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Clutch pedal soft, then grabs, then hard and won't go into gear


silphium

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Sep 3, 2015
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Vehicle Year
1996
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
1996 Ranger XLT, 4-cyl. manual trans with 130K. This happened today:

1. Drove normally 45 minutes.
2. Clutch pedal started feeling soft but worked OK for the next ~15 minutes.
3. Then from a light, the clutch 'grabbed" at the top, spinning the tires. It did this in 2nd and 3rd gears as well.
4. I pulled over and out of gear. The clutch pedal was stuck halfway down. Wouldn't go into any gear.
5. After ~30 minutes, I drove it away normally.

Third time this has happened, but first for me.

Thoughts?
 


Andy D

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The Rat
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My credo
to prevent Found On the Road Dead, Fix Or Repair Daily
Check the fluid level. Top it off. Only other hydro clutch I dealt with was in a '71 Datsun pick up. Maybe 3 times in the 6 yrs I drove it, the clutch release went away. Bleeding it would "fix" it. If the level is low, add, It may be a leak. Or it is more likely something is sucking in air. Bleed it again. If that doesn't do it, then replace the clutch set all the way to the pedal arm. Hows the clutch plate, in toward rear main seal? When you replace the MC, do the hose and slave too. I bought the Rat expecting to drop the trans, unbolt the pressure plate and slap in a new disc. Silly me. What was working fine but for a worn out disc, crumbled in my hands. OTOH, all those new parts work pretty well together. Wait until you get into the brakes :D

PS: Before you put in the hydraulic stuff, connect the hose to the MC and add fluid. The slave end has a check valve that opens when attached to the slave. Just like an air hose. Set up a gravity bleed. Hold the valve open with a little screw driver or something to let the air out. Between the instructions that come with the parts and the interweb, I had no trouble with a floppy pedal. I'm not a gifted wrench by any means, So just about anybody smart enough to own a Ranger shouldn't have any trouble. :D
 
Last edited:

silphium

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1996
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Ford
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Manual
Thanks. Hoped for better news. Trusted mechanic quoted $750 to replace failing slave and cracked master cylinder. Plus he'd put in a new clutch for the cost pf parts and $50 to resurface the flywheel.

Maybe time for a new truck, let a shade tree mech have this one.. Body is kinda rough but rust-free and engine, tranny, AC are solid. Just don't feel like putting $1200 into it.
 
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