Brake/Clutch Pedal Assembly loose

[swampchomp15]

Hello all, new forum member here looking for some help...

I noticed when pressing the clutch down on my 2006 Ranger that the clutch pedal occasionally would make contact with part of the pedal assembly. Upon further inspection, I found that there was a little bit of lateral play in the clutch/brake pedals and it would make contact whenever it was pushed a little too far to the left. It's very difficult to get eyes on the actual parts (nuts, bolts, rods, etc.) because it's in a tight spot, but I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this issue and if there's any way the assembly can be tightened to prevent the lateral movement without replacing the entire pedal assembly for $150+.

Part I'm looking at: http://www.1aauto.com/1995-11-ford-ranger-clutch-and-brake-pedal-assembly-ford-6l5z2455bb/i/fdclp00003?f=948881&y=1996&utm_campaign=gb_csv_br&utm_content=CLP&gclid=CKzxgMKMncgCFZWMaQodIxAEBg

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

 

[trail B2]

You need to climb on your back under the steering wheel with a flash light wiggle the pedals.Then you can tell if the bolts are loose the bushings on the shaft are worn or the shaft keeper is letting the shaft slide to far.

 

[swampchomp15]

Thanks for the response B2!

That's kind of where I'm at, figuring out which one of those things is the issue. I've crawled under there with a flashlight (quite a comfortable position) and wiggled it a bit, but I don't really have enough mechanical knowledge to really understand what I'm looking at and some angles are really just difficult to see anyway.

From what I can see, I don't think it's the bushings on the shaft. The bolt is a little loose, but I'm wondering if that's because the shaft keeper(thanks, I didn't know what that was called) isn''t keeping things tight enough. Is the shaft keeper a part I can replace without getting a whole new assembly? Also, would you happen to know how to replace it?

 

[Mark_88]

For a better view of this, removing the knee panel and metal back plate isn't that hard...I have mine off currently and I can see most of what is going on under there...still tight but it is a bit better visually...

 

[trail B2]

Good idea on the panel take some time to figure what you got.I've replaced pedals on a couple {converting to manual from auto}it's no walk in the park last resort.

 

[Spott]

Working on pedals, I like to take the drivers' seat out for extra working room.

 

[huh?]

... the clutch pedal occasionally would make contact with part of the pedal assembly. Upon further inspection, I found that there was a little bit of lateral play in the clutch/brake pedals and it would make contact whenever it was pushed a little too far to the left.

this description matches exactly how my pedal assembly started acting shortly after transplanting it from a 2007 to my 1997.

as anyone in the "been there done that" club can tell you, r&r of the assembly is quite a bit more than removing 4 nuts, 2 bolts and the 2 plungers for the clutch and brake masters. as an example, i probably removed the shaft keeper on mine during removal to get more room to allow my ratcheting wrench to get 2 clicks instead of just one click for each stroke of the wrench. and that was probably for the more "accessible" nuts.

my hypothesis is that by removing the keeper, which kind of resembles a speed nut(like what a lot of body fasteners use), i stretched it out of its' effective shape so when i replaced it the twisting of the shaft walked it out of its' groove on the end of the shaft(several times).

anywho.... i think your keeper may have dropped off. maybe try looking for it between the firewall and whatever floor covering you have that runs up there. you'll see how it is bent to lock itself into position, you may need to tweak it a little to stay in place. the last time mine fell off it took me a day and a half or so to find it and i was dreading having to buy a circlip to fasten the shaft securely. but what size? i'd probably have to push a finger on the end of the shaft for a minute then pull it out and measure quickly before the impression faded is how the nightmares happen. remember that your vision takes a back seat to your yoga abilities.

might i add to the list of ideas of the above esteemed members: a mirror helps, too.

 

[Mark_88]

Working on pedals, I like to take the drivers' seat out for extra working room.

might i add to the list of ideas of the above esteemed members: a mirror helps, too.

Yes and yes...remove the seat if you have a bucket or split bench and try a mirror...although a mirror might throw you off a bit it will help you see things without ducking under the dash.

When I was doing the 96 to 88 dash swap I actually used my phone camera to take pictures and it helped immensely...it was a bit challenging to get just the right image and just the right amount of light but it gave me a hard copy of something to look at without the contortionist act...

 

[swampchomp15]

Thank you so much, guys. I really appreciate the tips. I took the knee plate off as Mark_88 suggested and it did help me get a better view of the situation. From what I could see yesterday, it appears that there's too much of a gap on side "A" of the following picture:

^^ If you can't see the picture, maybe try this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B49guyHN2ErFLUhyLUlMTkI3V2M/view?usp=sharing

Is this where the keeper should be? Side "B" is the side I really can't get a good look at no matter what shape I twist my body into. Is there anything on that side that I should look at?

The lateral movement of the pedals really isn't that severe, it's juuuust enough to occasionally make the clutch pedal hit the bracket if I don't push it toward the right with my foot. I'm thinking Huh?'s suggestion about the keeper may be what I should look at first before giving up and replacing the whole thing. After seeing where all the bolts are and reading about your experiences, that's the last thing I want to do. If you guys could tell me exactly where that keeper is supposed to be, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[huh?]

absolutely do NOT go buying a new assembly. for the simple reason that to put in a new assembly you need to remove the existing one, and if you remove the existing assembly you can take it down to a parts place and find a clip that'll lock it together for less than a couple bucks. add $10 for a new bushing and you have basically a new $150 assembly for less than $15, not counting the worn out spot on the rubber where you're not supposed to be resting your foot while driving.

 

[swampchomp15]

I think I'm going to buy a hitch pin to slide over the gap on the rod and tighten things up. I'll let you guys know if it works. Thanks for the help!

 

[huh?]

while you're up under there try a last search for the original piece it may be stuck up there on the bottom of the assembly or something else.

it looks like a speed nut, a body bolt that's basically a rectangular piece of metal that's bent into a "U" shape. on one of the flats is a keyhole and the other flat is configured to lock over the end of the shaft when pushed into place.

 

[swampchomp15]

I'll be sure to take a second look. I didn't find it the first time, but I didn't look too hard because it's a used truck that I bought last week and the clip was probably lost a while back. There are several "cosmetic" screws that I've noticed are gone while working on the truck that indicate the previous owner was pretty careless, so I probably won't spend too much time looking.

Anyone know where to find a replacement for that part or, better yet, the part #?

Also, if I happen to find the piece, how exactly does it go back on? Do you have to take the assembly apart or does it just clip back on?

 

[swampchomp15]

Ok, it's decided.

The retainer clip is, in fact, the piece that's missing and the only good way to fix it is to find a replacement. Anybody know where I can get one of these?

 

[huh?]

i see the bushing all over the web, from $4 to $25. the local oreilly's even has one in stock. but i'm thinking it'll be a junkyard adventure for the clip.

perhaps another member will chime in with their solution or idea.(not implying that your idea is inadequate.)