Help diagnose specific clutch/trans symptoms in 2006 2.3L

[starquestbd22]

Hello all. I'll keep this quick and to the point if possible. The clutch/trans in my 2006 Ranger 2.3L is doing a few things that I consider abnormal. Was hoping someone more knowledgeable than I could point me in the right direction.

First of all, the clutch feels strong to me. Never noticed any slipping, shuddering, etc. The trans is a tad notchy but I understand that to be normal for these trucks. I haven't had the truck long and do not know it's history. I do have 3 quarts of Red Line D4 ATF ready to be swapped in as soon as I get time.

So two issues. The first and most serious IMO is that the clutch seems to engage and disengage very abruptly about half the time. Sometimes it will be very smooth but sometimes when you are either pressing or releasing the clutch during shifts it's like there is no slippage....like the engagement or disengagement is occurring immediately. When this occurs I can feel one very brief buck throughout the truck. Second, all of the gears are typically fairly smooth and easy to shift into with the exception of second gear. If I let the revs between first and second drop very low, say somewhere between 500 and 1000, it shifts into second just fine. But if I shift into second with higher revs like say 1000 to 1500, it's like I get a little resistance. Not a grind exactly. But I can feel some feedback through the shifter like it is refusing to go into gear but then it will anyway.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!!

 

[adsm08]

The bucking may be a hydraulic issue, or it may be user error. The biggest problem with diag on a manual trans is that you can't ever rule out user error. I've been driving stick since before I was old enough to drive, and I still buck the clutch on shifts sometimes. 50/50 sounds high for you to be making a mistake though. The truck is almost 10 years old though, it may be time for new hydraulics.

As for the 2nd gear issue, that is somewhat normal as well. It's not entirely right, but it's still kinda normal. Gears engage best when they are turning the same speed, if one is moving faster they grind. The syncro rings are soft, brass, and give a sacrificial surface for the teeth to grind on and get the gears speed matched before the actual speed gears engage to collar. As the syncro wears you will start to notice more difficulty getting it into the affected gear. 2nd is usually the first one to wear out because that is the gear you go through the most. You shift into second almost every time you launch from a stop, but not always 3rd or 4th, and you down shift into 2nd many times when just slowing down like when taking a corner, but you probably don't go back to 1st all the time.

 

[starquestbd22]

Thanks for the quick reply. As I said, it's possible that the trans fluid has never been changed so I'm hoping the fresh fluid will help the second gear issue at least a little bit. It's annoying because due to the rev hang (that I also read to be normal for these trucks) it takes forever for the revs to drop low enough for a smooth shift into second gear. If no one is behind me and I can take my sweet ol' time that's not a problem. But in traffic, if I take the time for a smooth 1st to 2nd shift the car behind me is riding my bumper and about to blow the horn, lol.

As for the abrupt engagement issue...I wish I could describe it better. I'm fairly certain that it isn't driver error because of the frequency and varying circumstances when it occurs. It doesn't cause any shuddering or lunging or anything like that. It's more like one jolt as the clutch is engaging or releasing and that's it. I too feel like it likely has something to do with the hydraulic clutch either in need of adjustment/bleeding or possibly some portion of it nearing failure. I'm just not knowledgeable enough about the system to pinpoint what it might be.

 

[adsm08]

There is no way to adjust hydraulics. The whole point of hydraulics is that they are self adjusting. No user input needed or possible. If it needs bled then there is a hole in the system somewhere that let the air in, which means something has already failed. The most common failure point is the slave cylinder, which means the trans has to come out.

I usually just buy a whole set and install all the parts together when replacing the slave, it's easier to bleed and then you don't have to worry about the next weakest part failing right away.

 

[starquestbd22]

Thanks again for the info. Makes sense about there being no adjustment.

I have done some searching but not had a lot of look finding a detailed parts list for an entire clutch job. Obviously at minimum the clutch disc, pressure plate, and slave cylinder but what else? Throwout bearing? Pilot bearing? Resurface of flywheel? Rear main seal? Front trans seal?