Manual Ranger - diagnosing a possible dragging clutch

[BrosnanRanger]

Hi everyone
My 2008 4.0 Manual transmission is having problem going into first and sometimes third

When shifting into first from a stop I hear a thud - and this is the driveshaft moving slightly ( I watched my buddy put it in gear while I was underneath)

sometimes this is of off and on and this problem is noticeably better when forst
driving the truck for the day

Clutch is stiff at the top and feels normal to me. Mercon V was freshly added by me no real difference is felt
the slave is not leaking, the fluid was low, topped off a week ago and has not lost a drop since so I don’t think there’s leaks in the system. Any ideas on what the issue might be? I just bought the thing I’m hoping just a master bleed and not anything bad

 

[pjtoledo]

pilot bearing????
does it shift into 1st at low speeds, 3-8, with no problem?

when stopped with foot on clutch does it grab at random?

 

[franklin2]

How many miles on it? If it has high miles, it might be time for a new clutch, the reason it was sold.

 

[BrosnanRanger]

Yes When rolling slowly it does shift a little better
And no when stopped it grabs the same height as every gear- the last half if say

 

[BrosnanRanger]

How many miles on it? If it has high miles, it might be time for a new clutch, the reason it was sold.

She’s got 210,000 km on her. So around 120,000 miles. The clutch doesn’t slip at all. Even though it doesn’t slip could this be a sign of a bad clutch?
Is it normal for the driveshaft to twist slightly when going into gear from stop?
Thanks everyone

 

[pjtoledo]

a worn pilot bearing will only show itself when your foot is on the clutch pedal.

a pilot bearing is not a clutch release bearing/throwout bearing.

the pilot bearing is attached to the end of the crankshaft and rotates with the crankshaft.
the transmission input shaft goes into the pilot bearing and should spin freely there.

when the pilot bearing fails it can grab the input shaft and turn it even when the clutch is disengaged, your foot is on the pedal.
that makes it difficult to get into first at a stop, and explains why it works at slow speeds as both parts are spinning at similar speeds.

when mine failed it made some popping noises and caused some jerking while stopped with foot on the clutch.

 

[pjtoledo]

there is an access plug you can remove the see how much free play the disk gets when the clutch is depressed.
you stated the clutch is stiff at the top. if there is air in the system it's usually soft at the top.

 

[superj]

I need to check mine too. Its got 205k miles and its getting harder to put into first when stopped. Somwtimes i have to put it into second and then back to first to make it go in easily

 

[BrosnanRanger]

there is an access plug you can remove the see how much free play the disk gets when the clutch is depressed.
you stated the clutch is stiff at the top. if there is air in the system it's usually soft at the top.

So I should check to see that I’m getting minimal play in the clutch disc? And if it’s sloppy that this would indicate a worn pilot bearing?

 

[scotts90ranger]

If you coast to a stop with the clutch down and the transmission still in gear and you can freely shift into any gear with the engine running without any grinding, the clutch isn't dragging. My '97 does similar at a stop going into first gear, doesn't always want to go into gear but if I do get it into gear and put the clutch in with the gears lined up it will freely shift into any gear as fast as I can shift... The synchro's need some shaft speed to line the gears up, I'm pretty sure it's just the gears butting tip to tip and not lining up. Normally I'll just push the shifter toward first then second then back to first and it will go into gear...