F150 clutch adjustment
 

So my Dad passed away last week and I got his '94 F150 ECSB 4X4. He owned it for about 20 years so it holds a lot of memories for the family. My dad had failing health for a while so the truck didn't get the care he usually gave it. He had somebody change the clutch and when he got it back it didn't work right, so he mostly quit driving it. He had trouble even getting into it so it didn't even move in the last 7 months. My problem with the clutch is it doesn't completely disengage with the pedal to the floor. Most of the time you have to shut off the truck and slip it into 1st gear then restart the engine. Doing this, it doesn't creep forward at all, but there is almost zero play in the pedal when I start to release before it starts moving. Likewise on the top side, there is at least 2 inched of travel before you feel any resistance when pushing the pedal down. It does have the internal slave, but I don't remember if there is any way to make adjustments to the travel in the push rod to the master. I can pump the holy snot out of it and it makes zero difference in how it engages. My dad was sure the guy just put the wrong slave in there, but I worked as a mechanic about 20 years ago and I recall having this type of problem on these Fords often when putting in a new clutch. I just can't remember what the fix was. Any insight or direction will be much appreciated.

No you cannot adjust it. You need to bleed it.

Clutch disk installed backwards?

That would be very hard to do as the center part (where the springs are) protrudes out one side. If you try to lay it up against the flywheel backwards, the friction part will not touch the flywheel and you won't be able the bolt on the pressure plate.

It has been done.

If your clutch is engaging too close to the floor you may have worn out bushings on the clutch pedal box. These things are super sensitive to clutch rod movement and when those thin plastic bushings wear out it's enough to cause problems.

I was in the same boat with my 92 although my truck didn't creep while in gear. It was hard to shift while sitting still and wasn't smooth while rolling. I could mash my clutch to the floor and it still wouldn't shift right. I replaced my bushings and it helped a lot. Additionally when I did my heim joint fix I had my clutch engaging too far up in the clutch stroke. I had left the clutch rod as long as I possibly could so my engagement point was at the very top of the clutch stroke. Given that there's no adjustment I filed about 1 millimetre (1/16 inch) from the end of the clutch rod, reinserted it into the heim joint and my clutch now engages just slightly above the middle of the clutch stroke instead of at the very top. It shifts easier now and feels more "normal" than it did before.

Sounds like air in the system. Likely in the master cylinder. Take it out, bench bleed it, and put it all back on, then bleed the line.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll start with bleeding the system in the proper steps. It only has 113K on it and my dad was a career truck driver so he only used the clutch pedal when it was required. I don't think the rod bushings will be worn, but I definitely will check that. I have also read about the firewall mount area being weak and allowing the master to flex away from the pedal, so I will check that too.

When Ford changed from the Bricknose to the OBS they changed the design of the pedal box to eliminate the firewall flex that could develop with the Bricknose. I'm not sure if they did anything to the firewall but whatever they did it eliminated the firewall flex issue. I don't recall reading about anyone with a 92 and up OBS having firewall flex issues. Check anyway for the peace of mind, I'm simply supplying information as I understand it.

I did some looking into this over the weekend. The firewall doesn't move at all. The bushing on the master push rod looks fine also. There doesn't seem to be any air in the system. What I did notice is this: when pushing the pedal in, it travels about 2 inches before the linkage that connects to the master push rod starts to move with the pedal. I checked the nut on the push rod side and it was tight. I struggled with the nut on the pedal side, but was able to tighten it at least one full turn. The pedal felt almost normal for shifting after that, but with about 200 miles on it, it is back to about where it was before. Can anyone tell me how that linkage rod is set up that connects the pedal side to the master push rod side? I would think there is a keyway, or a notch in the pedal that is worn out. Or is there suppose to be that much pedal movement before it engages the push rod?

I guess I should have closed out this thread for future readers. It ended up being the pedal assembly was worn out. I replaced the whole pedal assembly and was able to get the adjustment set right. By that time, the new clutch was worn out enough it need replacing. I eventually sold the truck to my son, who then sold it to his cousin. No idea where it ended up, but it's long gone now.