clutch went out then started working again

[00RangerShavedAndDropped]

hey everyone thanks for help in advance i have a 98 ranger 2.5 with a 5 speed today the clutch went out acted like slave cylinder was bad if i tried to start it it would move forward a little then stall. after trying to rev it up and drop it in gear it went in and the clutch started working fine again drove it all the way home with no problems. really dont want this thing to go out on me i replaced the slave cylinder like 3 years ago could it be going bad again i just dont understand why it didnt work then started working again. any help much appreciated really cant have this thing break down.

 

[Eaglefixer]

Check the Fluid level in the Clutch Master Cylinder. It may be low. If it is then its a sign of a leak somewhere. if it full you may have to bleed the system

 

[00RangerShavedAndDropped]

thanks for the reply how would i go about bleeding this and is this normal or does it seem like something is going bad again thanks again greatly appreciated really dont have money to do clutch and everything rite now and not worth just doing slave or so and not doing rest

 

[Eaglefixer]

did you Check the Fluid level in the Clutch Master Cylinder. If its full then you need to disconnect the line transmission and then using your hand push down on the clutch pedal. It shouldn't have more then about 1/8" to 1/4" play. If its more you to remove the Clutch Master Cylinder and bench bleed and reinstall.

 

[00RangerShavedAndDropped]

yeah it still was pretty full now u mean disconnect the line where it goes to the slave cylinder?

 

[Eaglefixer]

yes, Just use your hand with light pressure to push on the pedal

 

[00RangerShavedAndDropped]

hey man just did it but when i took the line off fluid went everywhere and when i pressed the peddle it just poured the fluid all out could this be a bad master cylinder? thanks again

 

[rrbrian222]

At the very least you may have a bad quick-disconnect fitting on your clutch line (the brass fitting that clicks into the slave cylinder). It shouldn't leak fluid after its disconnected, and should allow you to test the play in the master cylinder without fluid loss. Is it that where it leaked during your peddle test? If you end up replacing that line, go ahead and get a new master cylinder while you're at it. Then you can do a proper bench bleed of your system (watch the now infamous youtube video from Perfection Clutch).

 

[00RangerShavedAndDropped]

so is it possible that when that blew thats what made my clutch went outwhen the seal on the inside of the connector blew?

 

[Eaglefixer]

go ahead and refill reservoir with Dot 3 brake fluid and see if the line still leaks. The ball in the end of Quick disconnect might just be cocked.

 

[rrbrian222]

so is it possible that when that blew thats what made my clutch went outwhen the seal on the inside of the connector blew?

Probably not, but you need the line not to leak in order to bleed the hydraulic fluid properly out of the master cylinder. Because the line did leak when you removed it, you won't be able to decisively conclude whether or not your master was the source of the problem. The best case scenario would be to fix or replace the line, bleed the master until you get it to 1/8" play, and then reconnect it, bleed the slave, and then drive it to see how it behaves. Hopefully that fixes your problem and allows you to avoid the hassle of removing the transmission.