Clutch issues

[paul b]

I must be missing something, what has a tranny cooler got to do with a clutch failure or overheated clutch hydraulic fluid? Seems like two different issues.

 

[fortytude]

I must be missing something, what has a tranny cooler got to do with a clutch failure or overheated clutch hydraulic fluid? Seems like two different issues.[/QUOTE
this confusion is my fault, i should have started a new thread! My clutch failure is not related, i very much doubt, to heat issues as it was a chilly Feb day on an Autobahn, some decent speeds seen but nothing extraordinary. I am enquiring about clutch life expected for a Ford GT in normal use. Seems to me, 22,000 miles is low. I have never done a clutch in 22 years of driving..........The P1 car (rental car in the UK), did have a clutch at 23,000 miles but that was used by every tom, dick and harry........ how many 3rd gear starts did that have?

 

[kmillen]

Although reaching 20,000 miles or more is pretty rare on such a car, there are a few people/members that have achieved well over this marker. I don't know if any of them have experienced clutch failures though. I have talked with a few members that are around the 70,000 mile marker and they have had to replace the clutch within that time. But I don't know how many of those miles were on race tracks, or mountain roads, or California cruises haha.

 

[dbk]

Thanks for the info, i will contact stillen. but the question remains, is the clutch life of the factory item really only 22,000 miles with only road use and no 3rd gear starts!?

No way. I've seen cars with over 50,000 miles on the stock clutch.

 

[fortytude]

No way. I've seen cars with over 50,000 miles on the stock clutch.

thanks for all the feedback. If anyone has a car or knows of any with high mileage and original clutch, would love to have that info.

 

[dbk]

thanks for all the feedback. If anyone has a car or knows of any with high mileage and original clutch, would love to have that info.

Just dropped one off Saturday to a new owner with 34,000 on the stock clutch.

 

[PL510*Jeff]

Original Clutch

thanks for all the feedback. If anyone has a car or knows of any with high mileage and original clutch, would love to have that info.

I've an '06 with 45k+ on it. Original clutch. Which works just fine.:thumbsup

About 1,500 miles on road race tracks and maybe 2.5 miles on the Saleen autocross at Rally II.

Jeff

 

[fortytude]

The good news, for me, this is now established as a failure not wear, see comments from Roush::wink

The clutch problem was related to a piece of the centre of the friction disk becoming detached. This had subsequently wedged under the fingers of the pressure plate preventing full travel of the clutch. Looking at the broken part it would appear that it had fractured on one side some time ago and that the other side has now cracked resulting in the piece being free to float around inside the clutch. There are no signs of similar cracks on the other four spring pockets in the disk. We have seen cracking in this area on one development car before but not this failure mechanism. Incidentally the actual friction material has worn evenly and was not near the end of its useful life.

so my wallet is pain free, which is more than can be said for my holiday in Germany where i was stranded!