No clutch release after replacing disc

[jmabarone]

Hey guys, I need some help. I can't TL;DR this one, so sorry from the get go. Yes, I have read the thread about bleeding and tried the method by Perfection Clutch and the hose over the bleeder to the reservoir. I cross posted, so please excuse if I repeat myself.


Here is where my truck stands: in the carport in my wife's spot on jack stands. She's not pleased with my lack of progress and is saying bad words like "take it to a mechanic"...

Truck has ~250k miles. Spring in clutch disc broke. No damage to flywheel or pressure plate. Replaced the disc and the slave cylinder since I had the transmission down. I bled the clutch using the "hose from the bleeder to the M/C reservoir" method because there are several loops and high spots in the Ranger system. Pedal would go to the floor except for the last ~1" of travel and clutch would not release.

Next, I pulled the M/C and bench bled it and had a firm pedal prior to hooking it up to the slave cylinder. I bled the system again using the above method. No change to travel and clutch engagement. I also tried gravity bleeding after a good bench bleed on the M/C and it made no difference. I had my wife work the pedal so I could try manually bleeding and it also made no difference.

Next, I pulled the transmission to check 2 things. I thought I might have put the clutch disc on backwards. Checked that and it was installed correctly. Then, I put the old slave cylinder back on because it was working and I thought I may have just gotten a bad part. When I put it back together, I bench bled the M/C again and had a good firm pedal before connecting to the slave cylinder. Again, exact same issues.

So tell me what I am missing... I would rather not just throw a new M/C at it but that's the only other thing I have to yet to replace. As a last resort, I am going to try to manually bleed it again to see if that makes a difference but I really don't expect any different results.

Thanks in advance!

 

[adsm08]

Did you install a new pressure plate, or did you reuse the old one?

 

[jmabarone]

Reused old pressure plate. Might be 2 years old.

 

[RonD]

If it was a SAC(self adjusting) pressure plate then you will need to go back in and reset it or replace it

Regular pressure plate looks like this: https://content.speedwaymotors.com/ProductImages/91015637_L_0b6f91cd-8c82-478f-8322-54c9bdd2c797.jpg

SAC pressure plate looks like this: https://cdn.nexternal.com/uuc/images/CLUTCH_LUK_SAC.jpg

SAC has coil springs around the release forks, these springs need to be reset if you put in a new(thicker) clutch disc
The SAC pressure plate moves closer to flywheel as clutch disc wears down, so clutch pedal engage/disengage stays at the same place in pedal travel

With regular pressure plate a new clutch disc won't disengage until pedal is at the floor, then as disc wears out disc disegages higher and higher in pedal travel

 

[jmabarone]

Well, I guess this will be cheaper than buying a new master cylinder.

So should I put the new slave cylinder back in when I pull the transmission? I already have it but the other one was functioning correctly.

 

[adsm08]

Well, I guess this will be cheaper than buying a new master cylinder.

So should I put the new slave cylinder back in when I pull the transmission? I already have it but the other one was functioning correctly.

The slave choice is up to you. If the old slave was more than a few years old I'd replace it. If it was installed at the same time as the pressure plate it is probably safe to reuse it.

Resetting the pressure plate is not hard, it just needs to be placed in a press and have the fingers pressed down until it resets.

 

[RonD]

Do you remember if you have a Regular or SAC pressure plate?

Rangers came with both types and people often replaced them with either type, regular being cheaper so more common choice, lol

If its a regular pressure plate then no need to pull trans again, unless it is a slave issue