Clutch Issues

[Cdykstra]

Hey All, I'm looking for some ideas.

This past weekend I put a new clutch, (clutch, pressure plate, and pilot bearing) as well as a new slave cylinder. Everything went smoothly until it came time to bleed it out. I've been trying to get it right since Saturday and I'm having no luck. I tried all the bleeding suggestions I've seen here and elsewhere to no avail. I followed the Perfection Hytest instruction / trouble shooting video as well. Verified my master cylinder is operating as it should and I have the 5/16" of travel on the throwout bearing too. Here's the issue:

My pedal has quite pathetic resistance against my foot. Really doesnt require much to press it down. The pedal also won't return fully on its own. I also cannot engage any gears with it running. And it gets weirder. I decided to leave it sit with the reservoir open over night. I go back the next day, and the pedal is fantastic. I can start the truck and the clutch operates as it should for a minute. Then it's as if the clutch just loses pressure. The pedal pressure fades and it returns to a totally inoperable clutch.

I'm at a loss here. I've checked for leaks, I'm not low on fluid, I know the master didnt go dry, and I've confirmed (according to the video mentioned earlier. I don't have any other specs to base it on) that the master is bled. I've gravity bled the slave enough that I've gone through an entire bottle of fluid. Anyone have any ideas or words of wisdom here? Things to try?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Troubleshooting: Common Clutch Issues and Causes - Haynes Manuals

Keep your vehicle in top shape with tips and tutorials on the Haynes blog. Read our post 'Troubleshooting: Common Clutch Issues and Causes' today.

haynes.com

this may be of value for you troubleshooting!

was this your procedure? https://www.explorer4x4.com/bleed.pdf

that having been said, what brand was your parts? iirc LUK was the OE part, and some shops wont install non luk stuff.

also, welcome to EF!! although youve been here longer than me

 

[Cdykstra]

Troubleshooting: Common Clutch Issues and Causes - Haynes Manuals

Keep your vehicle in top shape with tips and tutorials on the Haynes blog. Read our post 'Troubleshooting: Common Clutch Issues and Causes' today.

haynes.com

this may be of value for you troubleshooting!

was this your procedure? https://www.explorer4x4.com/bleed.pdf

that having been said, what brand was your parts? iirc LUK was the OE part, and some shops wont install non luk stuff.

also, welcome to EF!! although youve been here longer than me

I'll look through it and see if anything helps! Thanks

This was not my procedure. I'm going to try it and see if anything changes.
I followed the instructions in this video:


I used all power torque brand stuff from oriellys. Definitely not my first choice but I didn't have the option to shop around at the time of purchase. That is just what I could get.

Thanks! Although I've never posted, I've been a long time lurker since at least 2010. Big fan of this site.

 

[RangerX]

Search through @410Fortune ’s recent posts and you’ll find the right way to bleed. He’s the guru on that. I know he’s posted it in someone else’s thread in the past week or so.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

410fortune links!

 

[410Fortune]

I learned the hard way you guys.I converted my bronco ii from a 2.9 to a 4.0 back in like 94 or 96 and we used a 5 speed. The clutch was never right… I had the trans down 4 times in one summer trying to fix. I could not get first gear or reverse easily. I tried everything even a custom Kevlar clutch… eventually I converted to a automatic for 4wheeling
Years later I would learn about the trapped air bubble
So I started fixing the systems for people abs spreading the word
Now we have YouTube and it turns out I was not alone in this struggle