Clutch Problem??? Solved! (I think)
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From: Cabot, AR
Clutch Problem??? Solved! (I think)
I have had my 90 F250 7.3 5 spd 4x4 for about a year now and love the truck. I don't drive it too much, just when I need a truck, and every couple of weeks to keep the juices flowing. Just yesterday I was driving and a couple of times, I went to change gears, and the clutch wouldn't disengage. Every time I was eventually able to get it out of gear and then it would shift fine for a while. I had never had this happen before yesterday. Any thoughts/suggestions?????
Last edited by tbutt130; Feb 20, 2010 at 10:20 AM. Reason: update
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Hydraulic Clutch Troubleshooting .: Articles Check this out and also check for flexing/cracking of the firewall at the master cyl.
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From: western SD
Check the plastic bushing on the end of the clutch master cylinder under the dash. They wear out and will let the eye wear the pin on the cross shaft lever. If that is good check the fluid in the clutch master cylinder on the firewall in the engine compartment. There should be a rubber cup in there under the lid that you have to remove to see the fluid. Dot 3 braake fluid is used if low. Any noise when the clutch is depressed? If so my bet would be on a throw out bearing.
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From: Cabot, AR
Thanks for the suggestions. Right now I don't seem to have any noise when the clutch is depressed. Just that it sporadically won't release the clutch when the pedal is depressed. I will check out the bushing and the fluid level. How common is it for the master or slave cylinders to fail? Is one more likely to fail than the other??
Thanks,
Kevin
Thanks,
Kevin
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They can fail, just like brake cylinders but it is not common.
Is it very cold where you are? It is possible the master cyl seals hardened a bit from the cold.
If there are no signs of any fluid leaks and you are going to replace something as a precaution then I would replace the master cyl first.
Is it very cold where you are? It is possible the master cyl seals hardened a bit from the cold.
If there are no signs of any fluid leaks and you are going to replace something as a precaution then I would replace the master cyl first.
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From: Faibanks Ak.
What year truck are you working on. Does the clutch feel right(the same it always had) or do you have to mash it further before you feel it working.
It can also be the pilot bearing or bushing.
It can also be the pilot bearing or bushing.
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From: Cabot, AR
Not very cold, but has been getting into the mid 20's overnight, warming to 40 during the day. I checked the bushing and it is new. The fluid was full but looked a little nasty. There are no leaks anywhere of anything, but I was thinking that if it works like a brake master cylinder, the only ones of those I have had fail, failed internally with the fluid bypassing back into the reservoir.
The truck is a 1990 and the clutch feels the same as it always has. The thing that has me puzzled is the intermittent nature of the problem. It will happen once, then shift fine for 20 more shifts. Seems to happen mostly when slowing down, not when I am accelerating. I just got back from a quick trip to the grocery store, and when I pulled into the parking spot and pressed the clutch and it felt like it partially dis-engaged. The rest of the time both there and back it worked fine.
The truck is a 1990 and the clutch feels the same as it always has. The thing that has me puzzled is the intermittent nature of the problem. It will happen once, then shift fine for 20 more shifts. Seems to happen mostly when slowing down, not when I am accelerating. I just got back from a quick trip to the grocery store, and when I pulled into the parking spot and pressed the clutch and it felt like it partially dis-engaged. The rest of the time both there and back it worked fine.
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From: Cabot, AR
Well I replaced the master cylinder and that seems to have solved the problem. I haven't driven it for more than a few miles, but it seemed to be working fine on the short test drive I took this morning.
Bleeding the hyd clutch system is a PITA! Thanks to those that suggested in other threads to push the clutch fork toward the slave cylinder. I had a very soft pedal and the clutch wouldn't disengage initially with only gravity bleeding the master by undoing the line from the slave. 5-10 times pushing on the clutch fork and probably 50 times pushing on the clutch pedal got me to the point where it would disengage enough for me to drive it, but it would still engage right off of the floor. The test drive was the final piece to the puzzle. By the end of it I had a firm pedal and it was working like it did before the problems began.
Thanks for all of the help and advice!
Bleeding the hyd clutch system is a PITA! Thanks to those that suggested in other threads to push the clutch fork toward the slave cylinder. I had a very soft pedal and the clutch wouldn't disengage initially with only gravity bleeding the master by undoing the line from the slave. 5-10 times pushing on the clutch fork and probably 50 times pushing on the clutch pedal got me to the point where it would disengage enough for me to drive it, but it would still engage right off of the floor. The test drive was the final piece to the puzzle. By the end of it I had a firm pedal and it was working like it did before the problems began.
Thanks for all of the help and advice!
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