New guy here, needing help with bleeding slave/clutch

bossbob · Mar 17, 2017

2nd shop said the same thing, needs a clutch, and trans is making noise. $850 plus parts.

bossbob · Mar 17, 2017

I've decided to put a new clutch in it and run it for as long as I can. It'll probably go another 100k + miles.

Driving it home from the tranny shop, I think I burnt up what little clutch was left, I noticed the release point on the peddle is almost all the way to the top of it's travel point.

Any input on what clutch kit to use or not to use, looking at rockauto, there are several choices.

Thanks again.

Spott · Mar 17, 2017

While you're in there, replace the rear main crankshaft seal as well.

Jimmyrig · Mar 17, 2017

Spott said:
While you're in there, replace the rear main crankshaft seal as well.

Always a good idea even if it's not leaking. It's also possible, but I've only seen it a couple of times, that the clutch itself has failed, I did one on a dodge diesel about a month ago, felt like it had no fluid in the clutch system and it made some noise. Customer was worried because it had less than 2000 miles on a tranny rebuild. The pilot bearing desintegrated and so did much of the center of the clutch disk. The pressure plate was bound up released, so there was no resistance in the pedal. Doesn't sound like your issue though. Crazy thing is a lady approaching sixty drove it to the shop float shifting it like a semi truck, shutting it off at stoplights then starting it in gear to take off!
Since you've decided to do a clutch anyway, change the fluid in the transmission, definitely do the rear main seal on the engine, and on reassembly if you have a tranny jack, hook up the clutch line before you stab the tranny, gravity bleed it, then compress the slave cylinder. You may not have enough line to pull it off, but if you can manage it this will help eliminate air bubbles from the start. If I recall the last one I did we managed to hook the line up with the transmission 3 or 4 inches below where it normally sits, with the input shaft touching the pressure plate. I think we used a 2x4 to compress the slave cylinder then stabbed the tranny and only had to bleed it a little. We might have gotten lucky on this though, rangers aren't my specialty, but I turn wrenches semi professionaly, enough to occasionally forget specifics of a given vehicle and we might have unhooked a hanger from the line or even got lucky and had a line a little longer than most, I'm sure the ranger experts here can quickly clarify if I got lucky or forgot something

swynx · Mar 19, 2017

bossbob said:
I've decided to put a new clutch in it and run it for as long as I can. It'll probably go another 100k + miles.

Driving it home from the tranny shop, I think I burnt up what little clutch was left, I noticed the release point on the peddle is almost all the way to the top of it's travel point.

Any input on what clutch kit to use or not to use, looking at rockauto, there are several choices.

Thanks again.

use a sachs or luk assembly. everyone on here will attest to that.

Tedybear · Mar 20, 2017

swynx said:
use a sachs or luk assembly. everyone on here will attest to that.

LUK Brand.

Sadly our Explorer is on the way out for transmission issues (5th gear extremely noisy...Still driving it that way using 1-4th gear until the snow's outta here..)

We replaced everything with a LUK brand. Flywheel included! And I'll state that the bleeding design of that whole system blows monkey chunks.

Took over an hour with the clutch lines/master/etc.. Standing in our parking lot with the quick connect wrapped in a paper towel. (One thing did did that was nice, check valve where it enters the slave). All that time tapping the lines with a screw driver handle holding everything as straight as possible...And just when you THINK! it's done? Another air bubble burps up and out!

As for the transmission noise? Just make sure the fluid is changed and use the correct fluid. That's the best ya can do.

S-

Shran · Mar 20, 2017

offroadohio said:
There is no adjustment in the clutch rod

There are adjustable length clutch rods, I have one. FYI

bossbob said:
I've decided to put a new clutch in it and run it for as long as I can. It'll probably go another 100k + miles.

Driving it home from the tranny shop, I think I burnt up what little clutch was left, I noticed the release point on the peddle is almost all the way to the top of it's travel point.

Any input on what clutch kit to use or not to use, looking at rockauto, there are several choices.

Thanks again.

I usually use LUK clutches although I have also used Sachs, Exedy, Brute Force, and most parts store brands too. Nothing bad to say about any of them, LUK seems to be high quality so that's why I use those.

donaldcon · Mar 20, 2017

Shran said:
There are adjustable length clutch rods, I have one. FYI

I usually use LUK clutches although I have also used Sachs, Exedy, Brute Force, and most parts store brands too. Nothing bad to say about any of them, LUK seems to be high quality so that's why I use those.

Is it a factory 87 Ford Ranger clutch rod?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

Shran · Mar 20, 2017

No, aftermarket, I don't know what brand. Came out of a truck I parted out. Factory ones are never adjustable.

donaldcon · Mar 20, 2017

Shran said:
No, aftermarket, I don't know what brand. Came out of a truck I parted out. Factory ones are never adjustable.

Factory one is what I was referring to because there was never any inclination that he would have an after-market one installed.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

bossbob · Mar 23, 2017

Think I found the problem,

Look at 6 oclock on the pressure plate, looks like part of the old slave cylinder.

Bonus Question: Is there a better way?

I've removed the transmission twice, and installed it once without pulling the lower exhaust. I'll try to get this back together over the weekend but I got to tell you, it is a pain in the a$$. I think I'll remove the exhaust on the installation.

Shran · Mar 24, 2017

Your picture doesn't load for me.

To make the transmission go in easier, you can cut a couple slots in the pinch weld that goes around the transmission tunnel and hammer it flat. It gives you another inch +/- to work with and is almost a necessity with automatics. I've never had good luck getting the exhaust off, mainly just because of fasteners that are totally rusted on... I figure it's at least another couple hours of work to drill out and retap the threads when you break off an exhaust stud.

bossbob · Mar 29, 2017

Got the new clutch in, trans is all but an inch away. Having trouble getting the bell to the block.

What's the advice?

Thanks again.

Jimmyrig · Mar 29, 2017

If you want to pull the exhaust heat the nuts with a torch and use a six point socket. Then do yourself a huge favor and put antiseize on the studs before you put it back together. If you break one, instead of replacing it with a stud, get a set of manifold bolts from an early 2000's dodge v8 truck. They go all the way through and have a tab that stops them from turning, this also is much easier than getting the old stud out and a new one in, I just zip them off flush, then drill a hole right through the broken stud. We get a lot of failed throw out bearings, and pilot bearings at the tranny shop I work in. We take high temp bearing grease and smear it on the pilot bearing, input shaft, the surface of the throw out bearing, and the bearing retainer. This seems to add a lot of life to them.

Shran · Mar 30, 2017

My advice to get it pushed through that last inch is just to push as hard as you can forward. Sometimes it helps to wiggle the back end around a little bit, the input shaft can be difficult to line up with the pilot bearing just right and you are pushing against the spring on the slave cylinder too. It is entirely possible to move the clutch disc off center of where it should be too and that makes it even harder.

There is some advice floating around regarding sucking the engine and trans together with bolts/allthread ... use this method with caution, if the input shaft is not in the pilot bearing or the bellhousing dowels aren't lined up, it's easy to break the bellhousing.

New guy here, needing help with bleeding slave/clutch

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