Question for Ausby, Joe or any of the other techs on here

[SouthernComfort]

My friend brought a Ford Ranger (with the internal slave cylinder) to me that he was having an odd problem with. It had a good clutch pedal until the car had been running for a few seconds and then the pedal would fade to the floor and would be bad enough that you couldnt even get it into gear. I looked at it and I did not see any fluid in the bellhousing of the tranny or anywhere around the master cylinder (inside the truck or under the hood). I was thinking that there was a problem with the clutch and pressure plate so I dropped the tranny and the teeth on the pressure plate were pretty weak so we put a clutch kit and slave cylinder in it.

Once I got everything buttoned up I bled it over and over again and it is still having the same problem...kind of. When I drive it it will intermitently have the same problem, but when it does this the clutch pedal is not returning all the way back up to the top when I release it. If I pull the pedal back up with my foot I immediately have a good pedal and I am able to get it into and out of gear just fine. I called one of the guys that works at the shop and he said he had never run into that problem before but it sounds to him like there is air somewhere in the line. I have tried everything but pressure bleeding this thing and I would like to see if any of you have ever run into this problem or might have any suggestions as to what it might be.

Master cylinder?

Pressure bleeding?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[94Z28Joe]

what year ranger?

[KATwo40sx]

Not sure if this is a Ranger specific problem, but it sounds like a master that's bypassing internally.

[SouthernComfort]

what year ranger?

1994

Not sure if this is a Ranger specific problem, but it sounds like a master that's bypassing internally.

I would think it was the master also, but then why does it only do it when the engine is running?

[Ausby]

i agree. it sounds like a master. you could try to bleed the lines some more. when it's running it's building heat and could be making the air expand in the lines. so when you hit the pedal all it's doing is moving the fluid around in the lines.

[94Z28Joe]

did you bleed it good. did you remove the master from the fire wall and hol at angle while bleeding?

[SouthernComfort]

i agree. it sounds like a master. you could try to bleed the lines some more. when it's running it's building heat and could be making the air expand in the lines. so when you hit the pedal all it's doing is moving the fluid around in the lines.

That makes sense. Would that explain the pedal being good when I pull it up with my foot? Not doubting what you are saying I just am trying to figure out how it works.

did you bleed it good. did you remove the master from the fire wall and hol at angle while bleeding?


Yeah, like I said I bled it ALOT but I did not take the master cylinder off to do it. I have dont a few transmissions with this type of set up and never had this much trouble out of one so I never even thought of bleeding it that way. I guess I will try to put a new master on it and then just pressure bleed it to save myself some trouble.

[FORDPARTSDUDE]

+ 1 on the pressure bleed! Fords are a bitch to get all the air out of the lines on the hydraulic clutches.

[SouthernComfort]

Thanks for the help.