Hydraulic clutch problems
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2001
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From: Southern New Hampshire
Hydraulic clutch problems
Hi, Im new to this forum; usually hang in the pre 48 and 48-60 ones.
Anyway Ive bought my latest and newest Ford truck, an 85 F-150.
Originally had a 300 six and C6 but at some point a 351W and 4spd was swapped in.
Ran fine for a few years and then gradually became hard to shift when hot.
Now it wont shift at all (without banging) even when cold. In fact the clutch wont even fully release and the truck creeps in any gear. I can shift just fine with the engine off, no roughness felt.
When starting it in gear and driving around slowly in that gear there are no nasty noises leading me to believe it may be a hydraulic issue. Ive never had one of those clutches before so any ideas appreciated.
The guy I got it from said he had pulled the tranny and the clutch looked almost new, no hot spots on the plate or flywheel either.
Another option is to reinstall a C6, Ive had a good one from another 300 offerered to me; are they swappable to the 351W?
Anyway Ive bought my latest and newest Ford truck, an 85 F-150.
Originally had a 300 six and C6 but at some point a 351W and 4spd was swapped in.
Ran fine for a few years and then gradually became hard to shift when hot.
Now it wont shift at all (without banging) even when cold. In fact the clutch wont even fully release and the truck creeps in any gear. I can shift just fine with the engine off, no roughness felt.
When starting it in gear and driving around slowly in that gear there are no nasty noises leading me to believe it may be a hydraulic issue. Ive never had one of those clutches before so any ideas appreciated.
The guy I got it from said he had pulled the tranny and the clutch looked almost new, no hot spots on the plate or flywheel either.
Another option is to reinstall a C6, Ive had a good one from another 300 offerered to me; are they swappable to the 351W?
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,987
Likes: 7
From: Memphis, TN
Hydraulic clutch problems
Sounds like the plastic bushing between the pedal lever & the clutch MC pushrod wore out, and now the pushrod has worn into the lever's pin. I just bought them for mine (I converted from mechanical linkage), so I have the Ford prices & PNs handy. 
The lever is $12 and the bushing is $2 (D8TZ-7526-B; you only need 1).
The lever is $12 and the bushing is $2 (D8TZ-7526-B; you only need 1).
Last edited by steve83; Jul 11, 2003 at 01:07 AM.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 552
From: Kalispell, MT
Hydraulic clutch problems
There should also be an adjustable pushrod between the clutch lever and the master cylinder. You can reach it under the dash - above the gas pedal with a jam nut......a couple of turns might get you by until the new parts arrive - or even longer.........
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 165
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From: Juneau, AK
Hydraulic clutch problems
It does sound like a slave cylinder or master cylinder problem. Not sure how you test em, I just replaced one or the other until the problem was fixed. They aren't cheap though, I wanna say like $70 or so for slave and a bit more for the master. Also check to make sure the firewall is not flexing, there was a problem with some (or all?) of our model trucks where the firewall would crack over time. Ford sells a reinforcement kit if this is the case.
Thread Starter
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,119
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From: Southern New Hampshire
Hydraulic clutch problems
Thanks for all the info. I think I'll start by bleeding the slave cylinder and then where do I check for the firewall cracks or are they pretty obvious?
This truck runs real strong and would make a nice tow vehicle and boneyard scrounger. The guy I got it from didnt want to spend any more time and money on it as he isnt too big on getting his hands dirty.
Besides the clutch, the drivers side exhaust manifold is cracked and the gas tank leaks when it is filled to the top. No rocket science here, just work.
It was about 2 hours from going to the boneyard when I heard about it and got it for my favorite price.
This truck runs real strong and would make a nice tow vehicle and boneyard scrounger. The guy I got it from didnt want to spend any more time and money on it as he isnt too big on getting his hands dirty.
Besides the clutch, the drivers side exhaust manifold is cracked and the gas tank leaks when it is filled to the top. No rocket science here, just work.
It was about 2 hours from going to the boneyard when I heard about it and got it for my favorite price.
Last edited by 286merc; Jul 11, 2003 at 07:41 PM.
Thread Starter
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,119
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From: Southern New Hampshire
Hydraulic clutch problems
How do I delete this spurious post? This PC does funny things when Norton AV is running!
Last edited by 286merc; Jul 11, 2003 at 07:42 PM.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 165
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From: Juneau, AK
Hydraulic clutch problems
The crack in my firewall was obvious, it ran vertically next to the master cylinder. You could have somebody push the clutch pedal while you look at the master cylinder area and enough movement to cause disengagement problems should be visible.
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,739
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From: GANS
Hydraulic clutch problems
dumb question. on my truck, when you push the clutch in, the steering column moves diagonially to the lower left. I didn't see a crack on the firewall, even behind the brake booster. it never did that until i heard a snap. i've driven it that way for a couple years, and it hasnt gotten worse (if the firewall was cracked, i assume it would get worse with time). what would that be? does it crack on the inside or would it be a broken bolt i cant find?
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 9,987
Likes: 7
From: Memphis, TN
Hydraulic clutch problems
The column is attached to the pedal bracket which is attached to the firewall by the booster nuts, so it's more likely they're loose, or some of the studs ripped out of the back of it. 
The nuts are accessible just by looking beside the brake pedal, so if they just spin without ever getting tight, you'll have to pull the booster & inspect.
The nuts are accessible just by looking beside the brake pedal, so if they just spin without ever getting tight, you'll have to pull the booster & inspect.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,739
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From: GANS
Hydraulic clutch problems
i'll have to look at the old booster, I swapped in the booster from the f-250 cab (this cab is going on an f-250 frame). i'll check that though, because i didn't find anything else broken, and didn't see any cracks.