The Clutch Job

Ah, yes. Finally, after a few months, I can record that hysteric occasion. I would have written about it sooner, but every time I think about it, I break out in a cold sweat, and I didn't want to drip on the keyboard.

As I say, I've owned an 84 SVO, and I did a clutch job on it, so I figured "no sweat". Figure a weekend to pull the stuff, that week to get any of the inevitable missing/incorrect parts, then the following weekend to put it all back together. In this case I was dead wrong! During the time the car was down (about equal to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire), I was also doing a turbo swap out (putting in an 84 turbo), cleaning the intercooler lines (it's the front mount Spearco), and an oil change. Trivial... I only mention the other stuff, because I've got a couple of pictures in here from the turbo change.

Warning - What follows here is my version of the clutch change. While there is useful information here, I do not present the following as a tutorial, and will not accept any responsibility for anything that might happen to you, your car, your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse/SO, the planet, or anything else, by practicing the following:

First: Recruit a friend or co-worker to help you. If you're slight of build like me, pick a stout person. Someone who can lift a 90 pound transmission off their chest, and hold it 8 or so inches above their chest for several minutes. You can try to use a floor jack, but it won't work.....

Make sure you have about 24" of 1/2 extension(s) around. This will help removing the catalytic pipe from the exhaust. Also make sure you have a box end wrench for the u-joint nuts, I believe it's a 14mm.

Then:

Friday, about 6 PM

Attack the car. You will need to remove the starter, catalytic converter, drive-shaft, center console, shifter, and other things. Use the 1/2" extension to remove the two nuts from the studs that hold the "down pipe" (or inlet tube of the cat) flange to the exhaust. If you're like me, you'll break one of the studs, then discover your Ford dealer tells you they're "obsolete" - a term you're no doubt familiar with if you own an SVO. (Com'on, a stud? obsolete?) - That's what he told me - "Can't get it". Oh well, there are ways around Ford Dealers. Anyway, continue removing stuff, using the box end wrench on the nuts that hold the u-joints, and use chalk to mark the relationship of the drive-shaft to the input shaft of the read-end. A few hours later you should have everything but the transmission out of the way. Quit for the night, tomorrow will be a short day. (My car had an aftermarket exhaust system installed somewhere along the line before I got it. Typical of these (cheaper) installations, my cat was welded in, normally there is a flange on the exhaust system that allows you to unbolt the section of exhaust that contains the cat. This portion of the exhaust crosses diagonally under the transmission, and while you can remove the transmission without removing it, it's difficult, and nearly impossible to put the transmission back. I know, we tried it, and wasted hours before we finally cut it away (during the reinstall). If you do cut it, figure about $75 to $100 to have it welded back up, and please, put flanges back on.

Saturday about noon

Piece o'cake. Time to pull the transmission (you did remove the shifter, didn't you?). Make sure you have all the bolts out that hold the transmission to the bell housing. Get your friend to lie on his back, under the car, and slowly jiggle the transmission, while pulling it to the back of the car. You pry the transmission from the bellhousing with a large screwdriver. Shortly, your friend should let out a gasp (or maybe a high pitched screech), indicating the transmission is out. Carefully roll the transmission off your friend, being extra careful not to bang it on the concrete floor. Remove the bellhousing, pressure plate, throw-out bearing, and clutch. Pay attention to the direction the clutch & t/o bearing are facing. Look again, just to make sure. Wedge the motor at the flywheel (or the pulley on the crank) with a large screwdriver to keep the motor from turning while you're loosening the bolts. Since you're gonna replace the pilot bearing, rent a bearing puller for a few dollars, you can't pound these out with grease and a wooden dowel. Clean up, take the flywheel down to be resurfaced, and drop off for a couple o'nips at the corner dive.

The "Clutch" This was a Ford Motor Sport (FMS) clutch. Note two of the pads are gone (bottom of disc), the other pads are pretty badly worn. This clutch, used in conjunction with the Center Force II "Red" Pressure Plate is considered by some a good compromise because the Centerforce Clutch has to much bite to launch turbo cars.
The Center Force II "Red" Pressure Plate. Notice the little weights around the springs? These apply more clamping power at higher RPM's. Note how one of the weights is missing?

While we had everything pulled apart, I ordered missing parts. The linkage had been "modified" (premonitions of things to come?), and I wanted to put it back to stock. A diagram of the linkage system, along with part numbers, are here. I also had to order quantities of more than 20 to buy some of these parts, I have some of those packaged up and for sell there too.

Well, putting things back together is easy, just install them in the reverse order of removal. Pay attention to the way the clutch goes in the car, also the throw-out bearing. Make sure you put a little grease around the throw-out bearing. Use a pilot shaft to line up the clutch, flywheel, and pilot bearing. Get those lined up exactly, then tighten the flywheel, which should hold the clutch in place. Get you friend to climb back under the car, and lay on his back. Hoist the transmission up on his chest, and let him lift it in place, while you guide the input shaft. If you lined up everything correctly, the transmission should go in with a minimum of hassle, and set flush against the bell housing. Resist the temptation to get it "close enough", and use the bolts to "pull it all together" - if it doesn't slide together, you probably don't have the clutch/flywheel/pilotbearing all lined up together. When you install the drive-shaft, make sure you line up the chalk marks - you did mark the drive-shaft, didn't you? My assembly went average, we didn't get everything lined up the first time, so after an hour or so of "trying to make it fit", we re-aligned everything, and "whoosh", it all slid together.

We spent the next hour or so buttoning everything up, then tried the clutch. It still felt "funny", and when we tried to start the car, it wanted to move - a sure sign the clutch was not disengaging fully. Panic began to set in - did we put the clutch & throw-out bearing in correctly? maybe the problem wasn't the clutch after all, maybe I just spent $500 and two weeks for nothing, why did I buy another SVO? We spent the next hour attempting to adjust the clutch linkage - you know, pull UP on the clutch pedal, then depress it slowly, so the slack can be taken up. Nothing seemed to work. We decided to check the "clutch adjuster", and climbed down under the dash. Hmm, can't see too good upside down, under the dark dash, but it looks like the little "tooth thingey" on the adjuster is missing. A closer inspection revealed that the adjusting mechanism had been replace with a "home brewed assembly" that had no provisions for adjustment. (kinda begins to explain the "modified linkage" on the clutch, eh?), so off to the friendly ford house for the adjusting assembly - maybe I can get the part in by next Friday, and install it that weekend.

This is the piece that replaced part of the adjusting mechanism. Note there are no teeth on it, so it can't adjust. The fabrication is decent, it seems to be cut out of a single piece of 5/8 inch aluminum. It's got the grove cut into it to hold the cable.
A "close up" of one end. This shows the grove better. This part works, if you don't mind loosing the automatic adjustment of the clutch. If somebody is doing a "strong" clutch replacement, and wants something like this, let me know, I'll sell it. You'd also have to fix something on the other end of the cable so you can adjust it.

Sure enough, next Friday, and I had the part. I just can't figure out how to fit the "rod" into the tube, there's not enough clearance. Maybe if we remove the steering column... After a couple of hours of fooling around like that, we decided to disassemble both assemblies, leaving the rod in side the tube, and transfer all the plastic pieces from the new assembly to the old rod. This actually worked! If you try this, I would recommend taking apart the assembly and reassembling it on your workbench a couple of times, before you tackle it upside down, and in a dark, cramped area. We got this all done, and hooked up the linkage to the clutch. It was a bit tighter now, but still had the same problem - the clutch would not
disengage. And my hands were bloody, from being cut by some strands of wire on the clutch linkage. (I'm beginning to question my sanity, life, and doing my own wrenching) What?, why are there little strands of wire sticking off the cable? Sure enough, if you stick your hand up near the end of the cable, there are lots of little wires sticking out. "Could the cable have stretched so much that it won't disengage?" - So off to the Ford house again to order a cable (and the grommet that goes through the firewall - "just in case")

Next weekend (and I'm getting REAL tired of this), we pull the old cable. It's pretty much hosed near the top, and about 2 inches longer than the new cable. But the new cable goes in with no trouble (uh, oh, what's gonna be wrong, now?), and it came with the firewall grommet, so I didn't need the new one. Fire the car up, and it stays in place!!! Clutch feels fine. A quick run through the gears (while idling), then out for a spin. Oh, what joy! It soars, it flies, it transcends mere mortality....that's why I bought this car - all is forgiven.

The following are pictures & warnings about my turbo exchange. I put an 84 (with the "recalled" center) in place of an 86 turbo, assuming the extra boost, in conjunction with the Spearco Intercooler, would offset the about of "lag time".

Special thanks to:

• Mike Fleming - for his invaluable assistance & reassurance.
• Mark at Wilson Motors (Ford). He spent many hours helping my find "the right piece" on numerous occasions.
• Joan Baez, for her song "The Last Lonely and Wretched" - which I played over & over for the month the car was down.

And a raspberry to:

• Jerry's Precession Muffler & Brake, who welded up my exhaust system WITHOUT FLANGES, even though I told them to use flanges - and didn't even tell me until I looked, and brought it back. Shame on them !!!