So I was driving to school this morning and went to down shift into 2nd and my pedal went straight to the floor. Now the truck still shifts when I depress the pedal but the pedal barely returns on its own (not until I get going in that gear for a second). Is my clutch gone or what? Any ideas? Thanks guys.

 

Welcome to FTE. Let me ask a couple of questions to clarify things. What do you mean the pedal barely returns on it's own? The factory pedal has a spring on it that helps the pedal pop back up. Usually when we hear about these types of problems the pedal just stays down on the floor and the tranny does not want to shift.

If you're clutch is going out then you should feel it slip (or at least notice the rpm jump without a corresponding increase in speed). If you don't feel the clutch slipping, then you probably have problems with the hydraulics. Is the reservoir for the clutch hydraulics full?

If the hydraulics are going out, you can buy a pre-bled master / slave assembly from ford for between $150 - $200 (maybe less from one of our ford sponsors) and change it yourself in less than an hour. It's a simple plug and play set up. If you need instructions on how to change it let me know.

 

The pedal wants to stay down but slowly returns on its own. I did some research and I also think it is the Master/Slave system. I checked the fluid level and it was like 1/2 an inch low, but very old fluid (I just bought the truck about 5 months ago). I definitely need a walk through/guide on the fix to this, most looks simple but getting that rod off the pedal looks painful. Thank you for the welcome and the help.

 

The change out is EASY. I could probably do it in less than 20 min. now that I've done one. When I bought the pre-bled unit from Ford I had to purchase the metal rod that attaches to the clutch pedal separately. One of our other members recently bought this and it came with the rod. You could pull out and re-use the old rod, but it's cheap so I figured why bother with the old one. If you're not in a hurry you can contact Ed Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - View Profile: FTE/PARTS-GUY He's a Ford dealer that sells parts at a discount. If you are in a hurry, you can do like most of us and call your local dealer to see if they have the parts in stock.

To change, take a pair of channel locks or large pliers and rotate the slave cylinder 1/4 turn CCW where it attaches down next to the tranny. The slave cylinder just pulls out of the hole, BUT, there is a small plastic piece on the end of the rod coming out of the cylinder. If you tilt the slave cylinder down just slightly and SLOWLY pull it out far enough you can stick your finger in and hold this plastic cap on the end of the rod to remove the slave.

The reservoir has those little plastic tabs holding it in place. If they don't want to come out just cut them off so you don't break the holes out on the piece by the windshield.

Now if you remember the spring on the pedal I mentioned earlier, if the clutch pedal stays on the floor when you start playing on the inside, a slight bump will cause the pedal to fly up and hit you in the chin.

The rod on the master just slips over a **** sticking off the side of the clutch pedal and is held in place with a plastic clip. If you slip a screwdriver between the plastic clip and the end of the know you can just slide the rod off of the pedal. The pedal will now come up farther toward the dash since it's disconnected.

The last step is to disconnect the master from the firewall from the engine side. Another 1/4 turn CCW with a pair of channel locks and it will slide out of the hole.

Now just reverse the procedure and the new one is installed. The plastic cap on the slave is molded to hold the rod in the cylinder until you push the pedal the first time after installation. You'll see what I'm talking about after you look at the parts.

A very simple procedure. Ask your dealer what they charge to do this, then prepare to be shocked after you do it yourself and realize how much money you just saved for doing something so easy. Then you'll understand why FTE is such a great place to hang out on.

Any other questions, or if any of that was confusing let me know.

 

Done?

On older ford, this would be from the firewaall rusting away..