I have an '89 Ranger, Extended Cab, 2x4, 2.3l, Manual transmission with 255,000 on the odometer. I've owned it since 1990 and as far as I can remember it has either never had a clutch or only had one. I realize it's past due.

Everything has been fine up until this morning. 10 minutes after leaving the driveway this morning going a steady 55mph, no incline, it sounded almost as if I hit a deer. The truck jerked real hard, I put it back into 5th, and limped to my destination. Keep in mind for the next 30 or so miles there was absolutely no clutch slippage.

Here's the symptoms: No slippage, won't go into gears (I have to match rev's and shift without clutch, I drive a big rig and do this daily), when I do get it in 1st at a stop sign it wants to lurch with clutch all the way pushed down, I still have a great clutch pedal, and the most interesting thing to me is it sounds like something is being tossed around in my bell housing.

I'm almost 100% certain it's the clutch, however, I just wanted to come on here and report I have no slippage and it sounds like something being tossed around in the bell housing area. Is it possible a piece of the clutch could have "broke" off and that was what that huge jerk at 55 mph was? Approx. how much would a shop charge to put a clutch in on this model? I live in a rural area where prices are not inflated.

Thanks!!

 

I am no expert, but it sounds like you may have broken the fork that holds the throw out bearing. Or the bearing itself may have failed.

 

X2...........Sounds like the spring-steel clip that holds the throw-out brg. fork to the ball on the inside of the bell-housing has failed or slipped off.

 

my thoughts: check master fluid level, look for obvious leaks, disconnected hoses.

can't recall if you have an internal slave or not. if you have an external slave and a big rubber boot, you can replace the fork sometimes from the outside. sometimes the slave cylinder plastic spacer thingey falls off and acts like bad fork. you can also pull the starter to look in the hole for obvious large chunks in the bell housing. Pretty sure you have a diaphragm clutch so I don't believe there would be clutch chunks without major slippage.

I figure $100 for the clutch kit, 40 for the fork, 40 to resurface flywheel, maybe $200 for labor. Old age causes me to forget if the throw out assy is in the clutch kit or not. Call around for the labor costs. I do my own work because I can trust my mechanic.

 

Thanks guys. I'll check obvious stuff and take it to the shop this week and see what they say. I'm trying desperately to keep my truck but its nickel and diming me here lately even with me doing smaller things.

 

An 89 would have the internal slave cyl, no linkage to break or fall off. If its not slipping, but hard to get into gear, it could be the pilot bearing went out, and is locked to the trans input shaft.

 

Hey Crick,

I have a 99 Ranger with MT. I was having similar noise symptoms to yours. I first suspected rear wheel bearings were going bad because I also had clanking in the rear and evidence of axle seal leakage, however...

I just did an inspection underneath my truck two minutes ago and found the source of the noise...

the output shaft of the transmission has a big harmonic balancer on it and the rubber was completely shot and the outer ring separated from the shaft. Whenever I would turn just right or brake too hard, the ring would jump forward and clatter around the tail housing of the tranny. My tail housing is a bit chewed up!

I don't know if the 89 trucks have this, but it would be worth a look.

That won't explain the difficulty going into gear, but that might be a separate issue. You've got a few miles on that truck and the synchros may just be a little tired.

 

Alright guys, so I called a few shops today and was surprised to hear most of them said $700+ to do the clutch. I mean this truck is an old 2nd truck beater. So I got to thinking that maybe I could do the clutch myself and use it as a learning experience. So my question is, how hard of a task would this be for a guy that has some mechanical ability but this would by far be the biggest project I have done? Before you jump and say it's going to be bad I will say I have 2 positives going for me. 1) I have access to a garage and a lift 2) Since this is a second truck I have all the time in the world. Doesn't matter if it takes a weekend or a month to complete.

I researched a little bit of what was involved and ran across the following YouTube video.


I watched the whole thing and decided that the process looks do-able. I am very curious if this video will be exactly like my Ranger or entirely different. The guy in the video just says "this is how you replace the clutch in a Ford Ranger or B-series." He doesn't list out years, etc. If this is not anywhere remotely like how mine will be, does anyone know of a step-by-step tutorial either on the web or possibly a book?

Couple questions:

1) Do you have to drain all the transmission fluid like the guy in the video?

2) Should I replace all the parts as the guy in the video did? Rear main seal, slave cylinder, etc

3) He didn't get flywheel resurfaced.....should I do that?

4) Do you think this is too much of a project or do you think it would be a good learning experience. From the video it doesn't look excessively hard. How long do you think I should allow working at a leisurely pace?

I very much appreciate your help and I am sure I will need more of it if I go through with this process.

 

I have been driving Rangers since 1985, it is easier to pull the motor than deal with pulling the trans, just my 2 cents.
Not many people have a lift, and rolling around on the floor wrestling with a trans is no fun.

 

takes me 8 hours on a warm summer day on the driveway with the ranger upon 4 jack stands high enough for my fat old body to comfortably fit under. I have the 4X4 trans which weighs a ton and is awkward. yours is easier. I don't drain it because it won't have any holes that leak if you keep it mostly upright and level. You can do the rear seal if you wish, but it is easy enough to fix later if and when it does leak. slave cyl comes as an assembly with master cyl for $300, and bleeding is a royal pain. you can get slaves by themselves, BUT bleed it OUT of the vehicle. you will need a 4 foot extension for the top two bolts (if you cant get them from the top like with a 2.9) and be careful with the ground wires (upper right hand bolt). air tools make it easier. Tranny Jack is nice to have also. stuff I change: clutch, pressure plate, pilot bearing, throwout bearing, INTERNAL cylindrical slave, resurface flywheel. my manuals say you have the external slave so I'd grease lightly anything shiny on the fork.