Im about to get into the project of replacing my clutch 0n my 01' 2.3 liter.

I was hoping for some tips and advice. Parts to use? kits? Other things to do while everything is disassembled. (I have the mentality of, " while Im here) And most importantly those little things that under the radar?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

 

Buy an OEM Motorcraft cooling hose and replace it while the transmission is out. Its the hose that goes from the degas bottle under the exhaust manifold around the back of the engine and then to a plastic hose tee that splits off to the egr and thermostat. Some simple searching will reveal that this plastic tee loves to crack and the hose is an absolute pain to change with the trans in the way. You could also search for a metal tee and cut the plastic one out, but you'd prolly need to get a longer hose to go to the thermostat. You might also consider changing the EGR valve and gasket while you're in there- its a stepper motor design so its probably not necessary (its very reliable), but its such a nightmare to change with the transmission in and its so cheap, its cheap insurance.

Buy a Luk clutch kit (comes with pilot bearing, clutch, pressure plate, and clutch alignment tool), and a luk flywheel is only a few bucks more than resurfacing your old one (Luk makes the OEM parts for Ford). Make sure to change the pilot bearing- don't bother with the pilot bearing pullers as none of them worked for me. Instead, get some bread (or grease if you don't mind a mess) and look on youtube for "remove pilot bearing with bread"- I'm not kidding here as it worked in 15 minutes for me. Remember when installing the new pilot bearing: put it in a ziploc bag and into the freezer for 2 hours beforehand (to shrink it slightly), use a socket slightly bigger than the bearing to drive it in, and be gentle (don't want to damage the cage). Also, make sure the rubber seal deal faces towards where the trans will be- the purpose is to keep clutch dust and other contaminates out of the bearing. It needs to go in until it hits the little lip (you can see what I'm talking about when the old bearing is out).

Lube the spline shafts with spline lubricant (also comes with the kit), and use the clutch disk spline center to clear the extra (wipe off buildup with a rag)- too much spline lubricant can contaminate the clutch disk. Spline lubricant helps the clutch slide smoothly on the input shaft and prevents binding etc.

If you take the flywheel off (you should), replace the bolts with Motorcraft replacements (they are torque-to-yield), and make sure to torque them down in 3 stages to the values called for (you can find the torques on The Ranger Station's tech info for 4-cylinder engines- Duratec is listed). I used blue loctite on the pressure plate bolts. These are not torque-to-yield and the torque value is low so I didn't replace them, though I sort of wish I did- its cheap insurance. Of course, when you torque the flywheel bolts down you are going in a cross-pattern so that the flywheel mounts flat against the crankshaft flange. When you do the pressure plate bolts (make sure to use the clutch alignment tool to get the clutch perfectly centered with the pilot bearing so it all lines up- watch a youtube video or two to see an example), *go slow*. The pressure plate (make sure its properly aligned with and slipped onto the flywheel dowl pins) needs to go down completely flat, and it needs to go evenly. Failure to use a cross-pattern or to go slow (1/4-1/2 turn per bolt working your way around until the pressure plate finally makes contact with the flywheel) can bend the pressure plate, the clutch disc, or cause misalignment. I went a step further- the torque specs call for the pressure plate to be 15-24 ft lbs: once the pressure plate bolts were all snug with a ratchet, I torqued them in a cross pattern to 15 ft lbs, then torqued them to 24 ft lbs in a cross-pattern. You can see my point: make damn sure it goes down evenly! :D

As for the clutch slave, IMO use only an OEM Motorcraft replacement. These slaves are notorious for having really crappy aftermarket replacements, and that means pulling the transmission again. The throwout bearing will come with the slave. I used an AMS clutch master cylinder on RockAuto that was pre-filled- a risk but beats the pain of having to bleed the master (look on youtube for "perfectionclutch bleed clutch master cylinder ford ranger" for the best way to bleed it); if my master cylinder fails, I'll just go OEM motorcraft. I used blue loctite on the 2 bolts holding the slave in- cheap insurance again.

I went against the conventional wisdom and left the rear main seal and input shaft seal alone. My reasoning was that the automatic rangers aren't having their transmissions pulled every 100k to replace the RMS, and if the main seal is defective or not installed right I'd be pulling the trans again. As for the input shaft seal, plenty of M5ODs see 200+ k miles without any issues or leaks, so I left it alone. I do a clutch job every 100k miles mainly to avoid the slave failing and sticking me somewhere; next time when the truck has 200k miles, I will change the RMS and input shaft seal- this is mileage where it could legitimately become a problem. Of course now that I've said all this, I'm sure my RMS and input shaft seal will fail in 2 months :P

When it comes time to put it back in, you'll find that the concentric clutch slave and throwout contribute to making the process a pain- the damn throwout contacts the pressure plate fingers at or just before the input shaft goes into the clutch spline center. To make matters worse, the slave sort of "sticks" at the end of its travel and requires a fair bit of force. A trick I figured out was to get a clean rag, spray a *very small* amount of WD40 on it, push the throwout bearing/boot section back, and wipe the plastic section that the boot slides on. This allowed the boot to slide easier, and caused the boot to stop just before the end of its travel on the plastic tube (due to vacuum holding it back)- the result was that the input shaft splines slide into the clutch spline center *just before* the throwout bearing contacts the pressure plate fingers. As a result, on the second try it slipped right in for me. Don't let the transmission hang on the input shaft as you can damage the clutch- use the transmission jack to support, then lift and push. You should always have either the jack or your arms supporting the majority of the transmissions weight. Once you have that going in, be gentle- it should slide in until the input shaft hits the pilot bearing seal. From here, just wiggle the trans a bit and apply the *slightest* forward pressure- mine slid into the pilot bearing after just a few wiggles. Resist the urge to use bolts to pull it together- this is a great way to destroy the pilot bearing. Once I had it in the pilot bearing, only a small gap remained. I put in all the bellhousing bolts, held the ratchet head in the palm of my hand, and slowly went around the bellhousing in a cross-pattern- it required no force at all to get the trans/engine to mate.

As for bleeding the slave, its not too bad. If you get a pre-filled clutch master cylinder, be advised that no matter the seal it seems contaminates (moisture mainly) can get in there. Brake fluid attracts water/moisture like crazy, and that results in white sludgy deposits. My clutch master cylinder had some of this, and so it wouldn't bleed at first. I ended up sucking on the end of the bleeder hose ever so slightly which pulled a ton of deposits into the hose. After that, it started bleeding normally. I used about half of a 12 ounce bottle of dot3 brake fluid to bleed, and after driving a week I plan to do it again just in case any deposits remain (that have since been worked free).

If I were you, I would plug the top of the trans and the tailshaft hole with rags just to prevent bugs or bolts or dirt or whatever from somehow getting in the trans while working on it. Thats all I can think of for now. I finished my clutch a few days ago (02 2.3l) and it seems right. For me the throwout bearing went out (I think the PO rode the clutch), so I decided to do all the above while I was in there. If you have any questions, ask :D

 

GSF1200S this is great!!! Thank You!!!

 

Np :)

Some other stuff: RockAuto consistently has the cheapest prices on Motorcraft parts that I have found. Sometimes Amazon is about the same, but RockAuto is much much cheaper than the dealerships are. Check the rubber plugs at the top of the transmission- replace them if they are in bad shape. Mine were not, so I'll do it next time. If your tailshaft output seal is leaking, now is the easiest time to replace it; mine appears to have been changed shortly before I purchased the truck, so I left it alone. Make sure you mark the driveshaft flange where it mates to the rear end- you want the driveshaft to go back in exactly the same position. I marked the yoke as well and made sure the trans was in neutral (so the output shaft doesnt move); doing this makes getting it in slightly more of a pain (cant use a driveshaft yoke to turn the input shaft to get the splines to line up), but eliminates risk of vibration due to an out of balance driveshaft. Take it easy on the clutch for the first 50-100 miles (you know, of actual clutchwork)- no towing trailers or loading the bed with 1000lbs of ****. You might have a sandpaper sound at first when the clutch is engaging (and ONLY when its engaging)- don't worry. This happened to me at first as well. I have about 80 miles on the clutch now and its silent, but I also have driven all city- it may take longer for you.

Anyways, thats all I've got for now.

 

few more questions if you don't mind.
1. I probably do not need to replace the Drive Plate or should I?
2. can you be more specific about the EGR Valve?
3. should i get lengths of hydrolic tubing?
4. can you be more specific about the (rear main seal and input shaft seal)?
5. can you be more specific about the plastic "T" and hoses?

by specific i mean, i'm having trouble finding them to buy, i don't know what they are or do and what they look like

 

Sorry for the delay :| I've been pretty busy :D

1. Drive plate? I'm not familiar with what this is... do you mean the flywheel? If so, you need to either have it resurfaced or buy a new one. Its important to do this otherwise you could have issues with the clutch slipping, etc.

2. The EGR valve is on the back of the engine sandwiched between the cylinder head and the firewall. To remove it, you need to either remove the transmission or remove the motor mounts and angle the engine forward. Since you are changing the clutch anyways, you will have easy access to it (especially when the cooling hose is out of the way). It is a stepper motor design (instead of vacuum or DPFE operated like the older style EGR valves) so its generally very reliable and should last the life of the engine. However, if it gets clobbered up with carbon or fails, its a nightmare to change. I changed mine because it was 50 bucks and I was already in there.

3. You wont need any hydraulic tubing for this job. The only tubing you'll need is the tubing to slip onto the bleeder valve on the clutch slave cylinder, and thats just clear plastic tubing (1/4" I believe, but check before you buy).

4. The rear main seal keeps oil in the engine from leaking out the back of the engine. Its basically the rear seal that allows the crankshaft to come through the back of the engine (to bolt up to a flywheel or flexplate). If its oily or even looks ify, replace it. Mine looked perfect, so I decided to leave it alone. The input shaft seal is a seal on the front of the transmission behind where the clutch slave cylinder mounts- it keeps ATF from leaking out of the transmission and into the bellhousing. Again, if any ATF is found in there replace it. Mine was bone dry, so I left it alone.

5. The cooling hose is the only "must replace" item other than the stuff in the bellhousing. There are a number of stories out there where the plastic hose tee on the hose cracks and thus it starts puking coolant. My plastic tee broke apart with a little pressure after I got the hose out- I'm glad I replaced it because it wouldn't have lasted much longer. You can see the plastic hose tee beneath the intake manifold (right behind and below the IMRC slave solenoid that has a wiring connector and two vacuum hoses going to it). The cooling hose goes from the degas bottle (the bottle with the radiator cap on it), behind the alternator, under the exhaust manifold, around behind the engine, towards the front into the plastic hose tee, and from there splits off to the thermostat (big hose) and the egr valve (small hose). The plastic on this hose WILL fail- its just a matter of when. I personally couldn't get it out without also removing the exhaust, but I didn't try all that long before decided to just pull the exhaust anyways.

Does this make it clear? If not, let me know and I'll explain further :D

 

this is the EGR valve?

In this schematic, object one is listed as a drive plat and a flywheel. It's part 1L5Z-6375-BA
this is the rear main seal?

input shaft seal?

about the hose and plastic tee. im not sure what part to go hunting for.

THANKS!!!!!

ps. Ive been stupid busy too

 

Im going to link parts from RockAuto, but I'm not trying to push them. If you ever have trouble finding parts, RockAuto is a good place to look up part numbers because their system makes pretty good sense. The names I use here are exactly the same as what they are called on RockAuto. Also I just want to make SURE you confirm: you do have a 2.3l duratec and not a 2.5l lima right? You can tell by opening the hood and looking- it will say "2.3l 16 valve" on the cover on the throttle body. Not trying to insult your intelligence- its a common mistake for this year since Ford switched from the Lima to the Duratec mid-year. So here is results for a 2001:

EGR valve: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...739&cc=1372676

EGR gasket: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...745&cc=1372676

Flywheel (what you call a drive plate): https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...452&cc=1372676


I looked up your rear main seal and input shaft seal, but please be advised I didn't do these on my truck as both were fine and I doubt I will have issues before my next clutch change. I should also note: many people suggest calling up the dealer and getting genuine motorcraft replacements, especially for the rear main seal. A few people have had FelPro (a good gasket maker usually) gaskets start leaking shortly after installing because the hole is marginally bigger than the motorcraft gasket, etc. Haven't heard much about the input shaft seal since not many change it. Heres what I found:

Rear Main Seal (National brand): https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...220&cc=1372676

Input Shaft Seal (National brand): https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...398&cc=1372676

Again, I suggest getting the Rear Main Seal and Input Shaft Seal from the dealer.

The cooling hose was a real strange case. I looked under the 2001 Ford Ranger 2.3l option on RockAuto (under cooling system)... and it wasnt listed. So I went ahead and checked the 2002 Ford Ranger 2.3l option and there it was (and the one I ordered). I'm listing that part here, but I would suggest confirming the part number with a dealership parts counter. I am *almost* certain that the 2001 uses the same part as the 2002 part number; the duratec didn't change much until 2004 (and even then only the cam profile, thermostat and intake manifold changed), so the hoses should be the same. I would call the ford dealer and ask them for the part number for the coolant recovery tank hose and compare it to the part number of the hose I'm linking here. The plastic hose tee is a PART of the hose, so its all one piece. You can see it in the following picture- its where the little hose comes off on the left. So here it is (again on RockAuto its only listed under 2002 or greater):

Coolant Recovery Tank Hose: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...876&cc=1385692

 

GSF1200S,

Here is my shopping list so far:

• LuK LFW160 Flywheel
• Motorcraft CX1769 Exhaust Gas Recirculation Valve
• LuK 07-140 Clutch Set
• Motorcraft KM4720 Water Outlet Housing

• LuK LSC003B Clutch Slave Cylinder
• LuK LMC400 Clutch Master Cylinder

Also im ordering the EGR Valve Gasket.

However, im having trouble locating the two sets of bolts you mentioned in your first reply and still coming up short on the two seals that im supposed to get from ford.

Ive scoured this website with no luck.
https://www.fordparts.store/auto-par...yr14d91pb08461

Also, do you see anything missing?

Thank you!!!!!!!

 

Also,

Any suggestions on doing this operation in a garage with no lift? Special tools?