I recently purchased a used work truck. 186k miles regular cab long bed. The transmission has not shifted well and now it seems to be getting worse. The clutch seems to be fine, catches well and I can shift into neutral from any gear. Going into any gear is the problem, 1st - 4th, OD or Reverse, clutch in I push toward a gear and the shifter is stopped. But if I shut the engine off, clutch in, it will shift easily into any gear.
It will shift into gear sometimes with some difficulty while the vehicle is rolling along.
So... is there any chance that the clutch just needs to be adjusted or is this a big job that would require dropping the tranny and replacing the part that syncs the gear box to the engine speed?

 

Check the fluid level in your CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER. The clutch master cylinder is just inward of your brake master cylinder, it has a round top that screws off. If it's low it takes dot 3 brake fluid. IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a rubber cup under the cap that just lifts off and must be removed before adding fluid. Many first timers just fill that rubber cup with fluid. There is no adjustment to the clutch, but if it gets low on fluid it will act the same as being out of adjustment.

 

ok... it's after 11Pm and I'm anxious to run outside in the cold and check the fluid right now! Thank you for the answer, direction and especially the details. So the Master Cylinder for the transmission is alot like the master cylinder for the brakes? I'm going to look now! Thanks again.

 

Back when I had a V6 F150 I had the same problem, but it ended up being the slave cylinder. The slave is inside the tranny, but does have a valve that sticks out so you can bleed it. You can try to bleed it but most likely its out. The M5OD's are notorious for slave cylinder problems.

 

You might need a new slave cylinder. However, the new slave cylinders have been redesigned completely, and supposedly a lot better than the old ones. So go to a Ford dealer to get the updated one if you need to replace it if it is leaking.

 

He is right they have a revised version of the slave. If you can drop the tranny and do it yourself, you will save yourself alot of money. Its not hard if you have the tools.

 

Just checked the fluid level as advised... what's next? Found the fluid chamber driver's side on the firewall and removed the cap... found the rubber cup, it came out with the cap at first and could easily see the Dot 3 written on the cap itself and what appears to be enough brake fluid in there.

The brake cylinder is mounted lower and closer to the LF fender, correct?

There is a site call just answer and the Master Tech advised the same (without the details you provided) and said that the clutch plate fingers may not be moving far enough away to disengage the rotation on the shaft if the clutch plate has worn too thin.

What do you think?

 

Where can I go to look at a mechanical drawing of the Tranny? It's been a very long time since I've done a job like this.

 

Yes, the brake cylinder is mounted lower and closer to the LF fender.

Since it seems to be filled to the proper spec, then it could be the clutch plate.

Is this the original friction material? Also, what rear end gear ratio do you have?

 

 

ManualF150

thanks guys... but you are shooting a little over my head. It's be a while since I've done this kind of repair work.

I bought this truck used 2 months ago just to have at the house in case I needed to run to Home Depot.

The Friction Material? not a clue. The service trucks were supposedly maintained well but I don't have any of the service history.

Rear end gear ratio? well I remember were the rear end is in a truck and what it does, but that's kinda it. I can tell you it's a standard issue type of work truck and that about it for now.

Eric wrote that I may be able to bleed the Slave Cylinder? Is that something I can do without having to drop the tranny? If I bleed it correctly will that get more fluid into the Slave so that it can operate?

Merry Christmas and thanks again!

 

The friction material as in the clutch itself... how does it feel when you engage the clutch? It's kind of hard for me to explain it in words...

The reason I asked about the rear end was because if it has a tall rear end like 3.08s or something... that puts a lot of wear on the clutch because you need to slip it more to get going from a standstill.

You can easily bleed the slave cylinder. Take off the rubber grommet on the transmission, and you will see it right in there. There is a set screw and you can turn it to let it bleed. Just be careful! You don't want to drain the slave cylinder, then you need to do the process all over again.

But it doesn't sound like a slave cylinder problem.

 

Actually, fonzi, if you wait around long enough, there's a good fella by the name of glc... he's knowledgeable about this.

 

ManualF150 - ok, wow! Ummm, yep, I'm in over my head.

Sounds like I need a new clutch, pressure plate and slave cylinder. The transmission is going to have to come out to replace the Slave and as long as it's out, might as well replace everything else that will wear out as well.

Aamco or the local Ford dealer?

 

I will wait for glc... I'm going to shut down for tonight and try checking back tomorrow. Then I will look for the Slave cylinder - after checking back on this thread.

The clutch really feels strong when it engages. I haven't noticed any slipping. My driveway is quite steep and I have backed-up and never felt slipping. The clutch catches and releases high, within the first couple inches of travel. Usually if your clutch is messed up you wind up having to push all the way to the floor - that's not the case here. I understand what you're looking for but really it feels like I'm off the clutch very quickly at start from standstill, not slipping the clutch out for very long at all.

As for the rear end, I can tell you that on the highway at 65-70 mi/hr in OD, the engine is turning very low rpm's, in fact I downshift to 4th on moderate hills because I feel like I'm lugging it down. No tach by the way.

Thanks for all your help. I will check back tomorrow.