Clutch question
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Joined: Aug 2011
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Clutch question
2003 F150, 2wd, 6-cylinder, stick shift, 120k miles. I'm a general contractor and this is my daily work truck, with a lumber rack and toolboxes on it. It works hard, with lots of short trips in town and on country roads, and almost no freeway driving. I'm a good builder but no mechanic, so when repairs are needed it goes to the local shop. I'm in a remote area and cannot easily get dealer service.
A few months ago, the truck started to have issues cranking. Turn the key and sometimes it would start fine, but sometimes it would hesitate and then start, or even crank, momentarily bog down and then start. I learned to just keep the key turned and it would start.
It got worse so I finally took it to the mechanic. They checked it out and told me the "ring gear" was damaged and needed replaced. Fine, let's do it. At this point I should mention that this truck is on its third starter. The original failed in 2011 and they put in a remanufactured unit. That one lasted a year and they had to do it again. The current one is just at three years.
They mentioned that while they were tearing it down to do this, replacing the clutch would be easier, and that at least parts of that should be done. It had never had a clutch replacement, so I said, fine, let's do that too.
They kept it a couple of days (I was out of town) and near the end of the work called to ask me if the speedometer had been working when I brought it in. I said yes, it had. They said the "speed sensor" had failed and would need replaced. Uh, OK, sure, can't argue with that, I want a speedo.
I picked the truck up this morning, and they said the speed sensor had not come in but that it would be OK to drive, and that I should swing by after lunch, that UPS would have delivered by then, and they would install the part.
Almost immediately, the clutch seemed rough. There was an intermittent high-pitched grinding sound going down the road. The clutch seemed to slip a few times, and the truck lurched. It seemed extremely tight, but new clutches feel that way. The engine on idle sounded slightly rough.
I called them and was told that the lack of a speed sensor could cause this, because it was needed for proper function of the clutch. This does not make sense to me. As I said, I'm no mechanic, but my understanding is the the clutch is entirely mechanical, with no electronic inputs. This is not an automatic.
To top it off, the temperature control on the dashboard, for the heat/cool/defrost, does not work, it's stuck on hot. I was told that this is a rheostat, and that it must have failed. There were a few rivet heads on the passenger floor, so I know they had to get into/under the dash for some reason.
I'm not normally a suspicious person, but it seems like two parts that were working fine have failed in their possession. In fairness, if I work on your house, there are times when something will break because I looked at it. It happens. As a guy that puts tools on other people's stuff every single day, I know this all too well.
My gut, however, is that I am dealing with someone who either does not quite understand the truck, or has made a mistake or two with it and is not fessing up.
Any input appreciated.
Love this truck, by the way. It works hard every day and has been incredibly reliable. I know lots of guys with lots of trucks, and some of them have had horrendous problems.
A few months ago, the truck started to have issues cranking. Turn the key and sometimes it would start fine, but sometimes it would hesitate and then start, or even crank, momentarily bog down and then start. I learned to just keep the key turned and it would start.
It got worse so I finally took it to the mechanic. They checked it out and told me the "ring gear" was damaged and needed replaced. Fine, let's do it. At this point I should mention that this truck is on its third starter. The original failed in 2011 and they put in a remanufactured unit. That one lasted a year and they had to do it again. The current one is just at three years.
They mentioned that while they were tearing it down to do this, replacing the clutch would be easier, and that at least parts of that should be done. It had never had a clutch replacement, so I said, fine, let's do that too.
They kept it a couple of days (I was out of town) and near the end of the work called to ask me if the speedometer had been working when I brought it in. I said yes, it had. They said the "speed sensor" had failed and would need replaced. Uh, OK, sure, can't argue with that, I want a speedo.
I picked the truck up this morning, and they said the speed sensor had not come in but that it would be OK to drive, and that I should swing by after lunch, that UPS would have delivered by then, and they would install the part.
Almost immediately, the clutch seemed rough. There was an intermittent high-pitched grinding sound going down the road. The clutch seemed to slip a few times, and the truck lurched. It seemed extremely tight, but new clutches feel that way. The engine on idle sounded slightly rough.
I called them and was told that the lack of a speed sensor could cause this, because it was needed for proper function of the clutch. This does not make sense to me. As I said, I'm no mechanic, but my understanding is the the clutch is entirely mechanical, with no electronic inputs. This is not an automatic.
To top it off, the temperature control on the dashboard, for the heat/cool/defrost, does not work, it's stuck on hot. I was told that this is a rheostat, and that it must have failed. There were a few rivet heads on the passenger floor, so I know they had to get into/under the dash for some reason.
I'm not normally a suspicious person, but it seems like two parts that were working fine have failed in their possession. In fairness, if I work on your house, there are times when something will break because I looked at it. It happens. As a guy that puts tools on other people's stuff every single day, I know this all too well.
My gut, however, is that I am dealing with someone who either does not quite understand the truck, or has made a mistake or two with it and is not fessing up.
Any input appreciated.
Love this truck, by the way. It works hard every day and has been incredibly reliable. I know lots of guys with lots of trucks, and some of them have had horrendous problems.
Last edited by David Meiland; Mar 25, 2015 at 01:05 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 164
Likes: 20
When they say "ring gear" are they referring to the gear on the starter motor or the ring gear in the rear end??
I can assure you that they damaged the speed sensor removing the tray to replace the clutch.
The high pitch sound reminds me of a throw out bearing going bad.
New clutch should not be any harder than old as I believe you have a hydrolic clutch so the hydro system provides the proper leverage to keep the pedal easy to push.
The rivit's on the floor I'm not so sure of. Only thing I can think of if they removed lower dash panel to get access to the top of the clutch pedal to make an adjustment.
I can assure you that they damaged the speed sensor removing the tray to replace the clutch.
The high pitch sound reminds me of a throw out bearing going bad.
New clutch should not be any harder than old as I believe you have a hydrolic clutch so the hydro system provides the proper leverage to keep the pedal easy to push.
The rivit's on the floor I'm not so sure of. Only thing I can think of if they removed lower dash panel to get access to the top of the clutch pedal to make an adjustment.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 198
Likes: 57
From: Doylestown PA
Ok so let me start off by saying that 99% of my car knowledge is focused on older cars because that is my hobby/passion.
The ring gear statement is a bit confusing. When you turn the key the starter engages a tooth drive which meshes with the teeth on the outside of your flywheel essentially cranking your motor. Once your vehicle starts and your key goes back from the "start" position to the "run" position that little tooth drive disengages from the flywheel. Sometimes there are issues where the starter is not shimmed correctly and the teeth don't mesh properly. This situation can chew up the teeth on the starter, the flywheel, or both.
Automatic cars have a flexplate and manual trans cars have a flywheel. Some flexplates have the ability to change out those teeth that mesh with the starter but I've never seen it on a flywheel. So something in the whole story doesn't jive. Did they bill you for a new flywheel? If not did they resurface your old one?
As for the speed sensor that's a tough call because if it has never been changed before, there's no real way to know if it was simply at the end of its life or if they boogered it up when they dropped the trans.
I've done quite a few clutch/trans swaps on manual trans cars and its a gravy job if you know what your doing.
The ring gear statement is a bit confusing. When you turn the key the starter engages a tooth drive which meshes with the teeth on the outside of your flywheel essentially cranking your motor. Once your vehicle starts and your key goes back from the "start" position to the "run" position that little tooth drive disengages from the flywheel. Sometimes there are issues where the starter is not shimmed correctly and the teeth don't mesh properly. This situation can chew up the teeth on the starter, the flywheel, or both.
Automatic cars have a flexplate and manual trans cars have a flywheel. Some flexplates have the ability to change out those teeth that mesh with the starter but I've never seen it on a flywheel. So something in the whole story doesn't jive. Did they bill you for a new flywheel? If not did they resurface your old one?
As for the speed sensor that's a tough call because if it has never been changed before, there's no real way to know if it was simply at the end of its life or if they boogered it up when they dropped the trans.
I've done quite a few clutch/trans swaps on manual trans cars and its a gravy job if you know what your doing.
Ford Owner
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,073
Likes: 138
From: Wichita Kansas
i think you are definitely dealing with a shop that does not know what they are doing or they are just plain sloppy in their work. it sounds like they broke a number of things when they worked on your truck. most likely the problem is not with your speed sensor but they broke your speedometer and heater controls when they were working under the dash. i don't know where you live but where I live in kansas there are a number of good reputable shops that would not have messed you up like these guys. you should ask around and find one. The ones i have seen usually has an owner who is in his 40's or 50's and has had the shop for a long time. he is the guy that still comes into work every day although he mainly supervises and makes sure the work is done properly. I would stay away from these guys because it sounds like they are not only breaking your truck but charging you to fix it. They also sound like "They ain't wrong and they ain't sorry and it's probably going to happen again".