Is this clutch releasing properly ? 1996 4.0L 5spd

[sebastian323]

My 1996 Ford Ranger XLT 4.0L 5speed manual 4x4 has a lot of trouble changing gears once the engine is on. If the engine is off it will change gears smoothly.
Here is a video of the throw-out bearing moving back and forth when the clutch is pressed with the engine off.
Do you guys think the clutch hydraulic system and throw-out bearing is working properly ?

 

[RonD]

Yes, looks like there is enough movement

Looks like a non-self adjusting pressure plate?

What the history on when clutch was last changed?
And when did this issue come up?

When you start it with clutch pedal down and in gear is there any noise?
Seized pilot bearing won't let input shaft slow down to 0 RPMs to match rear wheel RPMs when stopped

The transmission has no disconnect from rear wheels, so when stopped transmission is at 0 RPMs
Engine is at say 750RPMs
To put trans in any gear the clutch disc and input shaft must slow down to 0 RPMs
(when engine is off its at 0 RPMs, so matched with transmission)

The flywheel and pressure plate are at 750 RPMs
And if trans was in Neutral then input shaft and clutch disc were at 750 RPM
When you push clutch pedal down it release pressure on the clutch disc from the pressure plate allowing the clutch disc and input shaft to slow down

The pilot bearing is inside the end of crank shaft, and it supports the end of the input shaft
So outside of pilot bearing is at 750 RPM
Inside of bearing needs to slow down to 0 RPMs
If bearing is not work right then it won't let input shaft slow down

And it WOULD make a noise if you started engine in gear with clutch pedal down
It shouldn't try to move forward(assuming 1st gear), it would just make a noise
If its trying to move forward then pressure plate is not releasing all the way

If its a brand new clutch disc and a non-self adjusting pressure plate then it could be normal for the first few weeks until disc wears down a bit

Self adjusting pressure plates have a wide gap for new disc and gap closes as disc wears down so engage and disengage are always at the same place in pedal travel

 

[sebastian323]

Yes, looks like there is enough movement

Looks like a non-self adjusting pressure plate?

What the history on when clutch was last changed?
And when did this issue come up?

When you start it with clutch pedal down and in gear is there any noise?
Seized pilot bearing won't let input shaft slow down to 0 RPMs to match rear wheel RPMs when stopped

If bearing is not work right then it won't let input shaft slow down

And it WOULD make a noise if you started engine in gear with clutch pedal down
It shouldn't try to move forward(assuming 1st gear), it would just make a noise
If its trying to move forward then pressure plate is not releasing all the way

If its a brand new clutch disc and a non-self adjusting pressure plate then it could be normal for the first few weeks until disc wears down a bit

Self adjusting pressure plates have a wide gap for new disc and gap closes as disc wears down so engage and disengage are always at the same place in pedal travel

I will try this test you are suggesting. I just bought the truck used as a fix it up project with 168k miles on it. I have no idea what the previous owner replaced. I suppose after doing this test the next step is to drop the transmission and inspect the components. If all components are good, must the problem be the synchros ? Some mentioned the issue could be a worn clutch disc, I dont really see why this would cause this problem, would not a worn disc just lead to the transmission slipping. thanks again for the pointers!

 

[sebastian323]

I have turned it on while in first. I do not hear anything unusual. However I will note that to get the car moving in first gear, you do not even have to give it any gas. Simply gently releasing the clutch is enough to get the car moving. I have not experienced this on any other car that I have owned, so I assumed this was due to a very heavy flywheel . I believe since the pressure plate is releasing properly, the next step is to drop the transmission and inspect the plot bearing and all the clutch stuff