I do volunteer work for an non-profit outfit with very limited budget. They have a 97 F250 5.8 with a manual trans that has been sitting for the last two years because the clutch doesn't work and a local shop nearby quoted them $2000 to replace it, which they didn't have. As we desperately need a truck I decided to have a look at it to see if it was fixing. It's really in pretty good shape as far as I can tell. Put a battery in it and it fired right up and purrs like a kitten. Clutch pedal feels very light don't feel any pressure buildup, reservoir has hydraulic fluid. Apparently the truck was working fine, the guy parked it and when he came back in an hour the clutch didn't work at all.

I'm fairly mechanically inclined but haven't ever messed with a clutch like this. Looking for some advice on how to troubleshoot it further to see if it might be something simpler (and cheaper) than doing a whole clutch replacement. Thanks...

 

Given that the truck was running fine when parked I would suspect the clutch linkage or the slave cylinder. I think the 5.8 has an internal slave cylinder unlike the 460 which has an external slave. I suggest taking the inspection cover off the bottom of the bell housing and have someone depress the clutch and release it so you can see what, if anything, is moving. Other than that starting place I've got nothing. Sorry.

Oh, and make sure the truck is not running while you are under there. You don't want to get run over or dragged.

 

If the clutch pedal is light and no leak in bell housing from slave, its probably just the master cylinder not building pressure. I bought my truck cheap, said it needed clutch cause it wouldn't release, new master and bleed out, been driving for 2 yrs.

 

The above responses are great and you should perform those tests.

While you're under the truck, you can have an assistant pump and hold the clutch while you open the bleeder screw. That will let you know if there's any air in the line. To find the bleeder, follow the hard line from the clutch master cylinder to the hole on the top left of the transmission. The bleeder screw may have a dust cap on it. IIRC, it's either 8 or 10mm.

If you need to pull the transmission, it's fairly easy and I didn't even have to pull my exhaust! Only problem I ran into were the bolts holding in the top of the transmission mount braces. Those were a HUGE pain because you need to get a box end on the top (not enough room for a ratchet on top, due to clearance between the frame and cab). I could get maybe 1/4 turn in before the wrench fell off and I had to put it back on and make another 1/4 turn or so. I just loosened those enough to allow the crossmember to slide out. Besides that, it's a pretty simple if you have a transmission jack. They sell them for $100 at Harbor Freight.

 

Also, make sure you use threadlock on the driveshaft flange to axle bolts. Also get new bolts and make sure to torque them down properly. On the 8.8 rear end the bolts have 12-point 12mm heads.

 

Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any inspection cover or access into the bell housing that would allow me to see what's going on with the master/slave. Did they really want us to remove the bell housing to get to the hydraulics?