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Strange Death of an OE Clutch

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The original clutch in my 2017 GT failed in an unusual way. One side of the disc completely disintegrated while the other side remained in good condition. The largest fragments of the failed side are evidence that it also was relatively unworn before its sudden destruction. It appears that something, probably part of the disc itself, got between the flywheel and disc and started a chain reaction that destroyed that side.

Weirdly, the clutch didn't slip, at least I didn't notice it slip. I started having difficulty shifting but when it failed completely it was because it wouldn't release. This turned out to be caused by the slave cylinder coming apart. Apparently the slave over traveled its limit after the disc collapsed.

I have seen a number of dead clutches but never one like this. Both flywheel and pressure-plate look surprisingly good - just a few scratches and no signs of overheating or abuse. This clutch had seen 15k miles and approximately 25 track days. Before it failed I had been very happy with this clutch. I still think it was pretty good but my new clutch is an Exedy Hyper Single.

I'm just wondering whether anyone else has seen their clutch fail in this manner. I didn't talk with the local Ford dealer because they didn't want to install an aftermarket part.

Disc1.png

Disc5.png

Disc3.png

Disc6.png

FlyWheel.png

PressurePlate.png
 
Good idea. It hadn't occurred to me that the carnage must have happened during shifts. I don't recall hearing anything. I did suspect rivet failure but it could only have been part of a rivet because all rivets are still present, although many are damaged. Almost certainly some part of the disc got loose.
 
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