Zachary Beck
Member
- Joined
- July 30, 2016
- Messages
- 27
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Sonora, CA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1996 Ford Explorer Sport
I have a '96 Explorer Sport 2WD with 256k miles and it will not go into gear with the engine on, clutch pedal down.
The problem started about a month ago when it became difficult to shift into gear. Mainly shifting from 1st to 2nd going uphill. It got worse over the next few days to the point where I could not get into any gear with the engine on. I did some research online and found that my master cylinder was the problem, so I bought a new one and replaced it.
With the new MC in, it shifted fine for about a week - then developed the same problem; loose clutch pedal, clutch wouldn't disengage. If I tried to force the gear in, the engine idle would drop, reverse would make a terrible grinding sound. Same exact problem. Obviously there was air in the line again so I bench bled the master to the point where I had full pressure back in the clutch, but this only lasted for a day. At that point, I realized that it had to be the slave cylinder.
I just learned all this in the past month so didn't even know you were supposed to bleed the slave or how to go about it. It took me a while because the bleeder screw and nipple were recessed in the tranny, and the bleeder swiveled back and forth for some reason - which made it extremely difficult to attach a tube and loosen bleed screw. There was no space for a wrench to fit over screw so had to buy a special socket set..
Anyways,I bled the slave about a million times till all the air bubbles were gone. Pressure was back in clutch and I could shift fine again, if not better than usual. So I drive back home, chill for a bit, and the pressure is gone when I hop back in... I check the MC reservoir fluid level and it has the same amount as when I left. Air must've gotten back into the system somehow and it wasn't the mc, line, or connection because fluid would've been leaking.
My only conclusion at this point is that there is a bad seal on my slave cylinder, which is allowing air back into the system. I didn't think it'd be the slave because the last owner had replaced the slave cylinder a year ago. I had kept ruling it out. But if I keep losing pressure in the clutch and it's not the MC then it must be the slave right? I just don't get why it'd go out so fast.
I haven't replaced the slave yet because if I pull the tranny out I want to replace whatever else could be a problem while I have the chance. The previous owner said that he had replaced the clutch plate and flywheel when he did the slave - so I'm hoping at least these parts will still be good.
How do I go about replacing the slave cylinder? Should I replace anything else in there while the tranny is pulled?
The problem started about a month ago when it became difficult to shift into gear. Mainly shifting from 1st to 2nd going uphill. It got worse over the next few days to the point where I could not get into any gear with the engine on. I did some research online and found that my master cylinder was the problem, so I bought a new one and replaced it.
With the new MC in, it shifted fine for about a week - then developed the same problem; loose clutch pedal, clutch wouldn't disengage. If I tried to force the gear in, the engine idle would drop, reverse would make a terrible grinding sound. Same exact problem. Obviously there was air in the line again so I bench bled the master to the point where I had full pressure back in the clutch, but this only lasted for a day. At that point, I realized that it had to be the slave cylinder.
I just learned all this in the past month so didn't even know you were supposed to bleed the slave or how to go about it. It took me a while because the bleeder screw and nipple were recessed in the tranny, and the bleeder swiveled back and forth for some reason - which made it extremely difficult to attach a tube and loosen bleed screw. There was no space for a wrench to fit over screw so had to buy a special socket set..
Anyways,I bled the slave about a million times till all the air bubbles were gone. Pressure was back in clutch and I could shift fine again, if not better than usual. So I drive back home, chill for a bit, and the pressure is gone when I hop back in... I check the MC reservoir fluid level and it has the same amount as when I left. Air must've gotten back into the system somehow and it wasn't the mc, line, or connection because fluid would've been leaking.
My only conclusion at this point is that there is a bad seal on my slave cylinder, which is allowing air back into the system. I didn't think it'd be the slave because the last owner had replaced the slave cylinder a year ago. I had kept ruling it out. But if I keep losing pressure in the clutch and it's not the MC then it must be the slave right? I just don't get why it'd go out so fast.
I haven't replaced the slave yet because if I pull the tranny out I want to replace whatever else could be a problem while I have the chance. The previous owner said that he had replaced the clutch plate and flywheel when he did the slave - so I'm hoping at least these parts will still be good.
How do I go about replacing the slave cylinder? Should I replace anything else in there while the tranny is pulled?
