Anyone!!! 1990 2.9 questions
coming off the freeway and my clutch pushing to the floor and can’t get into gear.
would that be a whole new clutch issue or a linkage problem etc. and what’s the level of. Difficulty fixing this myself ?
Look in the engine bay and to the right of the Brake Master/booster you will see a white container with a black cap, remove the cap
Under the cap will be a black "air dam" like a cup, pull it out
Cap and cup look like this: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/LagAA...AE/s-l1600.jpg
Be careful not to lay down the cap or cup on ANY painted surfaces, the fluid(brake fluid) is corrosive to paint
Some times the cup is not there, that's OK, previous owner may have left it out
Look in the white container, that's the reservoir for clutch fluid(brake fluid)
If its DRY then thats your problem
Get some 3 DOT brake fluid, or 4 DOT is fine
Fill reservoir up about 1/2 way
Now you are going UNDER the truck, lol
On the drivers side of bell housing you will see the Hydraulic hose from the clutch Master, it is connected to the Slave inside the bell housing
Just above this hose is the Bleeder valve, circled here: https://www.therangerstation.com/tec...s/bleeder3.jpg
You need the correct size wrench or socket, usually 11mm but not sure
Put a pan down and open the bleeder so there is a slow stream coming out, should be some air bubbles as well
Count to 10 slowly
Shut the bleeder, snug, don't break it off, lol
Try the clutch pedal again, its OK to leave the cap off the reservoir
Pump it a few times, see if its feeling better
Check fluid level in reservoir
Gravity bleed it again, that's what you just did, its called gravity bleeding, works on brakes too
Count to 10
Close bleeder
Should be back in business
Put cup in, its there to prevent fluid contact with air, brake fluid likes to absorb moisture from the air, but my cup has been gone for 15 years and no issues, lol
Put cap on
Start engine and see if you can get it in gear now
If you let the reservoir run dry air can get stuck inside the Master, and its hard to get it out, need to pull out the Master from inside the cab to bleed it
I can’t seem to find that bleeder. There is a screw that look like a short fat bleeder. I did not get a chance to take a picture I’ve got to go to work.
But stay with me please. I catch on quick and have can do.
after I added the fluid and started the truck. Clutch is not spongey like before.
So this is where I think there is a bigger problem. When I looked into the bell housing I could see all the components and visibly looked loose. I don’t Know if that is how it’s supposed to be unti the truck goes into gear then things tighten up.
thank you for guidance thus far, I’m very appreciative.
Clutch and transmission are different things one has no effect on the other
Shifting gears happens inside the transmission, clutch parts are outside the transmission
Not sure what would be "loose" that you could see thru inspection holes in bell housing
The gold part connects to Master's hose
The black part is the bleeder with a rubber cover over the tip that unscrews
The slave is bolted to the back of bell housing and the transmission's Input Shaft comes thru its open center part, doesn't touch the slave
If the slave is loose then bell housing/transmission will need to be pull away from engine and a new slave and clutch will need to be installed
A clutch system is part of the engine, its there to disconnect the engine from transmission
Transmission is always connected to rear wheels no disconnect for that
Clutch system has a flywheel and pressure plate, both bolted to the engine's crank shaft, these away spin at engine RPMs
The clutch disc is sandwiched between flywheel and pressure plate and is connected to transmission's input shaft
So with clutch pedal up the clutch disc and input shaft are spinning at engine RPMs
When clutch pedal is pushed down the slave pushes out on pressure plates springs, and that pulls back the pressure plate so the clutch disc is now released from engine RPMs
If engine is idling at 750RPMs and you are stopped, transmission is at 0RPMs, then the clutch disc must slow down to 0RPMs so you can put transmission "in gear", any gear as they are all at 0RPMs
If pressure plate is not fully pulled back then clutch disc will rub on flywheel and pressure plate, which are at 750RPM, so clutch disc can not easily slow down to 0RPMs, so very hard to get into a gear
If you are low on clutch fluid or have air in the system then slave can not push out all the way, so can not fully released clutch disc
I was able to bleed the line but I don’t think it worried very well and there might be air in the line. One minute it goes in gear then the next it does not and the clutch becomes a sponge again.
You commented about taking the master cylinder out and bleed it that way?
Google: How To Disconnect and Connect Hydraulic Clutch Line on a Ford Ranger, F150, F250, Mazda Trucks.
Watch the video on how to disconnect and connect the two types of fittings that Ford used on the clutch systems
The fitting on the end of the hose from the master has a valve inside that closes when its disconnected from the slave, so fluid doesn't just run out of master and reservoir
Disconnect your master from slave
Now press down on clutch pedal
Should be rock hard, can not push it down at all because fluid has no where to go, valve is closed
If its "spongy", and you can push it down a bit, then yes, air in the Master
The clutch master sits at a upward angle so air can get trapped at the top so won't bleed out easily
Google: How To Bleed A Ford Ranger Clutch Master Cylinder & Fix a Soft Pedal!
It shows you how to get air out of Master without removing it, watch it all the way thru
If you don't think you can do it that way then you will need to pull out the master
You need to release the clutch push rod from the pedal, previous video showed how to remove the clutch switch, now you need to remove the push rod from pedal
Google: Ford Ranger Clutch Master Cylinder Removal From Clutch Pedal, Best Technique, No Special Tools.
You will need to replace the push rods bushing clip most likely
Once push rod is disconnected from pedal go to the engine bay and you will see two bolts holding master to firewall remove them, master won't fall out
When the bolts are out turn the master counter clockwise a 1/4 turn or so, twist lock, and it will then come out
Reservoir should already be unscrewed from firewall with its cap on, the cap is vented so can leak fluid, be careful of painted surfaces
Keep the reservoir higher than master
Put master upside down so any air will go up to reservoir and out into reservoir
You can also do what was done in the previous video and remove the C-clip to release the piston and any air
There is a possibility that the seals in the master are leaking, that also makes a spongy feel, but shouldn't come and go as you described
Replacing the master and pre-bleeding will take care of both air or seal issues
You can't, it has a one-way clip so once its installed it won't come out, you can of course break it, but never seen replacement clips for sale
You can unbolt the master, two bolts in engine bay, then twist it and it will come out so you can work on it
Ok I was able to get everything back together but it’s not bleeding. I’m opening the line and fluid is running through etc. for some reason I’m not able to get this bled. Any sugg?
If fluid is running "downhill" and out the bleeder then you are bleeding the system
If the Master is out then you will need a helper
Have them open the bleeder valve and then you need to push in the the push rod and fluid will squirt out of the bleeder so watch out, have the master's hose end slightly higher then push rod end so any air is at the hose end, then when push rod/master piston is all the way in, hold it and have then close the bleeder
Then release the push rod
That should clear any air from master
