Cobra on life support
 

For the first time since I bought my car (this past Easter), she will not be in my garage. I've had this pesky oil leak since I bought the car and never could find where it was coming from. I took it to a local mechanic shop and asked for help (since it's gotten much worse in the past week or so.

First, the toploader was pulled. The first observation was that the driveshaft yoke was trashed as was the bushing in the end of the tranny. Fine, I ran it down to a driveshaft shop and had it replaced along with one of the joints. It didn't appear to have ever been balanced, so I hope that was the reasion for premature death (4,500 miles on the car).

Removal of the trans disclosed that I was running a standard-issue clutch assembly. And it looked a bit rough. The bell housing was full of splattered engine oil, so maybe that had an effect on it. One camp says "don't replace it" and the mechanics said "get a real clutch and do it right". I finally folded (after all, they had it all apart) and went out to grab a new King Cobra heavy clutch assembly. When they pulled the flywheel, it was discovered that the crankshaft mounting holes were wollered out. Some looked slightly slotted. It was also scored a bit and had a burn spot on it. Maybe this is normal, I haven't seen one to compare it to. Again, one camp says "don't replace the flywheel. There's nothing wrong with it." The mechanics say "by the very least, the holes should be fixed with inserts and turned". Well, this would cost around $100 vs $200 for a new one from Ford. Well, since I just purchased a new $200 clutch assembly, I said go for it.

Since the labor will total around $360, I will have close to $1K when it's done. The drive shaft and tranny bushing were a no-brainer. Removing the trans, clutch and flywheel was necessary to replace the rear main seal. So the question, was upgrading the clutch a good move? For an additional $200, I would say yes. The flywheel? I don't have a clue. Sometimes you just have to trust your mechanic, right?

Tony, sorry to hear your tale of woe...but you did the right thing! I do all my own work, and would never think twice about doing it just like your mechanic recommended...I'd think several times about the cost, later, after I did it, but not about the DOIN' it. And, if I didn't turn my own wrenches, I'd still do it the way you did...you did right. Mr. Fixit and/or some of the other guys here on the forum can probably talk about some of the evil things that could, and maybe would, have happened if you put the "bad" stuff back in.
Lotsa luck!