Hello everyone!

I have a 1997 F150 4X4 with the V6 4.2. I bought this truck cheap from a business because they said the clutch went out on it. When I went to get the truck I bled it in their parking lot and was able to get enough pressure to drive it home. I then bled it real good at home and have been able to drive it for about 6 months now. Every month I have to bleed it and it runs fine. This trick finally stopped working about a month ago and now that the weather has turned nice I am ready to tackle the problem and fix it right. I figured I would start with the master cylinder since it was obvious that air was getting in from somewhere. I took the master cylinder out and then noticed that there was a blockage in the reservoir. Come to find out the little cardboard cap liner had fallen into the bottom of the reservoir and was only allowing small amounts of fluid to go down the line. Problem solved!!! Well I put the old master cylinder back in, bled it, and still have no pressure. I get a steady stream from the bleeder and no air. I have no idea what to do next. Should I go ahead and replace the master cylinder or is it a bleeding problem? By the way I inspected the slave to see if it was leaking and there doesn't seem to be any fluid in the bottom of the housing. Also the clutch pushes down and returns freely, it just doesn't engage anything. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

You probably should also bleed the clutch release cylinder as well. if you haven't already. The bleeder screw is right above the clutch hydraulic line, on the transmission. If that doesn't repair it , a rebuild kit for the master might.

Dave