Another Clutch problem on this forum

[rezzy08]

Hello,

I'm new but not new to this forum. i have finally decided to register but i have read a lot of articles and have gotten a lot of great help over the last 5 years or so (running history of ford vehicles).

I have tried the search function and read up on some things but I'm slightly puzzled troubleshooting my problem. (diagnosing clutch/manual transmissions is COMPLETELY new to me.)

sorry if this is lengthy but id like to include as much as i can to hopefully narrow things down.

The vehicle is a 2001 Mazda B3000 3.0L 5-speed 128,700 miles. Bought it 3 weeks ago with 127,5?? miles on it the guy said the clutch was "pretty much brand new" I know what "pretty much brand new" means to me but i don't know what it means to him. but everything felt beautiful driving it home clear up until friday.

i always press the pedal all the way to the floor.

Friday night my clutch was fine when i left work (usually engages/disengages when the pedal is about 3/4 up and nice and firm right from the smallest downward movement). i drove about 10 miles. probably about 8-9 was highway. i stopped and got gas then i left to continue another 5 miles home.the clutch petal was fine to get going and for shifting to 2nd. when it came time to shift to 3rd the pedal kind of "flopped" down a 1/2" before there was pressure it remained like that for 4th and 5th and the 5 miles from the gas station to home.

Saturday the clutch seemed fine again. drove about 3 miles to drop off trash. when i went to leave the pedal was lacking quite a bit of pressure and the clutch would engage/disengage with the pedal approximately 1/2 way down maybe a smidge more than half way down. I checked the Reservoir for the clutch it was filled to the step in the reservoir as the lid and the owners manual had said. the fluid looked very clean. i pulled the boot on the transmission. inside the case looked a lil wet but the outside slave cylinder looks dry from what i can tell.

sunday i didnt drive it

Today (Monday) I drove it to work it was fine again i went to leave and i was letting off the clutch like i normally do but about 1/4 of the way up it acted as if i just completely released it and it stalled the truck. fired it up again the clutch now seems to be lacking pressure again but it does engage/disengage between 3/4 and 1/2 way up and i can still shift. it doesn't feel smooth like it used to it does kind of have a mechanical feel but its not hard to shift gears either and gears don't grind. i did find however that now as of this incident i apparently no longer need to feather the gas to get rolling from a stop in 1st to prevent stalling like I've had to do prior. i checked the fluid again its still full. i had my fiance push the clutch while i watched the fluid and the level in the reservoir didn't changed the slightest bit. i pulled the boot on the transmission again and checked inside it looks the same as it did Saturday.
(ill try to sneak a video in the end of the post)

things I'm reading and seeing on this forum are usually descriptive enough where if I'm stumped and i find something here on it i can usually solve it with some of the articles. so now im kind of stumped.


like i said diagnosing clutches/manual transmissions is COMPLETELY new to me. but i gotta learn somehow.

TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT I LOOKED AT INSIDE THE BOOT (maybe someone will see something i missed or am unaware of to watch out for)

not sure if i can post links yet so take

youtu

and put

.be

after it and follow it with this

/1j69Soreyxw


thats what i saw. i recorded this and viewed it to see in the boot.

im going to try bleeding the system if i cant do it tomorrow ill try wednesday. my truck shouldn't be going anywhere. if this isn't the problem are there any other ideas out there?

thank you in advance for any help
Matt

 

[rb142]

Can't find your video. It just gives invalid link messages.

From the description, it sounds almost certainly like a bad slave cylinder, which is a common failure on these trucks. And you can't always tell from looking at it. There shouldn't be any moisture inside.

You should see the slave cylinder throw-out bearing moving 5/16" in the travel of the pedal.

A good test is to disconnect the hydraulic line from the slave cylinder, then step on the clutch pedal. It should be rock hard and not move at all. If so, the master cylinder and lines are fine and don't have any air in them. If the pedal is not rock hard, you need to pull the master and line off the car and bleed them until they are right before moving on.

If the master and line check out, the only thing left is the slave cylinder. You can hook the line back up and bleed it out, and it may improve for a little while. But if there is air in the slave, it got in there somehow and will return in short time.

To change the slave, the trans needs to come out. While in there, do the rest of the clutch if needed, check the rear main seal, and change the pilot bearing. It's a good idea to stick with the Motorcraft slave. Some of the aftermarket parts fail early.

 

[Spoofed]

If you do bleed the line, you need to take the whole master cylinder out so you can flip it upside down and bench bleed it. It's because the shape of the master cylinder traps an air bubble in it. If the last guy bled with the master in place it will have air in it. An easy way to test the master and the line is to disconnect the line and try the peddle, it should be firm and not move at all.

 

[rezzy08]

Thanks for the quick reply. I wasn't quite aware of the "disconnect the slave" test. I guess if I'm going to attempt to bleed the system I may as well try that whIle I'm messing around there. I've only had this truck for a few weeks so I'm unsure as to if what I saw in there was something done by the previous owner and just hasn't dried up (you and I both know people do things that don't make sense) either way I'm hoping whatever the problem is that it's fairly cheap. but with one cylinder failing shortly after the other gets replaced factor it seems the only way I could totally cheap out is if all it needs is a fluid flush. Even then the fluid Still appears to be Close to new.. just for grins I'm putting the full link to the video at the end of the post just to see if it will let me.

Thanks again.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1j69Soreyxw

 

[rezzy08]

Update. (thank you both for taking the time to reply)

I couldn't get my hands on tool to disconnect the slave So yesterday I took it to a mechanic that's been around for a while. He couldn't get any air out of the lines. He did find a couple loose bolts on the bellhousing (which could explain a bit with the moisture and the pedal with hydraulic being self adjusting) the pedal still engages about 1/2 way through the travel which he says it's about where they normally are but does vary between vehicles. He suggested I replace the bushings at the base of the shifter for the mechanical feel as he felt the same thing I did. 100 Miles in and the clutch is atleast consistant. $25 charge from a shop that has a $65/hr rate I'll take it for now

 

[rb142]

You should be able to find the clutch disconnect tool in any parts store. They are all over and cheap. But even without that, you can usually do just as well with a small screwdriver or two.

The previous owner probably did the minimum possible to get the truck driving before selling it. He may not have replaced the slave. And he might not have bled it very well. If it is engaging 1/2 way through the travel, that is pretty good.

The bushing kit for the shifter is cheap and easy to install from the top.

 

[Spoofed]

Yeah the first time I took my tranny down I used a couple small screwdrivers to get the line out. The new slave I put in came with a quick disconnect which is much easier to get off.

 

[rezzy08]

I more less gave in and settled on peace of mind taking it to him and it helped a lot. Ill probably end up doing the bushings this weekend. Thank you for the tips. Both of you

Mods can feel free to lock this thread and bury it in their back yard if they wish. what originated this thread at this time seems to be solved.