Bad Flywheel and messed up bolts

[Twizzler09]

So I went to install a new clutch in my Ranger yesterday, and as I've come to expect from this thing, it fought me every step of the way. Went to drop the exhaust out of the way and the bolts that connect the Y-pipe to the manifolds wouldn't move on the passenger side. Just to get the pipe down I ended up having to cut the bolts with a torch, but now I'm left with a problem. How the heck do I get remaining bit of bolt out of the flange?

Earlier today I got back to working on it, and I found what looks like cracks on the flywheel surface. Think these are too bad for a resurface? Or am I stuck buying a new flywheel? When I run my finger over them, it doesn't feel like they go down far enough to matter, but I'm no expert on these things.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I would have put the torch to the manifold where the bolts go through. Heat it up good and hot then back the bolts out. Cutting them off only makes for more work. A grinder with a zip disk will whack the slagged ends off the bolts on the flange on the Y pipe. You'll have to either try to heat up the manifold ears with a torch an twist out the remaining bolt from the manifold with vice grips or try to drill it out.

As for the flywheel, it may or may not be machinable. Your best bet would be to take it to a local machine shop that turns flywheels and ask them if they think it can be turned or if it's junk. There are tolerences for what can be machined and what cannot, a machine shop should be able to tell you if they know what they are doing.

 

[Ryannn]

I would have put the torch to the manifold where the bolts go through. Heat it up good and hot then back the bolts out. Cutting them off only makes for more work. A grinder with a zip disk will whack the slagged ends off the bolts on the flange on the Y pipe. You'll have to either try to heat up the manifold ears with a torch an twist out the remaining bolt from the manifold with vice grips or try to drill it out.

As for the flywheel, it may or may not be machinable. Your best bet would be to take it to a local machine shop that turns flywheels and ask them if they think it can be turned or if it's junk. There are tolerences for what can be machined and what cannot, a machine shop should be able to tell you if they know what they are doing.

x2

 

[Twizzler09]

I would have put the torch to the manifold where the bolts go through. Heat it up good and hot then back the bolts out. Cutting them off only makes for more work. A grinder with a zip disk will whack the slagged ends off the bolts on the flange on the Y pipe. You'll have to either try to heat up the manifold ears with a torch an twist out the remaining bolt from the manifold with vice grips or try to drill it out.

As for the flywheel, it may or may not be machinable. Your best bet would be to take it to a local machine shop that turns flywheels and ask them if they think it can be turned or if it's junk. There are tolerences for what can be machined and what cannot, a machine shop should be able to tell you if they know what they are doing.

I actually did try heating the manifold flange first, but they wouldn't move. After a solid ten minutes under the torch, they still wouldn't budge. Ended up getting low on oxygen and decided to use what was left to cut the bolts (ended up running out of oxygen right as I got the 2nd bolt cut) or I wasn't going to get a dang thing done.

I've already tried to drill the remaining bits of bolt out of the manifold with no luck, broke one bit and the second one barely touched it after quite some time. Hardly even a dimple lol So it looks like I'll have to try twisting it out with vice grips and the torch....as soon as I get the O2 refilled.

 

[wayfast73]

The passenger side is pretty easy to get to, I would pull the manifold from the head and put it in a vice. My threads on both sides on mine were junk so I ended up Just putting some 3/8 bolts in with washers on both sides.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Now that you have torched the bolts you will be lucky to drill them out.....they are nice and hardened now.

 

[jarfly]

The passenger side is pretty easy to get to, I would pull the manifold from the head and put it in a vice. My threads on both sides on mine were junk so I ended up Just putting some 3/8 bolts in with washers on both sides.

This, I think ever truck I have owned I have done this. Pass side is a breez on a 3.0, driver side will make you go crazy burn the truck kill your dog, and cuss some. lol I ended up have to weld a old wrench to a nut and start it and let it foul it self on the manifold.

 

[Twizzler09]

Well as it turns out, the old flywheel is complete junk. Got it out into good light and there is a couple cracks that go pretty deep, found a brand new one for $56 at O'Reilly's so I think thats my best option. Got the manifold off the 4.0 without too much of a problem, welded a couple nuts onto the ends of the bolts, and as soon as I get the oxygen tank refilled I'll heat up the flange and twist em out.

thanks for the input everyone, much appreciated

 

[Twizzler09]

Well, just about done with this beasty now. The old bolts on the one side I obviously couldn't re-use.... have to order new ones through ford. Seems nobody ever stocks the bolts I really need so I'm making do with a couple bolts that technically fit, but dont quite snug things up right. Run out of thread before its completely snug, so it leaks on one side.

One thing I'm curious about, is the way the new clutch feels. The clutch pedal used to take an enormous amount of effort to move (compared to alot of other hydraulic clutches I've driven) and now it feels quite easy. I wouldn't call it soft, doesn't have that "air in the line" feel to it, but the herculean effort needed before would simply find my foot buried in the floor board. Also, the new clutch starts grabbing the very moment I start to let up on the clutch pedal. Is all of this normal? I got so used to the old one, so I could just have to re-adjust for this new one, but figured I'd ask about all this anyway.

 

[Ranger Dave (B25)]

One thing I'm curious about, is the way the new clutch feels. The clutch pedal used to take an enormous amount of effort to move (compared to alot of other hydraulic clutches I've driven) and now it feels quite easy. I wouldn't call it soft, doesn't have that "air in the line" feel to it, but the herculean effort needed before would simply find my foot buried in the floor board. Also, the new clutch starts grabbing the very moment I start to let up on the clutch pedal. Is all of this normal? I got so used to the old one, so I could just have to re-adjust for this new one, but figured I'd ask about all this anyway.

Hydraulic clutches don't really have an 'adjustment' to them, or not the ones I've ever worked with anyway. Did you replace (or just bleed) the slave cylinder and/or throw-out bearing? Those could be the issue, or possibly the pressure plate from the old one could have bound/broken parts.

 

[Twizzler09]

The only bearing that was replaced was the little one that the flywheel sits on, the slave cylinder thats currently in the truck only has about 9k miles on it so I figured it'd be safe to let it sit. The old pressure plate doesn't "appear" to be damaged in any way, but other people that have driven my truck have told me that my old clutch seemed to require way too much effort to move, so I suspect that the old pressure plate was faulty in some way.

I think the clutch grabbing right away must have been a little bit of air that I didn't get out, I've driven it a little bit today and the more times I press the pedal, the better it feels.