Thinking about Clutch replacement before its needed.

[Pull-n-TugTx]

So I'm thinking about replacing the Clutch and etc, before it needed for some peace of mind. Looked at some options at my local national parts house.

Couple of questions: How do I know if I have a 11" or 12" clutch? Is there any way to tell if a Solid Flywheel conversion has been done, w/o pulling tranny? Any recommendations on aftermarket/upgraded clutch kits?

Thanx

 

[franklin2]

Do some research on it, but I am thinking Ford never installed a 12" clutch on one of these trucks did they?

And if you have some miles on this truck/clutch, you can block the wheels and put the tranny in neutral, get under there and pull the flywheel bottom cover off, and then grab the clutch pressure plate assembly and see if you can wiggle it back and forth without the teeth on the flywheel moving. If you can, you have the original style dual mass flywheel.

 

[Pull-n-TugTx]

Not sure how many miles on the clutch, I'm third owner. I will crawl under there in the morning and try the "wiggle" on the pressure plate. Is there any real advantage to the Solid FLy over the Dual Mass?

 

[TWeatherford]

My 94 had a 12" clutch. The solid flywheel isn't a failure point and is a lot cheaper than the dual mass, but does make the trans noisy at low RPM.

Honestly, I wouldn't replace it unless you think it's about done or you're going on a long trip towing heavy. Who knows, it could have 100k left in it, you might sell it or wreck it before it wears out? These trucks are usually pretty good about giving you things to work on without looking for it.

 

[Pull-n-TugTx]

True about the longevity of these clutches. I have put 20k on the truck in past year. This truck is my company service truck and my only truck. If it goes down then I have to put my company on hold. Getting into the winter I will be slower so have the time to tear it down and put some "peace of mind" that the Clutch wont leave me sitting at a customers house.

It just feels like its dragging when I'm going through the gears. The more I think about the more I think I need to do a IP, Injectors, and Lines First.

A lot of things need to be done to the truck, "The list is long, but distinguished!"

 

[franklin2]

Not sure how many miles on the clutch, I'm third owner. I will crawl under there in the morning and try the "wiggle" on the pressure plate. Is there any real advantage to the Solid FLy over the Dual Mass?

The #1 advantage is they are cheap. You can get the solid flywheel AND the complete clutch kit for what you pay for just a replacement dual mass flywheel.

And some people have their trucks turned up so much, the dual mass flywheel won't take the power and it will slip. The original factory dual mass had a clutch setup in the middle of it that breaks loose when too much torque is applied to it. On a normal truck doing normal duties you will probably never reach this limit, but apparently the engineers wanted to be safe and protect the zf from breakage.