Thank you guys, I dropped the transmission with your help, but now a video and question...

[TreDen]

From the bottom of my heart, thank you guys for everything.

I have never done any work on a truck and went after the clutch. I think if I knew any better I would have never started. You guys helped me out at every turn. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I got the transmission to drop out tonight. I will never do it again, and I am praying I can get it back in. It took me a while to get it free from the engine, and I hope I didn't mess anything up in the engine pulling it off as I dropped it too soon, and the whole engine kinda dropped at a weird angle for a minute. I'll write more below on the details of what happened.

I need one last thing from you guys. Will you please take a look at the video I am going to link. When I got the trans out the clutch looks great to my eyes. It looks shinny and new, and everything seems ok. The slave on the other hand was destroyed... It was leaking so bad that the clutch did have some grease and liquid on it, is that ok? Please watch this and ask me for anymore details.



If it is just the slave I need to replace should I put in a cheap part again? Or should I really roll the dice and buy a 200 dollar slave. Is this link the correct one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-G...7268&clkid=2755295655349042964&_qi=RTM2247627

If you have a link to a Ford slave, or motorcraft? Let me know.

Now for the dirty details.

Again, removing the transmission in gravel with just car ramps sucked. I was so defeated and after three solid days under the truck I was ready to give up. The only tools I had was a 29 dollar tool kit from home depot. When I got to the tranny bolts it was nightmare. I removed seven bolts. Then I was messing around, looking all over to find out that whoever replaced the tranny last time, left one bolt off. The whole time I was under the thing messing around to learn it could have fallen. I think it should be ok to just run seven bolts again right?

What saved my a*s though, was I removed the access panel. I took a tow rope and placed it around the tranny and had a strong friend lift the tranny up and help me swing it out and back. I never removed the exhaust or the y-exhaust. It was tough getting it out, and I will have nightmares tonight about getting it back in.

Again, thank you for everything.

Trent

 

[RangerX]

On your question about buying a cheap slave or one from Ford, I would say, how long do you plan to keep this vehicle? Less than a year, or more than a year?
It's like gambling, with a cheap slave. The odds are, you'll be dropping the trans to replace it sooner rather than later.

 

[shucker1]

In my opinion you are that far already. The next step is to get the clutch cover off and pull the clutch disk.

The fluid from the leaking slave cylinder went somewhere. If it got into the clutch lining the disk is toast.

Clutch lining is like brake lining. Brake fluid or transmission fluid of any kind is going to make it worthless.

 

[TreDen]

How do I check if it went into the clutch lining?

I would like to save money, is there anyway I can just take off the clutch pieces, wipe everything down replace and install. I know I would hate to get it all back together and still not have a working truck...but it does come down to money, even though it's only a hundred bucks, the clutch does look like it's in great condition...I'd rather be able to spend a lot on a expensive slave.

 

[shucker1]

What you are looking at in you video that you said looked fine is actually the clutch pressure plate . Those metal tabs are what we call the clutch fingers.

The actual clutch disk is under the cover. You can see the spline hub in the very center.

The 8 bolts on the outside come out and the cover can come off.

Loosen the outer bolts in a cross pattern to relive the spring pressure the cover has built up.

 

[TreDen]

Thanks for the video on the clutch. I will pull it off tomorrow and post pictures. But from my YouTube video, I was shocked to see the condition, would you guyssay it looks ok? That slave though, I can't believe the condition of it.

 

[96firephoenix]

As far as projects go, this is not the typical first-timer project on a car. you're doing really well for a novice. That's the really important thing to remember - this seems really hard because it's a complicated procedure, not because you suck at working on cars... you lack experience and the proper tools, but you're doing great with what you have.

You're considering $200 for just the slave cylinder on a 25 year-old commuter vehicle? The Links that I provided in your first post to RockAuto totaled around $200 for the parts. Do not equate higher price with higher quality, especially when LUK parts are OEM ford in some cases. $36 for a LUK part is great, when you consider that the $200 Ford part is probably just the same LUK part with a Ford logo stamped on it. The one that I pulled out of my ranger was like this.

The parts that fell off the front are just the release bearing and return spring. The piston that moves the release bearing forward is the slave cylinder, and they aren't necessarily going to be attached.

Picture of new LUK slave, without the release bearing (which is included in the LUK kit). I promise I'm not trying to sell LUK parts, I just had a good experience with them on my ranger, and noticed that all the parts I took off were LUK parts with the Ford logo on them.

The Clutch set itself (pressure plate and friction disc) is pretty easy to install, for how daunting it seems. You may need to spend more than just $29 for tools though.

 

[TreDen]

I can not get the tranny back in. It took me almost 4 hours to get the tranny up and over the exhaust. I should have taken out the Y bar. Hours after hours of fighting with the tranny to get it up and over the exhaust.I finally got it up and over the damn bar, and now I can not get it to line up and slide in. I am fighting and fighting with it to just slide straight in. I jacked it up for the night, and am going to leave it hanging for the evening. I'm exhausted and worn out from fighting it all night.

 

[RangerX]

Have your buddy that helped lower it, help put it back on. A second set of hands and eyes is priceless.
Also, you're already putting it back on? What parts did you get?

@96firephoenix I agree, Luk parts are good, I had the same experience as you on my Ranger. Didn't realize your link was for Luk parts when I made my 'only ford' comment.

 

[TreDen]

Thanks guys, ill get it on tomorrow. When I tried to get the tranny up and over the exhaust the metal drive sticking out from the slave was hitting and pushing in the fingers on pressure plate...I hope its ok, but it looked fine.

I took the clutch off and to a local tranny shop. The old men got a kick that i got the tranny out. I bought them a case of bud and they let me use a clutch alinement tool, and said the clutch looked fine. They also had a ford slave in the box which is all I needed.

That being said, I tied the tow rope around the tranny, and my buddy lifted it through the access panel and I fought and fought, I think I can get it tomorrow. I had it in, but pulled it out on accident. Very stressful.

I hope it works, all I need us the truck to get me to Michigan, and then to Montana for one last trip.