alright, thanks to a couple guys on here i discovered my problem with my 89 5.0 4 speed (granny gear) was that the slave cylinder busted. *the rod popped right out of the end breaking the plastic* so i bought a new slave and im ready to install it. Quite honestly im not as mechanicly inclined as i wish i was as age 17 so im kinda hesitant to charge in and do this.

i take out that little pin thats holding in the hose to the bad slave, and drain the line *leaving the top off the master* then i take the little plastic thing off the rod on the new slave and fully extend it and pour some dot 3 into it, then connect it to the hose, install the new pin.

now this is where im not sure what to do next *if theres anything wrong with all that stuff above let me know* How do i attach the slave to the truck? i see the bracket or whatever it is with 3 bolts on the side of the tranny, im thinking i should take that off first, then when the new slave is hooked up to the hose i put it in the bracket and then try and hook it up to the tranny *using the throwout bearing lever to depress the rod*and then bolt it on... is that too confusing? if someone has had experiance with this PLEASE help.

thanks-

 

ok, i got it in *what a pain in the **** and I only shot one eye with brake fluid.

got the pin out of the old one, took it off and let it drain, then pumped the clutch to get the rest out

poured a little fluid into the new slave and then hooked it up and got it in place

poured fluid into master and then opened the bleeder on the slave....

pumped the clutch *with my hand becuase the pedal would just stay once it was fully depressed* and listened to hear air come out. i did this i dont know how many times and i could here little 'psshh' and see fluid coming out, so anyway it was getting dark so i tightened the bleeder and poured some more fluid in. I thought that once the bleeder was tightened id get the clutch back *or some of it anyway, planned to come out and bleed it some more tomarrow* depressed the clutch and it was just as dead as before....what have i gotten myself into??

 

I haven't worked on a hydraulic clutch, but if it's like bleeding brakes, you need to have someone push down on the clutch while you open the bleeder valve, then close the bleeder valve before they let up on the clutch pedal, and repeat as many times as necessary to remove all air, all the while making sure the master cyl doesn't run dry. Hook a clear plastic hose up to the bleeder valve so you can see if any air is comming out when the fluid squirts out and run the other end of the hose to the master cyl reservoir to save the fluid. From your description, it sounds like you completely drained the master cyl too, so it would need to be bled first, then hook it up to the slave and bleed that one.

 

If I were you I'd go drop $35 at Sears and get a Mighty Vac. It allows you to bleed hydraulic systems by yourself, and you can use it to test vaccuum components also. It pays for itself the first use - trust me.