Amazon.com: 95 96 97 Ford Ranger 2.3L OE Clutch Kit: Automotive

Clutch went out on me 50 miles from home, had to pay $250 for a tow home

I know I'll need brake fluid for the master cyl, and trans fluid. Any other parts?

Thanks

 

I would recommend you just go to autozone, they have lifetime clutch kits with throwout bearing. They also have lifetime slave cylinders and maybe even masters? I would replace both as one may lead to failure of other so do at same time. Might want to R&R the main seal while in there. Oh the pilot bearing comes in the AZ kit as I recall.

They have warranteed 2 clutches for me no questions asked. I bought the lifetime slave there also, had just replaced the master so that is why I am not sure of their warranty.

 

The clutch kit from Advance is the same price.

 

...so the consensus is that it's worth it to go ahead and do the slave cylinder and rear main seal too while everything is apart? It's been a while since I've replaced a clutch, but this will be the first hydraulic one.

 

A nice thing to have would be the tools to disconnect the hydraulic line(s). I have not had to touch mine yet, but have heard stories here about people having difficulty detaching the line from the slave cylinder/TO bearing. Bleeding is another story also, FWIW.
Guess I'm the local curmudgeon, but I would not replace the rear main seal unless there was indication of a leak. Some will last the life of the vehicle, and some don't. Two hundred fifty thousand on a Vulcan with no leaks.
I feel the same way on the water pump when doing the timing belt. I have had so many 're-manufactured' water pumps fail that I prefer the factory one that I know has had the coolant kept up, etc. If it were seeping... same on the rear main seal. Just my opinion.
tom

 

definitely replace the slave..........I bought my kit form advance. I bought it online and got 30% off and then picked it up from the store.I think I paid $150?......I got the Perfection brand. the PP that came with it was stamped LUK. the kit came with the hydraulic tool......go watch the videos perfection has......disconnecting the line took me 10 seconds.........

the pilot bearing can be tough to get out.......you need to remove the flywheel to change the seal..........IMHO I would remove the flywheel and change the seal.......it will be easy to get the PB out with the flywheel off......you can get the flywheel turned for $25

 

I ended up picking up the kit plus a slave cylinder from advance auto.

Hopefully I'll get to tackle the clutch in the next few days. The last transmission I dropped was a big block C6 . Is getting the 5 speed in an out of these things a one man job?

 

I droped mine with no help on my '97. Remember to drain that thing before you get under it to let it down. Don't ask.

 

I did mine by myself and I would not do it again. I would get someone to help me in the removal and installing part(the actual removal and install part is probably only 15 each)......unless you are working off a lift and have a pro style tranny jack.......the issue with the M5OD is that there is no flat bottom.......it's V shaped..... here is a nice picture how to
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/displayimage.php?photoid=160484&width=0

 

YouTube - Ford Ranger & Mazda B-Series Pickup Clutch Hydraulic Release System Bleeding Procedures

YouTube - Removal and Servicing of Clutch Master Cylinder to Slave Cylinder Connections


Clutch replacement 2wd, 4 cyl

TOOLS
besides the obvious collection of ratchets wrenches ,etc, here are a few specific ones that I remember. 12mm 12 point socket for drive shaft removal, 13mm 6 point engine to tranny bolts, 10mm socket for PP, pilot bearing tool, torx 30, creeper, transmission jack( if possible see if you can get one that is more like a basket. I had a flat one and the tranny is anything but flat.....next time I think I might try and make wooden jig that I would secure to the jack and help support the tranny)


you need to Jack the truck up. I saw one post where the guy used 4 cinder blocks and then put a piece of 2x8 over most of the block he then took a short piece of 2x4 and stuck it in the hole sticking out his tire pressed up against it. he did it for all 4 tires and the 2x4 keeps the truck from moving. The wheels end up about 10” off the ground. a good workable height. A mistake I made was I only put the front of the truck on car ramps. I had the ramps on a nice hard flat service but where I was working on the tranny was gravelly and I could not use a creeper and with the rear wheels on the ground it was hard to work.This is the only area I had to work with but it made the project way too difficult. Jack the whole truck up on a nice flat service and get a creeper.

Disconnect Battery

-Disconnect shift lever(shifter) , there is a bolt with one nut on it. remove the bolt and replace it onto the other side of the bolt. tighten the nut and the bolt will pop out. it’s a funky wedge type thing. The top **** is held on by pressure it is a pain to take off . you should be able to leave it on and just remove the shift lever and boot as one unit.remove the 3 torx (t30)screws holding the stub into the tranny. the stub might need a little force to pop out. Plug the hole with a rag. removing the stub makes the removal and especially the installation of the tranny easier. MAKE SURE YOU REMOVE THE SHIFTER WHEN THE TRANNY IS IN NEUTRAL.

-drain fluid

-remove driveshaft(mark where the driveshaft bolts to the differential and where it goes into the tranny. it needs to go back in the same spot to keep it balanced

-disconnect slave cylinder coupling.( see video)

-remove starter

-disconnect backup light connection and wires from tranny

-start removing tranny to engine bolts. I left the bottom 2 in until the final removal. there are 8 bolts all together. before I did my job I read all about how tough some of the bolts where and how they use extensions and dropped the tail end of the tranny down first(this is not a bad idea) to access the 2 top bolts.........however, for me all I used was a ⅜ ratchet and a 6 point 13mm socket and I was able to reach 7 bolts. it took some time to remove them but not a huge problem. the 8th bolt above the starter on the passenger side I use a ¼” ratchet.

-I did not have to remove my exhaust if you have a V6 I think you need to.

-remove crossmember and tranny mount. Place tranny jack under tranny, remove remaining bolts and slide the tranny off the engine.....I got stuck here a little because I could not remove the tranny. I thought I missed a bolt. All it was was the nubs where stuck good. I eventually pried it off. This slowed me down a little. Next time I will just pry it right off knowing I had all the bolts removed.

-remove PP bolts. loosen each bolt a little at a time. I put the clutch alignment tool in as i took it off. Replace pilot bearing. Replacing pilot bearing can be a pain. they sell a tool foR it and I would recommend it. clean flywheel with acetone or lacquer thinner.

-install new clutch and PP I tightened mine to 20lbs. tighten each bolt a little at a time.

-installing the tranny is what slowed me down a lot. I was by myself and I had the not so perfect tranny jack. I would not do this again. you need someone to help you put it back in. I had read a few threads about a guy that uses thread rods or bolts. he puts them in the engine bolt holes and uses then as a guide to slide the tranny in I WOULD DEFINITELY TRY THIS . FIGURE OUT WHAT SIZE AND LENGTH BOLT/ROD TO GET.

-Reinstall everything. the slave I got came with a new o-ring and plastic piece. I installed that on the line and popped the line right into the new slave

The only help I had from another Human was I had my wife come out and pour Dot 3 into the clutch reservoir for me. she said she said she let it go down about half way and filled it about 10 times. I loosened the bleeder screw and just let it gravity bleed, exactly how they show in the video. after I thought it was all clean and no air in the line I tighten the bleeder. I never touched the pedal. the fluid bleeds slowly and it might have taken 5 or 10 minutes.


I am sure I missed a few things. Do some searches and look for other threads. it is a doable job for an average backyard-er. but i urge you to stick with the few things I emphasised ...

To answer your question you originally asked me......I say I took about 7 or 8 hours to do the job I did over Thanksgiving weekend.............if I were to do it again I would absolutely get someone to help me at least in removing and installing the tranny and I would do it with the whole truck jacked up on flat ground with a creeper........I bet I could do it in 3 or 4 hours then..........good luck!!!