Clutch pedal sticking, weird symptoms

[Jamescapo]

So I have a 2004 Ranger 2.3 with what I believe a Mazda 5 speed. Issue is that the clutch acts fine for a bit, then will hang up when you go to release it. It will hang halfway up the travel and pulling it up all the way with your foot will not help. If you pull it up and wait a second, there is a pop from the clutch and it dumps back into the released position. If you try to push it down when it hangs, it feels like a brake pedal with a bad booster. It will not resolve until you let it sit for a second while the “pressure” bleeds off and releases the clutch. Other than this issue, it works perfectly. Smooth shifting into gear and smooth take off, until it sticks.

It seems to me that the clutch line is acting like a bad brake hose. Posing as a check valve and not letting pressure bleed back off the slave. It will bleed off slowly and then pop the clutch. Doesn’t seem to be a sticky slave to me. Pedal also does not feel loose or like it’s binding on the pedal assembly. It feels like a hydraulic stop. Spongy at the very top and will not move. Please let me know what you think.

 

[Uncle Gump]

You have a 50/50 chance it's a hose.

But what you describe sounds more like a slave to me.

Hose would slowly bleed to the top... slave would more likely pop and release.

How many miles... original clutch?

 

[Jamescapo]

You have a 50/50 chance it's a hose.

But what you describe sounds more like a slave to me.

Hose would slowly bleed to the top... slave would more likely pop and release.

How many miles... original clutch?

As far as I know it’s original. 123k miles. I would think that if the slave was stuck out, the pedal would go loose because the master releases pressure but the slave is still out. That means there is a cavity to fill and makes it fall free to the floor. A stuck line would keep pressure on the Master and not let it release. Once the pressure falls below the amount needed to hold the slave, the slave pops off the clutch. I could be wrong but that is my thought.