Hi There

2003 Mondeo - ST220 - 3.0L V6 Petrol - 108,000 Miles

New clutch kit including concentric slave cylinder & DMF fitted at 90,000 miles car now has 108,000 on it

Issue is hard to select reverse & 1st gears - Have to turn off engine select reverse or 1st then start up and then drive off - If I drive the car for a while (roughly 5-6 mile) the clutch seems to get better, Once the car is left for a while the clutch seems to go again and above process followed it improves etc etc

Checked the following:

Fluid level in brake reservoir and its at maximum (checked over 1 week since problem)  - No leaks from bell housing in gearbox, Also checked for fluid leaks at clutch master cylinder at pedal & also the hydraulic line from master to slave & again no leaks, Have bled the hydraulic system & this has temporarily cured the problem for 1 day's driving, Also changed the gearbox oil & checked the freeness of the gear selector cables and gear selectors - All good  

I don't think the clutch itself is the problem as once you get the car moving and go up the gears to 4-5th there is good biting power from the clutch and it isn't slipping, There is also no oil leaks or fluid leaks which would suggest one of the cylinders or fluid lines being the issue

 

It feels like a hydraulic problem or maybe the clutch pressure plate is the issue - If the slave or master cylinder or fluid line was the issue surely it would show signs of fluid leaks dropping the level in the brake reservoir which it hasn't

Any ideas folks ?

Went out to the car this morning without doing anything to it and the clutch is working perfect - Will drive it for a few mile to see if it fails again which I'm predicting it will

Going to order up a clutch master cylinder and fit that to see if it cures the problem

Did you fit the new clutch etc..yourself or a garage...what gearbox oil have you used...i believe the fluid ford use in the mk4+ mk5 gearbox is meant to be better than the oil used in the mk3....
Mine gets a bit stiff..but only on very cold winter mornings..hasnt had a gearbox oil change yet..
I preffered the gearbox on my old mk2 v6..5 speed with single mass..never got the wrong shift..but 6 speed on my ghia x..

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No I didn't replace the clutch & DMF as this was done by previous owner but he produced receipts & I also checked with the garage that did the work and they confirmed it was all replaced & with genuine Ford parts at the request of the previous owner (Who eats breaths & talks Fords)

I going to replace the clutch master cylinder here next week and re-bleed system to see if this cures the problem - At the minute the clutch works fine for a day or two then it is hard to select all gears the next day and basically works good when it feels like it - Have noticed on slightly cooler days it does mess about

 

Will keep you posted with the new master cylinder change - Thanks for replying