Awww... crap!

[CopyKat]

I welded the crack on mine. Still holding strong. The bronco hasn't had it happen yet.

I remember seeing Will's fix, about the best one I have seen.

 

[sbsumerix]

Is anyone still wondering why?


AD
AD

yes why?

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

It's good to know the firewall cracks right there. I will have to look closer at my 85. Thx.

 

[7.5L_STX]

mine cracked on my old 91, it was to the point that it flexed so much that when i pushed in the clutch it would hit the firewall before the end of its stroke and it wouldnt start. i pushed it in from the engine side and welded it.

 

[Mark_88]

I cut the end off a bicycle wrench and drilled/bolted it to the good metal that was left lower on the floor...but even the reinforcement place was rusted on mine...so it was both drafty and smokey when the engine started spewing and burning oil...

 

[CopyKat]

mine cracked on my old 91, it was to the point that it flexed so much that when i pushed in the clutch it would hit the firewall before the end of its stroke and it wouldnt start. i pushed it in from the engine side and welded it.

You know what is funny is that Will's old ranger was a 90 i believe, and my ranger was a 91 that it happened to. Wonder if they used a thinner gauge steel at the time. I fixed it the same way you did.

 

[Will]

Mine was a '91 which furthersupports your theory, Joel. My '89 has no problems--though it's only had a clutch pedal for 5 or 6 years.

 

[7.5L_STX]

my '89 never has had a problem either, and it has more miles than my old 91

 

[Jspafford]

Knock on wood... My 89 B2 is still holding fine.

 

[Will]

Maybe they had a run of poorly coated steel go through about the time these trucks were built.

 

[CopyKat]

Maybe they had a run of poorly coated steel go through about the time these trucks were built.

I don't remember much rust on mine it was just a tear in the steel.

I remember there being a service repair plate offered by Ford for this. Like what Allan was talking about.

 

[Red Ranger]

Reading through this thread has gotten me wondering. Can I expect to see this firewall cracking on my 2000 regular cab? Never goes off road, just basic transportation to and from work or around town. I currently have 143,000 miles on it. Where should I be looking for the cracks?

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

looked at mine this afternoon. Not even a hairline crack anyplace. This must jus be inherent to your 90+'s

 

[7.5L_STX]

yah, ive only saw it on 2nd gens. and there was no rust on mine either, just a perfect tear.

 

[AllanD]

yes why?

the complete quote is:

Please note on a 1995-up the Clutch master mounts to the pedal
bracket, NOT the firewall.

Is anyone still wondering why?

AD

if the Clutch master cylinder is not mounted TO the sheet metal the sheet metal isn't stressed.

the 1995-up master cylinders mount to the pedal support bracket
the bracket is mounted to the dash, firewall & cowl in an interlocking
support structure.

The master cylinder passes through a grommet in the firewall that
only serves to keep the weather out.

The firewall on the 1995-up RBV's isn't stressed in an isolated spot, so it doesn't crack.

Gen1's, Gen2's and early Gen3's do.

Whoever designed that specific area of the original rangers
should have their engineering degree shoved halfway up
their a$$ and the half not inside them should be set on fire
and be allowed to burn out.

If the reinforcement was on the INSIDE of the firewall the
firewall wouldn't crack.

Funny I have no degree, but when I design and build something
it doesn't break.

Engineers are always looking for the lighter, minimum material (cheaper)
solution, in this case the royal f-up was simply putting the material
they did use in the WRONG place.

They could have skipped the reinforcement entirely and the
resulting structure would be NEARLY as good as it is.

Hell, a fender washer on the inside held on with a nut would
prevent the damned thing from breaking

Something I strongly recommend for everyone who still has
an unbroken firewall.
There is more than enough extra bolt sticking through the firewall
to put a washer and a nut on the bolts that hold the clutch master
cylinder to the firewall.

what would be a step better would be to use a 1994-94 Master cylinder mounting cup as a template for the holes and use a piece of 1/8" thick
steel on the INSIDE of the firewall, even if only held in place with nuts
on the slave cylinder mounting bolts.

Then there's the overkill solution that I outlined above.
Sandwich the firewall in two pieces of steel spanning past
the entire area.

Though admittedly this would work better on an unbroken
firewall the level of the reinforcement makes the presence
of the original firewall less than relevant.

My original post wasn't about looking for suggestions.
I don't have an engineering degree, but when it comes to mechanical engineering, I can do excellent and even elegant all by myself.

this topic is less abut solutions
Mainly I wanted to make everyone aware of a serious problem
that COULD be lurking only a few inches from their left foot
waiting to bite them on the ass some fine morning....

so everyone with a 1982-1/2 to 1994 RBV
put a floor mat on the ground, get down on
your knees and take a good long look up under your dashboard.

you may find nothing... but then again...

"Out of sight" is "out of mind"
but in this case the map has one of those old labels that
says "Here there be Dragons!"

AD