Is there anyone on this forum that is familiar with the clutch and pump setup on this truck? I don't want to go into a lot of detail if no one can help. It does not have what i would refer to as a normal master and slave setup.
Thanks

 

Is the slave cylinder mounted inside the transmission, and the master cylinder mounted in the firewall in a really stupid angle that makes it impossible to bleed through normal bleeding procedures?

 

No There is no master cylinder. Only a shaft pushing in to a plastic tube that the mechanics call a pump. It has a T that goes to a small fluid resiovor. The slave is actually part of the throw out bearing. The hydraulic tube goes into the bearing base and the bleed port comes out the other side and comes out the side of the bell housing for access.

 

That sounds relatively similar to the NA trucks. This is what the North American trucks have:

 

That is exactly what I have. So the ones sold in the US were the same? I changed the clutch plate, pressure plate and throw out bearing 2 years ago. Now the clutch is slipping in 3,4 &5 gears. It will climb a tree in 1 & 2. A mechanic worked on the pump recently when it would not engage at all and now it works a little but it is not right. He said the pump was the dirtiest he had ever seen. I am wondering if trash could have got in the bearing mechanism causing it to not fully release. The pedal movement is very short now. Any advice would be appreciated!!!
Thanks

 

Yea, the North American and South American Rangers were relatively similar. Engine choices differed, as did cab and trim offerings, but they were similar. It's the European and Asian Rangers that were way different.

You should check to see if the slave cylinder is wet and covered in fluid. It's possible that it has started to leak, and brake fluid may be contaminating the clutch disc. That's one of the most common failures for these trucks.

Because of the terrible design of these components and their location inside the transmission bellhousing, it's generally advised to just replace everything when you develop clutch issues. That includes the slave cylinder, the master cylinder, the clutch plate, pressure plate, flywheel, and the pilot bearing. I imagine though if the pump you're referring to is the slave cylinder (second picture), your mechanic would have checked the clutch and pressure plates for wear.

 

He calls the first picture where the shaft pushes into the plastic tube the pump. There is no evidence of leaking. Here Ford only sells the the clutch as a kit with all 3 parts in it and is $800. I still have the old slave but not the rest. Could the slave get gummed up and not fully retract? This truck has a 2.8 diesel engine .
Thanks

 

I see what he did now. How does the pedal feel? Does the clutch engage right as you press it, or does it engage closer to the floor?

I've never heard of a slave cylinder getting gummed up, but I have heard of the internal seals failing, even on newer slave cylinders. If your slave cylinder has a rubber boot around the spring, it may still be leaking, however the rubber boot hides the fluid. Even a small leak will cause issues.

 

The pedal is pretty bad. It was so bad after the pump was cleaned and resealed that it would hardly go in gear. I had a different mechanic "my Mechanic" work on it and it is better but still only maybe 2 or 3 inches of true travel before it hits the floor.
A little history of what started this: I was driving at highway speeds and in 5th it would slip if I tried to pass or speed up fast. When I got to a town and engaged the clutch it completely stopped working. Even if I got it in gear it would not release the clutch in any gear. Had to have it towed to someone I really did not know. He is the one that said the pump or master cylinder was really dirty and resealed it. I am thinking I will order a new pump and replace it and really put a lot of fluid thru it to try and flush the slave and be absolutely there is no air anywhere.
The old pilot bearing did not have a boot around the spring but I am not sure of this one. I will see if there is a inspection plate on the bell housing I have not seen one.

 

I can't guarantee that your transmission is the same, but on the North American Rangers, there is a square rubber plug on the driver's side of the bellhousing that you can remove. It will allow you to look into the bellhousing and see the slave cylinder.

Because of the way the master cylinder is angled in the firewall, it's very hard to bleed these trucks the traditional way. You have to first bench bleed the pump outside of the truck, and then re-install the pump and gravity bleed the system. If that still does not work, I would suspect the slave cylinder as being your issue. And if that's the case while you're in there I would inspect the clutch disc, pressure plate, and even the pilot bearing. A few months ago the clutch went out on my truck, and I found that the pilot bearing had completely disintegrated on me. I couldn't get the truck into gear when I would come to a stop.

 

Thanks
I could not find anything that looked removable on the bell housing. I will look again now that I have some idea what to look for. I ordered a new primary pump today. Thanks for the picture. I sent it to the parts guy I was working with to be sure there was no miscommunication. There is only one Ford dealer with a parts department in the entire country. They put the parts on a bus after I send the money to their bank from mine. It is an all day event to order simple part.
Since the mechanic said the pump was not too good I thought I would start there. You lost me about bleeding it. Can't I open the bleed port on the slave and bleed it like I would a brake cylinder? I was planning to flush a lot of fluid thru it after the new pump is in.
Thanks for all your help

 

Because I'm not 100% familiar with the South American trucks, it is hard for me to assume what transmission you may have, although I know that many were equipped with an Eaton Fuller transmission, and since you have a diesel engine that was not offered in North America, I suspect you have an Eaton Fuller trans, and not the Mazda M5OD that is used in the North American Rangers. There is a rubber inspection plug on the M5OD, however there may not be one on the Eaton Fuller transmission.

As for the bleeding procedure, I'm not sure if you can view YouTube videos, but if so I can post one that is very informative on bleeding the clutch system on the Ford Ranger with this style of master cylinder.

The reason why they do not bleed well using the conventional method is because the master cylinder is not positioned in a way that would allow the air bubbles to rise up to the reservoir and escape. The actual hydraulic line itself also has a few places where air bubbles can get trapped. This is why you need to bench bleed the master cylinder and hydraulic line outside of the truck.

 

Yes I can watch YouTube. My internet here is better than what I have at my place in the US. That would be great if you have time to do that. I am not sure if either of the guys that worked on it know that. I planned to do this myself but as I looked at it I am not sure how to disconnect the line from the slave. It is a quick disconnect and I think the line itself has a collar that you pull back to retract something inside to release it but I am not sure.At the very least I will show the video or bench bleed it myself at his place before the install. If I see a brand on the transmission I will let you know.
Thanks Very Much!!!

 

I just watched a video on bench bleeding. Thanks for the advice. It did not show how to disconnect the tube from the slave. Looking at it I think the ring on the end of the tube pulls back and retracts something inside the connector to release it. Does that sound right? It mentioned that the pedel shaft locks in the master cylinder. Is there a secret to getting that out?
Thanks

 

To disconnect the line from the slave, you have to push the little plastic collar into the fitting of the slave. That is what will release the line from the clip inside the fitting. They can be tricky to remove, especially if there is dirt in between the line and the fitting. If you can't get it out at first, try spraying some penetrating oil or other displacement fluid around the joint between the line and the fitting.

Unfortunately the video is correct and the push rod locks into the master cylinder. You will not be able to remove the push rod without risking damage to the push rod or the master cylinder. However, I have found that removing the inner fender liner gives you unobstructed access to the master cylinder and makes it much easier to remove and replace the master cylinder with the push rod still installed.

 

My push rod for some reason passes thru a electric wire block about 2 inches long with 4 wires coming out of it. I don't think the top of the push rod will pass thru it I won't know till I try I guess. Glad you told me to push not pull the plastic ring. Judging from the picture you sent I assume the push rod comes with the new cylinder. I think the new one will be here tomorrow. It cost $260 here do you know what it would run in the US. I could not find it on any online sites?
I think I will spray a lot of WD-40 on the ring first. I live on a gravel road so there is no dought it is full of dust and grit.
Thanks again for all the help

 

The electric wire block is the clutch safety switch. When you push in the clutch, it basically tells the computer that you have the pedal depressed and it allows the truck to start. When you remove the master cylinder, you will need to remove that clutch safety switch. There should be a yellow clip on the top of it that you remove. Once you remove that clip, the switch should come off.

The master cylinder runs about $45 here in the US. You can buy the whole assembly (master cylinder, slave cylinder, hydraulic line, and reservoir) for about $150.

And yes, the new master cylinder will come with a new pushrod.

 

Boy you are handy to have around!! I hopefully will pick up the new part at the bus station in the morning. Will all the hydraulic lines be on it or will I have to swap some over?

New question that you might be able to answer. Does the Tachometer have a cable or is it an electric sensor. After the guy I do not use anymore changed the clutch 2 years ago the tach was very erratic and then quit working. It was fine before he worked on the clutch.

 

You will probably have to reuse your hydraulic line, unless you bought the pre-filled assembly.

That tachometer is driven electronically via the ignition system. He should not have been able to mess that up.

 

I picked up the part today. The line was on it and it was fully bled ready to install. The plastic ring on the old line going into the slave was damaged I assume by one of the guys that worked on it earlier. I had to take the one off the new line and it worked fine and then I put it back. The rod did not come with this one. But the old pump was so bad the clip holding it in was gone. So no problems.
The pedal is great now but it still slips in 3rd under a load (going up a hill and floor it the rpms go up but no speed increase. I am checking on availability of a slave and clutch plate. If the slave is not leaking the slipping that has been going on may have took a lot of the plates off. I will most likely have to get the local guy to do that I do not have jacks and things to pull the tranny.
I will keep this thread updated
Thanks for all your help Shaun

 

No problem Bill. Hopefully the new clutch plates and a new slave take care of your issues. :)

 

Wanted to update this thread. I drove it to a town about an hour away yesterday. The road is thru the mountains and very up and down hills some fairly steep. I made a point to drive normal without trying to make the clutch slip by gunning the accelerator. It never slipped once. I did go up some hills in 4th until the engine would not hold but no slip. I know it is close to being burnt out since the pedal has hardly any left in it when the clutch catches. I am going to wait a little longer before I change it. There is no fluid loss in the system so I think the slave is OK.

 

I did the same thing when my clutch was basically worn out. My pilot bearing however decided that it didn't want to be complete anymore, so I had no choice but to replace the clutch assembly.