sub-frame bolts, and anything that looks like it attaches to the sub-frame or transmission. Also hit your y-pipe -> should come off.
Unplug battery at this point, the battery, tray and intake must be removed.
Tackle all of the roll resistors under the car that attach the transmission to the sub-frame and the sub-frame to the car. Keep the bolts separate and clearly label the zip-lock bags you put them in .
Support the radiator through holes in the PLASTIC pegs that come through the rad core support on the top of the car - I've used welding wire multiple times without any problems. Remove the rubber supports on the sub-frame - I think there should be 4 ~4mm bolts holding them on, spin them 180* out of the way. I think you should have an air damn under there, my car didn't, some did. Remove that before this.
There is some A/C components mounted to the sub-frame - unattach them from the sub-frame.
Remove the drivers side cv nut - discard, 1 time use, although, I've always re-used them.
There are multiple ways of doing this, but I found this to be the easiest. If you don't have a slide hammer and the tool to remove the stub-shaft from the transmission, pop it out of the transmission at this time -> just turn the wheel all the way to one direction and it will have enough play to do so.
Pull the cotter key and spin nut until it is flush with stud - gently hit with hammer until it pops loose - remove steering link.
This is for a 2bolt LCA - never seen a 4 bolt.
Remove both LCA bolts and spin off top retaining strut nut -> pull the entire strut, CV and LCA out of the car at once -> be careful with this stuff.
If you done have a slide hammer - cut the retaining strap off the stub-shaft boot next to the transmission and pop the boot off - gently pull on the CV until it slides out - stuff rag into greased area to keep clean, cover end of CV shaft for the same reason.
For the passenger side CV - I left the brakes on and the LCA attached - remove the CV nut and removed the nut on top of the CV so I could pop it down and removed the 2 ~10mm bolts holding the vibration dampener on the motor so the CV would slide out. The vibration dampener is the thing hanging off the motor that the CV shaft goes through to help with vibration.
If your MTX fluid starts leaking when you remove the CV's - drain the transmission, there is a large HEX plug on the front for that purpose.
Now we address more things under the hood -
Without the intake tube and battery box we can see the whole transmission. Support the motor from the lifting hook on the passenger side so you can remove the motor/transmission mount.
Remove the transmission/motor mount from the car - you can now see the shift tower. Remove that as well, I believe it is 2 bolts and 2 pegs - take a look at the starter - it is hidden a little bit by the intake, that will eventually come off if it needs to.
To remove the shift tower you will have to remove the shifter cables - this can be done from underneath or through the wheel well - take your pick, may have to use both. I used a small crowbar to pry them off - I believe there is also a bracket holding the cables to the side of the transmission, remove that if you need to.
There is a plug that goes into the back of the transmission - that is for your spedo - can be a PITA, it will eventually come out - just be patient. I've gone up the wires until I found a plug and undid that one one of the cars.
Before you drop the sub-frame, go into your car with a ~10mm socket and remove the 1 bolt that hold the steering together on your car, remove it, slide the arm up and yank off the linkage - sames time and a rubber boot!
At this point you can lower the sub-frame - be careful, you don't want to have the internal (half-assedly welded) nuts to spin, thats real fun on top of a fun project.
Drop the front 2 bolts, loosen the rear 2 - check for anything attached or anything that will bind - pay attention to exhaust, remove if needed.
Push down on the sub-frame - it can flex pretty good.
At this point I like to use a cardboard diagram to help where the bolts are supposed to go. There are a few different sizes and it is important to know where they go if you want to have hair by the end of this project. Just stencil out the rough shape of the transmission and where the holes are - when you remove a bolt, poke it through the cardboard where it came from.
Take pictures as you go - there are grounds on the transmission as well as some wires going into it - it is important that you put these back where they came from. -> remove brake line from transmission - a #2 pencil helps to stop the fluid from leaking...
Have a buddy help with the removal of the transmission, it is heavy. Slid if off the motor and rest it on the sub-frame - you can twist it around, you just need enough room to get that the bolts holding on the flywheel -> you can do the TB after the clutch is installed.
Install clutch and flywheel according to directions, make sure they are clean when you install. Putting the transmission back on the car is easier with 2 people - after the transmission is on and has at least a couple of bolts in it, you are home free. Put things back together how they came off, torque to specs found in literature you got BEFORE starting this project.
If you don't want to do all of this, find someone who can - you can get this done with a complete set of metric 1/2" and 1/4" sockets and a few wrenches, a torque wrench, a jack, and a few jack-stands. You should be able to get this done in a weekend.
I may have missed a few things, but the important stuff is there - I' sure you had fun reading this
Last edited:
Reebs
meester super sleuth
Has your car ever been apart before.
That alone can make a huge difference, as you will soon find out! Good luck, and we are here to help you.KyleQ
Hard-core CEG'er
If you have a full shop - it shouldn't be too bad. I did a transmission swap and clutch install with MINIMAL tools - it was crazy, but got it done without a single air tool. I've experienced that some cars come apart very very well (my car) and some just fight you every step of the way... PB blaster is your friend, take lots of pictures of things and SEPARATE bolts per section/part of the car. You will end up with a crap load of nuts and bolts when have the transmission out. This is also a perfect opportunity to do a through inspection of the front end of your car - take a look at your CV boots, your LCA bushings -> your axle shaft seals - if they are leaking, replace them now. The starter will be extremely easy to get at too - so consider that.
If you have questions and don't find answers in your documentation, feel free to post - after all, thats why you are part of the community. I will do my best to keep an eye on this thread and shine light on any things you may run into. Oh - watch out for the bolt on the very front of the transmission (by radiator) it is cammed, has a short head on it and has caused me problems with stripping requiring some cutting...
Good spelling and punctuation FTW!
fred22
CEG'er
very nice description, should probrably make this a sticky for others as very useful information
KyleQ
Hard-core CEG'er
Contact your Ford dealer - Steve @ Tousley Ford should be agle to get what you need - so will Terry H.
svtkev
CEG'er
after my experience with a spec clutch, heres my how-to
step 1: go to nearest trash receptacle
step 2: throw said spec clutch and all related spec parts into receptacle
step 3: grab a clean kleenex and cry over the money you wasted
step 4: get a real clutch
step 5: continue with clutch swap
mods: sticky this how-to if you see fit :laugh:
step 1: go to nearest trash receptacle
step 2: throw said spec clutch and all related spec parts into receptacle
step 3: grab a clean kleenex and cry over the money you wasted
step 4: get a real clutch
step 5: continue with clutch swap
mods: sticky this how-to if you see fit :laugh:
Big Jim
Hard-core CEG'er
There is no pilot bushing or bearing.
svtkev
CEG'er
it seems the spec clutches are hit and miss i only got 3500 miles out of mine , and before anyone goes off about install error, i installed it myself , i am a service tech and ive installed dozens of clutches , it was weird because from day one i had burnt clutch smell , even after steady rpm highway driving with no usage of the clutch i would smell clutch, when i took the disc and pressure plate to a local clutch builder he said the material was softer than a stock svt disc (LUK) , and instead of popping the rivets on the pressure plate spec drilled them and that may be why it was so noisy (the holes for the rivets werent even round they were oblong) they put new materials on the spec disc , and fixed and re-riveted the pressure plate and it grips like a mo-fo with none of the spec noise, just my .02 cents
fred22
CEG'er
are these the spec clutches that are being sold on here ? I wanna get one and from what i read they are really good clutches, but do u think they are not that good then? Any info appreciated thanks buddy
You seem to contradict yourself.
You are an "experienced" tech, yet you smelled burning clutch from day one. As an experienced tech, you didn't pull it that day? While driving down the freeway (no usage) you still smelled it, yet you didn't pull it THAT day, either?
The simple fact is that for every handful of people who have a failed clutch, you can lump about 85-95% of them in to "installer error".. (ahem...)
and the other 10% in to actual failed clutches. (still, either from abuse, or manufacturer's claims. Top that off with the fact that for every failed one you HEAR about, you have dozens upon dozens that are not. People with working clutches simply don't spout off that they are working.
svtkev
CEG'er
well it wasnt from day one, it was after the 500 mile break-in that i started driving the car a little harder, if it was not my car i would have pulled it , but i didnt feel like ripping into it after i just had everything apart for the 3l swap , i figured if it makes me through to the winter ill pull it back down then , then the trans broke and i HAD to rip into it , thats when i found out how bad it really was, i guess i am in the 10% of actual failure because like i said everything was re-used except new material on the disc
Last edited:
98SVTC
Hard-core CEG'er
You've got to ask yourself why you purchased this particular clutch. A stock SVT clutch would have been more than enough. If you just wanted a Spec clutch so you can say you have one, then fine, you've got it and you get to live with it, for better or for worse. You make your choices and you take your chances. That's life.
Karl
KyleQ
Hard-core CEG'er
My SPEC stage 1 isn't holding up too well. The person who installed it didn't re-surface the flywheel because he said it looked fine... It slips when I shift gears when trying to drive "spiritedly" It slips hella bad going up inclines when the clutch is cold - car not up to operating temp. The real kicker is at freeway speeds - if I'm cruising along and want to pass someone and hit near WOT - the car jumps 300-400 RPM's before settling down and actually moving. I've got 15K on it - nursing it along until I purchase a STAGE III
Big Jim
Hard-core CEG'er
Most of the time it is not necessary to surface the flywheel when installing a new clutch. More problems seem to come from resurfacing the clutch improperly rather than from not resurfacing it. As a mechanic, only about 10% of the clutch jobs I did needed to have any special attention paid to the flywheel. As to if you have a bad clutch or not I'm not going to enter into that whizzing contest.