payableondeath6
Impressively Ugly
This truck'll make my 3rd manual tranny that I've owned but so far all have been different so I don't really have any experience with them. 1962 Studebaker Lark 3 spd column shift, 1990 Eagle Talon 5 spd floor, and now the 1989 F350 ZF 5 spd floor with dual mass flywheel (DMF). I've never done ANY work on either of the two prior manuals I owned so I've got no experience with them at all.
Just FYI this truck has 120k on it and the previous owner said nothing had been done to the transmission.
First off I'm getting a couple different noises:
~The first noise I noticed is something that can best be described as a washing machine out of balance (that thud-a-thud rhythmic noise), this happens with the truck in neutral and the clutch (engaged, pedal released)...doesn't always happen but will usually happen if I let it idle that way for 30 seconds - minute and clears up with depressing the clutch. From what I've read this sounds like the beginning of failure of the dual mass flywheel (DMF) and can be corrected by a new DMF, making the DMF into a single mass flywheel (SMF) or switching to a SMF. Sound about right to anybody?
~The second noise is a rattling type noise that happens at idle with the clutch depressed (disengaged) and will clear up with a little of the accelerator pedal. This I've got no idea about and am assuming the DMF is to blame here as well, or maybe something is not letting the clutch fully disengage.
I've also got some symptoms:
~I've got two gears that I can't get into unless the clutch is fully depressed all the way to the floor, 1st and Reverse. I'm assuming this is something that would be taken care of with the components of a "clutch kit", but I don't know.
~Also seems like it takes a lot of pedal to switch gears while driving, I don't know if this is just because I'm comparing it to a car or whether I've got a worn clutch.
So I'm looking for a couple things from you guys.
~Does it seem like I'm on the right track and a "clutch kit" and doing something with the flywheel would take care of my problems?
~I can go with an OEM clutch kit and do some work (drilling out holes, bolting plates together, etc) to make the DMF into a SMF for $185 OR I can go with the Luk SMF conversion that comes with a new flywheel and clutch kit for $575. I'm willing to shell out some extra to make up for not having to work on the flywheel to convert it so that makes up some of the price difference, but is there a big difference between an OEM clutch and a Luk clutch? What's the difference? Since this things a worker I'm all about upgrading it more heavy duty and if there's a big difference it would make the cost difference negligible.
~How difficult is replacing a clutch (seems pretty straight-forward but I've never done one)? I'll likely be doing it myself and will have all sorts of tools (probably have to buy a HF tranny jack) courtesy of my wife's uncle's garage, only help I'll have is his (old man) direction and my Haynes manual. I told my dad that I was going to have to do my first clutch/flywheel job and his reply to me was "Don't worry about the first transmission, clutch, flywheel job---it's a FORD you'll have plenty of time to get good at them"...yeah, THANKS 'Bout the same amount of help I got with the water pump on that Talon (crappy Mits/Dodge) in the middle of winter when the only tools I had were a hammer and crescent wrench...and an apt. complex parking lot But oh well, that's a whole other mess.
Thanks for all the help/tips/direction. Sorry for all the questions.
Also, I'm usually maxing out the RPMs at 2400 b/c it sounds wound out then, but I heard on here saying keep RPMs up around 3800 when towing a load up a grade That's seems like I'd really be screaming then, am I just being from being used to driving/listening to gassers all this time? Just curious.
Just FYI this truck has 120k on it and the previous owner said nothing had been done to the transmission.
First off I'm getting a couple different noises:
~The first noise I noticed is something that can best be described as a washing machine out of balance (that thud-a-thud rhythmic noise), this happens with the truck in neutral and the clutch (engaged, pedal released)...doesn't always happen but will usually happen if I let it idle that way for 30 seconds - minute and clears up with depressing the clutch. From what I've read this sounds like the beginning of failure of the dual mass flywheel (DMF) and can be corrected by a new DMF, making the DMF into a single mass flywheel (SMF) or switching to a SMF. Sound about right to anybody?
~The second noise is a rattling type noise that happens at idle with the clutch depressed (disengaged) and will clear up with a little of the accelerator pedal. This I've got no idea about and am assuming the DMF is to blame here as well, or maybe something is not letting the clutch fully disengage.
I've also got some symptoms:
~I've got two gears that I can't get into unless the clutch is fully depressed all the way to the floor, 1st and Reverse. I'm assuming this is something that would be taken care of with the components of a "clutch kit", but I don't know.
~Also seems like it takes a lot of pedal to switch gears while driving, I don't know if this is just because I'm comparing it to a car or whether I've got a worn clutch.
So I'm looking for a couple things from you guys.
~Does it seem like I'm on the right track and a "clutch kit" and doing something with the flywheel would take care of my problems?
~I can go with an OEM clutch kit and do some work (drilling out holes, bolting plates together, etc) to make the DMF into a SMF for $185 OR I can go with the Luk SMF conversion that comes with a new flywheel and clutch kit for $575. I'm willing to shell out some extra to make up for not having to work on the flywheel to convert it so that makes up some of the price difference, but is there a big difference between an OEM clutch and a Luk clutch? What's the difference? Since this things a worker I'm all about upgrading it more heavy duty and if there's a big difference it would make the cost difference negligible.
~How difficult is replacing a clutch (seems pretty straight-forward but I've never done one)? I'll likely be doing it myself and will have all sorts of tools (probably have to buy a HF tranny jack) courtesy of my wife's uncle's garage, only help I'll have is his (old man) direction and my Haynes manual. I told my dad that I was going to have to do my first clutch/flywheel job and his reply to me was "Don't worry about the first transmission, clutch, flywheel job---it's a FORD you'll have plenty of time to get good at them"...yeah, THANKS 'Bout the same amount of help I got with the water pump on that Talon (crappy Mits/Dodge) in the middle of winter when the only tools I had were a hammer and crescent wrench...and an apt. complex parking lot But oh well, that's a whole other mess.
Thanks for all the help/tips/direction. Sorry for all the questions.
Also, I'm usually maxing out the RPMs at 2400 b/c it sounds wound out then, but I heard on here saying keep RPMs up around 3800 when towing a load up a grade That's seems like I'd really be screaming then, am I just being from being used to driving/listening to gassers all this time? Just curious.