Hey all, just replaced the clutch on my 1992 Ford Ranger XLT, with the five speed manual trans. Replaced it with a LUK clutch and pressure plate, and the pressure plate is the non-self adjusting type. Still breaking the clutch in, got probably another 300 miles of breaking it in, there’s about 200 miles on the new clutch so far. Something I noticed is the “bite point” is still really high up on the clutch pedal, like your foot is almost off the pedal when it grabs.

I sort of had this same problem with the truck when I first bought it, about four weeks ago, and replaced the clutch since I thought it was going out since the bite point was high. Turns out the clutch disc was a bit glazed, and the throw out bearing and pilot bearing were bad so I replaced those as well. Is the bite point just really high on these trucks in general? Will this go away as the clutch breaks in? It’s got a hydraulic master cylinder and slave cylinder so I would think it would just adjust along the way as the clutch wears. I had to pull the whole hydraulic lines and master cylinder out of the truck to be able to bleed it after putting the transmission back in. I then visually confirmed the clutch engages/disengages by looking through the inspection cover while the truck is in neutral and in gear while it was not running.

Any comments on what I’m experiencing? Is this just normal?

 

No, just the opposite is true

With new thick clutch disc it shouldn't disengage unless pedal is down to the floor and an inch farther, lol
And engage is also at the floor with new disc and non-self adjusting pressure plate

Something is wrong if disengage and engage are at the top of pedal travel

Just for my terms
engaged means foot is off the pedal and pressure plate is holding clutch disc firmly against the flywheel, "bitting"
disengage is when pedal is down and pressure plate is pulled back so clutch disc can spin freely with no connection to the engine

 

I agree with RodD on the engage points. I would bleed the system again. I'm not 100% sure here, but isn't your push rod adjustable? If so, check that too. Without pictures to see your install, we're grasping at straws here. Sorry.

 

Ok guys, thanks for your advice. I was sorta thinking it was weird how the clutch grabs close to the top of the pedal. Also not sure about the push rod being adjustable?

I guess my question now is will I damage the new clutch disc running the truck like this for a little while longer? I really don’t have time to bleed the system again, this is my daily driver so I can’t have it sitting. Probably can bleed it this weekend though. The clutch does not slip or anything, seems to work fine the bit point is just a bit high.

 

If the clutch is not slipping then its fine to drive