EL 6 cyl..

God damn Fords....

Over the past couple of weeks my clutch has been slipping like a b**ch on heat and shuddering a lot more than normal on takeoff. It feels like one or two of the springs in the pressure plate has failed.

I drive the car onto the ramps and peek into the clutch hole where the release lever comes out of the bellhousing and find its covered in oil. Piece of s**t, it confirms a Ford without oil leaks is as realistic and believable as God.

I swear a lot, go and buy a rear main seal, pull the box, clutch & flywheel out and find the rear main looks fine. I see a trail of oil down the head, from the rocker cover. More swearing ensues. The f**k rocker cover gasket wasn't leaking anywhere except where it couldn't be seen. I ring a couple of car parts shops and nobody close by has a clutch so I decide to clean the friction & pressure plates with degreaser and brakeclean then roughen up the friction plate with some 180 grit wet paper and hope I removed most of the oil and restored clutch operation. Then I fixed the leak with three kilos of silicon.

It slips less and doesn't shudder at all anymore but I'd like to know if the clutch is likely to get better over a few weeks or should I plan another day to pull out the box and replace the clutch with a new one? Is the friction plate permanently f**k or should I ride it like a hooker to get it smoking to burn the oil off?

Cheers

Ease up on the God thing...some people still believe in God (not me, but others maybe). Not all Fords leak oil, mine doesn't and I am sure some other people on FM don't have a leaking Ford.

Anyways on to your problem. Where was the oil leak coming from? If it was from the rear of the rocker cover, why didn't you just replace the rocker cover gasket and put a bit of gasket maker at the half moon joints where the oil tends to seep out of.

With the clutch and pressure plate. When you took it out, were they still in good condition. Did the friction plate have a lot of meat left on it? If not then I'd replace it, but if it does I am sure over time the oil will burn off and you can live it until you can be bothered pulling it back out. Though in saying that...if you have the money, might as well replace it.

I don't think you would have broken anything other then wear out the clutch a bit more due to riding it.

hope that helps a little.

phong =P~