Well, the car's been in the shop for about 4 days now and I haven't heard a peep from my mechanic. However, I had somebody message me on Instagram saying that it's been sitting in the same spot the last two days. I guess he passes the shop my car is at during his commute. I'll be calling to touch base with my mechanic sometime today. Wish me luck.

 

Just spoke to my mechanic and all he had to say was that he'd call me when the car's done. 4 days in andddd nothing.

 

Did you pay for the install on a Credit Card? Get your car back and just do a chargeback with the CC. Another shop seems like they should be able to take care of you. You just don't leave a customers car outside for 4 days without any sort of update as to why it's sitting outside instead of being worked on.

 

Agreed...
Sounds like he's already decided what the problem is and is just playing the waiting game with you. The fact that it just needs to be "broken in"...c'mon man...he has to know what a normal clutch should feel like.

 

Update -

Whatever he did worked. According to my mechanic, all he did was bleed the clutch line some more and test drive it every time till shifting became noticeably easier. It's much better now, as good as I remember it to be. As far as the new clutch goes, I noticed that it engages VERY high. Apparently this is common on the McLeod clutches. Shifts are buttery smooth once I'm rolling but starting from a dead stop is rough haha. Only thing left to take care of is a crank position sensor relearn. I guess my mechanic didn't do this because he didn't know it was necessary and in this regard I don't blame him since most Ford dealers aren't aware of it either unless you show them the TSB. I hope to get this done tomorrow to stop the random misfires and then finish the break-in period so that I can start enjoying the car again.

 

light at the proverbial end of the tunnel.

PS...in MY opinion...
all he did was bleed the clutch line but if he admitted that that was what fixed it, then he'd look like a royal dumbass to you.
So he threw in there that he "drove it around" which would prove to you that what he originally told you was correct.

I don't buy that shit at all though..."breaking in"...think about something that's half an inch wide meant to last 100K (5K with D driving) miles and 1000HP...so he was able to break it in and wear it down enough to change pedal feel with a couple of trips to piggly wiggly? Nawww player...

Butt fuk it...it works now and that's what matters!

 

D any update?

 

LMAO...and update ON the update?

 

So...the issue was air in the clutch slave line causing the assembly to not fully open when depressing the clutch (clutch drag). That would explain all the issues and makes your mechanic look like an idiot for not doing what amounts to the simplest task in a clutch replacement procedure.

 

I agree. I think he embellished a little bit but fuck all o' that. All that matters is that my car runs again hahaha. I'll make this clutch last a short while.

Yes sir! I found a local dealer that will do the crank relearn procedure for me. Total cost - 1/3 of an hour of labor. Not bad. Need it done ASAP. This lump mode shit is annoying me. Can't wait to try out flat-foot shifting with the wot-box installed now too.

Exactly. If he would've just double checked the clutch line for air in the beginning, we all would've been happy. Instead I spent an extra week shitting bricks wondering if something worse happened when the clutch gave, if I have to buy a new clutch, did the transmission die, etc.

 

Just when I think things are going smooth I encounter some problems again. Haha. Part of modding your car I guess.

New issue - The car will not let me shift hard into any of the gears. Either it gets stuck in neutral for a second or the revs don't drop quick enough. I've also noticed that shifting out of first is a bitch, really takes a lot to pull it out of gear and into second. And even so, when it goes into second it stops in neutral for a sec and then goes in. I've also noticed that when downshifting the car fights me back and doesn't want to let me into gear. I looked at my clutch/brake fluid, it looks decent.

So, I'm back at square one. Any advice?

 

Transmission fluid is where I would start looking.

 

I guess that'll be my Saturday night plan.

 

Makes me wonder if your mechanic installed the clutch the right way, something just doesn't seem right at all.

 

That's how I'm feeling. I've never heard of things getting this far off track after a simple clutch job. I don't want to mess with it anymore, I'm trying to trace what is likely a shop's mistake and it's stressing me out to no end.

 

I'd take it to a third party and have them totally disassemble the clutch and put it back together.

You'll have to eat the cost but at least you'll have your car back in working order.

 

Yup, I agree with Sam. As much as the cost will suck, it'll likely be cheaper in the long run.

When someone opens it up again, you can see what condition the clutch is in and if any damage has been done. It'll be hard to hold the original mechanic responsible for it (he'll just say you were a bad driver), but still, at least you'll know where you're at.

When it comes to modding, don't cheap out. Pay to have this fixed properly. You'll sleep easier at night!

 

Yeah, it's looking more and more like it's headed that way now. I'm hoping this hasn't done any long-term damage to my MT-82. :/

 

Find a transmission specialist, don't go to a general mechanic. When I needed my clutch done on my old jeep, I took it to a local Aamco that has been family owned for about 45 years. Other than having to pay someone to work on my rig, I couldn't be happier with the results. Transmissions is basically all they do and the experience shows.

 

Pointless info but was in town this past weekend and saw you drive through the Gaslamp Friday night. How did I know it was you? Your license plate