93 ranger slave or master cylinder?

[benjamin96]

I've looked online to figure if it’s my slave cylinder or master cylinder going out. The symptoms seem to be the exact same. But I'm not replacing both. I'm taking it to the shop to get worked on, since the slave cylinder is inside the bell housing and it could get pricey.

When I start the engine in 1st gear, the ranger lurches forwards heavily and dies. The pedal sometimes has no pressure at all so I have to pump it. The shifter wont lock into gear half the time unless I pump the clutch for 5-10 seconds. If the engine is on, it will grind if I try shifting into reverse, which means more clutch-pumping. It takes a tremendous amount of force to push into 1st or 2nd gear if I don’t pump it and still quite a bit of force for 3rd and 4th gear. At a complete stop, pushing the clutch to the floor will not disengage it, so it creeps forward or begins shuddering and bogging down.

Is this the master cylinder or the slave cylinder? I know they're both hydraulic parts: slave in the bell housing (so I can’t bleed it), master under the reservoir. The fluid level has remained constant for the last week, so it isn’t a leak.

This morning is -10 degrees and after starting the engine and pumping the clutch for about 3-4 minutes, it still wouldn't accept the shifter into place. I don't know if I can go anywhere today. The cold weather didnt seem to make much difference but in this cold of weather, does it?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

You can't have the symptoms you describe and NOT have fluid go missing from the master. You will have to find signs of where the fluid is going. Way back I mistook the rubber gasket under the cap as part of the master cylinder body because it was sucked down so tight. I put fluid in and there was no change in operation and I was baffled until I took a real close look. Maybe that is the same problem you're experiencing? Any how, signs of a master leaking are some or all of the following;
wet rug
signs of fluid where rod enters master
sign of a slave leaking is;
wet or gummy black residue inside the bell housing....the clutch dust will absorb the fluid making a black paste, but a leaking rear seal can do the same. There is a difference in smell tho.
Last time I priced a clutch job it was about $350 labor not including parts.
Good luck,

Richard

 

[benjamin96]

I'll take a closer look when it's not so cold out. My clutch fluid was always touching rubber cone just beneath the cap. After this problem started, i filled it up about another half inch just to make sure. Is it possible that the hydraulics have become worn out? The thing is 21 years old, 110xxx miles. Isn't it normal for a cylinder to become worn out after 90-120k miles? I'll look for wet lines around the master cylinder tomorrow though. I have noticed some occasional burning smells, doesn't smell like oil. My vents are always open.

 

[hank857]

yes probably a bad master, by passing internally so not showing loss. These are made out of plastic so they do wear. Only problem I found is if you do 1 the other will fail shortly after! Yes the slave is a PIA because of location.

 

[Mac]

Very common if the internal seals are shot and bypassing fluid. The cases are plastic but in most cases have a steel sleeve installed. Just had my '98' master apart.
Dave

 

[huh?]

slave in the bell housing (so I can’t bleed it),

not quite so. here's a couple of thread i got from a site search using "bleeding clutch 1993".


http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126467


http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109076

This morning is -10 degrees

ouch.... that's way below "painful degrees F(or C, for that matter)" for me. but the mechanism to bleed is under there.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

My bad....internal bypassing could be a possibility.

Richard

 

[kimcrwbr1]

How old is your clutch? You can try changing the master but you still need to bleed the slave. The best way is to disconnect the line from the slave and then bench bleed the master and clutch line and then install it and bleed the slave. There is a good video on how to properly bench bleed the master and line I will try and find the link.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgNTDGwcjZc
That was easy if you change the master be sure and include this step.