Steve777

Clutch had been working worse and worse, til finally would not disengage at all. A quick check found the fluid reservoir empty, so I refilled it, and it now seems back to normal. A quick check of the cylinders and lines found fluid leaking from the rod end of the master cyl. So, seems like a straight forward fix, but here's my question: I did a search on clutch problems and read quite a few about cracked pedal assemblies. So I did a quick check on my clutch pedal, and there is roughly 3/8" side to side play at the pedal end. This is with no force on it just one finger pressure, so I don't think I am bending any metal here; just seems like a worn bushing at the pedal pivot. No obvious cracks in the pedal assembly, but they can be hard to see until you pull it. So the question I have is, could this side play in the clutch pedal have caused seal wear in the master to cause this leak, or is that amount of play in the pedal normal? And if this side play is not normal, where do folks think it is coming from. Maybe being too picky here, but I'd rather not have to replace this master cyl again.

83

If you can find another similar truck, check its' clutch pedal. I'm assuming that amount of play is totally normal, and was possibly even like that from the factory, but I can't say for sure so don't qoute me. It's probably fine. The crack, on older trucks like mine, is usually where the pedal bolts to the firewall.

My only advice is that if you replace the master, replace the slave, too. Usually, if one is going out, the other is about to go. And once you put in a nice, new, strong master cylinder, it will blow out the slave even faster.

Make sure you read up on the bench bleeding of the master.

Steve777

Thanks. Did the bench bleed and installed the MC. All seems well. From what I could tell, looking under there, all the play is up at the clutch pedal pivot. No signs of cracks in the bracket, at least on the back side which I could see.

All in all, a much simpler job than I thought it would be.

Only remaining question is on the pedal return spring. The FSM shows a circular spring at the top of the pedal. Instead, mine had a long coil spring with leads that clips into a groove in the pushrod pin and somewhere else. My question is where does that other end of the spring go to. It came loose and I can't seem to find a hole that it goes to. Anyone know where that other end of this spring should be?