Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Transaxle Life of clutch ??

Hi everyone,

I have a 1998 SVT and am wondering on average, how long a clutch can last. I know it depends on a lot of things but lately I've noticed that going into gear feels a little stiffer at times and when its really cold outside (for the first few mins of driving), I get a little 'nicking' sound going from 1-2 or 2-3 ** sometimes **. After it warms up, it seems fine but still a little tighter than I'm used to.

I've noticed that sometimes if I'm at a light and I want to put it into 1st, it wont really want to go in but if I lift just a little and I'm pushing it into gear, it will slip right in. This happenes only once in a while as well.

Ok now I've got 165,000 KM on the original clutch. I do drive the car hard but make sure to change the tranny fluid every two years (synthetic). I also never power shift the car and almost never do stuff like engine brake - well very rarely anyway. Could I be experiencing some tranny troubles or is it likely that the clutch is wearing thin?

Oh also I dont notice any slipping either. At least none that I've noticed.


Tino

It is probably not a clutch problem. Check out this link.
http://www.contour.org/FAQ/FAQ.php?s=probs&displayid=22
To improve cold shifting you need synthetic trans fluid AND ford friction modifier. Actually just adding 2 oz of friction modifier to your existing trans fluid may make a very noticable difference. By the way I still have the original clutch in my 98 E0 SVT with nearly 160,000 miles. It has no signs of being ready to give up.