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Hey all, I've had my 2000 Ranger (2.5L, 2WD, M5OD trans) since March and have had a slow hydraulic clutch leak the whole time that just got a LOT worse today.
Here's the history of what's been going on and what went wrong today:
* Clutch master reservoir fluid level has been dropping slowly since I bought the truck (back in March). I usually just top it off with DOT3 every few days and keep driving.
* The fluid level only seems to drop when I'm doing city driving - that is, shifting a lot. I recently drove a 2000 mile roadtrip and checked the clutch reservoir twice a day - not ONCE did it need topping off during all that highway-only driving. I did notice that after about 70 miles of city driving, it was halfway empty.
* I've let the truck sit without being driven for as long as 2 weeks and have not experienced a drop in clutch fluid. No puddle under the truck, no drop in reservoir level, nada.
* The clutch pedal has been squeaky when depressed and has a bit more travel than other cars (clutch would start to disengage when pedal was a little over halfway to the floor)
* There appears to be some kind of fluid leaking from where the trans bellhousing meets the engine.
* Today, I was about 1 mile from home when I pushed the clutch pedal all the way to the floor without any resistance - the clutch did NOT disengage whatsoever and I could not shift gears. I put it in neutral, pulled over, checked the fluid reservoir: empty. I topped it off with DOT3 and pumped up the clutch. After that, the clutch will disengage only when the pedal is 7/8 of the way to the floor - it travels freely and without resistance the rest of the way. The pedal does spring back to the up position on its own and does not rest on the floor/just above the floor when my foot is not on it.
*I can still shift gears if I am VERY careful to match revs. Have not tried going into reverse yet, but when stopped and with the engine off and clutch depressed all the way, it is VERY difficult to shift into reverse (simply won't go into R at all 4 out of 5 times, the 5th time it slips in no problem. Usually easier to get into R when I'm in 1, 2, 3, or 4, but it does NOT want to go from 5 to R at all)
Everything I've read so far would appear to indicate either a shot clutch master or clutch slave. I am REALLY hoping it isn't the slave because droppin the trans ain't gonna be cheap.
I'm gonna try to bleed the hydraulic line with my 1-man bleed kit today because the reservoir was BONE dry when I refilled it today and will report back whether that helps the problem at all.
tl;dr hydraulic clutch leaks during city driving (lots of shifting). leak has been getting faster. Not sure if clutch master, slave, or something else
Here's the history of what's been going on and what went wrong today:
* Clutch master reservoir fluid level has been dropping slowly since I bought the truck (back in March). I usually just top it off with DOT3 every few days and keep driving.
* The fluid level only seems to drop when I'm doing city driving - that is, shifting a lot. I recently drove a 2000 mile roadtrip and checked the clutch reservoir twice a day - not ONCE did it need topping off during all that highway-only driving. I did notice that after about 70 miles of city driving, it was halfway empty.
* I've let the truck sit without being driven for as long as 2 weeks and have not experienced a drop in clutch fluid. No puddle under the truck, no drop in reservoir level, nada.
* The clutch pedal has been squeaky when depressed and has a bit more travel than other cars (clutch would start to disengage when pedal was a little over halfway to the floor)
* There appears to be some kind of fluid leaking from where the trans bellhousing meets the engine.
* Today, I was about 1 mile from home when I pushed the clutch pedal all the way to the floor without any resistance - the clutch did NOT disengage whatsoever and I could not shift gears. I put it in neutral, pulled over, checked the fluid reservoir: empty. I topped it off with DOT3 and pumped up the clutch. After that, the clutch will disengage only when the pedal is 7/8 of the way to the floor - it travels freely and without resistance the rest of the way. The pedal does spring back to the up position on its own and does not rest on the floor/just above the floor when my foot is not on it.
*I can still shift gears if I am VERY careful to match revs. Have not tried going into reverse yet, but when stopped and with the engine off and clutch depressed all the way, it is VERY difficult to shift into reverse (simply won't go into R at all 4 out of 5 times, the 5th time it slips in no problem. Usually easier to get into R when I'm in 1, 2, 3, or 4, but it does NOT want to go from 5 to R at all)
Everything I've read so far would appear to indicate either a shot clutch master or clutch slave. I am REALLY hoping it isn't the slave because droppin the trans ain't gonna be cheap.
I'm gonna try to bleed the hydraulic line with my 1-man bleed kit today because the reservoir was BONE dry when I refilled it today and will report back whether that helps the problem at all.
tl;dr hydraulic clutch leaks during city driving (lots of shifting). leak has been getting faster. Not sure if clutch master, slave, or something else
