Issue shifting.

Forces Delta · Mar 26, 2017

I have a 93 ford ranger with a 5 speed transmission. At times when trying to shift into 1st or reverse it doesn't want to go, but say if I try to put it into 1st and it won't go, if I move the shift all the way to right still in neutral then try again it will work. Yesterday I tried bleeding the clutch and I did have air in the system but still have the same problem. Any ideas?

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lil_Blue_Ford · Mar 27, 2017

Clutch might be going, how many miles?

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Forces Delta · Mar 27, 2017

I'm not entirely sure. The motor and tranny have 124k so it was replaced somewhere in there. I'll have to look for the paperwork that the guy gave me to see if I can find it. But what would the recommended miles of replacement be?

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lil_Blue_Ford · Mar 27, 2017

It depends... my choptop had 100k or so when I put the 4.0 in and upgraded the clutch. Old one still had life to it. 1994 F-350 dump here has 115k or so on the original clutch. 1989 F-350 dump that my dad sold several years ago had 115-120k on the original clutch when it left. 1995 F-150 that I got 7-8 years ago had 69k on it and the clutch was completely gone. Almost looked like a brake rotor instead of a clutch when I pulled it.

A bad clutch, bad slave cylinder or bad master cylinder can all cause shifting issues. Usually it's the slave or clutch that goes. My F-150 was famous for eating slaves like candy until I upgraded the transmission.

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Spott · Mar 28, 2017

A worn-down clutch plate will not cause difficulty in getting it into gear. Quite the opposite; a worn clutch will cause difficulty in getting the power to the wheels, as if you kept the pedal pressed a little bit at all times.

Difficulty shifting is caused by a clutch that's not releasing enough. You need to work on the the hydraulic system; master, slave, lines, etc. Maybe there's still air bubbles in there somewhere. If you let air get into the master cylinder, you may have to take it out and bench bleed it to solve the problem.

Jimmyrig · Mar 30, 2017

Could be a failed throw out bearing. They can fail and not make the horrible noises usually associated with that but it's uncommon. More likely is your clutch master is going out. They have a seal in them that sometimes wears out and let's the fluid bleed back into the reservoir. Typically if this is the case you can pump it 8 or 10 times as fast as you can and it will work fine, then go right back to not working right.

If you are getting air in the system with no visible leaks get under the dash and pull back the carpet\flooring under the pedals. If you find fluid it's the rear seal of the clutch master.
The master runs in the $50 range at my local napa, so it's not rediculously expensive and should be changed first.

Next is the slave. It could be going out, but hopefully it's the seal where the line clips in. The seal is too cheap to remember a price on, and any fluid that leaks out would run into the bellhousing and hide. It's a pain to change but I would try it before moving on to the slave cylinder. If you haven't heard the good news already ford decided it would be a great idea to put it inside the bellhousing so you have to remove the tranny and might as well replace the clutch while your in there. If doing the master and line seal don't work it's a 90% chance it's the slave, ten percent the line.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 31, 2017

Spott said:
A worn-down clutch plate will not cause difficulty in getting it into gear. Quite the opposite; a worn clutch will cause difficulty in getting the power to the wheels, as if you kept the pedal pressed a little bit at all times.

Difficulty shifting is caused by a clutch that's not releasing enough. You need to work on the the hydraulic system; master, slave, lines, etc. Maybe there's still air bubbles in there somewhere. If you let air get into the master cylinder, you may have to take it out and bench bleed it to solve the problem.

A worn/warped plate can because it fills the space between the flywheel and pressure plate and keeps the trans spinning all the time.

I assume you are trying this while not moving? Does it do it all the gears?

Spott · Mar 31, 2017

85_Ranger4x4 said:
A worn/warped plate can because it fills the space between the flywheel and pressure plate and keeps the trans spinning all the time.

I assume you are trying this while not moving? Does it do it all the gears?

A worn-down clutch plate is thinner than a new plate, and therefore fills less space.

If you've ever completely destroyed a clutch lining, wearing it entirely away, you would have experienced the fact that the clutch then never engages the transmission again.

As you stated (and which is a completely different case than a worn clutch), an extremely warped clutch plate can keep the transmission engaged. This can happen if it's subjected to a great deal of heat, such as keeping the clutch pedal pressed a little while driving, or frequently trying to accelerate like a race car with a clutch that's really undersized.

85_Ranger4x4 · Mar 31, 2017

Spott said:
As you stated (and which is a completely different case than a worn clutch), an extremely warped clutch plate can keep the transmission engaged. This can happen if it's subjected to a great deal of heat, such as keeping the clutch pedal pressed a little while driving, or frequently trying to accelerate like a race car with a clutch that's really undersized.

Worn clutch is thinner and easier to warp, kind of how thinner brake rotors warp easier than thicker rotors.

Lining also expands when warm (well everything does but it expands more than steel), typically they do it worst after they have been ran awhile.

See it quite a bit in older tractors with dry clutches. :icon_thumby:

Since moving the shifter helps it work I don't think it is the clutch though.

Forces Delta · Apr 6, 2017

85_Ranger4x4 said:
A worn/warped plate can because it fills the space between the flywheel and pressure plate and keeps the trans spinning all the time.

I assume you are trying this while not moving? Does it do it all the gears?

It does this while trying to down shift from 3rd to 2nd too.

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AllanD · Apr 14, 2017

When I bought my Ranger lo these 25 years ago it was because the previous owner thought the trans was going, it was but that was not the immediate issue, the Pilot bearing had failed, which of course required dropping the trans and replacing the clutch...

The factory pilot bearing is a tiny roller bearing that simply cannot live forever...

But when they do fail it starts with creating difficulty shifting

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Issue shifting.

Forces Delta

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lil_Blue_Ford

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Forces Delta

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