North American Turbocoupe Organization



Squeaky Clutch Pedal
vegas_ss Offline
Senior Member
#1
Lately have been getting an annoying squeak every time I depress the clutch pedal.  Tried looking under the dash to see where I may be able to spray some lubricant but I just can't seem to get a good look as to where.  Definitely coming from under the dash area, at times it goes away but lately it's been somewhat annoying. 

Any ideas?
1987 TC, 5sp, Boport Stage 3 Head/2.1 Cam
1996 Impala SS, DCM, Borla Cat Back, too much other stuff!!! (SOLD)
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP 6M, 6.2l LS3, Kooks Long Tube, Hi Flo Cats, Mild Cam
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#2
(07-27-2021, 04:05 AM)vegas_ss Wrote: Lately have been getting an annoying squeak every time I depress the clutch pedal.  Tried looking under the dash to see where I may be able to spray some lubricant but I just can't seem to get a good look as to where.  Definitely coming from under the dash area, at times it goes away but lately it's been somewhat annoying. 

Any ideas?

Well, yes I do have some ideas. It’s the Neutral Safety Switch, assuming you still have it installed.

I have been SOOO tempted to get under there and spray some silicone lubricant or something on it. BUT FORD SAYS NOT TO LUBRICATE IT! It says so not only in the Ford Shop Manual but also on the instruction sheet that comes with a new one.

Mine broke years ago and I just jumpered it. But after the Starter That Would Not Quit (see previous post), I decided to get a new one and re-install it. It is NOT something I would want to repeat; it’s one of most difficult jobs I’ve done in 30 years of ownership. You can’t see what you’re working on, you need fingers like ET to get into the small space between the clutch pedal and the firewall, and re-installing the electrical connector is a job not designed for human hands (or ET’s). You can’t really even get the right tools in there.

Because of that, I’m torn between it breaking again because it really needs lubricating—and listening to the engineers. I would guess the reason they don’t want it lubricated is that attracts dirt, which would eventually cause it to fail. But I DO know that I don’t ever want to do that removal and installation again.

I guess you could use powdered graphite like what’s used in lock cylinders…that’s not greasy and wouldn’t attract dirt (which is probably *why* they use it in lock cylinders). You can see the white “tail” (shaft) under there on the clutch pedal, and the catch at the end of it that engages the switch—so you could probably get the graphite on the shaft, which is what I think is making that noise.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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BradM Offline
Member
#3
Graphite is conductive. I would not use it on electrical items.
1965 Mercury Comet Caliente; 1968 Mercury Monterey; 1969 F100 Ranger; 1982 Mustang; 1987 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe; 2017 Police Interceptor
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vegas_ss Offline
Senior Member
#4
I did see the white plunger moving in and out of what I assume is that switch. Perhaps some Deoxit may work since that is made for electronics and it's also a contact cleaner. It's fixed quite a few things for me in the past. Problem is trying to even get near there seemed quite difficult. Had a little handheld remote camera that I finally got to use, but it wasn't too helpful but now that I know what I'm looking for I may give it a try.

If I happen to be able to get some deoxit on there and it helps, I'll let you know. Thanks for the info.
1987 TC, 5sp, Boport Stage 3 Head/2.1 Cam
1996 Impala SS, DCM, Borla Cat Back, too much other stuff!!! (SOLD)
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP 6M, 6.2l LS3, Kooks Long Tube, Hi Flo Cats, Mild Cam
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Kuch Offline
Senior Member
#5
Deoxit to clean it out, and they also make a "Faderlube" that is used after the deoxit to lubricate electrical parts. I use it on my stereo rebuilds.
1988 Turbo Coupe, Black/Black, 5 Speed, Moonroof,  T3/T4, ported E6, 255LPH, Kirban, Stinger Exhaust, MGW shifter, K&N, Gillis valve, BP1.5, PIMPx, Koni's
1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL, 390 6V, Big Solid cam, Headers,3.89's, 4 Speed, Vast and fast
1960 Ford Starliner, 292 Y Block, 312 4bbl intake, headers, 3 Speed, slow and low
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vegas_ss Offline
Senior Member
#6
(07-30-2021, 12:27 AM)Kuch Wrote: Deoxit to clean it out, and they also make a "Faderlube" that is used after the deoxit to lubricate electrical parts. I use it on my stereo rebuilds.

Sounds good Wink

Funny it's been quiet the past few days.  I'll try and spray some Deoxit up there next time it starts squeaking.  Seems to maybe be worse when the humidity is higher???  Main problem is trying to see where the switch is, may have to try and do it by feel.

Deoxit does work very well though, had an issue with my PC speaker amp where one channel would cut out that I traced back to a push button on the front to select different inputs.  Wiggling the button would cause the channel to cut in/out.  After spraying it with deoxit it was better but would still act up, then another dose fixed it right up!  Another time the high beam switch on the turn signal stalk would randomly not engage the high beams (but did cut off the low beams) in my Impala.  Pretty unnerving when suddenly you are driving in the dark!  Luckily switching off the high beams turned the low beams back on.  Sprayed some Deoxit in the high beam/turn signal stalk area of the steering column and worked the switch on/off a few times.  Seemed to improve, but again a second treatment the next day fixed it up.

Tried it on the power antenna and firm ride switch on the tbird and found some improvement. but not 100%... will try again.  The antenna switch works, but usually only when you press it part way.  Surprised the antenna still functions so well.  The firm ride light on occasion would blink.  Turning off firm ride would turn out the light and you can hear the actuators, then turning back on while pressing firmly would correct the issue.  Seems to work a little better now but it was a pretty rare occurrence in the first place.

I guess what my long winded reply is getting at is Deoxit is great to have around.  Been using the D5 lately, they have a few different products as well as the faderlube you mentioned.
1987 TC, 5sp, Boport Stage 3 Head/2.1 Cam
1996 Impala SS, DCM, Borla Cat Back, too much other stuff!!! (SOLD)
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP 6M, 6.2l LS3, Kooks Long Tube, Hi Flo Cats, Mild Cam
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#7
(07-27-2021, 02:04 PM)BradM Wrote: Graphite is conductive. I would not use it on electrical items.

This part is FAR from any electrical connections. It is the geared shaft that actuates the neutral safety switch.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#8
(07-30-2021, 12:57 AM)vegas_ss Wrote: The firm ride light on occasion would blink.  Turning off firm ride would turn out the light and you can hear the actuators, then turning back on while pressing firmly would correct the issue.  Seems to work a little better now but it was a pretty rare occurrence in the first place.

In the trunk back under the shelf there are two hinged panels: each will swing down if you remove the attaching bolt. Mounted to each of these are the computers for the ABS and PRC (right) and the amplifier for the Premium Sound system (left). The PRC has two relays that in turn operate the actuators on each of the 4 shock absorbers—FIRM and REGULAR. If you start having problems with the PRC light flashing frequently and operating the switch doesn’t reset it, this is where you need to look.

While you can take the relay(s) apart, they’re inexpensive and easier to just replace, just a standard 5-pin relay found a few other places on the car.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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JT Offline
Posting Freak
#9
The PRC can be properly troubleshooted by using the system's diagnostics. If it's intermittent, it could be more difficult of course. While relays can fail, I've never needed to replace any PRC relay. The common problems on the PRC are the PRC actuators themselves getting stuck as it the switch breaking internally. But it's best to use the PRC's tools (diagnostics) to determine exactly what the fault is by reading what it's telling you.
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#10
(08-03-2021, 08:22 PM)My JT Wrote: The PRC can be properly troubleshooted by using the system's diagnostics. If it's intermittent, it could be more difficult of course. While relays can fail, I've never needed to replace any PRC relay. The common problems on the PRC are the PRC actuators themselves getting stuck as it the switch breaking internally. But it's best to use the PRC's tools (diagnostics) to determine exactly what the fault is by reading what it's telling you.

Sorry to differ, but after replacing each actuator several times, I finally went to the source, which was the FIRM ride relay. Once replaced, it was all good. Even actuators that I had marked as bad worked again.

Of course I would also recommend the built-in diagnostics, which was a step I took before I went at the main relays.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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