Just got a new clutch put in

[xtascox]

Just a few questions.

I had an OEM clutch kit installed on my cougar since the clutch was slipping and barely catching at the top of the pedal. Anyway, after driving it home I noticed what smelled like hot transmission fluid but I'm assuming this is just the new clutch breaking in? Also the pedal feels very soft but it seemed to firm up a bit on the way home. I'm used to the firm feel of my mystique but what I read is that the zetec clutches have a very soft feel to them. So is that true too? And to properly break it in, I just have to ease it for a couple days until it starts to feel like its gripping firmly correct? Thanks ahead of time guys!

[B3NN3TT]

Break in: keep it below half throttle for the first 500 miles or so. Don't slip it at all.

[xtascox]

Break in: keep it below half throttle for the first 500 miles or so. Don't slip it at all.

The sort of burning/hot tranny fluid smell would be the clutch breaking in then?

[spridget]

I've done a few clutch jobs in Contours.... never had any smells or required any break in period.... I guess you can call my "break in" method "drive responsibly" for the first 500 miles.

[DanG]

If the Zetecs use a hydraulic slave cylinder like the Duratec MTXs, then you need to make sure the cylinder has been properly bled.

However, that would only lead to improper disengaging of the clutch when you press the pedal.

Keep the revs light, the shifts lighter. The more stop and go driving the better for the first 500 miles.

[MOMO]

during my breakin period, i never smelled anything.
and like Dan said, make sure you bleed the clutch.

[xtascox]

The smell is almost gone. I think there must have been some fluid on the exhaust. Is there a way I can check if the clutch has been bled properly? It feels real soft but it engages/disengages fine. I thought I read somewhere that the zetec clutches are soft to begin with. Maybe I'm just used to the V6 or maybe it is in fact not bled properly. I mean there's hardly any resistance in the pedal.

[B3NN3TT]

I would think that if it is engaging and disengaging properly, that there's not a problem.

[ducttapepro03]

Alex, that clutch was soft engaging from the day I got the car. Is it engaging in the normal range now? Or is it still high till it engages?

[xtascox]

Alex, that clutch was soft engaging from the day I got the car. Is it engaging in the normal range now? Or is it still high till it engages?

It's higher than the mystique, but it engages quicker than before I had it done. The car drives great and I can't wait till the clutch is fully broken in. After I drove home from work it's starting to feel a lot better. I think that it just needed to be worked in a bit.

[xtascox]

Well I've got about 170 miles on the new clutch and it is really starting to feel a lot better. I think it just needed a bit of break in to feel right.