Not your average clutch NIGHTMARE

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

97 ranger 3.0L 5spd 4wd. 165k miles

going on 26 working hours on this thing trying to get the clutch working properly after replacing the clutch kit and slave cylinder. it is driving me CRAZY


i think i can say i've tried almost every bleed technique except reverse injection.

bench bled the master cyl 3 times, tried vacuum bleeding, gravity bleeding, pumping the pedal and cracking the bleeder, lifting both ends of the truck, having a bleeder hose submerged in brake fluid while pumping the pedal, tried pushing the slave cyl piston back with a pry bar and then opening the bleeder. i've probably tried a couple other things too

i verified the master cyl and line is bled by checking piston travel before reconnecting the line. after bleeding the clutch the pedal feels BETTER than my ranger which works just fine.

after bleeding i checked the slave cylinder travel.. 8mm of travel. specification is 7.5mm minimum so that must mean the clutch is bled properly

i've tried 3 pressure plates so far, 2 non adjusting and 1 adjusting.

pilot bearing isn't hanging up, sanded input shaft clean just to be sure

my boss is cheap so we didn't resurface the flywheel, it looked ok. clutch might have been done before. pressure plate was LUK brand with a ford number on it.. is this OE? the replacements were LUK also.

the only thing i have left to think is to add shims to the flywheel or replace it, natually the boss man threw that idea out the window and wants me to waste even more time on this POS. if it comes back to the flywheel i've have to remove the transmission for the FOURTH time.


im basically out of ideas, about to ****ing quit due to this bullshit. i've wasted 3 days on this and im about to waste more time on it tomorrow.

if anyone has any suggestions i'd appreciate it

 

[jimmy1979]

I wish I could help but mine is kickin my a$$ too.

 

[kenwheeler]

It's $35 to get a flywheel surfaced and $70 for a new one. How's it cost effective for your boss to keep paying you to monkey around with that thing?

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

It's $35 to get a flywheel surfaced and $70 for a new one. How's it cost effective for your boss to keep paying you to monkey around with that thing?

don't ask me... on my personal vehicles i always service or replace the flywheel.

i think its because the closest place to get the flywheel resurfaced is over an hour away, or he'd have to order a new one. C-H-E-A-P guy.

 

[tcranger]

what does the pedal feel like? normal height, hard to push....etc. Does the truck not move at all or give us some symptoms

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

what does the pedal feel like? normal height, hard to push....etc. Does the truck not move at all or give us some symptoms

sorry, my head is not in the game.

the pedal feels normal, stiff throughout the entire stroke. it feels better than my ranger's clutch pedal.

you can force the transmission into gear and hear the clutch disc slipping from under the truck, if the wheels are off the ground it will turn the wheels while trying to force into gear.

while the engine is off the transmission can easily be shifted into any gear.

 

[tcranger]

this is kinda a long shot but when i ordered the clutch kit for my 1986 ford ranger with 2.3l they send me the wrong throw out bearing in my case to long, so the truck would move at all. so i just put my old one back on. just wondering if you have the old one to compare to the new one. sorry thats all i can think of since the slave is new and if its moving the spec. distance i wouldn't think it could be the master cylinder. good luck.

 

[Jason_J]

Is the new throwout bearing identical to the old one?

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

this is kinda a long shot but when i ordered the clutch kit for my 1986 ford ranger with 2.3l they send me the wrong throw out bearing in my case to long, so the truck would move at all. so i just put my old one back on. just wondering if you have the old one to compare to the new one. sorry thats all i can think of since the slave is new and if its moving the spec. distance i wouldn't think it could be the master cylinder. good luck.

i entertained the idea, part numbers were the same for 2.3l and 3.0l.

BUT i have a fix.. it was the pressure plate. installing the self adjusting pressure plate and rebleeding the system fixed it

 

[Jason_J]

Awesome! Now.....a breather and a beer!

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

i just want to add. i think the underlying cause of this was the lack of shim behind the flywheel. the flywheel might have been turned in the past.

i have a non adjustable pressure plate on my ranger and i've installed one into a few other rangers and they all work just fine