Hello All,

I've got a '93 F150 with the 4.9L. As I was driving my truck to work this morning, I had an issue with the clutch. I got in, backed out of the parking space, put it in first, then went to put it in second and the clutch pedal never really rebounded from the depressed position. I had to pull it up with the top of my foot. Depressed it again, and again it stayed in the depressed position until I picked it up with my foot again. It sort of "popped" back up. From there, it seemed to work properly, although I think it feels a little bit "softer" than before (i.e. not as much resistance). If it makes any difference, this morning was one of the first cold mornings we've had.

Anyway, I'm at work now, and a bit nervous to drive it home. Any help/advice would be much appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!

 

Could be a couple of things.

More than likely, you have a plastic actuator rod that broke. Went through this two summers ago and after breaking a replacement, junkyard part I ended up making one out of a steel rod with a homemade "eye" with a brass insert. That's never breaking.

It might also the rings on the piston in the master cylinder could have gone, allowing fluid past the piston and lowering the pedal position.

 

Thanks for ideas, Frederic. A question about the plastic actuator rod: is that located near the clutch pedal, or further on in the linkage? Is there an easy way to look at it to see if it is indeed broken?

Thanks again.

 

The same thing happened to me about a year ago on my '92 F-150 4.9L. It was actually the plastic bushing on the rod that the pedals hinge on. There's a plastic bushing betreen the splined rod and the bracket that holds it to the firewall. That bushing broke at some point, and the splines on the shaft were wearing the hole in the bracket larger and larger with every press of the clutch. Over time, this started causing the dropping/mushy pedal that you described. I had to buy a new pedal assembly to correct this. You might find one from a junk yard, but make sure they're the same. This part was redesigned sometime around 1990, so make sure that it matches your old one if that turns out to me the problem. Otherwise, look into the slave cylinder. This can go bad after a while and cause a sinking/mushy pedal. If you can push the clutch and it disengages, but then re-engages while the pedal is still on the floor, this is likely the problem. For some idiotic reason, Ford put the slave cylinder inside of the trans, so you have to remove the trans to replace it. I needed a new clutch recently, so I just had the slave replaced at the same time to save on the labor of a future repair.

 

The same thing just happened to me a few weeks ago. for me it was a little plastic retaining clip that connected a rod from the clutch pedal to the master cylinder. I got mine in a little 'help' accessory called clutch parts kit or something like that from Autozone. was about $5.99. There's a hole on the end of the master cylinder rod that you slide the clip into, and then push the connecting rod thingy into it. I'll see if I can't upload a picture of it this afternoon.

 

Great!!! Thank you guys so much for the responses. I took a quick look beneath the dash at lunchtime and from the looks of it, the return spring seems to be ok. As for the various other plastic clips and bushings that have been mentioned, I'll certainly be looking at those this weekend.

Brian, I'd be much obliged if you can upload a picture/diagram.

Thanks again, guys!

 

It turns out the 93 is similar, but a bit more complex than my 88. I found the diagram for your truck in autozone's repair guides, though, and it should point you in the right direction. I'm new to this forum thing and can't figure out how to post the images, but here's the link. The best picture is fig.6 under the 'removal and installation' section at the bottom of the page. If the link won't work let me know, and we'll figure something else out. I'll keep trying to figure out how to post the pictures.


Even though the linkage is a bit different, I still think your problem is a broken bushing.

Let me know what happens!

 

Great!!! Thanks for the link, Brian. I'll certainly keep you posted on what I find!!

 

Hi All,

So, I think I may have found the problem...or at least a problem. Similar to what Brian.Taylor posted, the plastic bushing at the end of the rod in which the pedals are attached to, the one that attaches to the master cylinder push rod, was broken. I went to Murrays and they had nothing in the way of bushings. Hardware store didn't seem to have the right size. From a diagram I was looking at, do I need both a bushing and a cotter pin? Also, where should I go for this part? Brian.Taylor seemed to think Autozone.

Thanks in advance!

 

yea...I really don't like autozone - the welfare state of the automotive parts industry - but its where i found my part! Don't ask the clerk, they don't know.

I found mine in the "Help!" accessory section. I really can't remember what it was called, something like 'clutch parts assortment.'

Only one of the adapters fit my truck, but I've been driving fine since (2 months or so). Mine did not need a cotter pin - but I'm not really sure about yours. Its worth a shot - good luck!

 

Great! Thank Brian. I'll give it a shot tomorrow!

 

Hello All,

Well, the saga continues...

I replaced the plastic bushing (which was broken) in the master cylinder push rod (where it connects to the rod that connects to the clutch pedal). That seemed to help considerably. Picked up most of the slop that was existing. However, in the last few days, the same symptoms have returned. It's strange because sometimes I drive it and it's fine, and other times it isn't. Symptoms include:

1. Clutch feels soft. When I depress the pedal, it goes almost halfway before it engages.
2. When I go under the dash, I can see the master cylinder push rod go enter. Is there supposed to be any sort of plastic clip or something at this entrance point? It sort of looks like there was some type of clip there before that may have broken off.

My fear is that the problem is the slave cylinder. Obviously, it will be a major repair, so I'm trying to exhaust all other options before I get there. Would it make any sense to bleed the system to see if there is any air in the system? Also, and I don't know if this matters, but the issue seems to occur when it's cold outside.

Thank you all in advance for any help you may lend!!

 

wish I could help, my 94 does the exact same thing. I replaced the clutch a year ago and bled the system really good. the problem came back about 1 month later. the pedal starts out nice and solid, but the more I drive it, the softer the clutch gets

 

I have an '88 F450 and had the same problems. My solution was replacing the bracket which holds the clutch/brake pedal and steering column. It had cracked in a few places causing the dash and steering wheel to move down if you pushed on the clutch, limiting the travel. I hope this is not the case with you, it was a PITA to replace.

 

This is my saga:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...h-problem.html

My problem rarely happens now, say 2% of the time. I was going to remove the MC and bleed it in a five gallon bucket of BF. But 2% of the time isn't past my pain threshold!

Might be related, might not. But I am going to check my bushings.

Thanks,

Vince