afmcg

I did a search, but didn't find much. So here's my issue:

I just got a 01 with 177k. It was very difficult to get into gear when it was at a complete stop. No grinding/noises, just hitting a wall with the shifter. Once it was moving at all, it shifted fine. Also, if I got it into 1st or 2nd on a flat road with no brake and the clutch in, the truck would creep forward slightly. Stepping on the accelerator did not make it go any faster.

I changed the trans oil with 10qt of Pennzoil Synchromesh, no difference. Bled the clutch slave by pumping the slave with the hose pointing up, no difference. Yesterday I replaced the entire clutch hydraulic assy ($220 + tx at Fullerton Dodge). The Mopar part is now a 2-piece with a quick connect near the slave. I assembled and bled it, no difference. Bled it again, no difference.

The transmission / clutch don't make any other noises (like a fried pilot bearing), and it shifts flawlessly when rolling (except for a tired 6th synchro).

Any thoughts?

JHew84

adjust your pedal, or check to see if your floor mats are binding up underneath the pedal (don't laugh, it's a more common problem than you'd think ). Sounds like when you have the clutch pedal to the floor the clutch is still engaging slightly, if you adjust the pedal out a little it should go away. When you tap the gas there probably isn't enough friction to REALLY move the truck so it just slips under the load.

My theory, I've seen it happen with a few cars at least.

afmcg

I was under there last night, and I don't recall seeing any adjustment on the master cylinder push rod or the pedal. I have a sinking feeling that it's the pilot dragging...

FarmBoyAggie

I vote pilot bearing

JHew84

hm... interesting, I'll have to go check on mine and see if there is any adjustment to it or not.

Homestead

There is no adjustment on the pedal.

I have to vote on a sticking pilot bearing also. Been there done that.

Jeff

Valv

What the pilot bearing have to do with this ? I would look into throuwout bearing

SIXSLUG

You got 10 qts of fluid in it!? They come w/5. 6 is considered better. I think you've got torqueswirl! No but really, it sounds like something is causing a little drag on the main shaft at idle.. pilot bearing, worn seals on throwout bearing, slave cylinder.

afmcg

Heh-heh. I meant 10 pints. Did the entire clutch this weekend, and the problem is gone. For anyone who needs to do this, here's my post from cumminsforum:

I got a mopar pilot, and pulled the transmission today. The grease in the pilot was a little sticky, but not nearly as bad as I expected. The input shaft wasn't galled at all.

The rest of the clutch was a goner. The fingers were worn, the throwout bearing was tired and the transmission snout was very sticky, the disc was worn way down and the splined hub was pretty loose, and there were hot spots and a couple tiny surface cracks in the flywheel. My shift fork ball was in good condition (which is a good thing because the closest one is at a dealership was in UT).

I was originally hoping to only have to do the bearing and do an upgrade clutch later on with the ball pilot that quad4x4 sells. But, I wasn't about to put the beat up clutch back in, and I needed to have it done today. So I ended up getting the flywheel resurfaced and a Luk clutch kit from NAPA.

The end of the story is that the transmission shifts now! I took it for a drive tonight, and I never had to jam it into gear. The 6th synchro issue is still there, but it's much more drivable now.

For anyone who is looking to do this, you may want to consider loosening your fuel tank, as its interference with the back of the t-case made the job much more difficult...or maybe it was because I was doing it by myself...
Also, the tip from Cummins5SPD about spreading the frame was key. I did it with a porta power, and had to spread the frame more than I would have liked to get the crossmember out and in.

SIXSLUG

Sweet, nothin better than solving the issue w/ the first try! I'm worrying over mine now. Its hard to shift into 1 or 2 from a dead stop, it'll usually go if I throw it into 5 then jump back to 2 and take off, but I think my clutch is ok as I don't have any other symptoms. Kurt

CoastalDav

If the pilot bearing is worn out the imput shaft on the tranny stops turning when you push in the clutch pedal. This makes getting into gear difficult since there is no movement as normal inside the tranny.

I'm getting ready to R&R my clutch/flywheel/pilot/throwout/and rear main seal in two weeks. Going to a Southbend 13" set up.

Dave