Clutch Issue

[JFortner5]

Well actually I'm sure its a hydraulic problem. I have noticed a little inconsistency in my clutch pedal. It has been pretty good but I have been driving the truck everyday. Well I haven't driven the truck since Friday and I just hopped in it to go to the store. The first half of the pedal travel has no resistance, like when I push it in. It just feels like its dangling from the mount under the dash. About halfway down it has resistance again. It felt so weird I stalled it at the gas station. When I got home and parked I shut the engine off and pumped the pedal about 20 times and it came back to normal.

Now I have noticed that it is a little bit hard sometimes to get it into 2nd and 3rd gear. Nothing major, I believe it might have something to do with this though. Does this sound like a leak in the system? Or is it possibly the slave cylinder going bad? The clutch never feels 100%, it always has seemed a little off to me. It doesn't slip or anything though.

Thanks,
Joey

 

[adsm08]

Sounds like a slave to me. Try bleeding it out and don't stop until you have pretty clean and clear fluid coming out. If it stiffens up and then looses it again, you need a new slave.

 

[JFortner5]

Are they expensive if that's what I need? I'm gonna try bleeding it. It feels good after I pumped it all those times but I know that's just a temporary solution.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[srteach]

Obviously it is the clutch. Bleed the slave, but if it doesn't help, think clutch master.
The question is whether it is the master or the slave. In my ranger, where the pedal was acting the same, a slave cylinder didn't cure it. I replaced the clutch master to cure it.

If you decide to get a master cylinder, get one that is pre-filled.

 

[pcollins]

Pull the inspection plug on your trans. Brake fluid in there?

 

[JFortner5]

I will check that as soon as it dries up. Its been raining for the past 3 days here from Lee and its still drizzling today.

Hey thank you all for the replies. I've always heard the Ranger clutch hydraulics were kind of a PITA, but I never had to deal with it with my other trucks.

 

[Hawk1339]

Clutch bleeding:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgNTDGwcjZc

 

[pcollins]

It's probably one of the worst designs ford could have done. I think theres what, 13 revisions on the slave now? I miss the 80's trucks like the one my stepdad had. Inline 4.9L 6 cylinder, 4 speed trans and a MECHANICAL clutch. No cables, no hydraulics. Just a few linkages.

 

[Rembrandt]

I have the same problem on mine. I tried bleeding the system and get almost nothing out of it. So I'm just gonna change the slave, clutch master and lines this week. Gonna prob change the clutch and some seals on the tranny while I'm at it. The clutch master and lines are all stock on mine so it could use it and my slave and clutch have at least 40k on em so I figured it wouldn't hurt to do