1994 Explorer Sport clutch issue.

[Ynot2691]

Hey fellas how's it going? I have a newly acquired 1994 Explorer Sport. It was a bit rough when I got it because of lack of staying on top of things. I've got it running like a top now and the electrical issues have been put to rest. Now, the clutch is my latest project. It works fine from the aspect of coupling the engine to the transmission, no slipping etc. My issue is this, when I take off in the morning everything works fine. Shifts are smooth and so on. After about an hour of driving it will begin to get hard to shift and gets to the point where I have to really yank on the shifter to get it in gear. Thisbis aggravating as all get out. Then at some point it will work fine again, then hard shifting again. It acts like it's taking on air in the lines but there are no leaks so how could that be? Anyone else run in to this? If so what was the fix? Also, how bout themcup holders right in line with the shifter? I've launched a few cans with that tbkng.

 

[92exp4x4]

If you suspect air getting in the hydraulic system, then I would start with trying to bleed the system. However you probably won't see much difference. You may even consider replacement with a pre bled system. If that doesn't help, you'll probably be looking into the clutch or the internals of the trans. A bad pilot bearing will cause the issue you describe. I have a truck that does the same thing. It's really annoying. The pilot is sticky causing the engine to continue to spin the input shaft even if the clutch is disengaged. This leads to hard shifts and synchro wear. Have you tried double clutching to help with shifts?

It's interesting your comment about operating temp being a factor. Expansion of parts in the wrong ways can lead to weird problems. If a shaft is out of round, or bent, it could become more so as things heat up.

I'm hoping it's merely a clutch hydraulic issue as that will be the easiest thing to start with.

 

[nameiztaken]

I just dealt with something similar but it was happening all the time, even when cold. A new master cylinder fixed the problem for me. I think I also have the stuck pilot bearing issue.

I think heat from the exhaust may be one of the causes. My new clutch line has a fiberglass insulation cover where the line connects to the slave that I believe protects the brake fluid inside from getting too warm. (see image)

Also open the little inspection port on your transmission (bottom right corner of the photo below) and see if the slave cylinder is wet at all, it should be dry. If its wet its probably going out when it gets hot. They’re known to fail.

 

[Ynot2691]

Hey fellas how's it going? I have a newly acquired 1994 Explorer Sport. It was a bit rough when I got it because of lack of staying on top of things. I've got it running like a top now and the electrical issues have been put to rest. Now, the clutch is my latest project. It works fine from the aspect of coupling the engine to the transmission, no slipping etc. My issue is this, when I take off in the morning everything works fine. Shifts are smooth and so on. After about an hour of driving it will begin to get hard to shift and gets to the point where I have to really yank on the shifter to get it in gear. Thisbis aggravating as all get out. Then at some point it will work fine again, then hard shifting again. It acts like it's taking on air in the lines but there are no leaks so how could that be? Anyone else run in to this? If so what was the fix? Also, how bout themcup holders right in line with the shifter? I've launched a few cans with that tbkng.

Turned out to be the master cylinder.

 

[92exp4x4]

Turned out to be the master cylinder.

Thanks for the follow up. Good deal on getting it fixed.

 

[nameiztaken]

Turned out to be the master cylinder.

Good to hear. Also check out the shifter bushing while you’re at it, not sure if you replaced that yet but they go bad pretty often. Mine was completely gone.