2012 Mustang Boss 302 New Clutch/Reservoir Install

[thehueypilot]

I finally got some time to replace/upgrade the clutch in my Boss 302 and it was a little more difficult than the older cars I am used to working on. I had a few surprises that I can pass on that I have learned the hard way. I will try to document some of the issues I encountered along the way and possibly some solutions. If you have actually performed this job and have some tips I would like to hear from you.

The first issue is the transmission is not flat on the bottom which when using a standard hydraulic transmission jack and cradle it wants to roll and when it rolls it broke the VSS sensor which is a $50 mistake.

Tim

 

[thehueypilot]

The transmission's bell housing needs more room to move back to allow it to clear the clutch than there is actual space available. The engine will only tilt back so far before it hits the Boss intake manifold so maybe the factory manual, which I have not read fully yet, requires the manifold to be removed? I finally got it out but only after a lot of pulling and pushing. I see now that the transmission cradle I am using must be modified to hold the rounded transmission bottom better. My short term solution was to add some 2X4's and screws to I could bolt the back of the transmission to the jack cradle so it cannot move. Note: I am also adding a MGW race spec shifter at this time as well. I had the original MGW shifter so I though I would upgrade it while I had it out.

 

[thehueypilot]

The clutch disc has a plastic bushing in it and this is the reason I can't shift above 6k? I have never seen a clutch with plastic components....and if you don't believe this transmission is made in china I have the sticker to prove it. Note: the clutch is made in Turkey.

 

[thehueypilot]

I found an issue with the vent tube on top of the transmission and I believe someone on this site has brought up this issue before. The hose that attaches to the vent's check valve is dry rotted and actually fell off but got wedged in under a wire harness so I did not lose it going down the road. I am replacing the Ford hose with a silicon hose.

 

[thehueypilot]

I added a Shelby clutch reservoir and and was not too impressed with the finish. The metal bracket was cut out with a laser and powder coated but they did not bother to remove the burrs that the laser cutting left behind and powder coated over top of the burrs. It fit very well though. I added a SS braided line. I bought a SS line from Ford Racing (FMS-M-7512-A) but it did not come close to fitting w/o major bending. I think they sent the wrong one or it was packaged incorrectly and for $232.50 I expect it to fit like a glove. I sent it back and used the SS braided hose that came with the clutch kit.

Tim

 

[thehueypilot]

I got the transmission back in last night and what a difference it makes to have the transmission securely fasted to the transmission jack's cradle. It also does not hurt that the overall height of the new clutch is about 3/4" shorter than the OEM giving me more wiggle room to fit the bell housing into the tight confines of the transmission tunnel. I tried to install the race spec shifter completely assembled but the handle would not go into the tunnel's shifter opening until the bell housing was completely seated so I removed half of the shifter's body. It is good to hear the satisfying "thunk" of the bell housing completely seated against the back of the motor when it all goes back together properly. My temporary cradle fixture will need to be trimmed down some when I make a final long term fixture out of a steel angle bolted to the cradle as it was a little bit too wide to fit into the transmission tunnel.

Tim

 

[Fat Boss]

Good work.

 

[Grant 302]

The clutch disc has a plastic bushing in it and this is the reason I can't shift above 6k?

I doubt that's the problem. Are there any glazed spots on your pressure plate?

 

[thehueypilot]

No really big glazed spots. Look at the movie attached as the disc can move a lot with the plastic bushing. (Note: can't attach movie) If the disc spins off center just slightly it will not let the transmission slow down for proper shift engagement.

 

[thehueypilot]

I forgot to mention I replaced the pulse ring with a Ford Performance Cobra Jet high RPM part and now I have the dreaded "check engine light" and the car runs really bad (misses). The two rings looked identical but I did not measure the OD which must be a little different. I guess I will have to buy a new scanner to perform a crankshaft relearn to fix it. Standby.....

Tim

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Really like your wood adapter brace. Would have helped me a bunch back in the day.

Any time the clutch comes off of the car you will need to do a crank relearn. It's to teach the ECU what the "normal" knock level is. Takes 30 seconds once the car is warmed up. Yes, you'll need a tool capable of doing it.

 

[thehueypilot]

Really like your wood adapter brace. Would have helped me a bunch back in the day.

Any time the clutch comes off of the car you will need to do a crank relearn. It's to teach the ECU what the "normal" knock level is. Takes 30 seconds once the car is warmed up. Yes, you'll need a tool capable of doing it.

Yes and the problem is no one can tell you if their cheap scanner will perform a crank relearn except the high end scanners. I bought a Bosch 3925 Diagnostic Scan Tool to perform this task and hopefully more changes like disabling the TPMS and top end speed limit.

Tim

 

[gtorpedo]

The SCT x4 handheld can perform the crank relearn. Easy to pick them up secondhand for ~$200

 

[Grant 302]

No really big glazed spots. Look at the movie attached as the disc can move a lot with the plastic bushing. (Note: can't attach movie)View attachment 10355View attachment 10356 If the disc spins off center just slightly it will not let the transmission slow down for proper shift engagement.

Doesn't look badly glazed or have glazed spots, but it does look like it might have been dragging at least some...not fully disengaging.

 

[Champale]

I am really enjoying this thread - thank you guys! You are going to love being able to snap 7500+ rpm shifts consistently - what clutch are you installing?

 

[thehueypilot]

Quartermaster https://www.quartermasterusa.com/pr...4-single-disc-clutch-flywheel-release-bearing

 

[Champale]

Looks like a beautiful piece! I am not familiar with them.

 

[thehueypilot]

Finally got to the "misfire monitor neutral profile correction" procedure finished. It was successfully completed and the car seems to be running smooth again. I will take it out for a test drive this weekend to see how the new clutch is going to perform. No more fault codes except the "skip shift" solenoid is not working for some reason but since I don't need help shifting my car I will leave it as is.

Tim


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Tim

 

[Daegoba]

This is a great thread. I wasn’t aware it was required to do a crank re-learn.
I also wanted to ask, and correct me if I’m wrong: don’t you have to change the flywheel when you change the clutch as well?

 

[TMSBOSS]

Do you “Have To” change the flywheel? No. Should you, yes. At least inspect and likely resurface. The cost from not doing so is small compared to having to take do the work a second time.