Questions and Answers

Ranger Clutch Replacement Q. Hello, Good to see there's someone like you out there! I have an 1989 Ford Ranger, 2.9 liter 6 cylinder, 2WD, 5 speed manual with A/C and P/S. It's been through tough times, and always given me love so I'd love to keep driving it. Unfortunately, with 193,000 miles, the clutch is 99% gone.

With someone pushing me to get rolling, I can get it to glide ever so slowly down the road and almost reach 15 or 20 mph.

So, all the repair shops/dealers want $600.00+ to do this job, and I simply don't have the money. I don't have a great deal of mechanical knowledge, let alone auto mechanics, but I am motivated to learn this stuff.

My grandfather has a pole barn he says he'd let me use, and I have a few weeks off of work, but do you think I'd find the right tools to do this mostly by myself? I do have the Haynes manual, and will be picking up the Chiltons, too, before I begin just for redundancy.

I noticed today, when fiddling around, that the hydraulic fluid turned gray over the course of a two-block cruise (oh what fun.), but I can't think of what would cause this gray silt looking stuff to all of a sudden find its way into my hydraulic line. I crawled under the truck briefly today and tried to locate some things, it's awfully gummy and dirty around the transmission and I'm positive it's not a pretty sight for any mechanic.

Anyhow, here's what I've gathered I need:

* Rear crankshaft main seal (???). I'm told this butts up to the engine behind the flywheel and holds in the oil.. if I don't replace it there is a very good possibility I'll either turn my engine into an anchor or luckily have to pull the whole transmission down and everything else again.

* Clutch kit, including pressure plate, release bearing.

* Alignment tool (these are all the same?)

* Transmission jack (block of wood work fine??)

* Pneumatic tools were highly recommended (cost to acquire?)

As well, can I do this on jack stands or is a lift very reasonably recommended? (not to say it's practical at this stage)

I appreciate any input you've got, and hope to hear from you. I'll probably finalize any decisions/parts purchasing in the next day or two, and begin the 10 mile up-hill-both-ways adventure of somehow towing my truck.

Greatly Appreciated!
David

A. Replacing a clutch is not a technically demanding job, but it does involve a lot of work. You have two distinct advantages going for you. First it's not 4WD and you have lots of room under there to work with.

As far as tools go, there is nothing really odd that you need except for the clutch alignment tool. These are specific for each make and model car or truck. You can buy a universal alignment tool that has several adapters for the different size pilot holes and clutch discs for not a lot of money. You will need a special tool to disconnect the hydraulic lines from the clutch slave cylinder. Ford decided the tried and true methods of attaching hydraulic lines wasn't screwed up enough and they went ahead and corrected that.

Air tools will definitely make the job a lot easier, but if you don't have an air compressor that puts out 175 psi, they may be more trouble than they are worth. A good, solid 3/8" and 1/2" drive ratchet and sockets and a set of wrenches and screwdrivers are about all else you'll need.

Four good solid jack stands of at least 2 ton capacity are a good idea. Jack that puppy up as high as safely possible and put them under the frame. That will make the job much safer to do. You can rent a hydraulic jack stand from the local rental center. They have low jacks specifically designed for what you need. This is preferable over the two man method because sometimes lining up the shaft splines to the clutch disc splines can be a real PITA.

If the barn doesn't have a solid floor you will need to get some one inch plywood to roll the transmission jack on. Also I would cut four pieces of that plywood into 2 foot squares and place them under the jack stands.

As for parts, besides a new clutch disc, pressure plate and throw out bearing, I would recommend replacing the clutch slave and master cylinder. It is very likely these two items will not be able to handle the new pressure plate and blow out in a couple of weeks. I would also recommend replacing the hydraulic line with a new line from Ford, P/N F1TZ-7A512-A. This is a countermeasure line that corrected a clutch vibration problem Ford had with these trucks.

You can get the whole kit from Dial-A-Clutch.com. They also sell the line release tool that you need. Most of their truck clutch kits include the slave cylinder and clutch alignment tool. They sell Luk brand clutch's which is a very good product and their prices are extremely reasonable.

As for the rear main seal. This is a problem. Generally my advice is to replace it as long as the transmission is out. But with this truck I would say if it isn't leaking, don't mess with it. If it is leaking, replacing it requires great care in replacing it. When you pop it out, be very careful you do not score the housing it sits in. The best way to take it out is to punch two holes in the seal on opposite sides of the crankshaft directly above the bearing cap to cylinder block split line. Insert a sheet metal screw into each hole. Then remove the oil seal by prying against screws with two screwdrivers.

When you put the new seal in make sure you put it in exactly perpendicular to the crankshaft. You can do this part of the job while the flywheel is being machined.

I think that pretty much covers it. If you take your time and follow the procedure outlined in the manuals and a little common sense will get you through this with very few problems.

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