Hydraulic clutch not adjustable?

[Jeff in ND]

I have a 2004 F150 "Heritage". It has the same body as '97-'03. V6 with 5spd manual. Owned since new. I just had the original (90k) clutch replaced as I noticed it slipping a little when towing uphill last year. Now, the pedal seems you have to have it about mashed to the floor to get it fully disengage or it becomes hard to shift. It engages pretty close to the floor compared to what I was used to. Its like having to relearn how to drive again.

I am given to understand these are not adjustable? I just picked up the truck from the shop yesterday and will call them about it Monday but wondered if there are any insights?

 

[Janicholson]

Usually they self adjust, They should make it right. Jim Original old thinking removed. Jim

 

[leroy in ne]

Usually they self adjust, the bellhousing cylinder should move to take up the slack. It can be "helped along the way by taking off the external spring on the fork if it has one. They should make it right. Jim

Jim if I'm thinking right these hydraulic clutch cylinders with throwout bearing surround the transmission input shaft and react from the transmission front face. No arm or adjustment.

 

[Jack345]

I have a 2004 F150 "Heritage". It has the same body as '97-'03. V6 with 5spd manual. Owned since new. I just had the original (90k) clutch replaced as I noticed it slipping a little when towing uphill last year. Now, the pedal seems you have to have it about mashed to the floor to get it fully disengage or it becomes hard to shift. It engages pretty close to the floor compared to what I was used to. Its like having to relearn how to drive again.

I am given to understand these are not adjustable? I just picked up the truck from the shop yesterday and will call them about it Monday but wondered if there are any insights?

Bleed the slave cylinder as it may have air into it when you replaced clutch. Also check the push rod coming out of slave cylinder where it meets the clutch fork.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I have a 2004 F150 "Heritage". It has the same body as '97-'03. V6 with 5spd manual. Owned since new. I just had the original (90k) clutch replaced as I noticed it slipping a little when towing uphill last year. Now, the pedal seems you have to have it about mashed to the floor to get it fully disengage or it becomes hard to shift. It engages pretty close to the floor compared to what I was used to. Its like having to relearn how to drive again.

I am given to understand these are not adjustable? I just picked up the truck from the shop yesterday and will call them about it Monday but wondered if there are any insights?

I don't know about your truck your issue is a common ford issue. Determining if air is in the system is a no brainier the next common issue is resetting the pressure plate I reset all Fords that are of this style new out of the box. I learned the hard way about this its common for them to be set wrong and know where in the instructions will it tell you about this. A quick google are google ford self adjusting clutch pressure plate installation instructions. If you do not resolve this issue the clutch will be short lived.

 

[Mule Meat]

If it has a Concentric Slave Cylinder that is inside of the bell housing. It can be one of two types. Both types can be bled.

One has a bleeder screw.

The other will have a small nipple that looks like a hose barb near where the line attaches.
Remove the clip that holds the line.
Pull the line out of the slave cylinder.
Reinstall the clip.
Shove the line back into the slave cylinder only ONE click. This opens the bleeder port to allow air to be released. The supply line is still sealed at one click.
Shove the line in TWO clicks and it closes the bleeder port.

 

[Jeff in ND]

Thanks. I believe this has a donut shaped slave under the throwout bearing so no fork or external cylinder. I had a shop do this as I am not up for dropping a trans. Hoping they can bleed it some more if that is the issue as I would expect dropping the trans again otherwise to get at the slave directly. I wonder if they took off too much when the flywheel was surfaced would that be a factor?

It needs to go back to adj the parking brake too as they did some work back there as well and that is too loose.

This stuff is why I don't usually like to have a shop work on my stuff. Last shop worked on this truck cost me $900 and never actually fixed the real problem (that I eventually figured out and fixed).

 

[Fritz Maurer]

If you are going to try re-bleeding, get one of those huge syringes, big enough to put your thumb into. Get a foot of vacuum tubing that fits firmly onto the bleeder. Fill the syringe with the same fluid used in the system, and push the fluid into the slave cylinder. First remove the cap from the reservoir to make room for the incoming fluid. Then, close the bleeder and give the pedal a few quick pumps to churn the fluid and hopefully move a bubble out of some remote corner, out in the open to where it can be ejected. Then run another syringe-ful into the slave cylinder again. It is easier to push air bubbles uphill than downhill.

 

[Janicholson]

Jim if I'm thinking right these hydraulic clutch cylinders with throwout bearing surround the transmission input shaft and react from the transmission front face. No arm or adjustment.

thanks Jim

 

[Eman85]

https://www.fitzall.com/shims.php On hydraulic clutch systems we always measured the thickness of the flywheel before machining . We then shimmed the flywheel back to the place it was with shims between the flywheel and crankshaft made for that purpose.

 

[NDIHC]

I always had the best luck reverse bleeding the clutch hydraulic system by pushing fluid from the bottom up through the bleeder screw using a brake bleeding syringe as noted before. I believe the one I've used is from EIS brake products.

 

[Sprint 6]

Did they have the flywheel machined? If they did, that's your issue. Hydraulic clutch systems have very little room outside of factory dimensions. Even a few thousandths cut off the face of the flywheel will move the clutch towards the engine, taking up travel that would otherwise release the clutch. Everytime I get tagged in on a recent Hydraulic clutch replacement that won't release, this is the issue. Even though the story always starts with "We didn't machine the flywheel".

While there are some engines there are shims for, I always replace the flywheel on hydrualic clutch jobs. Which makes me more expensive than "the other guy". So I fix them after the fact when it ends up at my shop with issues.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I don't know about your truck your issue is a common ford issue. Determining if air is in the system is a no brainier the next common issue is resetting the pressure plate I reset all Fords that are of this style new out of the box. I learned the hard way about this its common for them to be set wrong and know where in the instructions will it tell you about this. A quick google are google ford self adjusting clutch pressure plate installation instructions. If you do not resolve this issue the clutch will be short lived.

I had to look a bit this is how I reset the clutch even a new out of the box clutch. You will find new ones set at haft way : (

I fraught this issue for a long time I called Luk they told me every spec on the clutch but did not tell me about this. If this issue is not resolved it will get worst about the only other thing I can think of is make sure the clutch push rod bushing on the pedal is good and the support for the clutch master is in good condition.

There is no adjustment for the slave its set in stone. The slave will do no more work than the master commands. Your shop is on the hook it happens : (

 

[Blackhole49]

Did they have the flywheel machined? If they did, that's your issue. Hydraulic clutch systems have very little room outside of factory dimensions. Even a few thousandths cut off the face of the flywheel will move the clutch towards the engine, taking up travel that would otherwise release the clutch. Everytime I get tagged in on a recent Hydraulic clutch replacement that won't release, this is the issue. Even though the story always starts with "We didn't machine the flywheel".

While there are some engines there are shims for, I always replace the flywheel on hydrualic clutch jobs. Which makes me more expensive than "the other guy". So I fix them after the fact when it ends up at my shop with issues.

Curious; where is your shop located?