I think the '94 Ranger has a clutch problem. Son was driving it home yesterday on the Interstate @ about 70mph when it had an "episode" that he initially thought was a blown out tire. Upon pulling over to the shoulder, he discovered no blown out tire. I was only a few minutes behind him, so I stopped and found out that with the engine running, no matter what gear the thing is in, even neutral, when i let out the clutch pedal, the engine bogs down and would die if i tried to let the clutch all the way out. I first thought it might be something in the hydraulic part of the clutch, but now I am leaning more toward the mechanical part of the system, i.e. clutch plate/throwout bearing. Any ideas/suggestions?

THANKS a bunch!!

 

Got me a Chilton's manual. Just getting started on the job. The gearshift and 4x4 lever are giving me a little trouble. I got the ***** off OK, but the book said to remove "the bolt" and remove the lever. I haven't been able to find "the bolt" yet....

 

Its a reverse bolt, take the nut off the bolt put it on the other side and tap with a mallet. It will push out.

 

Thank you, Sir!! I knew there had to be some trick to it!

 

do as Hank said swap the bolt and to tighten it up it will pop lose.....it is a wedge.........................

I think that your tranny is stuck in gear or the tranny got fubared.......even if the PP was trashed the truck should still go in Neutral and run.........does the shifter seem like it is working fine?........when you pull the shifter off make sure it is in Neutral.......you should see all the splines lined up in a row......if not the tranny is in a gear......that shifter ball can break.......I am not sure if I am explaining this properly?

 

go though this photo gallery.. I think there are about 20 pics https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...159299&width=0

 

Thanks, powersmoked!

The truck runs fine as long as the clutch pedal is depressed, and the gear shifter seems to operate normally. I just can't let the clutch out with the engine running, regardless of what gear it's in.

 

put the truck in neutral and take the shifter off.....see if the ball looks to be intact and that the splines on the tranny are lined up..........I think the ball thing is broken or your tranny is fubared......

 

I didn't have an opportunity to work on the truck Sunday, but I will after work today. I did take time to get that wedge bolt out and the shifter off. I see the gizmo that the shifter was connected to. Looks like maybe three bolts to take it off. Is that my next step? I'll take some pics when I get home. It was too dark this morning before I left for work.

Somebody needs to explain this part of the process to those Chilton's folks!!

 

make sure the truck is in NEUTRAL when you remove the stub. I cant remember if those are torx, hex, etc.......pull the stub out and look to see the the 3 levers in the tranny are lined up in a row........also look at the ball and springthing? and see if it looks damaged.....

 

OK, here we go. I made sure the transmission was in neutral, then i removed the three Torx bolts and removed the shifter from the top of the transmission. I really don't know what this stuff is supposed to look like, so I am not sure if there is a problem or not. The shifter rod cam out with the retainer, a seal where the shaft passes through the retainer, a couple rings between the ball on the shaft and the retainer, and a couple more rings were left in the counterbore where the shaft came out of the transmission. Here are a couple pictures to illustrate:







Thanks for the help!!!!

 

I am trying to delete this extra post I made by accident, but I can't figure out how....

 

sorry but I can't tel from the 2nd pic if they are lined up correctly..you could play with it a little by putting it back in and put it in a gear then remove it.see what the levers do........I do know that can have a hard time putting it back in properly unless it is in neutral......you can use a big screwdriver to move the levers around.

 

Here's a better picture:




I used my Nikon instead of my phone!


I don't really see anything that indicates the catastrophic event my son described to me. I'm going to start looking elsewhere. Drive shafts, transfer case and transmission are next. Been trying to avoid dismantling the entire drivetrain, but it may be about time to bite the bullet.

Hope those Chilton's folks weren't asleep during that part of the class....

 

OK, time for an update!

I've gotten this thing torn all apart. The transfer case, transmission, pressure plate/clutch, and flywheel are all out, as is the exhaust from the manifolds back to the joint behind the cats. During this process, I was able to develop and fully test three new curse words. These will be released to the general public after proper processing by the Merriam-Webster folks is completed.

Looking at the clutch and pressure plate, I don't see anything out of the ordinary, just normal wear. I have turned my attentions toward the transmission. I put it in neutral before I removed the shifter. Now, with the transmission on the ground, I can turn the tail shaft by hand, but I cannot turn the shaft on the engine end by hand. I assume this is a bad sign. Can someone enlighten me on anything I can do to prove/disprove my latest theory??

As always, BIG THANKS in advance. I've always been able to get the best help here, and I expect this time will be no different.