Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting another clutch problem or is it tranny???

Alright, some of you may remember me I've been having major problems with my Grizzly clutch that I bought a little over 3 months ago. I won't go into the problems I had before with it...now I have a new one.

Scenario: Last night I had taken my SVT out of town...about an hour drive up the interstate. No hard driving my any means just cruise set at 80. Everything goes fine and as we're leaving to head back to our town I had the car in 5th and needed to downshift to fourth and it wouldn't go. Finally I just put into third and it did fine. 1 hour later when we get to our exit I go to downshift and couldn't get it in ANY gear

I finally did get it to engage in second after 3-4 min. sitting at a stop sign. I just rode it in 2nd all the way to my house b/c I was scared if I took it out of 2nd I wouldn't be able to get it in any other gear and I'd be screwed.

Woke up this morning and it was still the same. I couldn't get it in any gear except reverse once. With the car in neutral and e-brake pulled it makes the most disgusting noise at idle. When I press in the clutch it sounds a little better.

When I got it in reverse I though I'd try to back it out I let off the clutch slowly and it almost fell like the trans was gonna fall out of something. I dont know, the car just bucked really bad and there was a really bad noise from under the car.

Any help would be appreciated guys. If it is the clutch and it has to be pulled it will be the 4th time I've had to have the trans pulled b/c of this clutch. If it's clutch I'll probably just get the tech to put in a OEM one. Can't deal with these headaches.

Is it possible it might be the differential? What are signs of a bad differential? If it is I'll probably get a quaife I guess.

I forgot to mention, the clutch pedal feels fine. Doesn't feel soft and hasn't sunk to the floor on me like it did last time.

Please help me guys, car doesn't go in shop until Monday and I cant stand not knowing whats wrong with my baby. Thanks.

-neal

Don't know if this will help or not, but the same thing happened to me a couple of years ago. I traded in an old Geo Storm for a Geo Storm GSI a little used with about 30K on odo. On the test drive car drove fine. when I drove the car off the lot and up a hill and I had to downshift, the car wouldnt go into gear in any of the gears until I came to a complete stop, and I finally got the car into gear and took it back to the dealer, the dealer checked the car out and a nut had come loose and bounced around in the tranny and screwed up the syncros, at a dealer cost of about $1800.

could be possible I guess. The thing is my SVT won't go into gear when the car is stopped either. Well, without being a major pain in the ass. Dont know if this means anything but the only gears I have been able to force it to go into are second and reverse. There is no way, at least that I've tried that will make the car go into any other gear. Second and reverse aren't exactly easy...takes about a minute to get it to engage.

-neal

Sounds like a shifter linkage problem. Did it pop off partway from the top of the tranny?

-Lance

Thats a good possibility Lance. I've just about ruled out the problem being the clutch. Before, when my clutch has gone out (happened 3 times) I was still able to drive the car home fairly easily b/c if you match the revs right to can change gears...as most of you I'm sure know. When I tried doing that when this started, nada, nothing. Just doesn't work. That and the clutch pedal feels 'normal' as far as I can tell. No softer or stiffer when depressing the clutch.

-neal

With the noises you discribe and the fact it stops with the clutch depressed it sounds like a major trans problem.Maybe the selector bolt has sheared off which you discribe with not being able to engage gears.Biggest problem with this is that the bolt head,when it breaks, has a havit of falling into the trans and jamming between gears and the case,nasty noises ,sometimes is punched out of the case...cracked gear cases..check for any leakes etc...The BEST fix is to fit the 2002 Focus MTX75 shifter tower assy along with the larger uprated ball ends on the shifter cables Vs the 'pin' type...we do this as part of upgradeds to boxes built at HMS Inc..

Oh man, I though I might get out of this fairly cheap and then Terry tells me this.

Terry, if that is the problem, would you be able to send me just a 02 Focus shifter tower assy? If the bolt did fall down in the trans I assume thats a pretty big job to get it out right? One of those 'trans out' as you call them. Oh yeh, I checked for leaks and there's a nice little puddle of what looks like trans fluid. Only red fluid in the car that I know of. This just keeps getting worse.

-neal

If the case is cracked its a trans out job,you may get the Focus MTX75 shifter tower cheaper from Bill Jenkins,you also so need the Focus cable ends,the revised reverse light swith,rev light swich 'jumpe' cable,plastic shifter cover & breather tube,shorter bolts to attach to main trans case.If you do have a hole in the case you may want to consider shipping the trans to us,we repair 'air-conditioned' trans cases on a regular basis...not much more I can add...sorry for your plight..TH

on my last car a 92 tempo i had simialr problems. Made a bad sound when in nutreal. If I hit the clutch it would calm down.... and i couldnt get teh car in a gear ended up. My clutch was fried and my flywheel needed resurfcing...

Terry, I sent you a PM.

Ron, that why I'll be extremely upset if it does end up being the clutch. I've spent over $4,000 in transmission pulls b/c of problems with my Grizzly clutch. I've only had it 3 months. Grizzly has been no help and refuse to reimburse me for repair costs.

I've almost ruled out the clutch being the problem, based on others opinions and my own. I just want my car back to normal.

-neal