Clutch super heavy

[maxpower1716]

I recently bought a 1988 mustang GT off of craigslist it runs great but the clutch is heavy as a motherf*cker. It is an aftermarket cable, is there any real way to make it easier to push down, or lubricate the cable? I have heard of people putting graphite lube in the cable sleeve to help.

[JTurbo]

The problem might not be the cable but the bearing retainer on the input shaft of the trans....

[grabbergreen84]

Is it the adjustable cable with the threaded rod down at the fork? Most of those suck, and the best solution is the OEM non-adjustable cable with a metal quadrant and firewall adjuster.

[maxpower1716]

There is an adjuster at the firewall i'm just not entirely sure how it works.

[maxpower1716]

Ok so I have heard that if you disconnect the cable and put some oil in the cable sheathe it can do a lot of good. It shouldn't be too hard to disconnect and reconnect the clutch cable right?

[Walking-Tall]

I'd isolate the problem first. Disconnect (don't forget using axle stands and the emergency brake or blocks at wheels on the ground) the transmission end of the cable, jump in and press down the clutch pedal to see if the cable (or the pedal pivot, or quadrant pivot, or the firewall adjuster) is actually what is being stiff, and then actuate the clutch fork by hand to see if that's what is stiff. I would place more money betting on what JTurbo mentioned above, but it might be a cable or pivot point that needs some lube...

[ashley roachclip]

My Center Force clutch is stiffer than factory stuff, but not unreasonable.

You will never be able to depress the clutch with just the lever ,once you disconnect the clutch cable.

You can , remove the cable to lubricate it , take out of the car , hold it in the air vertically, and squirt a light oil into the sheathing, working the cable all the way in its travel .

I usually will lubricate the input bearing retainer with anti seize or white grease ,before installing into the car .
Also use the same on the pivot ball .

[eric]

My clutch on my 86 GT is heavy also, but i have gotten it to improve with multiple tweaks.

At one point is was so hard to push that I swear my knee would ache for an hour after i got out of traffic.

So far these are the things i have done...

- Replaced stock cable with a new ford racing NON-adjustable heavy duty cable.
- Lubed all friction points on the pedal assembly

Those two things together helped quite a it, but was still much heavier than desirable.

Next...
- New bearing retainer, clutch fork/pivot stud, new throw-out bearing, pilot bearing, and new clutch (because it needed a new clutch anyway).

After these changes, again, the clutch pedal pressure was noticeably easier to depress but still heavier than I was hoping. Much more tolerable and drive-able (even in traffic) now though.

When the new clutch was installed we checked out the clutch fork movement with the cable disconnected and everything from there seemed fine (meaning, in the gear-box/clutch/trans side of the equation everything moved freely with the clutch cable disconnected).

The mechanic suggested that the only thing really "left" that he thinks could be the culprit would be the pedal shaft in the pedal-box assembly itself. He said it looked a little bent to him, and he had seen situations where over time this becomes a self-perpetuating situation where an already heavy clutch set-up puts unnecessary pressure on the pedal shaft over time and it bends making the situation worse.

So that's going to be my next step.... to replace the pedal shaft in the pedal-box assembly with a new one ( best price i have seen for this is about $95 but I haven't bought one yet).
I already bought a metal quadrant and firewall adjuster too, but i haven't installed those yet because I figured I might as well wait until i replace the pedal shaft first and do that all at same time since the quadrant will attach to the new pedal shaft anyway.

Will let you all know how that goes as i continue with this endeavor.

So, i guess the point here is that it can be a stack-up of many things contributing, but consider that it might be a bent pedal shaft in the pedal box assembly.

[grabbergreen84]

I've seen the arm which holds the pawl bend, but never the axis shaft itself. That shaft is some really hard metal.

How's your pivot ball in the bellhousing? Not sure if those affect effort, but they do wear down.

[eric]

I've seen the arm which holds the pawl bend, but never the axis shaft itself. That shaft is some really hard metal.

How's your pivot ball in the bellhousing? Not sure if those affect effort, but they do wear down.

maybe i am calling it the wrong thing when i say shaft...

i am talking about this thing... is that what you are talking about?
I am going to replace that entire assembly shown (but I will use a metal quadrant as well at the same time)

[Supersonic G.T.350]

Aren't there bushings that the shaft rides in... I could see those wearing out but I can't imagine the shaft would bend and bind.

[eric]

Aren't there bushings that the shaft rides in... I could see those wearing out but I can't imagine the shaft would bend and bind.

yes, i have the bushings also. I will replace those as well.

[mrriggs]

I seem to remember my uncle having stiff clutch issues years ago and what finally cured it was replacing the input shaft retainer on the transmission. The sleeve that the throwout bearing rides on was galled.

[grabbergreen84]

is that what you are talking about?

Yes. Is that the new one? It doesn't look bent. What does bend is the metal arm coming off of the shaft. Then the pawl doesn't line up with the quadrant, and the teeth strip out.

[eric]

Yes. Is that the new one? It doesn't look bent. What does bend is the metal arm coming off of the shaft. Then the pawl doesn't line up with the quadrant, and the teeth strip out.

the pic is just an example photo off the web, but yes, that's a new (not bent) one.

Since it is a full assembly I plan to replace it all anyway... the shaft and the metal arm (and the bushings...and the quadrant too while i am at it ).

[maxpower1716]

Ok guys today I just went out and oiled the clutch quadrant, and the cable that I could get at without disconnecting it. It different seem to make much of a difference immediately but I came back later and it is 10x better. I'm just happy that it was that
easy for me.

[eric]

Ok guys today I just went out and oiled the clutch quadrant, and the cable that I could get at without disconnecting it. It different seem to make much of a difference immediately but I came back later and it is 10x better. I'm just happy that it was that
easy for me.

that's great news! Just curious, what kind of oil did you use to lube the quadrant and the cable?

[85foxbody]

If the pedal get tuff again check the bearing retainer and throw out bearing as mentioned above by jturbo. which means dropping the tranny

[86GreenStang]

my first question is what car did you learn to drive a manual transmission in? Sorry encountered to many millenials comparing honda hydraulic to mustang cable clutch. If it still seems too heavy after checking clutch cable, fork, etc for damage then modern driveline makes a hydraulic setup for the mustang t-5 tranny and it is real nice when I get to from stop light to stop light in rush hour traffic.

[eric]

my first question is what car did you learn to drive a manual transmission in? Sorry encountered to many millenials comparing honda hydraulic to mustang cable clutch. If it still seems too heavy after checking clutch cable, fork, etc for damage then modern driveline makes a hydraulic setup for the mustang t-5 tranny and it is real nice when I get to from stop light to stop light in rush hour traffic.

Actually, i have had this 86 GT since it was brand new.

So yes, I know the foxbody mustangs were never intended to have a feather light clutch by any means. But the clutch had REALLY gotten hard to push.

Good news, I took care of that today!

Finally got around to my project to replace the clutch cable (again, just to be sure), added aluminum quadrant and firewall adjuster, and i replaced the pedal shaft bushings. After doing all that, it is super smooth now and at least half the effort to push now vs. before the project... Really, seems more like it only takes about 1/3 of the pressure it was taking before these changes. Very happy!

[eric]

Just reporting back on this thread. I FINALLY got around to doing all the stuff I said I was going to do, all aimed at solving my super heavy clutch pedal once and for all on my 86 GT.

Recall that I had already had a new clutch job ( including new T.O. bearing, pilot bearing, clutch fork/pivot stud, steel bearing retainer, bell-housing separating, main seal) and after all of that the pedal pressure got a little better, but it was still extremely hard to push.

Well, today I did the following all in one whack:
- Replaced the clutch cable with a new ford racing heavy duty NON adjustable cable (already had one of these on the car, but figured what the hell )
- Replaced stock quadrant with aluminum quadrant
- Added firewall adjuster
- Replaced the bushings on the clutch pedal shaft
Note: I did NOT replace the actual clutch pedal shaft itself as I originally planned to do because 1) it looked perfectly fine and 2) to remove it I am pretty sure it requires removing the steering column and the entire pedal assembly from the car...which i didn't feel like doing once i saw that the shaft looked fine.

After doing all this stuff today the clutch pedal motion is SUPER smooth now and only takes half the effort to push now vs. before the project... Actually, I really think it is even better than half, more like 1/3 of the pressure to push the pedal now vs. what it was taking before these changes. I've had this car since it was brand new in '86 so I know what the pedal pressure is supposed to feel like. The pedal feel is now back to being as good as it ever was on this car.

So I am very happy with the results to say the least!

The hardest parts were removing the stock pall, and replacing those darn pedal shaft bushings.

Definitely follow the advice to remove your drivers seat (very simple and quick to do) before attempting the quadrant and/or shaft bushing changes. You will wind up spending quite a bit of time under that cramped dash/pedal area and its bad enough as-is without having to try to do that curled into the car from the side with the seat mechanism poking you the entire time. Take the seat out and at least your can be somewhat comfortable while your getting to all those tucked away parts.

[maxpower1716]

I learned to drive a manual on my dad's 87' ford ranger and 50' studebaker and they were both quite a bit easier. I know the mustang's clutch isn't supposed to be buttery smooth but it was a little too heavy.