If you read the link I posted above to Gary's site, it said something about the 80-82 had cables in 83 they went to Hydraulic.

Larry, you'll want to look up under the dash where the clutch pedal and rod go through the firewall. See if there is a sign of fluid leaking there. The Brake booster may also leak in that area.

Click on "clutch linkage" in the link below.

https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/clu...d-linkage.html

All 1980 - 82 trucks used a mechanical clutch linkage since the first use of a hydraulic linkage was for the 1983 F250/350 with either a 6.9L diesel or the 7.5L 460 gas engine. Then, in 1984 everything else, meaning the F150/350 & Bronco, got a hydraulic linkage.

 

Had a gorgeous Fiat Spyder with a cable-operated clutch. Picked it up dirt cheap for two reasons:

It was a Fiat. (Insert joke here)

The seller said the clutch cable would stick every few months and kept having to be replaced. The starter was sluggish, too. Said this all started happening after the motor had been removed for some other work. The proverbial light bulb illuminated over my head and I mentioned my hunch as I didn't want to take advantage of him. He just wanted it gone so I got a smokin' bargain.

As suspected, the ground cable was missing for the engine block. The clutch cable (a teleflex style inside a plastic-lined metal sheath) became the defacto ground for the starter. The cable was quite small and heated up, melting the plastic. When the plastic cooled, it grabbed the cable. I installed a proper ground cable, replaced the clutch cable one last time, and all was good for many years.

Hope this wasn't too off topic. It's a LarryThread, so I don't believe one has ever stayed on topic anyway...

 

I forgot about the Fiat 850 sedan I had but it was a semi auto, no clutch but if you put your hand on the shifter it would disengauge like a clutch but my parts 850 sedan was a stick and had cable. That Fiat was the only car I had that got 50 MPG beating the he11 out of it.

And let's not for get the VW Bug it used a cable.

I have not known any F truck that used a cable for the clutch unless it was larger than a F350?
Dave ----

 

I have a 2023 Jeep Gladiator with maybe 2000 miles on it. Also it’s an automatic, lol.

 

Hey Max mine is definitely hydraulic as u said. I did go under the dash and carefully examined everything. No leaks of any kind anywhere. In fact the entire clutch system appears new. I wish I had saved the add from the guy I purchased the truck from because he listed everything he had done to the truck and I want to say the clutch was new…maybe. I’ll text him later today and ask, but it’s hit or miss if he gets back to me. In the mean time I believe I’ve solved the issue. I think maybe my friend put this thought into my head after I had already felt something weird with the clutch and there ya go. Adding a small amount of fluid helped and I’m not sure how but it did. Like I mentioned, I will drive the truck for a bit and make sure it’s working good and then close out this post. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I appreciate you guys I learn a lot. Oh ya by the way one of our local ranch stores who deals a lot in DeWalt tools had a 168 piece mechanics tool set on sale. Normally over $200. With the sale and the rebate I got it for $120…so I purchased it. I was tired of using my neighbors tools to work on my truck. Seems pretty darn nice for a rookie mechanic still learning. Enjoy your day guys and again thank you.

 

The general rule of thumb for a mechanical clutch is if the engine is in the rear you'll have a cable operated clutch. Front engine location it will be a linkage. I didn't know about the Pinto or the Vega having a cable operated clutch but could be. Motorbikes with the clutch lever on the handlebars have to be a cable. None of our trucks use a cable.

 

That's a nice looking suitcase full of tools. If your reservoir got too low air can get into the line. But as soon as there's fluid upto the mark the air will purge out pretty quickly. I had the roll pin fail on my master holding the hydraulic line into the master. It spit out the line and the pedal went to the floor and stayed there. This is always fun when in traffic. I managed to land in a parking lot safely. Sprayed brake fluid everywhere. I hoofed it to the nearest auto parts store hoping to get a roll pin but they didn't stock them so I found a cotter pin about the right size and fitted the line back into the master, topped off the reservoir and was up and rolling in a few pumps of the pedal. As long as the air is up top it purges out quickly and wallah you have pedal.

 

So far my truck has only left me stranded once during that overheating issue you guys helped me with. But, hearing your experiences makes me think so I’m ready should something happen. I’m looking at a few trucks for sale that are in the 90’s. Is there a year (s) I should stay away from? Also, what about automatic transmissions?
Larry

 

I have been piloting my 86 Ford with a 6.9 diesel for 37 years now. I switched to diesel because I didn't like how they were torturing gas motors with smog equipment that really doesn't work. Most of the posts here regarding gas engines are regarding issues with smog equipment related issues. That said Ford had some issues with some of their post IDI diesels and they have a bad rep. I prefer to drive a manual transmission truck but if you need to drive in urban traffic an auto would be nice. Stop-N-go traffic with a manual is no fun. My advice on any truck you're interested in is to do a search on the particulars, year, engine, trans on consumer ratings sites. I liked my Turbohydromatic auto in my Chevy Truck. Those trannies have a good reputation. I haven't seen to many issues regarding Ford truck automatics here. With any automatic you want to do the maintenance for best results.

 

BB thank you for your response. I’m just in the exploring stage right now. I lost a 91 f250 with 80,000 original miles because I wanted to sleep on it 😵‍💫🙄🤣

 

Hey, Larry, have you checked out Hagerty Insurance for the truck. I finally switched my 86' over to them. You may call, mine is not a beauty like yours. But the rate was reasonable. Cheaper than what I was paying. Granted, mine is not worth a lot to me. So I valued it low.

 

I have Allstate and pretty comfortable with them. I’ll look Hagerty up online and see what I think. Anywhere we can save money is good. The only thing I don’t have insured with them is my Harley. Allstate wanted an arm and a leg to insure that thing even though I run everything else through them. Thanks
Larry

 

I understand about bundling as they call it. I recently sold two of my cars, so this one was the only car on that policy. As most Ins. the rated went up quit a bit. My agent looked around and did not find anything under $500. On a wim, I checked out Hagerty, I was surprised they were under $300 for the year. Like most people, I thought they only covered classic cars in great shape.

When I told my Agent about them and the truck, he was amazed, too. Because he carries them, but like most assumed... So I gave him the quote number and he took care of everything. The agent is an old Subaru buddy from some 15 years ago.

I guess it pays to think "outside the box". That's something I was good at when I had a job.

 

That is who I have with "agreed value"
so if it is crashed and totaled I get the "agreed price"
The only thing with normal insurance if it gets a minor crash they look at book value that is not much on a 40+ year old truck.
So say book is $1000 and you got $2000 of damage that is $1000 over book and anything up to 75% of book is totaled and you get $1000 for the truck less storage fees.
Because I have agreed value of say $15000 and say the crash took $10000 to fix they may total it but I would get the agreed $15000 and I get to keep the truck.

Now part of the issues with old car / truck insurance over normal is they limit when and where you can drive it, I dont have that on mine,
They also tell you where it has to be stored / parked, locked garage as mine is.

FYI some states have old car plates that are cheaper per year and may not have to do state inspections.
Thing is the state also limits when / where and how much per year you can drive so may not work for some that like to drive their cars & trucks.
Dave ----

 

The rubber piece is supposed to be stuck in the cap, not sitting on top of the reservoir. Pull the rubber piece off the reservoir if it is there, and push it back up in the cap. THEN you can check the fluid level with the rubber piece in the cap where it belongs.