Clutch pickup point changed?

[TheStig]

To give some backstory, about 2 weeks ago I was crossing an intersection and going from 1st to 2nd gear. Just a nice gently plop into second at about 3,000 RPMS (love the dirty torque down low) and stupid me didnt follow it through, it grinded a little bit before I got it to slide in. No harm no foul, ive missed shifts before, generally the same low RPM situation.

After this time thought, it now seems to have effected my clutch. I thought this was just my mind messing with me but after 2 weeks of driving it does appear that my clutch pickup point is now 1/2-3/4" further up the travel, meaning my foot has to come out alot further before it catches and starts moving forward.

Anyone else run into this? Perhaps it was becoming an issue and now im actually noticing it? Could it be low clutch fluid? Since I changed the pads 25k miles ago and the brake/clutch fluid are linked.

Tried to search out an answer and got squat. No sounds, no funny feeling, just literally my engagement point has moved further up the travel.

Any help is appreciated, even if you say im a moron, my mom says im smart.

 

[Siestarider]

Mechanical clutches require regular adjustment as the friction disk wears. Hydraulic is supposed to make these adjustments obsolete. Make sure the reservoir is full to line.

One missed shift does not wear out a friction disk.

I was troubled by clutch engagement a little too far off the firewall for consistent smooth shifting, so I grafted an OMP pedal on so it hits the firewall when barely fully disengaged. Pickup is more predictable.

If your pickup point is changing, this mod will reveal it.

 

[BobMaxed]

I also really doubt if the engagement point has changed. Do you have actual measurements? The mind and the leg are very adaptable. It isn't hard to convince one's self that something has changed. Just enjoy the car

 

[TheStig]

I also really doubt if the engagement point has changed. Do you have actual measurements? The mind and the leg are very adaptable. It isn't hard to convince one's self that something has changed. Just enjoy the car

I feather the throttle as I let off the clutch, its just an odd thing I do, so I tend to note the pick up point on any car. Mine has changed, and of course I never measured before. Just by feel it has changed.

Topped off the fluid too, no change from that. Guess something is up with my clutch or the pedal assembly. Thats life for me now lol.

 

[Siestarider]

I feather the throttle as I let off the clutch, its just an odd thing I do, so I tend to note the pick up point on any car. Mine has changed, and of course I never measured before. Just by feel it has changed.

Topped off the fluid too, no change from that. Guess something is up with my clutch or the pedal assembly. Thats life for me now lol.

Does it disengage at the same (higher) point it now engages?

 

[Accel Junky]

Same thing is happening to me. Mine is grabbing very high up now. Seems like it gradually became this way. I can press the clutch pedal in about 1-1.5" and get a smooth shift. The car is modded for a few thousand miles now, stock turbo though. I do rev match on downshifts though not always.

Seems to me that the clutch is on the way out. 9000 miles on my car. I do drive it hard every day to / from work with lots of full torque pulls at lower RPMs. No slipping yet.

 

[antikid]

any updates?

I don't know exactly how to describe it. I get a very small section of pedal throw for modulation and it's very close to an off/on switch
mine grabs with the pedal nearly released and I can't get used to it... (clutch seems to be fully disengaged within a couple of inches of pushing the pedal)

my '16 has 11xx miles now and 1/2 of that was highway getting it home

 

[TomCat]

any updates?

I don't know exactly how to describe it. I get a very small section of pedal throw for modulation and it's very close to an off/on switch
mine grabs with the pedal nearly released and I can't get used to it... (clutch seems to be fully disengaged within a couple of inches of pushing the pedal)

my '16 has 11xx miles now and 1/2 of that was highway getting it home

I have to agree, the clutch play on this car is way different from any other manual vehicle I've had. And I've had plenty.
Still trying to get used to it after 5 weeks of ownership.

 

[stascom]

I've test driven a 2015 model with 22K on the clock. It barely had any travel and would engage at, what felt like, 1 inch off the floor. Nothing like the brand new 2017 I had driven later that day

 

[Lawrider]

any updates?

I don't know exactly how to describe it. I get a very small section of pedal throw for modulation and it's very close to an off/on switch
mine grabs with the pedal nearly released and I can't get used to it... (clutch seems to be fully disengaged within a couple of inches of pushing the pedal)

my '16 has 11xx miles now and 1/2 of that was highway getting it home

Same issue here, its awful. Clutch engages at the VERY top of the pedal, as in depress it (seemingly) 1 inch and it engages. The engagement zone is just an on-off switch, impossible to feel any slippage. '16 with 32k on it, used to have a 100 mile commute highway that accounts for all that mileage. Only mods are a cobb intake and stage 1 ots tune. The clutch pedal is firm (no slop) and there is no slippage when underway - but i hate how the clutch is. I've moved my seat further back to try to account for it. Since i am about to end warranty i am going to drop it off soon to get serviced (brakes are having issues) and tell them that perhaps the slave cylinder is having issues - let them look at it to see if they can identify the issue.

It might be my mind paying tricks on me, but a couple of times the clutch pedal has gotten softer, and this weekend at red light from a start it was hard to get the transmission into any gear from a stop. Pulled over, and it was fun and has been since. Back in my Miata, these were symptoms of a bad clutch slave cylinder - a $30 part known to go bad around the 80k mark.

 

[mattw]

any updates?

I don't know exactly how to describe it. I get a very small section of pedal throw for modulation and it's very close to an off/on switch
mine grabs with the pedal nearly released and I can't get used to it... (clutch seems to be fully disengaged within a couple of inches of pushing the pedal)

my '16 has 11xx miles now and 1/2 of that was highway getting it home

Maybe this is a normal thing for this car??? My 2014 with 38k on it does this too. I purchased the car with 22k on it and it was doing it then as well.

The initial engage feels to be around 3/4 of the way up as i release the clutch (just enough friction to roll forward on a flat surface) and the clutch doesn't fully grab (like a on/off switch) until I basically have taken my foot off. Full engagement happens after the pedal finishes applying any pressure back on my foot, in the around 1 inch of "dead zone".

I have not driven another Fiesta since buying mine to compare.

 

[Xaendeau]

There is a clutch assist spring in the clutch pedal that makes sticking it in easier. This spring makes the clutch feel non-linear and is kinda wonky compared to what many people are used to.

If you want to try it out I would grab a few springs from a hardware store and try a few out and see what feel best for you. A soft spring for me makes the clutch much harder but very linear. I believe a few sites sell these things for the mustang...I think they are all the same for the FoST, `stang, and FiST...but don't take my word. Be warned that the stock assist spring is EXTREMELY stuff, like 100+ inch*lb stiff. You will not be able to put it back on by hand if you take it off. Some kind of tool will be needed, but the name evades me. 60,000 miles so far of aggressive driving and the clutch is holding out well for me; pickup is still the same.

 

[M-Sport fan]

The one thing I NEVER hear about on here, or in this community, is completely flushing out the clutch hydraulic system brake fluid (unless FiST owners are opening up the whole transaxle case to change out their clutches or install a LSD).

Cooking and aeration of the clutch fluid was such a problem in the LS1 f body world that a few companies marketed flexible stainless sleeved (like the brake lines), remote flush lines with a ball check valve on the upper end so that the clutch could be flushed/bled from the top of the engine bay, as ONE person job!
This cured about 85% of most people's problems with the pedal sticking to the floor, grinding gears, missed shifts, and bad 'take-up'/engagement.

I WISH we had the same for these cars, albeit just like the f bodies, it may entail getting into the bell housing area for the install.