Clutch play - 2008 Ford Ranger

[shelbyhudgens]

Hello all,

I have a 2008 Ranger, 2.3L. Recently the clutch pedal would make a squeaking noise when depressing, so I sprayed a little WD-40 on the shaft than goes down when you press the pedal. After that, I noticed that I have at least an inch, maybe more of clutch pedal play. Any ideas? I took it to the dealership and in true worthless dealership fashion said that this is normal, but I know it isn't. Any help greatly appreciated. Is the pedal adjustable?

sh

 

[Sunk]

The clutch system is hydraulic so there isn't any adjustment in it. The squeaking is likely the bushing on the pivot for the pedal. My started doing this when the little plastic bushing in there got so worn it fell out.

As far as the play in the pedal, have you noticed any different with the function of the clutch? Such as it not disengaging all the way, etc....

 

[shelbyhudgens]

No real change in clutch performance. Just the sheer annoyance of having to push the pedal down a couple inches before anything happens.

sh

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

You should be pushing it to the floor anyway....

 

[shelbyhudgens]

I'm sorry, that doesn't make any sense. Let me start over. This topic doesn't hover around whether I push the pedal all the way to the floor. No. My inquiry was related to why the first two inches of pedal movement meet with no resistance. I have 2" of clutch pedal play, and I would like to know why.

sh

 

[souldoubt88]

yeah my ranger does that too shelby, but it didnt use to. i recently had my clutch run completely out of DOT3, had to bleed it. Still there was no resistance for about 2", so i brought it to a shop and they said there is a leak in my slave.

 

[shelbyhudgens]

Update:

Ford dealership decided to get a brain. Under warranty, ordered new slave and push rod. Apparently they decided that 2+" of clutch pedal play wasn't normal. First Ranger purchased in 1995. Traded in last year on this one, with nearly 230,000 trouble-free miles on the odometer. 13 years later my new 2008 model is in the shop with a fairly major issue with only 8,000 miles on it. Do we wonder why Ford, GM, and Chrysler need a government bailout?

sh

 

[thegoat4]

Shelby, improve your tone if you want people to remain helpful.

The reason you have two inches of free travel in the pedal is because the master cylinder has a port on the side that leads up to the reservoir, allowing fluid to enter and exit the cylinder as needed. This is what gives you the "automatic adjustment" feature with hydraulic clutch linkages. The first bit of travel (2" at the pedal is normal) when you press the pedal is what it takes for the piston to move far enough to seal that port off and begin to build pressure in the cylinder. ALL clutches have some amount of free travel in the linkage for a whole variety of reasons, and two inches is pretty much the norm in road vehicles.

Your truck is not broken. Your Ford dealership is probably doing what our shop does with fussy customers--throw on some cheap parts they know warranty will pay for just for the placebo effect.

 

[kunar]

Shelby, improve your tone if you want people to remain helpful.

The reason you have two inches of free travel in the pedal is because the master cylinder has a port on the side that leads up to the reservoir, allowing fluid to enter and exit the cylinder as needed. This is what gives you the "automatic adjustment" feature with hydraulic clutch linkages. The first bit of travel (2" at the pedal is normal) when you press the pedal is what it takes for the piston to move far enough to seal that port off and begin to build pressure in the cylinder. ALL clutches have some amount of free travel in the linkage for a whole variety of reasons, and two inches is pretty much the norm in road vehicles.

Your truck is not broken. Your Ford dealership is probably doing what our shop does with fussy customers--throw on some cheap parts they know warranty will pay for just for the placebo effect.

+1 on this advice. your clutch should not disengage just by moving the clutch pedal a fraction of an inch. you clutch should disengage somewhere around the midpoint of its travel. 2" from the top is normal. now if your clutch pedal moves 2" without any resistance, and still has to move further to disengage the clutch, thats different. if you pedal moves with no resistance, it sounds like there may be air in the system. and for the record, you should be using the entire travel of the pedal when you are using the clutch. being lazy and trying to move your foot as little as possible will only cause clutch or transmission problems. not saying thats what you are doing, just a friendly warning.

 

[shelbyhudgens]

It would seem that my ability to construct a clear thought has gone the way of the Newton. Let me begin again. I have owned several trucks with manual transmissions, so either my several trucks have had uniquely strange clutch pedals, or you don't understand what I am saying.

2+" of clutch play isn't normal. Just to be clear, I am defining clutch play as absolutely no resistance for the first 2+", to the point where the clutch pedal will no longer hold itself up. While at rest, the pedal is over two inches lower than it was the day I drove the truck off the lot. This is not a normal condition. The problem has been identified as a bad slave cylinder.

Sorry for the tone. I appreciate all the help and valuable input.

sh

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

It would seem that my ability to construct a clear thought has gone the way of the Newton. Let me begin again. I have owned several trucks with manual transmissions, so either my several trucks have had uniquely strange clutch pedals, or you don't understand what I am saying.

2+" of clutch play isn't normal. Just to be clear, I am defining clutch play as absolutely no resistance for the first 2+", to the point where the clutch pedal will no longer hold itself up. While at rest, the pedal is over two inches lower than it was the day I drove the truck off the lot. This is not a normal condition. The problem has been identified as a bad slave cylinder.

Sorry for the tone. I appreciate all the help and valuable input.

sh

I'd rethink that. 2" of play CAN be perfectly normal. My truck has a BRAND new slave, master, and clutch, it's perfectly bled using all necessary methods, and still retains 2" of play. Clutch works flawlessly and there is no grinding or forcing the transmission into gear.

Comparing different manual transmissions and their clutches is like comparing apples and oranges, no 2 setups are the same and EVERY one has a different feel. My mom's Subaru engages completely different from my Ranger.

I'm glad they ID'd the problem as the slave cylinder; however, bad hydraulics don't always correspond to the "problem" you're having.

 

[iqcraig]

My 2004 is like this as well. The friction point of the clutch is very high off the floor. People often find my truck hard to drive because of this. This seems to be normal in all the new model rangers.

 

[shelbyhudgens]

Thanks guys.

Normally I would agree -- however, this is a fairly recent development and isn't indicative of conditions the day I purchased the vehicle. It's like the rod that connects the pedal to the slave suddenly moved inward 2+" and the slack was never adjusted. Oh, well. It'll be fixed soon.

GLTA

sh

 

[racinranger]

my 08 fx4 has had a noisy pedel/bushing from day one. i work for the dealer and i replaced it with 12 miles on the truck. about 3 days later it made noise again. guess what......im leaving it alone. On the other hand i tested today and i would say i have a CLEAR 2'' of pedal travel in my system. I really dont think there is a problem and i cant find a clear cut answer in any of the manuals as too the spec on pedal free play.

 

[thegoat4]

If the pedal will not hold itself up, you may simply have a broken return spring. The pedal has its own spring aside from the spring of the clutch itself.