Hello all..,

I'd like to know if anyone has had any trouble with the 'Clutch Slave' on their 5Spd, 4.0L-V6 ?

Mine started giving me grief about a week ago. What I mean is that the clutch pedal went completely soft
(like through the floor).

I've had to re-fill the one ounce firewall resevoir four times now.

I think my problem is the 'Master cylnder, but I'm not certain, I'm wondering if there are any 'Troubleshooting'
techniques I can do before I tear the whole thing down.

Ultimately I might have to disconnect the transmission to get at the 'Clutch release cylinder' and re & re that unit.

Any advice at this point is much appreciated.

PS; any illustrations on these parts and assemblies would be appreciated as well.

 

If you refilled it 3 times so far you have a leak ,more than likely its at the slave cylinder .

You should see evidence of it leaking at the bottom of the bell housing.

Rich

 

Thanks Rich,

We've just been getting this huge dump of snow (12" to 16", something like that).
Believe it or not, but there's no sign of oil in the snow.., the bell-housing is dry, firewall's dry.., hmmm.
Is there anywhere this s_ _t could run into ?
Do you have any idea what the time to re & re might be ? (considering a well equiped garage and all).

Dale.

 

Agree with Rich (FortyFords) that if you're having to add hydraulic fluid, you surely have a leak somewhere. The bad news is that if it's the slave cylinder, you're in for a trans pull since the cyl is concentric with the trans input shaft.

However, with luck the leak might be elsewhere. The hydraulic line between master and slave has at least two crimped connections, and there is a quick-disconnect fitting at the trans end. I'd check all these and the master cyl first. (Old proverb: Do the easy things first -- sometimes you get lucky.) You wouldn't necessarily see oil on the ground where it's been sitting -- could be losing most of it on the road.

Haynes (for once) has a decent manual for the '91/92 Expl with good coverage and illustrations on the clutch and related items. It's their publication #2021 -- and relatively inexpensive. Many auto parts stores carry them, or go to www.haynes.com where you can also order online.

Good luck,
Stu

 

Hey, thanks for the in-put there Stu,

I have to agree with the 'old proverb' though, I'm putting the truck into the garage today (to thaw) and likely get into it tomorrow after work (the easy stuff first).

This might turn out to be one of those jobs where I have to block the engine in place to I bet.

You know, this is a freshly rebuilt unit and I'm a little miffed by the fact that the shop never picked up on the 'Clutch Release Cylinder'.

They did take enough time to tell me the clutch-plate was A-OK though. I'm pretty sure that if it were faulty, it would be detectable (no), who knows, maybe it never occurred to them to check it.

Can you tell me something, can I slip the tranny back (after all connections are removed of course) with the T/C still attached ?

Anyway thanks, I'll give 'er all I got...

 

Hi Dale -- what do you mean by T/C? Transfer Case? You didn't say whether it's a 2WD or 4WD. (This is why it's always good to list vehicle configuration when posting a question.)

In theory, you should be able to slide the trans and transfer case back as a unit once you drop the driveshafts, and disconnect shift lever and all attaching lines etc. But there may be a clearance problem with body or cross members -- visual check should tell the tale.

Before you do all that -- according to the manual there is an oblong inspection port on left (driver's) side of the trans, covered by a rubber plug and just below where the clutch hyd line attaches. It's intended for checking release (throwout) bearing operation. Suggest you get a helper to actuate the clutch several times, and check the slave cyl for fluid seepage. Maybe you'll get lucky and find the leak is elsewhere in system.

Stu

 

Hey, thanks again there Stu,

With any luck at all, I'll be able to leave the 'clutch assembly' intact on the flywheel dont'cha think ?

Right now the SOB is thawing out in the garage, so I'll get under it and give it a good looksee tomorrow after work.

Again, thanks. Much appreciate it.

Dale.
'91 Explorer 'Sport' 4.0L v6
Calgary, Alberta.

 

I'm currently on my 4th master slave on a '93 Explorer. I bought it new and the first one lasted about 4 years, ~85K miles. It really went South when I moved to Phoenix and the summer heat just made everything worse. Syptoms were it wouldn't engage in 1st at a stop light and occasionaly scratched the gears on upshift. Even a couple years before it first failed, I noticed shifting problems as if the clutch was still engaged even though my foot was to the floor. The several brilliant dealers I took it to thought the shifting was normal. Then one day I saw a TSB write up that covered replacing the master cylinder and the proper way of bench bleading it prior to installation. I tackled the job after spending $130 for a new master at a Ford dealer. Note though that I never found a leak either - reservoir was full. But the internal seal was shot and it simply didn't move the fluid to depress the slave. After replacment, shifting felt like I had a brand new transmission. Then one day while wheeling in the desert in 100 degree heat, my foot went right to the floor. This time I saw a lot of fluid leaking outside, down the firewall. Let me tell you it was a bit hairy getting out of there through washes and hill climbs without a clutch. Being late on a Saturday, no Ford dealers were open so I went to Napa where the had the exact same part as Ford - it's made in France (gee, there's the problem!) but for 1/2 the cost and with a lifetime warranty. Ford's was a year warranty so I brought the failed one back for a full refund - too bad they reimburse my labor. Then again, some 9 or 10 months later, my foot went righ to the floor again and no clutch. I didn't see any fluid leaking but then again didn't on the first master so out it cam and returned to Napa, free replacement. But when I pulled it, I saw the fluid leak inside the cab this time. So you may want to check that as it tends to soak into the carpet padding and then you'll never get it out. Bottom line is that these master slaves are a piece of crap. I recommend just changin it. It's kind of a pain but once you find how to run the line down through the truck along the frame and on top of the plastic wheel wheel liner (there's a plastic clip right there too) it's not too bad. Do yourself a favor and do not instal the new pushrod untill you have mounted the new master in the truck - you'll find pulling the old one and the extra length from the rod make it near impossible to remove as an assembly - but it does come out. Lastly, and this is the most important thing you can do on this job, you have to get all the air out of the system before you instal it. You need a bench vice and a way of rigging the reservoir in the air above the master. The master must be placed in the vice up-side-down from the way it normally sits in the truck. This is because the normal position points the cylinder down and the fluid exits at the bottom - air naturally rises up. So it must be up-side-down in the vice to bleed the air out. This was all noted in the TSB. It gets a little messy but have a few rags handy. Once set in a vice, fill the reservoir and push on the master with a screwdriver or proper size punch - don't install the push rod yet because it wont come out once you do. With pressure on the cylinder, crack the quick disconnect to relieve the pressure - this is the messy part. Close the disconnect then release the cylnder - just like bleeding brakes. It helps to have a partner too. This process must be repeated a lot. In between, I would take the assembly out of the vice and tap the master and the line in one direction all the way to the quick disconnect to lossen any air bubbles sticking to the inside walls. You'll need to keep twisting and rotating the assembly (the line is rigid and not straight) so that the air bubbles always go up, away from gravity, so they can be expelled at the quick disconnected. Ford spec I think was to repeat this until you get .08" or less movement at the cylinder with the quick disconnect closed. I kept going until I got .02-.03" movement only. Point here is that no air is ever good in a hydraulic system. Good luck but. This is more probable as your issue than the slave. A slave can leak sure but from my research and experience, it's not too often. This master problem is evident with Rangers too so more justification for ya.

 

That's an awesome story man, I can definitely relate to that.
Thanks for bringing up the notion of parts from jobbers vs the dealers. Those crooks want over 400.00 w/one year only. The only thing that really p_ _ ses me on this job is the time, it's so freakin' tedious to simply check or replace these parts.

Anyway mate, thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.

 

This is quite a thread.. I just put a post out about my 88 F250 similar to this one . My clutch was low to the floor and decieded to bleed the clutch.Once I opened up my bleeder valve to bleed my clutch, my pedal went all the way to the floor.. No fluid will go down to the slave cylinder. The fluid does not go down in the Master cylinder. I think I have to replace my Master cylinder..

Question: Does the Master cylinder come the line attached that goes to the slave cylinder?

thanks looking forward to help here..

Runner

 

This is quite a thread.. I just put a post out about my 88 F250 similar to this one . My clutch was low to the floor and decieded to bleed the clutch.Once I opened up my bleeder valve to bleed my clutch, my pedal went all the way to the floor.. No fluid will go down to the slave cylinder. The fluid does not go down in the Master cylinder. I think I have to replace my Master cylinder..

Question: Does the Master cylinder come the line attached line that goes to the slave cylinder?

thanks looking forward to help here..

Runner

 

I'm not sure about an '88 truck but on the Explore the master comes with the cylinder, new push rod and a new o'ring and dowel pin to attach your existing line to the cylider. The unit I bought from Ford came with the fluid reservoir while the one from Napa did not.

Hope that helps.

 

Hi guys,

I've completely removed the tranny and transfercase in my truck for the sake of repairing/replacing the 'Slave Cylinder' let me tell you, it's a f_ _ ker of a job.
I've bought a slave through NAPA and it looks like junk in comparison to the OEM I removed.
Then went to the dealer and theirs is not the same in size spec's, I'm a little concerned about this because I don't want to have to go through this process again in the near future.
My 'master cylinder' appears to be OK, no leaks or anything like that. The 'Slave' was leaking so bad that the inside of the bellhousing was soaked. I'm assuming the seal is fried, every time I stepped on the clutch pedal, the fluid must've just expelled right out the seal.
I'm wondering if you (jharger) have any input as far as putting the tranny back in, it was awfully tight to remove. Between the exhaust cross-over at the bottom and the tranny tunnel on top, it was like pulling a tooth to get out.

Thanks for any input,

Dale.

 

Dale - I've only let the dealer pull the tranny so far. They replaced it and the clutch/slave under warranty. I assume you took the shifter off from inside the truck first. This would buy a little room. Sounds like you left the exhaust in place as the dealer did on mine. But I recently added Borla headers which have a bolt together cross over piece. If you want to add headers and a new exhaust at this time, this could buy you some space too. Check this web page http://www.glue.umd.edu/~singletn/exp.html

Good Luck - JEFF

 

Thanks for the reply there Jeff,

I had an RV exhaust kit installed a couple of years ago, I have to admit the guy did an awesome job, only thing is it's welded from headpipe to tailpipe.
I slackened the 2-piece cross member under the tranny just to squeeze another 1/4" underneath, but she's still going to be a tight fit going back in. BTW, I did take the shifter off inside the cab, I might have to take the actual shift head out of the tranny yet though, just to slip it in.

BTW Jeff, the definition of LUCK is..,
"When preparation meets opportunity" .

I'm sure I'm quite well prepared here, but thanks anyway