[lildawgryan]

When shifting through gears i will somtimes have to wait 4 to 5 seconds before i am able to shift without the feel and hearing a slight grinding noise. Very rarely will I be able to shift through gears normally without any slight grind. Ive notice when shifting from 1st to 2nd as an example, that when i shift out of first into neutral i will feel a force against the shifter keeping me from shifting into second. About 4 to 5 seconds after having the clutch pedal pressed down I would then be able to shift into second very easily. The same goes with every other gear as well. I usually press on the clutch just wait four seconds then shift from 1st to second so i know i will not feel or hear any grind. The noise is not very loud and dosnt sound like its the actual gears grinding or synchros. Ive had a new tranny put in and the very same problems still accured right after. Please let me know what you think. Thanks. -Ryan

 

[crazymechanic]

might need a new clutch...or bleed the slave cylinder. if the clutch isn't disengaging completely, you'll run into a problem like you're seeing

 

[lildawgryan]

I have had a new clutch installed under the clutch TSB prior to the new tranny. The problem exsisted before the new clutch and flywheel were installed. Can it be that somthing needs to be adjusted differently on the clutch. I have also found that if i slam down on my clutch fairly harder than under normal driving conditions the clutch disengages completely almost* everytime leaving me with a perfect shift. When shifting at redline or at a high rpm near redline i do not experience any shifting issues or grinds. I have bleed my slave cylinder multiple times, somtimes the problem seemed to get worse and other times it seemed much improved although somtimes my clutch will work fine for a series shifts so its hard to tell if it really made a difference or not. My guess would be that if there were air bubbles in the line then my clutch wouldnt work so much better by me slamming down on the clutch pedal. Am i right or wrong? Thanks for your first reply i really appreciate your help.

 

[DJ Lukdogg]

Is this the TSB you were referring too?

FORD: 2003-2006 Focus


ISSUE:
Some 2003-2004 Focus vehicles equipped with a 2.3L PZEV engine and MTX-75 manual transaxle, and 2005-2006 Focus vehicles equipped with MTX-75 manual transaxle, may exhibit poor clutch pedal return or premature clutch disc wear or failure. This may be caused by clutch disc delamination, breakage, or failure.

ACTION:
Inspect and repair clutch system as necessary. Refer to the following Service Procedure.

NOTE: PLACING THE TRANSMISSION IN FIRST GEAR WITH THE CLUTCH DISENGAGED (CLUTCH PEDAL PRESSED) AT VEHICLE SPEEDS GREATER THAN 15 MPH (24 KM/H) MAY CAUSE CLUTCH DISC DELAMINATION OR BREAKAGE (CLUTCH DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ENGAGED FOR DAMAGE TO OCCUR).



NOTE: VERIFY THAT THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF VEHICLE ABUSE FOR EXAMPLE UNUSUAL TIRE WEAR AND/OR VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS. CLUTCH SYSTEM WEAR OR FAILURE CAUSED BY VEHICLE ABUSE IS NOT A WARRANTABLE REPAIR. REFER TO THE WARRANTY AND POLICY MANUAL FOR DETAILS.



SERVICE PROCEDURE

Inspect clutch pedal return spring for proper function. Service only as necessary.
Inspect clutch master cylinder for proper function or leaks. Service only as necessary. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 308-00 for diagnostic information and 308-02 for service information. If clutch system is still not operating correctly proceed to Step 3.
Remove transaxle. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 308-03.
Inspect clutch slave cylinder/release bearing for proper function or leaks. Service only as necessary. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 308-00 for diagnostic information and 308-02 for service information.
Inspect flywheel, transaxle, and transaxle input shaft for damage. Service only as necessary. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 308-00.
Inspect clutch disc and pressure plate for wear or damage. If wear or damage is present replace the clutch disc and pressure plate. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 308-01.
NOTE: THE CLUTCH DISC AND PRESSURE PLATE MUST BOTH BE REPLACED IF EITHER PART IS WORN OR DAMAGED AS THE NEW PARTS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ORIGINAL CLUTCH DISC OR PRESSURE PLATE IN THE VEHICLE. DO NOT GREASE THE TRANSAXLE INPUT SHAFT SPLINES UPON REINSTALLATION OF THE CLUTCH DISC, PRESSURE PLATE OR TRANSAXLE. GREASING THE TRANSAXLE INPUT SHAFT SPLINES MAY RESULT IN CLUTCH COMPONENT DAMAGE.



Install transaxle. Refer to Workshop Manual, Section 308-03.

PART NUMBER PART NAME
6S4Z-7550-A Clutch Disc
6S4Z-7563-A Pressure Plate


WARRANTY STATUS:
Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage

 

[b16sir1991]

That info really doesnt help in this case luke. The problem isnt the tsb. Thats a whole different issue than the problem he has.

 

[b16sir1991]

Also, you have the wrong tsb

 

[DJ Lukdogg]

If you put in a new tranny and still the same problem then you would have to move to the shifter area and cables, Tranny eliminates alot of your problem so that is good IDK how hard it is to remove the shifter cover and inspect everything around there. But if its easy give it a try. Something must be loose or worn in there possibly.

 

[lildawgryan]

Although this is just an educated guess since im not a mechanic, i would believe that the shifter cables can not be the problem here only because if i wait 4-5 seconds after pushing in the clutch i can shift fine and during those 4-5 seconds no changes are occuring to the shiftercables, correct?

Also if i double clutch (shift from 1st to neutral, disengage clutch and reengage clutch then shift to second i run into the same exact problem as before to me eliminating the fear of messed up synchro's. Please give your opinions since i am only makeing a educated guess.

I will strongly agree with the very 1st responce. I believe the clutch dosnt always fully disengage as its sopposed to unless i give it a few extra seconds which is no fun at all to do. Since the new clutch ( one time the day after being installed ) and another more recent I was in 1st gear going 5-10mph and only having one foot on the brake pedal i notice my car pulling ahead at a constant 5mph even while pressing slightly on the brake. I pushed in the clutch pedal and released right away to stop it but that diffently demenstrates the clutch not engaging and disengaging when it is sopposed to. The only thing that scares me about just buying a new flywheel and clutch was ive already had new parts installed over 20k ago and the problem exsisted before and after the install. I then had the tranny put in 5k after the clutch and flywheel.

 

[Blurvfocus]

Well, some reasons a clutch might drag:

1. Tight pilot bearing(focus probably doesn't have one)
2. Loose bell housing bolts
3. Trans installed with one or both alignment dowels missing- trans/clutch misaligned.
4. Bent release fork or other parts
5. Air in hyd. system.
6. Debris in clutch- disk spalling
7. Pressure plate not torqued down right- flywheel warping.

The idea that this thing seems to work if you pound the pedal into the floor is probably because you're pulling the pressure plate away from the disc so fast that it's inertia bounces it back just a hair more than it would normally.

It's so hard to say, but if it were mine I'd start by making sure all of the trans mounting bolts are tight. Other than that, I think you're going to wind up pulling the trans again to take another look at that clutch.

How does it work shifting out of neutral into first or reverse? If the clutch is dragging, you should notice it then.

 

[lildawgryan]

shifting into reverse makes some hella noise. Ive found that when putting it into reverse if i push over to the left through the lockout and up as quick as i possibly can then it will go in fine almost* everytime. When putting it into first i get mixed results so often i have no constant outcome. Somtimes its perfect somtimes it sounds like a slight grind. When downshifting into first i have to be really really careful and feel the shift because sometimes it really likes to make a nasty grind however i prevent that most of the time by shifting reallly slow into first. I do experince a lot of trans movement even when shifting normally at 4krpms and i have vf engineering rear mount and drivers side already installed. When the clutch is dragging would you experince more trans/engine movement?

 

[lildawgryan]

I have also found that when i have my AC turned on my gears stiffen up quite a bit and braking also is improved (when braking without AC a lot of the times call feels like its shaking a bit when coming to a slow stop) and its not the rotors or the pads. Im not sure what the AC can affect other than engine movement...? Since i have two aftermarket engine mounts my car will shake like crazy at idle with my AC on that the only reason i believe that it effects engine movement. What bolts might i look to tighten under the car other than the engine mounts themselfs? Tranny has been installed three times since this problem has exsisted and was done by the ford dealer so everything they would have tightned shouldnt be the problem, i couldnt amagine three different times a bolt was left unproperly torqued.