slbgtsc Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 One word... SWEEEEEET! I just picked up the car after having the dealer install a McLeod RST twin disc with an Exedy 16lb steel flywheel and new slave cylinder. The clutch is like butter, lighter than stock pedal feel. The Ford tech and I both thought I might have an issue with syncros in the tranny as it felt rough. No it was just a really bad spec 2+ clutch. After checking out the spec2+ it appears that the pucks weren't evenly touching the flywheel. It is all going back to Spec for evaluation. Now it is just a waiting game for the break in period of 500 miles. I had ordered an Exedy Mach 600 but I sold it and ordered the RST and man am I glad I did. I'll keep you updated on how it is after it is broken in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmn444 Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 Cool man! Glad you are happy with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT/SC#0471 Posted May 14, 2011 Report Share Posted May 14, 2011 Thanks for your post and for leading the way...I know how I'm going now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springer Posted May 15, 2011 Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 Another satisfied twin disc install! Congrats! The SPEC clutch is definitely problematic. My 3+ lasted about 1000 miles, but never felt right from the install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 It is kind of funny we had the clutch out about 3 months ago trying to diagnose the noise I was experiencing. We replaced the slave unit, pilot bearing and cleaned up the fly wheel. The Ford tech did not note any hot spots etc. and thought it all looked good. The noise went away for about a day. So Thursday when he pulled the tranny the clutch and pressure plate looked really bad. Grooves in the Pressure plate, looked as if the pucks were not touching the pressure plate correctly. It appears they are warped. We'll see what Spec does, in the past they were very good about standing behind their product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lgs ShelbyGT Posted May 15, 2011 Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 A friend & I installed the RST earlier this year in my SGT + new CSC & a SS hydraulic line Seems to be just fine Pedal is similar to stock and the release point is slightly higher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT/SC#0471 Posted May 15, 2011 Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 Whats a CSC? Clutch slave cylonder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmn444 Posted May 15, 2011 Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 Concentric Slave Cylinder.... I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lgs ShelbyGT Posted May 15, 2011 Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 Whats a CSC? Clutch slave cylonder? Randy, You win! yes it is the Clutch Slave Cylinder I tried to go cheap and planned not replace it, but when we pulled the transmission the CSC came apart. Here's a pic My link So, it delayed the project a tad The SS line is from JPC. At purchase it was included as a special with the RST clutch kit Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT/SC#0471 Posted May 15, 2011 Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 Thanks Larry! See ya at Grabbers... I appreciate you posting your experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lgs ShelbyGT Posted May 15, 2011 Report Share Posted May 15, 2011 Thanks Larry! See ya at Grabbers... I appreciate you posting your experience! Hey Randy If you create some space in your PM in box, I'll send you details on the RST install etc Just created my short novel to you on the RST but you can't accept any PM lg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT/SC#0471 Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Sorry Larry! Should work now and thanks again...I think my clutch is nering the wear limits...I could smell it at the Bash and the shifting is getting notchy when attempting fast shifts....wht do you think? Clutch time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Sorry Larry! Should work now and thanks again...I think my clutch is nering the wear limits...I could smell it at the Bash and the shifting is getting notchy when attempting fast shifts....wht do you think? Clutch time? A good test is to start out in 1st and then immediatley go to 4th and floor it. If the rpms jump quickly then you know it is slipping. If it takes a while to build rpm then the clutch is till grabbing sufficiently. Notchy shifting is also a a very good sign. My clutch was holding well with the above test but the shifting had gotten really rough. Good luck, Whatever you do if you replace the clutch get the braided line and a new slave unit. I've read posts on other forums where guys try to use the existing slave and end up regrettting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT/SC#0471 Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Will do and thanks for the great PM! Will try tge 1st-4th trick tonight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Will do and thanks for the great PM! Will try tge 1st-4th trick tonight... We're all family in a sense and I would much rather others not have to spend the kind of money I've spent trying to sort the clutch issue out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordicShelby Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 Do you track the car on the road course? I am leaning towards the McLeod RXT. Just curious to why you had choosen the RST? I would love detailed photos and instructions for the install. I have to do this in the next 3 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Do you track the car on the road course? I am leaning towards the McLeod RXT. Just curious to why you had choosen the RST? I would love detailed photos and instructions for the install. I have to do this in the next 3 weeks. Yes, I hit the friday night street legal 2-3 times a year and about the same with a local road club. Chose the RST based on cost and I'm getting 470ish to the tire. The RST is rated for 800 so that IMO was enough cushion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahmann Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 RST is plenty enough for 95% of modified Mustangs. The RXT is an insanely killer clutch too, just a little more than most setups need. So far I've been damn lucky with my Spec Stage 3+ clutch and OEM slave. Once I fry this guy though, I'm definitely calling McLeod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Well after 800+ miles here is my follow up. 1st about 500 of those miles are highway as I had to go to Denver the other day so the break in isn't complete. 2nd a problem has reared it's ugly head. When I arrived in Denver I was going through a parking lot slowly in 2nd gear 5mph or so. When I stopped I couldn't easily get the car out of gear? I tried to do it again but it wasn't readily repeatable. When I arrived home I went straight to the dealer to have them look at it. Of course as is normally the case we couldn't repeat the problem with the tech in the car. As I was leaving it did it again. Since then it has happened 4-5 more times. We re-bled the system with zero effect. The car shifts great at speed it only does it at super slow speeds. Occassionally 3rd gear is stiff. I know their is a TSB for bad or rough syncros and block rings. Could this be the culprit? 3rd and most interesting is today as I was pulling in the drive I reached the curb in 2nd gear stopped and tried to click it to 1st. No go again locked in 2nd, clutch to the floor and the car starts moving forward! No gas and clutch to the floor and the car drove right up the drive. Now I'm thinking that I have a bad slave unit? I spent the next five minutes trying to get the car to drive again like this to no avail. Any transmission experts out their? I've contacted Liberty Gears and off the cuff they think it is a syncro/block ring not letting the gear release. That was prior to todays self drive mode. Crazy thing is at normal speed the car shifts great but I am afraid that the slave isn't releasing properly and could cause damage to the clutch disc. So I will continue to nurse the car until I get it back on the rack and get the problem resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arants Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Well after 800+ miles here is my follow up. 1st about 500 of those miles are highway as I had to go to Denver the other day so the break in isn't complete. 2nd a problem has reared it's ugly head. When I arrived in Denver I was going through a parking lot slowly in 2nd gear 5mph or so. When I stopped I couldn't easily get the car out of gear? I tried to do it again but it wasn't readily repeatable. When I arrived home I went straight to the dealer to have them look at it. Of course as is normally the case we couldn't repeat the problem with the tech in the car. As I was leaving it did it again. Since then it has happened 4-5 more times. We re-bled the system with zero effect. The car shifts great at speed it only does it at super slow speeds. Occassionally 3rd gear is stiff. I know their is a TSB for bad or rough syncros and block rings. Could this be the culprit? 3rd and most interesting is today as I was pulling in the drive I reached the curb in 2nd gear stopped and tried to click it to 1st. No go again locked in 2nd, clutch to the floor and the car starts moving forward! No gas and clutch to the floor and the car drove right up the drive. Now I'm thinking that I have a bad slave unit? I spent the next five minutes trying to get the car to drive again like this to no avail. Any transmission experts out their? I've contacted Liberty Gears and off the cuff they think it is a syncro/block ring not letting the gear release. That was prior to todays self drive mode. Crazy thing is at normal speed the car shifts great but I am afraid that the slave isn't releasing properly and could cause damage to the clutch disc. So I will continue to nurse the car until I get it back on the rack and get the problem resolved. By no means a transmission expert, but I had a similar situation with a Ram Comp clutch. I was the second owner so, I was going by the original owners statement that the clutch had been installed about 500-600 miles prior (at least 330 was me driving home from Atl) Slow speeds, no shifting, at least without clash. Stopped with the engine running, no shifting into any gear, engine off--no problem. Bled the slave, actually made the problem worse, in that with the clutch to the floor, if I started the car in gear, it started to move, ie clutch was NOT disengaging. So, took it to a trans shop that I trust. They dropped everything and all looked normal, no leaks, geometry (at least on the transmission side, seemed correct). But, as they went to remove the pressure plate, they discovered that the bolts weren't tight. They were seated, had some loctite residue on them, but seemed to have not been torqued to spec. By the bolts becoming loose, the pressure plate wasn't in proper geometry to allow the slave to release the clutch properly. I believe it was SoCal Wrench on here that made the observation that "chinese bolts stretch" which may be true, I don't know. Regardless, the bolts were replaced with new OEM bolts and torqued to spec. I've now got about 850 trouble free miles on the driveline. All the performance stuff on my car was installed by a very competent shop (actually a nationwide renowned Mustang tuner) as I'm sure yours was too. So, regardless of what the cause of my issue was, people are human, and things sometimes get forgotten. Of course there are alot of other things, warped fly wheel, just bad geometry, bent release fingers, etc. Just thought I'd share my experience. Regardless, I hope you get everything figured out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Thanks I remember reading your post about that. I am working closely with the dealer/tech that installed. He is very thorough. The weird thing with this is that the issue is completely random. I cantroll around a parking lot at slow speeds trying replicate the issue and it won't do it. Then the very next light it will occur. Only in 2nd. It doesn't grind or clash under normal driving, shifts great at highway speeds etc? We are going to re-bleed the system for like the 4th or 5th time. Then if it doesn't end I'm going to have them drop the tranny to make sure it is all put together correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted June 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Update on the RST install on SGT 3184. Learning a lot of what the heck not to do. Do: read and print this information and take these measurements especially if you are installing a dual disc system My link it will save you some money and time Do: read this info as these instructions are different and more complete than the instruction that come with the clutch? Not sure why McLeod does this? http://www.mcleodracing.com/info/?id=5227 Don't use a stock Ford flywheel or the Exedy lightweight steel flywheel Do use a flywheel with an inner diameter of at least 6" to 6 1/4". Stock Ford flywheel has 7" diameter which allows the inner disc to hang over and causes drag as the clutch wears. The Exedy flywheel has a 6 1/2" diameter cut out which still allows the disc to drag and cause issues. I ended up ordering a McLeod aluminum flywheel that will be here tomorrow and hopefully this will cure the drag I was having which caused the car to hang in a gear. additionally you can get a TOB spacer from Jegs or Summit to provide the necessary pre-load which is determined/measured in the setup on my first link (ram info). After searching and following other threads on other forums IMO it is just plain good sense to take these measurements and save yourself from having to drop the tranny more than once. SGT 3184 has been on the rack since last thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordicShelby Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 When I spoke to McCleod a few weeks ago they did mention to make sure I get one of their flywheels becuase the Ford Factory one is not the correct size and it will cause drag. It sucks that your going through this but at least when its all done you will have a really nice clutch and it also is nice for you to provide all us future buyers your experience and knowledge. I know I appeciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted June 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2011 When I spoke to McCleod a few weeks ago they did mention to make sure I get one of their flywheels becuase the Ford Factory one is not the correct size and it will cause drag. It sucks that your going through this but at least when its all done you will have a really nice clutch and it also is nice for you to provide all us future buyers your experience and knowledge. I know I appeciate it. Glad they gave you some good info! When I called them 3-4 weeks back about using the Exedy they told me "no Problem". Well it is a huge problem. Get the spacer for the TOB. I've talked to several guys who have done the RST with a McLeod flywheel and with out the spacer the car won't shift correctly. Mine should be done on monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted June 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2011 Latest on SGT 3184 and the RST saga: Received the McLeod Al. Flywheel re-checked all measurements according to the Ram setup sheet which I highly recomend regardless of what clutch you use. The Ford Tech (Tony) has been awesome through this as he is using it as a learning for other Mustang GT/SGT and GT500 owners. Put the McLeod flywheel on clutch and buttoned her up. On the rack no drag in any gear! Yes small victory. Test drive no issues. So far after about 150 miles she is shifting great and I am not getting any drag or issues with the car wanting to roll with the clutch in. We did not end up using the spacer as our measurements indicated it wasn't needed. I did keep it although just in case the issue re-occurs. After all is said and done DON'T mix and match clutches and flywheels. I was told by Exedy and McLeod that the clutch and flywheel were compatible.... No they aren't. If I had it to do over again I would go with a Ram clutch. Their tech support was much easier to work with even though it wasn't one of their products. The seem to have a better understanding of the hydraulic system our cars have and have a pretty easy to follow setup sheet that will work with any clutch system. The tech support at McLeod came across like we were bothering them and no way could something be wrong with one of their setups. I know of 3 others who are having the exact same issue. Could it be a bad run of discs? Something out of spec? I still have some break in miles now on the new flywheel so I will keep you posted. Certainly does feel good to have the black beauty back on the road again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted August 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Final update on the RST clutch. After getting it broke in with the correct fly wheel it feels very good. No more dragging, getting stuck in gear etc. If you are going with the RST make sure you use the McCleod flywheel or one that is identical. I would also call them directly to get the correct part number for your model/setup. From my research and discussions with other users their are several different RST/RXT versions depending on the FW you are using so make sure you cross reference what you are buying with McCleod to ensure the proper setup. As stated previously in this thread I would use the Ram setup sheet to measure your clutch to make sure their is sufficient travel/room to engage/disengage. At the end of the day my issues were from bad info from both exedy and mccleod, and I didn't do enough research prior to the purchase and install. McCleods customer service was not on par with what I expected. They need to get more clarity with the part numbers and their staff should know what FW work and which ones don't. The instructions online should match what they send in the box. Hope this helps someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 Time for an update to this thread. My McLeod clutch has been a royal PITA! I've had the transmission out 3 times trouble shooting the dragging issue. Initially it went away when we installed the McLeod flywheel but after a couple thousand miles it started dragging again. The car would creep in 1st and 2nd and forget about finding reverse. The 3rd time the tranny came out McLeod to their credit sent me a new flywheel/clutch to try. Unfortunately the same issue resurfaced. I've been dealing with it as the car shifts fine once moving except for going into 2nd while moving. Today I had Rizza Racing here in Denver install an Exedy Mach 500 clutch new CSC, and went back to the stock flywheel. After a year of dealing with a bad clutch which made the tranny feel super notchy all I can say is wow, but I'm going to wait until I get some more miles on it before I get overly excited. Total expenditure for the McLeod clutch, parts, labor and now an Exedy clutch is $4400!!! WT#! I'm thinking I should get some R&D funding from McLeod for my headaches. The inner disc was only touching on part of the flywheel and I didn't even bother with taking the pressure plate off yet to see what kind of shape the outer disc is in. The FW looks great as only a small portion of the disc was even making contact. Time will tell but so far the Mach 500 feels nice. It is so refreshing to actually find reverse and 2nd gear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08sgt1042 Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Now you can drive the car, come on out and spend some time with the CSBC. We are meeting up with the Original Shelby's on Saturday 955 Bannock St Denver at Rooster and Moon coffee shop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 I would love to but my son has a baseball game. Chasing 2 boys to various activities keeps us pretty busy right now. Eventually I'll have a free day and come out. Thanks, Todd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slbgtsc Posted May 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 BTW I finally pulled the pressure plate to look at the outer disc. It was doing all of the work. My guess is a warped floater plate. New clutch is still feeling mighty fine. I love that reverse is now easy to find. I actually enjoy driving the car now and I'm not sure how or why but my gas mileage is up almost 2 mpg? I drive to Lakewood for work each day and I've been getting 16-17 and now it is 18-19.4? I'll take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.