Bizarre clutch problem

[Ron_Luning]

I have a 2001 2.3L manual trans with 45K miles.

I purchased the truck 18 months ago, and have put 10K miles on it without a single problem. The clutch has been flawless so far, just like it was last night. This morning I tried it and there was no pressure until the last 1/8 of pedal travel. Needless to say, the truck didn't go anywhere.

Using the procedure in the Chilton repair manual, I tried to diagnose the problem.

-Clutch master cylinder reservoir is filled with fluid (old and nasty, but still there)
-No apparent leaks at any point along the hydraulic lines.
-Pedal moves fine, with the plastic plunger moving freely inside the cab.
-Looking through the rubber covered inspection hole inbetween the trans and the engine, everything looks fine
-I tried to bleed the system using the service manual procedure. With the cap off the reservoir, I put the clear tubing from the end of my MityVac onto the bleeder valve and opened it up. Nothing came out. It says it should bleed by gravity alone, but didn't so I pumped up the vacuum to around 20 in before anything happened. Some kind of white greasy substance came out of the bleeder. It looked like a spitball at first. After that I got a very small amount of black hydraulic fluid. Tried to bleed it with the clutch pedal both up and down. I could only get a little bit of fluid at a time, going all the way up to 25 in. of vacuum. A total of just under an ounce of fluid came out.

-The reservoir remained full the entire time, not a single change in fluid level.

-There is now no pressure felt when pushing on the clutch pedal.



What the f*ck? Even if the slave cylinder somehow went bad overnight (mild temps here in Souther California), wouldn't I still at least be able to bleed fluid through it?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Nhaz]

Hydraulic fluids are generally clear or coloured red/yellow.

I can't remember seeing black hydraulic fluid before. and white greasy hydraulic fluid is water mixed with the hydraulic fluid. which is bad.

I would clean all the crap out of that line and start over.

Its possible its too late and the seals screwed up in the slave cylinder and that could be the black hydraulic fluid you are seeing.

 

[Ron_Luning]

Maybe I wasn't quite using the correct terminology in calling in hydraulic fluid. It is brake fluid (DOT 3) as specified for use in the clutch system. Just like the original brake fluid that is still in my truck it has turned black most likely because it is hygroscopic and has in general turned to crap.

I'm not sure how the slave cylinder is designed, but it seems like fluid should still be able to be drawn through it even if it has somehow failed.

It seems like the location Ford put it in is one of the worst possible from a maintenance perspective. Maybe they thought the clutch plate would wear out before the slave cylinder failed, but if not then you're screwed in having to remove all kinds of crap to replace a simple part.

 

[Ron_Luning]

Well there doesn't seem to be much response to my questions on here, but maybe there is some advice on the cheapest way to move my truck. I plan on taking it to an auto hobby shop (military) but getting there is the problem. The closest one is about a 20 mile (30 minute) drive from my house. Would it be cheaper to have the truck towed there on a flatbed, or to rent a truck and dolly from UHaul?

 

[kcm1582]

Brake fluid shouldn't be that color either. I had a similar problem on my Saturn only with the brakes, lots of pedal travel with little pressure. I ended up replacing most of the system, master and 2 wheel cylinders before they got better.

As for towing it, UHaul should be cheaper than a towing company, but call around and get some prices. Before you do either, read the thread on towing your ranger.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21597

 

[Ron_Luning]

Good info on the towing, I read that you were supposed to remove the driveshaft, but now I know why.

On another note, when shopping around for clutch kits online it seems like I can either get a non-self adjusting or a self adjusting clutch. The self adjusting was called an OEM type and cost quite a bit more.

I'm not too concerned about the added cost as long as there is actually a benefit to the more expensive part. Which kit is better?

 

[kcm1582]

Don't know much about them but I found this and it seems like the self adjusting clutch is a good thing to have. If it was oem then its probably the better replacement given the choice between the two.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1997/August/06.html

Hope it helps

 

[trish]

I have a 2001 2.3L manual trans with 45K miles.

I purchased the truck 18 months ago, and have put 10K miles on it without a single problem. The clutch has been flawless so far, just like it was last night. This morning I tried it and there was no pressure until the last 1/8 of pedal travel. Needless to say, the truck didn't go anywhere.

Using the procedure in the Chilton repair manual, I tried to diagnose the problem.

-Clutch master cylinder reservoir is filled with fluid (old and nasty, but still there)
-No apparent leaks at any point along the hydraulic lines.
-Pedal moves fine, with the plastic plunger moving freely inside the cab.
-Looking through the rubber covered inspection hole inbetween the trans and the engine, everything looks fine
-I tried to bleed the system using the service manual procedure. With the cap off the reservoir, I put the clear tubing from the end of my MityVac onto the bleeder valve and opened it up. Nothing came out. It says it should bleed by gravity alone, but didn't so I pumped up the vacuum to around 20 in before anything happened. Some kind of white greasy substance came out of the bleeder. It looked like a spitball at first. After that I got a very small amount of black hydraulic fluid. Tried to bleed it with the clutch pedal both up and down. I could only get a little bit of fluid at a time, going all the way up to 25 in. of vacuum. A total of just under an ounce of fluid came out.

-The reservoir remained full the entire time, not a single change in fluid level.

-There is now no pressure felt when pushing on the clutch pedal.



What the f*ck? Even if the slave cylinder somehow went bad overnight (mild temps here in Souther California), wouldn't I still at least be able to bleed fluid through it?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Since you already replaced the master and the slave have you checked to see if the slave high pressure rubber line is leaking? Also you do know that there are two bleeding point to the system right?