| Author | Message | ||
     Davegess |
I am having a very odd problem with my car and so far nobody can figure it out. Clutch was acting up and the master cylinder was leaking. Replaced the MC. Ford dealer could not get the system to bleed, clutch would not disengage in the morning when the car was not warmed up. Worked only OK when warmed up. Went to different shop,independent guy who does OK work they not only couldn't bleed it but in pushing a ton of fluid through the thing it stopped working entirely. Seemed like the slave was sucking air. The focus has a slave that in inside the clutch housing so we decided that with 110000 miles on the original clutch and having to tear it apart to get to the slave we would do a full clutch job. Woked nice, much improved feel. Then the first morning the temps got down into the 40s the clutch will not disengage, works great after a few miles as the car warms up but will not disengage when cold. Have to start the car in gear and then gently massage it into the next gear. Only takes a few blocks and it works fine. Any ideas? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Sounds like something is misaligned or sticking in the clutch assembly - pressure plate, disc, something doesn't appear to be moving as freely as it should. Presuming by "full clutch job" you mean new master, new slave, properly bled, new disc, new pressure plate, new bearing, and resurfaced-or-new flywheel... It could also just be not-properly-bled. Depending on the vehicle, these systems can be a bitch to bleed out correctly... | ||
| Skntpig |
I have a 1 way check valve or speed bleeder on my clutch and it makes for a quick complete 1 person job. Sounds like you have air in the system somewhere | ||
| Hughlysses |
I replaced an identical master/slave setup on a Ford Ranger a few years back. It was a bitch to bleed until I read and followed the directions. The trick on it was to have someone in the cab pump the clutch pedal ~8-10 times and then hold it down, THEN you cracked the bleeder valve at the clutch housing. Prior to that I'd just tried to do it like brakes: open bleeder valve, push pedal down, close bleeder valve, let pedal up. That just wouldn't work any air out. Once I switched to the correct technique, it was bled in ~5 minutes. | ||
| Thumper74 |
What year is the Focus? If everything is new, I'd suspect air in the system and/or the shifter cables being out of adjustment since they were disconnected. My experience with my 2002 Focus SVT was similar. The clutch was replaced under warranty, but on cold mornings, it could be an absolute bitch to put in gear. I ended up adjusting my shifter cables and it was fine. | ||
| Azxb9r |
Sometimes the hydraulic release bearings can be a real bear to get all the air out of. Also, depending on the amount of material removed from the flywheel, sometimes a shim will need to be used between the flywheel and crank to give the proper flywheel surface height. Most front wheel drives do not use a pilot bushing(I dont remember if the focus does or not) but if the pilot has too much drag in the bushing you will get that symptom. One thing you can try first thing in the morning is to pump the clutch pedal a few times and see if that helps, if so it is air. | ||
| Davegess |
Thanks guys, The flywheel is new not resurfaced. It seems very odd that it would work just fine when warm out. This morning at 50 degrees no clutch, by the time I drive a few miles it works. Tonight after sitting out in the sun for hours on a day that reached 70, clutch works fine. And yes bleeding is a bitch on these. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I have had a similar problem with a brake flexi "valving". The inner sleeve breaks down or a foreign body gets trapped preventing proper operation under pressure. I'd also be wanting to check that the clutch splines aren`t sticking, but I realise that means pulling the box again. Is it a concentric slave or a lever type? If a lever be checking that it`s properly aligned & not catching or deformed. Generally if a mechanical component only moves when there's a temperature change such as the motor warming up or cooling down it's a sign of partial seizure between dissimilar metals which are expanding or contracting at different rates. Best of luck with it. | ||
| Kenm123t |
Checked with Dad did they lube the splines with the proper Lithium grease? What is the condition of the Thrust bearing in the motor 2.5 I m guessing ? What is the condition of the throwout bearing bearing retainer? Dad was a Ford tech and Truck engineer | ||
| Azxb9r |
Is there any difference in pedal feel or the amount of freeplay between cold and hot? Does pumping the pedal a few times when it is cold make any difference? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, it is probably air in the system.If the master cylinder bolts up at an angle it can trap air at a high spot in the cylinder. Sometimes jacking one end of the car up is enough, but I have had a few over the years that the master cylinder had to be unbolted from the firewall and held at an angle so the hose fitting was at the high point of the system to get all the air out. |
