I drive an 88Ranger 4x4 with a 2.9 l engine and a 5 speed manual transmission. My clutch was replaced last January, by my ex-boyfriend who was being paid to do it, but who was angry at me and decided not to grind the new fly wheel. This October my clutch began grabbing. (No, I can't go beat up my ex for it, because he recently died in a car crash.)

I took it into a mechanic and the only thing they could find wrong with it was two missing bolts that were supposed to be holding the transmission in place.

The problem continued on and off, and today I wondered if the rubber clutch port plug had degraded and was letting in debris that would cause the problem. I looked underneath, found black oil, with the consistency of lube grease, on the underside of the transmission, most of it IN FRONT OF the clutch port. I pulled the plug and found oil and grit gumming up the seal.

I ordered a new plug, and after debating about the potential cause with the parts clerk at the Ford dealership, I went back under my truck and checked the clutch chamber again. While the actual clutch disk was clean and dry, I noticed the same black oil on the inside bottom of the chamber.

Do any of you know if it's possible that oil leaking onto the outside bottom of my truck could be seeping upwards, past the old plug, and into the chamber. Or is the clerk right, and the leak is coming from inside the transmission.

If that's the case, what's the probable cause, what parts would be needed, and how many hours labor would it take to fix?

Also, how long could I drive it without seriously damaging the clutch or other parts?

Thanks,
Charlotte

 

One of the causes of a clutch grabbing can be fluid on the clutch disc. This could come from the rear main engine oil seal inside the bellhousing, the transmission input shaft seal or the clutch slace cylinder.
From your description the oil you found sounds like engine oil. Transmission fluid would be red and brake fluid would have a distinctive smell.
Have you checked the fluid level in the clutch resevoir and in the transmission?
Does the clutch pedal feel normal?

 

It isn't transmission fluid and the clutch resevoir is full. The oil level in my engine is down, so I went to the local parts place to get some more and had a talk with one of the parts people. He told me it was probably the rear engine seal (have I got the name right?) and that would take 3 or 4 hours to fix, then referred me to a cheap mechanic who is supposed to be good. However, I'm open to second opinions. ;^)

Thanks,
Charlotte

 

If there is engine oil inside the bellhousing then it will be from a leaking rear main seal. There is a good chance, though not a certainy, that it is causing the clutch to grab.
You have, I think two options. One is to have the seal replaced and at the same time the flywheel and pressure plate cleaned and a new friction disc fitted. This is a case of where the labor costs far exceed the parts costs.
Second option is to change the engine oil and filter and add a can of Cyclo Engine Oil Stop Leak and drive it for a week or so and see if the leak has stopped. If it has then drive it and see if the clutch improves as any oil is burnt off.
Now any of the purists reading the second option are probably reaching for a 1911 to blow my head off but I have had good results with the Cyclo product.

 

Thanks, LazyK, for all the input. The problem has been fixed. It turns out there was no actual oil on the clutch, although there was some in the clutch chamber from a leaking rocker cover gasket. The problem was my ex didn't bother to replace any of the parts, other than the disk (although he charged me for them), neglected to get the disk ground down before putting it in, didn't put some of the bolts back where they belonged, and failed to clean up the debris in the clutch chamber left from his work. I ended up having to get a whole new clutch kit installed. However, it's amazing how well my truck performs with a decent clutch in it! I also have a great new mechanic in the bargain. (And I can't screw that up because he's safely married.)

Cheers,
Charlotte

 

Glad you got it fixed. Thank you for posting back with the solution.
Good luck with the new clutch.