I'm having some real problems somewhere between my clutch pedal and tranny. The clutch won't dissengage the tranny enough to properly shift gears any more. I have to force the tranny into first and reverse and I can't shift without grinding almost every time I shift. I just changed the slave/master cylinder assembly with no results at all. Could it be the release arm or maybe the 'fingers' on the pressure plate getting soft? I need to have some idea what to look for so I don't sit with my truck down for a week waiting on parts. Thanks for any help or advice on this.

PS. It's an 03 7.3 six speed.

 

It sounds like the pressure plate is not disengaging the friction disc. I would usually start by blaming the throw out bearing or the fork. The tines on the pressure plate are pretty tough and I think it would take a hell of a tempering to soften them up.

 

The release fork is a known weak point. I just changed a clutch in an early '99 and the fork had cracks in it, but had not bent yet. The release fingers on the pressure plate were worn half through by a failing throwout bearing, but there was no problem with the releasing action as you describe. The failure that caused the work was from a piece breaking off the clutch plate and jamming everything up!

Since you have already replaced the hydraulics, I would recommend you order the following: 1) Clutch kit - usually includes the disk, pressure plate, and throwout bearing. Some kits include the pilot bearing and even a flywheel! 2) Pilot bearing - if not included in the kit. 3) Release fork - I believe available only from Ford. I got mine from FTE Parts Guy. 4) Gasket for the transfer case to transmission if you have a 4x4 and are separating the transfer case to keep the weight on the jack minimized. If you do not get a kit with a flywheel, set up to get yours refaced.

These transmissions are VERY heavy, so a transmission jack designed for big diesel semi trucks is strongly recommended. A very good post is at TheDieselStop.com and is labeled "LUK Aftermarket Clutch Upgrade."

 

I talked to a guy at Southbend Clutch today and he suggested changing the pivot ball because they'll fail fairly easy. I was looking on their website at the kevlar input bushing, does anyone use these? What are your opinions on them and are they worth it? It's only $40 but that's a lot more than a regular bearing. Thanks.

 

It should be bullet proof. I don't think kevlar is going to do any better job than a pot metal pilot bearing. If I were to try an upgrade, I would want a roller/needle bearing.

 

The kevlar bushing beats the hell out of the factory POS pilot bearing. I've got about 150k on my bushing. If you take the trans out, replace the fork, the plastic pivot, and the pilot bearing for a bushing at the very least. They are all relatively cheap compared to the labor to replace. South Bend and LUK clutches are both nice units. I have a LUK and it works great.

 

The 03 trucks already have the upgraded clutch fork in them. Im not saying that the fork couldnt be bent, but I highly doubt it. If the clutch hydraulics didnt fix it at all I would pull the trans out and get a replacement clutch kit from a good vendor like South Bend. Order the new plastic piece that the fork pivots on, as well as a new clutch fork. That way you have everything you need while the transmission is out.

The trans weighs somewhere in the 230 lbs neighborhood. Its really not too bad to handle with a good jack that has a wide base on it. I use an ATV jack and it works perfectly.