TRADE - My carpentry/roofing for your mechanical - clutch repair

The B · Jan 26, 2012

I have a 96 f150 with a bad clutch.. pedal goes to the floor and doesn't come back up, won't go into gear. I already replaced the master cylinder, no change. The clutch components appear to be entirely encased in the transmission- apparently there's different kinds, well that's my kind. The truck is obviously immobile, and in Saint Helens, Oregon, so it'd need to be a house-call. I have a clean, if small, garage to work in. If you have a shop close by, I could car tow it... but I really hate doing that.

Would like to trade a roof repair or somesuch to get this fixed, and, of course, I really need to get it done ASAP. I'll guarantee my work, please guarantee yours. I'm a professional, please you also be a professional.

Thanks,

-Ben
503-fouronezero-40nine0

sheepdip · Jan 26, 2012

sounds like you have a hydraulic issue. those things can be a bear to get the system to bleed, [remove all air] was the master cylinder faulty or just a shot in the dark? what were the symptoms when the problem started? i worked for 16 years in two different ford dealerships and may be able to walk you through your problem. was the master cylinder empty when you first looked at it? if so then you most likely have a leak, you need to determine where it is leaking. generally if the master cylinder itself was leaking there should be fluid evident where the cylinder comes through the firewall, under the mat. if that is dry and the master cylinder was empty then most likely the slave cylinder is leaking. is there fluid leaking out of the front of the transmission? if that is the case the transmission will need to be removed and the slave cylinder replaced. if the master cylinder was full of fluid when you first started and the pedal went to the floor and stayed there then it could have been an internal master cylinder failure. if that is the case you probably just need to bleed the system. repost tomorrow with your findings. like i said early on the htdraulic clutch system on those fords can be a real bear to bleed.

The B · Jan 27, 2012

No leaking, as far as I can tell, and the master still has fluid in it when I replaced it. I replaced it on recommendation from the dude at Napa.

The line from the master to the tranny is dry, and the whole tranny box is dry. There is quite a bit of fluid leakage of some sort (motor oil or brake fluid, I can't tell) all over the side of my engine block, but none on the tranny case.

sheepdip · Jan 27, 2012

Ben, the guy at napa may be right. hard to tell just what is at fault with these systems. at this point what i would do is go under the truck and locate the bleeder fitting on the trans, it will be just above where the plastic line goes into the trans.on the drivers side should be 10mm or 3/8 or 7/16 fitting, dont remember for sure. open that fitting approx 3/4 of a turn, go back to the master cylinder and remove the cap. fluid should start to drip from the fitting at the trans, sometimes this takes a little while. watch the fluid level at the master cylinder, dont let it go empty, let the system drip like this for approz 15 minutes or so. dont let the master cylinder go empty! after it has dripped for 15 minutes or so close the fitting on the trans. oh i almost forgot, the clutch pedal needs to be in the up position during this procedure! pull the pedal up by hand and it should stay. after you have closed the fitting on the trans pump the clutch pedal up and down by hand kind of slowly bring the pedal completely to the top after each stroke. you should start to feel resistance after a few strokes, could be as few as four or five or as many as thirty. in most cases this will bring the clutch back to life. if you start to get a pedal back check to be sure the master cylinder still has fluid in it. pump the heck out of the pedal a few times then let it rest for a minute or so and repeat. this should work as long as the master cylinder was the culprit to start with, good luck. sorry about the long winded reply but like i sais these can be a BEAR to bleed

IheartGUNS · Jan 27, 2012

Sorry for the thread jack but Just wondering what happens if you let it go dry???

sheepdip · Jan 27, 2012

air gets into the system and you get to start the whole process again.

The B · Jan 27, 2012

sheepdip said:
Ben, the guy at napa may be right. hard to tell just what is at fault with these systems. at this point what i would do is go under the truck and locate the bleeder fitting on the trans, it will be just above where the plastic line goes into the trans.on the drivers side should be 10mm or 3/8 or 7/16 fitting, dont remember for sure. open that fitting approx 3/4 of a turn, go back to the master cylinder and remove the cap. fluid should start to drip from the fitting at the trans, sometimes this takes a little while. watch the fluid level at the master cylinder, dont let it go empty, let the system drip like this for approz 15 minutes or so. dont let the master cylinder go empty! after it has dripped for 15 minutes or so close the fitting on the trans. oh i almost forgot, the clutch pedal needs to be in the up position during this procedure! pull the pedal up by hand and it should stay. after you have closed the fitting on the trans pump the clutch pedal up and down by hand kind of slowly bring the pedal completely to the top after each stroke. you should start to feel resistance after a few strokes, could be as few as four or five or as many as thirty. in most cases this will bring the clutch back to life. if you start to get a pedal back check to be sure the master cylinder still has fluid in it. pump the heck out of the pedal a few times then let it rest for a minute or so and repeat. this should work as long as the master cylinder was the culprit to start with, good luck. sorry about the long winded reply but like i sais these can be a BEAR to bleed

I've been doing this tonight.. some air did come through the bleeder valve, but I've had no improvement in pedal resistance, and I'm I've had new fluid dripping out the bottom for some time- shouldn't all the air be out if there's fresh fluid all the way at the bottom? Just basing that on brake bleeding- I have no idea

Thanks