Clutch problem - master cylinder, slave, ???

[Fairlaniac]

What to check for? On my ’89 Ranger the other week I started it up but the clutch was grabbing just as I let my foot off the clutch. So I took the bell housing rubber plug off to see if I had a leak but did not see any fluid. The master was still up to level. So I cracked the bleed screw and bled it off and topped off the fluid. It worked great. So now after 4 weeks this morning the same thing except the truck was moving with the clutch pedal in and cranking on the starter. Last October I put a new clutch, t/o bearing and slave in. I didn’t have time to look at anything this morning as I was off to work so I just took my F250 to work. I’ve never had to replace a clutch mater cylinder on any previous vehicle so I’m not sure what to look for. I’m wondering if it’s the master as the slave is fairly new and no leaks are shown. Any ideas?

Thanks,

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I had a problem similar to you in my b-II. It ended up the bolt flange on my master was broken, every time you depressed the clutch the master would move at least 1/2" before the clutch disengaged. This is probably NOT your problem because your problem went away after bleeding but shows sometimes you have to look at the unobvious. In my case having a second person would have helped immensely.
Anyways, good luck,

Richard

 

[Fairlaniac]

Re-bleed

I re-bled the system and it's working ok, now. I did lose fluid this time but cannot find any leaks. I'll have to assume at this point if I see no external leaks it must be leaking in the bell housing and it's just very evenly distributed to the point it really shows no leak. Can anyone talk me out of this? I guess I'll have to drop the tranny :-(

 

[adsm08]

its the slave. It's almost always the slave. When it's the master you know because usually, fluid comes shooting into the cab by the clutch pedal.

 

[Fairlaniac]

???

its the slave. It's almost always the slave. When it's the master you know because usually, fluid comes shooting into the cab by the clutch pedal.

Not much use out of a 9 month old slave and @5000 miles. I'd be better off trying a Dorman for @ $80 that the Wagner I got for $119. Probably more Chinese junk if I look!

 

[ElleShooTiger]

I got a brand new slave at the dealer for my 98, Made in USA! The original slave, and others I've seen at the junkyards, were made in France.

What brand did you buy? Where was it made? It should be molded into the plastic base.

 

[wakingtowinter]

Napa's clutch parts are made by Perfection Clutch. They're nice products, and they have good tech support too. They have some extremely helpful instructional videos on their website. The slave I got recently has a metal housing rather than a plastic housing that most of them have. It was about $75, and it also comes with the O-ring, disconnect tool and replacement plastic sleeve for the line.