Woke up this morning, no clutch!

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Richard Kolb

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So I left the ST out last night, something I don't usually do, when I went to start it up it stalled the first time and the second time I nearly drove it through the garage. I have no clutch! It was in first, the pedal was fine on the first attempt, nothing at all on the second. I had my transmission fluid replaced last summer with synthetic and I did do a lot of driving this weekend. WTF happened here? Is it just cold or do I need to seriously have this looked at? It's out there running now, I'm hoping it'll be better when it's warmed up.
 
Check the hydraulic Clutch fluid level.....



It is either low, or the master or slave went bad....



Todd Z
 
Considering you never leave it out. There really are only a few factors. If it was temperature based, for some reason the clutch disk may have stuck, like if it was wet and it froze for example to the surface plate (flywheel). Though this is a rare thing.



I am with the others in that something happened to the fluid. There cold be water within the fluid and it may have froze within the line for example. One you get it started and warmed up, I STRONGLY suggest you go get the fluid replaced to eliminate any water issues as well as removal of any potential air within the system...
 
Well, it seemed better when it warmed up so I'm going to hope it's just water in the lines. In that case it makes me wonder how it got in there, which makes me think that the freeze plugs or some other seals are shot. I'm tempted to just sell it and get something else.
 
Well, it seemed better when it warmed up so I'm going to hope it's just water in the lines. In that case it makes me wonder how it got in there, which makes me think that the freeze plugs or some other seals are shot. I'm tempted to just sell it and get something else.
Click to expand...



Freeze plugs?



I thought 2001 and 2002 were the only years with a manual tranny, or was it 2003. Maybe it is 2003. I assume so since you have one.



That means the vehicle is 6 years old. Odds are, the clutch system has never been flushed. There could be moisture in the system. There could be crap in the system in the form of dirty fluid.



Miles on the vehicle?



Anyway, there are some items that need looked at with a vehicle 6 years old. That could be one of them.



Even if you have to spend $1,000.00 to fix it, you are still money ahead of buying something new. Even if it only gets you to drive it for another 4 months, that equates to $250.00 a month.



That is muh less than a car payment.:)





Tom
 
Well, it has less then 55k on it. I had the system flushed last summer around 45k.



I still owe $5,500 on it, I'm thinking of asking $6000 for it as is and buying something else.



Freeze plugs, from an old post here:



I was doing a search on the Ford 5-speed manual tranny, and came across this on the Explorer 4x4 Forum.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mazda 5 Speed Manual Transmission



Many Explorer/Navajo owners have went with synthetic transmission fluid hoping to extend the life of the transmission. I use Mobil 1 Synthetic fluid. Synthetic fluid handles high temperatures and pressures better then conventional fluids.



Another preventive maintenance tip is to replace the rubber plugs in the shift rail bores with steel freeze plugs. The rubber plugs have a tendency to dry up and leak, and/or fall out. The plugs are located in the transmission top cover and face towards the rear of the truck. The part numbers for the metal plugs are: Dana #219-3052 or Dorman #555-108, you will need 3 plugs to do the job.



The hydraulic clutch, slave cylinder/throwout bearing is another item you should pay close attention to. After time, the slave cylinder fails to release the clutch completely. If you are having trouble shifting into 1st and reverse while stationary or if your truck creeps forward with the clutch pedal depressed the slave cylinder/throwout bearing is probably at fault. Unfortunately there is no easy fix here as the transmission must be removed to replace the combination slave cylinder and throwout bearing.



http://www.explorer4x4.com/tips.htm
Click to expand...
 
Of course with full disclosure, how else would I explain asking 2/3 of what it's worth?
Click to expand...



So, you would take a $3,000 financial hit when a repair could be around $1,000?



Admit it. You want something new and are just using this problem as the deciding factor.



With the economy the way it is, I would fix it and drive it for another 6 years.





Tom
 
1) I don't want to pay $1,000

2) I may have a chance to buy another car from a family member for less then I'd sell the ST for.

3) The ST is too small already for the family

4) I'd love to be able to fix it and drive it another 6 years, I don't know that I'll be able to do that though.



My first choice is to fix it
 
So AAMCO gave me a worst case scenario of $1100 to replace everything but the transmission. Since nobody has looked at it yet I'll be driving it up there tonight, in the dark, where nobody can see me run redlights :) I'm hoping it's a lot less then that.
 
Cost me $1500 to have the tranny rebuilt with a new 'Spec - Stage II" clutch and all the latest uprades. So, $1100 for everything but the tranny is a little out of line. See if you can find a local hot rod shop that can recommend a good tranny shop to do the work.

 
Hmm, I read somewhere else that they were paying about $2500 to have the same thing I was quoted $1,100 for. I didn't think it was that bad of a deal. Thanks for letting me know, I'll see what I can find.
 
I rebuilt the clutch and entire hydraulic system in my 93 Explorer 4.0 a few years back using all OEM Ford parts, which are pretty well agreed upon being the best parts for it. The Spec clutches are a nice upgrade, but the Ford clutch is very reliable as it is. You should be able to get all the parts from Torrie and do it yourself for around $500 if I remember right. It's really not that hard of a job, I did it by myself in the garage.
 
Rich,



I wasn't questioning your ethics, just maybe your idea of what the truck is worth, cause the sale price you cited didn't seem to account for the possibly needed repairs . According to KBB, for a 2003 White XLS 4x2 manual with 44k miles in Nashua, the private party sales prices are



Condition Value

Excellent $7,740

Good $7,165

Fair $6,465



Now that it looks like your repair might be $1100 or less, I hope you're able to do the repair and keep the truck or sell it at your choice. That's put you at right about the KBB Good condition price. Good luck, sincelely.





 
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Rich,



The shop I use here said they would do all the labor ( R&R tranny, not rebuild) Replace master, slave, clutch, for about $500-600 Labor.... Just add the cost for parts which you can supply, and can be bought cheep ( I know where to get them)



Just some other thoughts...



I know it is about 4 hour drive, But your welcome to buy the parts and we can do the job here in My driveway. I know it is a pain on your back to do that, But is allways a thought..



Todd Z
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I already started AAMCO on it, from around here they had the cheapest quotes. I can't be without the truck and can't really get it all the way to LI. Thanks anyway.
 

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