I have a 2003 Ranger FX4 with a 5 speed. About a week ago the clutch slave cylinder went out on it. It is under warranty so I had it repaired at the dealership. Now everything seems out of wack. I swear that once the truck gets warm the clutch is slipping as I start out in 1st then sometimes when I shift into 3rd or downshift into 2nd it grinds slightly. I took it back to the dealership and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it (typical). I am not an expert on this style of clutch but I feel like it is out of adjustment. I was told there is no such thing, the clutch is self adjusting. Any ideas? As soon as I get a free moment I plan on checking out the fluid in the tranny, I'm thinking that maybe as the truck gets warm if the dexron in the tranny is broken down or has water in it, it may not lubricate as well and cause some of my problems. Anybody have any ideas on this?? I'd appreciate any help!

Ryan

 

hrmm...there could be air in the lines...but they're right, there is no adjustment on the clutch.

Are you sure the clutch is fully disengaging? Try stopping on a perfectly level surface in neutral...put the clutch in, and put it in first gear...the truck shouldn't move, obviously...rev the engine up...if it starts to move, it's partially engaged.

Also, try stopping, put it in first, then shift to neutral, over the R...then back to 1...does everything feel like it meshes smoothly? If not, it's probably not fully disengaging which could be air in the lines.

 

Oh the fun of bleeding that slave cyl....gosh, I love it.



Sounds like air in the lines.....or ford messed up.

 

wow trannys are big right now lol...sob...check the fluids, bleed, and then get mad at the dealer lol...grrr.

 

Well I just spent all morning servicing all of the gearboxes. The tranny fluid looked like coffee and the magnet on the drainplug looked like it need a haircut. I thought that was a little odd beings the truck only has 30,000 miles on it. Is it too much to ask for a drainplug on the diffs?? lol I guess 1-1 1/2 feet of water is enough to get into the diffs and such.

 

Yeah second gear is still grinding and the tranny whines, not real bad but it is. Are these trannys known for being weak? I'm starting to wish I would have bought an auto. I guess I'm glad I got the extended warranty....this may be the last ford I buy.....three lemons in a row isn't a coincidence.

 

Maybe there is a slight pattern, between the p.o.s slave's and the master cylinders on older f150's. My clutch return spring just broke on my new truck and it only has 2400 miles on it.

 

I have a few questions for you manual tranny masters out there. How do the gears syncronize in the tranny on my 2003 FX4? The reason I ask this is when I shift into 2nd and 3rd it grinds a bit as I slide it in. Now I've discovered that if I pause for a second between gears it doesn't do this. Kind of reminds me of how you have to shift when you don't use the clutch in a semi (if you didn't know that is how most truckers shift between gears so don't think I'm crazy). I was reading in my Haynes Manual and it talked about "clutch spin down time". What exactly is this and could this be my problem? I ran the test suggested in the Haynes manual and it came out negative but I'm still not convinced. Could this be a pressure plate problem? I already bled the clutch once. Should I bleed it again and start looking closer for possible leaks in the lines? Any help would be appreciated.