cluch problem I think plz help.

[Telicus]

Hi this problem has been going on for about 2 weeks. I first thought I had bad plugs because I felt a lot of lost power in my car. It just didnt feel like it was starting out like it used to. well yesterday it just went out it goes about 20mph now with my foot down and in all gears. Not knowing much about my car I asked some ppl and they told me that it sounds like a cluch problem. So I called a cluch place. He told me that I would need a 1991 sho cluch because the there is too much power in that car to use the stock cluch and that he used to work for ford and he knows this for a ****. He wants $800 to put in a cluch I wasnt expecting that much. Can anyone tell me if this is normal and what I should do. Keep in mind I dont know much aobut cars.

 

[revhardSHO]

just went out it goes about 20mph now with my foot down and in all gears.

does feel like the clutch is slipping? When you hit the gas pedel does the motor rev up like it should when in gear? Or does it rev up and you dont go anywhere.
If your motor doesnt rev up even when your floored i dont think its the clutch...
How many miles on the car?

silas

 

[Telicus]

well my foot is on the floor an I go about 20 and a wierd smeell also. the car I guess had a new cluch put in about a year ago but im told i need a 91 flywheel.

 

[Bizzy]

Ok...do this. Go out to your car and take her around the block. Floor it and watch the tach. If the tach goes up but your speed does not then more than likely your clutch is slipping. The smell is probably the clutch spinning so chances are it is your clutch, but smells can also come from spinning belts. Do you get any squeeling at all?

Now, the guy you're talking to is full of poo-poo. My advice is get a second opinion first of all if you're not sure. Then, if it is indeed your clutch I would get a clutch kit with all wear items, new TOB and sleeve from Josh at SHO Nut . That kit is a stock clutch and is all your car will ever need if you use it as a daily driver, yadda yadda. If you intend on being more aggressive, then I'd go with a more aggressive clutch. You will need to either get your current flywheel resurfaced which is standard with all clutch replacements. If they don't do it then they aren't much of a clutch shop. Do not have a new clutch installed without a resurfaced flywheel or all is for naught. It's like using ground up rotors and just replacing the brake pads...doesn't make sense and you get half the life out of the pads. If they don't do it, there are many places that will for a nominal charge. Or...you can buy a new one. I personally got a resurfaced one. Installation charges vary. Some folks charge 200.00 with customer supplied parts some charge upwards of 300.00. I personally wouldn't pay for than 300.00 for an install if you supply all the parts. Check around on your prices for parts...half the battle is being informed and knowing a rip off when you see the price.

Next...find a tranny shop or an SHO friendly person to do the work for you. If you even get the feeling that the person you are talking to isn't qualified or they say something that you don't believe, post it here before you say the big OK. Could cost you in the long run.

Lastly, there are NO stupid questions when you don't know much about your car. Try the search function to see if you can locate the answers to your questions first, but if you can't find it (the index is a bit off these days in the search function) ASK. We are here to help you if at all possible.

Welcome to the forum. You're in the right place for knowledge. thumbs_u

<small>[ January 06, 2003, 06:56 PM: Message edited by: Bizzy ]</small>

 

[Huntervf]

Beth pretty much summed it up. In fairness to the mechanic you talked to, he may have been thinking about the original 1989 Taurus SHO clutch, which was in fact far too weak for the car and was revamped for the 1990 model year. A stock clutch will serve your purposes just fine unless you're looking to do some weekend racing.

$800.00 is a bit steep for a SHO clutch job, but then again the average transmission shop doesn't have the same "connections" we have here on SHOforum, many mechanics/shops I know of around me simply can't get a SHO clutch for under $300, and that's their cost. A good shop should charge around $300 labor (or less), I certainly wouldn't pay more than that though.
http://www.shonutperformance.com has the best price around for a stock clutch, $219.00 DELIVERED to your door, and that's a brand new clutch, not a reman. Included is a new clutch disc, pressure plate and throw out bearing, everything you need for a basic clutch job. My 89 has a SHO NUT clutch, and several of my friends also have the SHO NUT clutch, I highly recommend it thumbs_u

Lastly, when you have your new clutch installed, make CERTAIN to tell the shop that the pressure plate bolts must be torqued down in two stages and LOCTITED in place. There is a Ford TSB on this but many shops just zip the bolts down with an impact wrench and be done with it. That's not good enough, and those bolts can work themselves loose. I went through this very problem with a local shop, it all worked out for me in the end but you'd obviously be better to avoid the problem in the first place.

Good luck!

 

[Telicus]

Thanks guys. I decided to just buy a cluch off the sho nut page but I dont know what one to get can anyone help me out with that. What one will last longer I do have an oil leak an there is one that says it will fix that I think anyway any sugestions. oh and one more think dose the flywheel come with that or do I need to buy that as well if so what one do I buy?

<small>[ January 07, 2003, 03:59 PM: Message edited by: Telicus ]</small>