Hi everyone,

I have 2 main issues which I'm not sure are connected

1) I can't get into gear when I first start the engine, sometimes I have to restart the car several times to be able to get into gear. It goes into gear fine when the engine is off and starting in gear stalls the engine immediately sometimes.

2) The car vibrates on idle and I get a lot of resonance at around 1k - 1.3k rpm. Shifts feel clunky and I get a bit of wheel hop (Which points to the lower engine mount) and the car starts pretty shaky too but revs are stable

I recently changed the passenger side engine mount (about 10k kms ago) and now I see some burn marks on the metal part of the mount.

I'm planning on changing the lower mount anyway and was wondering if those 2 issues are connected or if I should prepare myself for more fixes

These are the Videos

Fault number 1 is caused by the clutch.

Number 2 could be the dual mass flywheel. But could also be mounts as you say.

6 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Fault number 1 is caused by the clutch.

Number 2 could be the dual mass flywheel. But could also be mounts as you say.

How big of a job is the clutch going to be ? Is it a DIY job under 2hrs or do I have to send it to a mechanic?

Replacing the clutch is not rocket science but quite labor intensive. How long it will take you fully depends on your skillset and the tools you have.

It is however definitely not going to be a 2 Hour job. When doing the job at home on jack stands, I would estimate 8 to 10 Hours for an experienced home mechanic who is in the possession of all required tools. For someone less experienced this job can take up to 16 Hours.


When doing it the correct way this job involves:

- Removal of both front wheels.
- Removal of the engine undertray.
- Removal of the plastic inner fenders.
- Draining the transmission oil.
- Disconnection of the bottom ball joints
- Removal of the driveshafts from the wheel hubs.
- Removal of the driveshafts from the gearbox.
- Supporting the weight of the engine (preferably using an engine support bar, alternatively using a jack).
- Removal of the air filter housing.
- Removal of the battery and battery box.
- Removal of the shifter cables.
- Removal of the torque restrictor.
- Removal of the gearbox mount.
- Disconnection of the clutch slave cylinder from the hydraulic line.
- Removal of the transmission.
- Removal of the clutch assembly including the clutch slave cylinder.
- Removal of the dual mass flywheel.
- Replacement of the transmission input shaft oil seal (optional but recommended).
- Replacement of the rear crankshaft oil seal (optional but recommended).
- Replacement of both driveshaft seals (strongly recommended).
- Inspection of the dual mass flywheel.
- Installation of a new dual mass flywheel (strongly recommended).
- Installation of a new clutch kit including new clutch slave cylinder.
- Installation of the transmission.
- Connection of the clutch slave cylinder to the hydraulic line.
- Bleeding the clutch slave cylinder (make sure it is working at this stage before proceeding).
- Installation of the gearbox mount.
- Installation of the torque restrictor.
- Installation of the shifter cables.
- Installation of the battery box and battery.
- Installation of the air filter housing.
- Installation of the driveshafts into the gearbox using new C-clips.
- Installation of the driveshafts into the wheel hubs.
- Connection of the bottom bal joints using new pinch bolts and nuts.
- Filling the transmission oil.
- Installation of the inner plastic fenders.
- Installation of the engine undertray.
- Installation of both front wheels.

Other parts may need disassembly/assembly to get proper access.

So a weekend job basically. Which is probably not worth the savings anyway 😅

Update:

Mechanic changed the full clutch kit (dmf, disc, slave cylinder) first. We tested it and it was difficult going into gear and reverse was still blocked. He bled it multiple times, changed the master cylinder and bled multiple times again. It's still a bit difficult going into gear but pumping it seems to make it easier and changing gears while moving is easier too.

There are 2 possible problems according to him:

The new slave cylinder is bad/defective

Or

New clutch has to break in

Old parts:

All described symptoms indicate that the clutch is not releasing properly.

Since the flywheel, clutch and slave cylinder are already replaced, the master cylinder would be my primary suspect. The fact that pumping the pedal seems to improve things indicates an hydraulic problem.


Note that I have seen similar symptoms after a cheap new clutch was installed. For some reason the clutch did not release properly. A 2nd brand new identical cheap clutch (supplied under warranty) showed the exact same problems. This was eventually fixed by installing a LUK clutch (identical to the original one).

This however should not happen with a clutch kit from a reputable brand.

He did change the master cylinder which helped a bit.

The clutch kit including dmf is from SACHS

The master cylinder is from Brembo

Sachs is perfectly fine. Both Sachs and LUK are used by Ford as the factory fitted clutches.

Sachs and LUK are usually even identical. Depending on the type of vehicle and transmission type there is a good chance to find LUK parts in a Sachs box or vice versa.

Personally I do not have any experience with Brembo master/slave cylinders but being a well-known manufacturer of quality parts I do not expect that to be the problem.


Now I am thinking about it a bit longer. As far as I know this car has a SAC (Self Adjusting Clutch) with a spring-loaded mechanism to compensate for clutch wear. During production of these SAC clutches, the mechanism is fully winded back. However, during transport it is not uncommon for the SAC mechanism to (partially) unwind.

Before installation of a new SAC clutch, the spring/mechanism position should always be checked. A partially unwinded SAC mechanism results in insufficient clearance between the flywheel/friction plate/pressure plate. Once the clutch is fully assembled the SAC mechanism can no longer be reset. This is only possible while the clutch is not installed and requires special tools (or a bit of Ingenuity/improvisation and some homemade tools).


2 Weeks ago, I replaced the clutch of our Focus MK3 ST. I used a Sachs clutch kit that I bought cheap from Italy (Ebay). When it finally showed up after being in transit for almost 3 weeks The SAC mechanism turned out to be partially unwinded. I had to reset the SAC mechanism first before I was able to install the new clutch.

I'll have him double check the mechanism in a few days then. Since he told me to drive some City miles and come back if it doesn't get better

Thank you

Another update and question:

Going into gear is good now but reverse is still pretty difficult but it's much easier when pumping. But I still hear a squeak from the pedal

Is it normal for the the clutch pedal sensor in forscan to max out at 92.6% ?