My truck has become noticeably harder to shift into gear. No grinding, no slipping on the clutch, but shifting up into 3rd (I call it a 5 speed with granny), it just hangs like it doesn't want to go in. If I use the RPM's and act like I'm slip shifting a big truck (with the clutch pushed in) it goes into gear. So I started paying more attention and noticed the clutch was starting to engage with the pedal about an inch off the floor. I had about convinced myself that I had a bent clutch fork so when I got home I got ready to pull the slave to look. I figured why not check the fluid in the reservoir first and it was empty

So I topped it off, took it for a spin, and it shifts better, but the friction point is still down low. I went ahead and pulled the slave and felt the fork. It was hot! Clearance from bell housing to fork was about 2 1/4" and it felt like it only had about 1/4" of slop in it. Does this sound normal to those who have checked?

Next, the rod on the slave doesn't snap into the cylinder like it does on the master. It feels like the rubber boot is the only thing holding it in. Makes sense with the clutch fork holding it in place, but the only ones I've ever removed were bad and I don't remember the rod being so loose. Again is this normal?

Last, I went to pump the slave to try and bleed any air out of the system and notice that for about every 10 pumps on the rod, I get a drip of fluid out. So now the big questions.

For those who have replaced any clutch hydraulics, what did you do? My factory clutch started to slip at 212,000 miles and the pedal stuck to the floor a few weeks after the replacement so I stuck a new pre-bled master / slave unit in from Ford. Now just 117,000 miles later, the hydraulics are failing.

So how many of you have replaced your hydraulics with a pre-bled unit from Ford?
How many just replaced the slave or master with Ford or aftermarket pieces? Tell me what you've done, any regrets or issues you've had, and how long it's lasted you so far or until you had to replace it again.

I'm kind of disappointed the replacement stuff only lasted around half as long as the original parts.

 

Well Chris I'm on the third clutch and the factory original hydraulics.
One thing I've done is to remove that helper spring and rig up a long spring to pull the pedal all the way up.
Then I shimmed up the master cylinder so that it doesn't move around in the hole as much as it did before, using some standard baling wire around the shoulder of the master cylinder.
I am still at work, truck is sitting at home.
When I get home tonight I will snap some pics and post them.
I wouldn't worry about a hot shift fork if you were just driving it.
Slipping the clutch to engage it makes heat.

 

Thanks Dan. I wasn't too worried about the heat other than the fact it burned my finger. I don't think your clutches count since you've been changing them while other bigger things were out instead of waiting until they were slipping.

One of the things I do not like about the Ford replacement hydraulics is the reservoir is solid black instead of clear so you can see the fluid. Thanks for taking the time to post some pics for me. Here's what I've got.

 

Still at work, but heading home now.

 

Pictures coming up......

 

Ok, here is the measurement of my clutch fork.



What I did to the clutch master cylinder to make it stand a little higher.



Plus got rid of the helper spring and installed a return spring.
It is just light enough to pull the pedal back up to the top of the throw.
No more or it would increase the pedal effort.



Where my clutch pedal sits now. It engages just a little below where the brake pedal is.
KOAbob drove my truck when I was staying at his campsite last August and he was surprised at how high up the pedal was.
I like it there because I have complete control and it is not so high that I have to lift my leg off the seat to get it to work. Just rock my foot at the ankle.





There's a couple more pictures to see in the album here.

Clutch pedal pictures from rides photos on webshots

 

I have 117k on my truck and what I believe is the original unit but a good portion of these miles are highway. So, not much use on the hydraulics. All my other manual vehicles are mechanical clutches which have their own set of issues (linkages wearing out, rounding out of pivot joints, replacing adjuster rod, adjusting linkage for pedal height as disk wears and joints get loose etc). I have to say, I wouldn't feel too bad if you got 117k on the current unit especially if a fair amount are not highway miles.

What is the price for a Ford complete pre-bled master and slave unit?

 

Thanks for the pictures Dan. I'm 6'1" so I don't want to raise my friction point or pedal that high. Looks like my fork is in good shape. Did you happen to wiggle yours to see how much movement you had? The 1/4" of slop I had felt like it's normal and I can't see it being any tighter than that so I'll assume I'm good there and just have a hydraulic issue.

Is that a padlock on your OBDII port? That thing is huge.

I don't remember the price. I know 117k doesn't sound too bad, but I had to call every dealer within 60 miles to find one and ended up driving 50 miles just to pick it up last time. That seems like a pain if it won't even last as long as the factory one did. If it's going to wear out every 100k miles or so, I'm thinking of just going to the local parts house.

Where is your friction point?

 

subscribing

 

You can replace just the slave cylinder. It isn't that hard.

I helped my SIL replace the clutch on his 1999 F350 7.3L a year and a half ago. He had slave cylinder issues, so we installed a slave cylinder from NAPA. So far no problem. To bleed the slave cylinder, you slowly push the slave cylinder rod in and let it back out slowly several times. The air moves up that big tubing easily, and out into the master cylinder resevoir.

 

Yes that is a padlock.
The main reason that I like the friction point high is that it fully disengages the clutch, making it very easy to shift between gears.
No waiting for the RPMs to match.
The truck shifts more like a car than a big truck.

 

Thanks, I was asking about just replacing the slave more in terms of longevity than ability. How many miles has your SIL put on it in the last 1 1/2 years?

 

When fully up and at rest, the top of the clutch pedal sits 1.5 inches above the top of the brake pedal. In my truck, the clutch begins to engage when the clutch pedal is pushed down to approx 3.5 to 4.0 inches below the brake pedal.

 

I would have to check with him, but since he works construction, I am guessing on 30K+.

He is easy on clutches. The first one went almost 280K, and even then the linings were only 1/2 worn. The center steel failed from wear at the springs. A piece broke out and jammed the pressure plate.

 

I replaced the pre-bled mast/slave about 150,000 miles ago and it's still holding for me well. The big spring under the dash did eject itself when the casting piece that holds it broke. I don't have a return spring and the pedal looks "normal" to me! Start with a new pre-bled unit and go from there. I don't think anything can cause a fluid loss other than a bad slave. You still might have another issue, but I doubt it.