Hello, i am new on this forum. i just bought a F-150, 1987 with a 302 and a 4 speed transmission. I made many searches but could not find what i need. can someone please help?

My problem is that i cannot put my truck in 1 st gear at all without shutting down the engine. same for the reverse gear.

How can i repair that? I think it is the clutch but i do not know if it is a hydrolic clutch or other kind. I tried to adjust it today but could not find how to do it! many thanks! joe

 

that should have a hydrolic clutch with external slave. they are self adjusting so either there is a leak or the previous owner replaced a master or slave and didnt bleed it right. is there any fluid leaking from either the master or slave. master is mounted just to the right of the brake booster on the firewall and the slave is on the driver sideof the trans. check inside under the dash also tosee if fluid iscoming in from the boot on themaster.

 

...thank you very much. this is very useful info. i did see the slave today under the truck. i did not know it was called that! i will look for the master tomorrow morning and check for leaks there and under the dash. if i need to replace these parts, are they expensive? Just wondering because my finances are not too good nowadays! thank again!
alexboy

 

Hydraulic Clutch Troubleshooting .: Articles Have a read here. Also as well as what MAS96 says check that the firewall is not cracked or flexing around where the master cyl is mounted.

 

Also check to see if the clutch is returning all the way to the stop at the top of its travel. I had to replace the cross-shaft lever (the lever that actuates the master cylinder push rod under the dash) to adjust the resting height of the clutch pedal on my '87 because I had the same problem. However, my truck did this from day one - if this is a recent development on your truck, the problem is likely something else.

 

...thank you to eric, lazyk and MAS! I did check my clutch this morning with a friend. Did not see any leak to the master and slave the pedal seem to work normally. i begin to think i will have to install a new clutch. Does someone knows how much the cost of the parts would be? thanks again!
alexboy

 

if you need to buy parts, try rockauto.com. they have awesome prices, and shipping isnt bad.

 

I wouldn't go buying any parts yet. There are a coule of things to try first. Try bleeding the slave. If you need the procedure it should be in any haynes or clifford manual, if you dont have one of those ill type it out for you. Also, on the pedal there is a plastic bushing where the push rod connect to the pedal that has a tendency to wear out. Without a bushing the pedal doesn't push the rod far enough to disengage the clutch. You can get a replacement at ford, but often the stud that the bushing rides on wears down and contentious to repeat. If it look worn there is a pretty easy fix.

 

...thank you very much fordman...you are right. i will not buy the parts now and i will do what you say. i will check these tomorrow morning with my friend and may be i can fix the problem. thanks again!
alexboy

 

Definatly check that bushing that was mentioned. I have the same problems with mine and it's that bushing. You can see the pivot rod move whenever the pedal is pushed and it gives just enough play that first and rev are hard to get into.

 

...ok thanks, i will check that. i wanted to do it today but it is raining too much. i will keep you updated. this is my project truck i want to make it nice and perfect over time. bye
alexboy
surrey, bc

 

Bump.

I've bleed mercedes benz clutches, I've bleed renaults, but this ford truck is a POS to bleed.

4th try trying to bleed it and no go.