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Removal of Clutch Assist Spring Damaging Slave Cylinder?

14K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  Coosawjack 
#1 ·
I got an email today from Steeda advertising an aftermarket clutch spring with 95lb/in spring stiffness rate compared to OEM 200 lb/in spring stiffness rate. And they state the following: "Most owners fail to realize the prolonged effects of simply taking out your factory OE spring and not replacing it with another spring. By negating your factory clutch assist spring you will notice chatter/NVH from your clutch pedal. Your clutch pedal will never fully return to stock position without any assist spring, and over time your slave cylinder may begin leaking due to constant pressure on its seals from the clutch pedal not returning to the stock position."

Does anybody think this is true or just an advertising scheme?

Steeda S197 Mustang Clutch Spring Assist 95 lb/in (11-14 All) | 555-7023 | Free Shipping!
 
#2 ·
I think it's speculation of possibilities & marketing combined. I think evidence & testing is lacking from the advert.
 
#3 ·
actually it kinda makes sense to me . . . 'cause why would Ford go to all the trouble and cost of putting that spring in there in the first place, if it was not needed?
 
#4 ·
I thought they put the spring in for assisting the pedal to go down easier for lighter clutch feel.

With my foot I checked and it feels like my pedal when released is all the way up.
 
#5 ·
The spring is dual-action. It both holds the pedal up in the proper position, and helps with pressing the clutch down. I don't doubt that there's a possibility that removal of one could lead to the slave cylinder working harder.
 
#6 ·
I don't buy it.

Rather, I wonder if there is a different purpose for the spring than any of us have speculated on before... There are people that like to drive with their foot resting on the clutch pedal for extended periods of time. That does create extra pressure and wear on the slave cylinder. Even if the spring is removed- there is still another spring on the pedal but it is only for returning the weight of the pedal, not somebody's foot. Maybe another purpose for the assist spring is to prevent premature wear on the slave cylinder when somebody is resting their foot on the clutch pedal?
 
#7 ·
I have had the clutch assist spring out for almost 25k miles so far. The pedal has never failed to return to the top. There is no chatter and no NVH as a result of removing it. I also call BS on the notion that having the spring out is going to cause a failure in the system.

With the spring in there the clutch is so ridiculously light it was hard to modulate the clutch because there was no feel. Removing the spring has been nothing but positive but it is still lighter than I would prefer.

Dave
 
#8 ·
I agree 100% with you, Dave! Nothing but improvement with the spring taken out. I only have about 8k miles on mine without the spring but there is no droop or noise and the feel is much better than stock. I prefer a little heavier clutch but I suppose that's what I am used to.

PMDmustang13,

I suppose Steeda could have a technical reason for putting in a (lighter) spring. IMHO I think they could have come up with a better method/design to prevent slop in the released position. The spring at whatever weight it might be causes a numb and too light pedal. To each his own.

Chris
 
#9 ·
I have a lot of respect for the people at Steeda, but I'm just not buying this failure caused by removing the spring statement.
 
#12 ·
I just ordered one to see what the difference is between the stock spring and the steeda spring. The funny thing is the shipping was almost the same price as the spring.
 
#13 ·
Just did the install, holy crap, night and day difference in the clutch pedal from the stock spring.

You can definitely tell when the engagement point is.

For those who removed the stock spring and are running no spring at all, I don't know if you want to buy the Steeda spring. But if you hate the stock clutch pedal feel this is a big improvement.
 
#17 ·
Be careful with the installation, I've seen at least two people break the black top perch while trying to remove/install using the vicegrips, and I managed to cause a slight leak in my clutch master cylinder by trying an alternate method.
The spring itself feels great though. Nice and linear and not really much harder to push the pedal at all.
 
#18 ·
I'll second that. I damaged the top black plastic piece when I removed the factory spring. Using the vice grips method recommended by Steeda results in excessive bending of the spring and damage to the centering pin molded into the upper cup. Fortunately I was able to repair it sufficiently to install the Steeda spring. Ford dosen't sell the plastic parts separately so be extra careful in removing the original spring. I also found that Steeda's instructions for installation didn't really work very well. The Steeda spring is definitely weaker and easier to compress than the factory spring, but it is also quite a bit longer and trying to squeeze it into place while darn near standing on your head and twisted into a pretzel under the dash and having to line up the centering pin on the top and bottom of the spring cups is a real PIA. A better way is to pre-assemble the spring assembly in a vice and wire it together and then install it on the clutch pedal. Once in place untie the wire and it will snap into the upper retaining notch. FWIW the Steeda spring does give a better feel than the factory spring while still keeping a fairly light pedal. Personally I don't think it's a profound change, but it is better and the cost is definitely reasonable.
 
#19 ·
Totally agree with both of you, I ended up having my wife push down on the clutch pedal and I used both my hands to push down on the perch and remove the spring. The Steeda instructions leave a lot to be desired.
 
#22 ·
I replaced mine yesterday and used a 29" piece of broom handle to hold the clutch pedal against the floor......wedged between the clutch pedal and the seat rail bracket nearest the door!!:wink:

Compressed the middle 2 coils with my pointy Vice Grips and tried to remove the spring from the top plastic bracket......NOT HAPPENING by hand!!:cursing:

Got my trusty Channel Locks with notched jaw tips and grabbed between the top spring coil and under the bottom plastic perch and squeezed......VOILA....it fell out!!:smile:

Installing the weaker Steeda spring was very easy and the clutch has a much better feel.......haven't driven it much but I like it a LOT so far!!:grin:
 
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