I have a 2000 Ford f-150 (4.2L 2WL). The clutch recently went out on me, and it needed some work that I decided to do myself with some help of my older brother (who did most of the work since I know next to nothing about mechanical problems).

We replaced the clutch plate, slave cylinder w/ throwout bearing, and the master cylinder after we discovered we couldn't get the air out during the bleeding process, but we couldn't fix the problem, and we are all at our wits end. There is still no clutch pressure, and we can't see any air coming out of the line, no matter how much we bleed it.

Someone I work with floated the idea to me that I might have bought a bad master cylinder and to just take it back and replace it with another one, but I want another opinion before I shell out another $60. We found out that on old Ford's, you have to pump the clutch fast enough so the spring doesn't have time to return, but when we do that, the pressure only lasts a few seconds before it goes back to being spongy.

Are we just not bleeding it right, or do we need a new master cylinder that is hopefully good this time?

Thanks in advance for the help! My truck has been out of commission going on three weeks and I want my baby back!

 

Did you bench bleed the master cylinder before installing? If it is like brake master cylinders, it's a necessity because if you don't it will take forever and a day to get all the air out of the system.

 

I just bench bled it for roughly 45 minutes, and I got clutch pressure back, but it still won't go into gear. Could it not be activating the slave cylinder?

Is it possible I bought a bad clutch master cylinder or bad slave cylinder?

 

Maybe glc will chime in soon. He has a clutch in his 93.

 

Try reverse bleeding it. Fill a pump style oil can with fluid, connect a hose from the spout to the bleeder screw, open the screw and remove the top from the reservoir, pump the can till no more air bubbles in the reservoir. If this still didn't take care of it, you have wrong or defective parts or you assembled it incorrectly.