Originally Posted by CDN-SMOKEJUMPER

This should definitely be a sticky.

Originally Posted by CDN-SMOKEJUMPER

Wow your bushings where worn. Mine look old but not worn out like those are.

Originally Posted by CDN-SMOKEJUMPER

Is it 4 bolts and undo where the ujoint is to get it out?

Originally Posted by kevbrincker

Just completed this job. Took out bracket from my 93, pulled my 91's out, guess what it had a slight hairline crack starting. Welded up both, finished Job with a, spare.

Shifts so Nice,BUT new the brakes super sensitive and are now sticking on fronts while I drive. Thought it was the wind or my engine but I must have screwed something up when I reinstalled the bracket and brake pedal.

Any ideas on how to release the pressure. It looked like there was only one hole to pin the brake rod to the pedal????

Originally Posted by 4x4Lamm

If any of you saw my earlier threads about my clutch problems you will be interested to hear this.

The hard shifting I was experiancing was due to no failure of the clutch hydraulic system or the clutch itself. The large bracket that holds the clutch pedal and mounts to the firewall broke in 2 places. This caused the clutch to not fully engauge because when the pedal was depressed it actually pulled the push rod out rather than push it in creating negitive preassure in the system.

My mechanics were also supprised this was the problem. They removed the bracket and welded it back up, along with some extra support and 3 addittional bolts through the firewall. Unfourtunetly, the negitive preassure ruined the clutch master cylinder and I had them replace the slave as well at my request (it only cost $40).

Everything now works great. The only problem is the pedal feels different than it ever did before. Oh well, it will only take a week to get used to it.

Remember, if you ever hear a loud pop or a grinding noise under your dash it may be a broken clutch pedal bracket. Its hard to see all the parts of it give it a good and I mean good lookover. If you catch it soon enough, you can avoid the $100 master cylinder replacement. Just keep this in the back of your mind MT owners.

Total Cost = $350, Ouch coulda got sliderz for that, oh well, the mechanic gaurenteed his parts and work for 80,000 miles!


Lamm

Originally Posted by Longshot

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ
These repair instructions are provided to the user with no warranty expressed or implied that the repair outlined herein will restore the operation of the clutch or clutch pedal. This solution is being offered in light of the alternative costs for dealer repair, which some have reported to be several hundred dollars. Test cases for this repair were on a 1990 4Runner and a 1989 4x4 Pickup. This repair technique fully restored the function of the clutch pedal in both applications in 8/05 and 9/05 respectively. These clutch repairs are still working perfectly with the original “feel” in the pedal. E-mail me and I'll send original document with photos - I couldn't insert the photos here.

Symptoms:
The clutch will not disengage when the pedal is pressed to the floor. The clutch also feels “spongy” and shifting is difficult. In the worst cases, the vehicle must be started in gear in order to begin moving. It is impossible, or nearly so to put the vehicle in first gear.

Supplies:
1 each 3/8 inch bolt or threaded rod approximately 3 inches long
2 each large flat washers approximately 2” in diameter
2 each flat washers approximately 1-1˝” in diameter
3 nuts for the 3/8 inch bolt, 4 nuts with a threaded rod

Tools:
A drill and 3/8” steel bit.

The Problem/ Root Cause:
The bracket that holds the clutch and brake pedal is cracked at the base where it attaches to the firewall. Diagnose this by using a flashlight to look under the dash where the clutch master cylinder attaches to the brake pedal. Examine the clutch pedal bracket where it attaches through the firewall with the bolts that attach the master cylinder.
The cracks will be at the left side of the bracket and may be difficult to see while the bracket is installed. The bracket at the right has been removed and shows the large crack from the top of the base towards the bottom for several inches. This comes from years of flexing because the brace bolt under the dash has broken loose. After the brace is broken, every time the clutch pedal is pushed, it torques the bracket until it finally tears it from the upper left corner (driver’s view). The torsion on the bracket also distorts the shape of the bracket making it impossible to achieve leverage with the clutch pedal to disengage the clutch to put the vehicle in gear and/ or to shift gears – especially reverse. Reverse has no synchronizer, so there is nothing to help slow the transmission, and when the clutch does not fully disengage, the engine must be shut down before it will go into reverse.

See in the photo to the right how the clutch bracket on the left and the brake bracket on the right are no longer parallel. Also note the broken bracket attached to the top of the clutch side at the bottom left of the picture. That brace was designed to anchor the back of the bracket and keep it from flexing the base (front) where it broke. The design is workable, but the solution was under-engineered and the brace will eventually break just as it did on my vehicles. Keep these instructions, because if your 2nd Generation 4Runner doesn’t need it yet, it will eventually!

The Fix:
1. Get the bracket welded. This cost me $15 when I took it into the welding shop. Unless you are an experienced welder and have the right equipment, I recommend taking it to a professional. This is pretty light material and is easy to burn it up if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. As you can see in the pictures, this was a good weld and penetrated completely through the base of the bracket. It should also be properly aligned; the crack must be brought together when it is welded. There may still be a slight twist in the bracket indicated by the fact that the clutch and brake sides are not yet parallel. This is not a huge problem, but with your hand you can twist it back into pretty close alignment before reinstalling it.
2. Before re-install the bracket, use a flashlight to locate the broken brace under the dash. It is aligned with the back part of the clutch pedal bracket, i.e., the left side. Remember that the brace is on the top of the clutch bracket, so it is located quite a way up into the dash area. Remove the broken brace with a pair of pliers if any is left attached. Bending it back-and-forth will break it off.
3. With that out of the way you are ready to drill a hole for the new “brace”. In preparation to drill the hole and install the bolt, remove the five (5) screws and pull the body panel by the windshield wipers off to expose the area below the wipers and behind the firewall. Take the drill and put a hole in the cowling from the bottom where the original brace used to fit.
4. Take the 3” x 3/8” bolt as pictured here and install it from the top below the left wiper arm. Insert it with only a single large flat washer from the top. The second large flat washer and another nut goes on from the bottom side. When this is tightened from the bottom, this double-washer method ensures that the bolt is a rigid brace for the clutch pedal. In the photos you notice the small hole created when the brace was broken off from the under side; this is not a problem. After tightening the nut from under the dash, slip the end of a 14mm box end wrench over the bolt end to align it with the pedal bracket. Finally, install the second nut on the bolt in preparation for installing the bracket. You will place another washer on top of the pedal bracket as you put it in place. This nut will be adjusted up or down to achieve the proper final vertical alignment for the bracket when you replace it.
5. Install the pedal bracket on the firewall and attach the new “brace” with a flat washer on top of the pedal bracket and a flat washer on the bottom of the pedal bracket. Install and tighten the final nut to secure the pedal bracket. For final up and down adjustment of the back of the bracket, adjust the nut on top of the pedal bracket. Tighten the bottom nut to lock the pedal bracket in place and install the pedals as before to complete the repair.