i just put a new clutch and pressure plate into my 91 ranger with a 4 cylinder. after installing everything back into the truck i tried to move the shifter only to find that it doesnt want to mesh into gear. i believe it is in neutral because i can move the truck foward and backward py pushing it. it will not mesh when running or not running. i didnt bleed the hydraulic clutch, could this be the problem, im sure i didnt do anything wrong here. i only had the back part of the transmission apart, not the gear box, to reapply silicone to fox a leak. thanks

ken

 

Assuming all the hydraulic lines are properly hooked up...

Get under the truck and pop the little rubber inspection cover off the front driver's side lower half of the transmission. It's black. Have someone step on the clutch and watch for any movement at all. Then bleed the clutch. It's not fun. Here's the easiest procedure I know of:

BE SURE TO KEEP THE RESERVOIR FULL!
When I bled my clutch, I operated the bleeder valve, my mom operated the clutch pedal, and my dad kept an eye on the reservoir. My dad watched as all the air came out through the reservoir. So try to get a third person to help if you can.

To bleed the clutch:

-With the bleeder valve closed, depress the clutch pedal to the floor.
-Slip your foot off the pedal and let it fly back to the top (DON'T be gentle).
-Repeat several times (5 is a good number)
-Depress the pedal to the floor, hold it there, and have a helper open the bleeder valve on the slave cylinder.
-Allow the fluid to run out.
-When the fluid stops flowing from the valve, shut the valve and release the pedal. Repeat as needed.
-Be sure to keep the reservoir full, a third person to watch the reservoir is a very good asset to have.

 

Another little tip, put a piece of hose on the bleeder valve (like hte clear hose so I can see the fluid) then put the other end into a bottle with just a little fluid in it, it will fill up as you bleed, this keeps air from coming back through the bleeder valve into the system which can and does happen. This can also be used as a one man bleeding system, because you can actually press and release it without sucking air back into it. Plus it has the advantage of not making a mess as your doing the bleeding.

 

With the angle the master cylinder is at, it is extremely difficult to get all the air out of it. One suggestion is pull the shaft, and c-clip from the back of the cylinder, and allow air & fluid to exit from the back.

 

thanks for the replies, but im not sure if bleeding my system is my problem. the tranny wont shift if the clutch is pressed in or not. how would the hydraulic clutch cause this? its stuck in a gear. maybe it is my problem, i really have no idea

 

If it also doesn't shift when the clutch is not pressed in (ie engaged), sounds like something in the shifter might be bent.

 

When you removed the trans to change the clutch, did you remove the shifter? If you did, you might not have put it in right. If you didn't, it might have gotten bumped in the process and caused something to get screwed up.
When you reassembled the trans, did you align the clutch to the input shaft? If not, if the input shaft is bound up, it could have things stuck inside.
Have you had the truck running after the clutch change? If so, when you try to shift does it grind or does it do nothing?

 

ive had the truck running after it was assembled, it starts with the clutch in, but when you take it out it begins to engage. i think i might have had the tranny in gear when i assembled it, could this be a problem? how should the clutch been aligned to the input shaft? it only goes in one way, and i used the alignment tool, and the tranny slipped right into position. thanks again

 

Sounds like the alignment is fine.

I'm not understanding the 'engage' part - are you saying that when you start the truck (with the clutch in) and let the clutch out, the truck starts to move even though you have the shifter in neutral? If so, the shifter was reinserted incorrectly, and will need to be disassembled. Once you have the shifter out, you need to figure out how to move the shift yokes to put it back in neutral, (which I cannot describe to you.) After the trans is in neutral, you must reinsert the shifter without engaging any of the shift yokes in order for it to shift right.

 

thanks rubydist. i think that may be the answer i need. are there any articles out there that describes the process for my truck?

 

Hi me and my buddy messed with bleeding my clutch system for 3.5 hour on a saterday night. Came to one conclution, If you change the slave in any clutch replacement , be sure to replace to master as well. I bought a master and bench bled it and in seconds I got prim and a hard system, Be sure to bench bleed the master first before install. we installed the master, resivor and the quick dis hose in one shot all ready to go. And in one pump we had movment in the bell hosing. Bled it the old style pump pump and bleed three times and the best clutch that truck has had.
Think, if you replace the pressure plate and the slave that was warn out why would the master be any different. It wares out to. So don't mess around with it, pop and buy the master $80.00 Save you the hasel. Please take my advice all these tricks are nice but there is only two parts of the hydralic system slave and master!

 

I have the same problem as dirtdude, I start my engine after a clutch project. Shifter installs in in neutral position. Clutch in ... start engine...let off of clutch...wheels go in reverse. push clutch pedal to the floor....wheels stop rotating. let off on clutch pedal and wheels rotate. step on brake and engine bogs to a stop. This happens when the shifter is sitting on the seat next to me. It is stuck in reverse. How do I re align the gears in the shift mechanism so it is in neutral. I must have pulled the shifter out when it was in reverse and I am trying to reverse a mistake. Anyone know how to do this?????