AggieJustin

Here's the deal, my OFE has been in for about a year now. In the past couple of months, I've been noticing a couple of problems and they seem to be clutch-related.

-Sometimes during slow speed manuvering where you are "slipping" the clutch (i.e. backing up to a trailer, backing a trailer, easing in/out of a parking space) when you fully depress the clutch afterwards to take it out of reverse, it will hang up in gear and you have to really pull to get it out of gear or shut down the engine and then shift. It does this so infrequently, I can't take it to a shop and reliably duplicate it.

-If you are sitting at a stop light in neutral with the clutch pedal released, when you press the clutch to shift it doesn't want to go into gear right away. You either have to wait a couple of seconds or shift around into another higher gear to get it to slip in.

-Normal driving I can hit each gear and drop right in pretty reliably, although it seems that I have to go slower than I used to. It pauses before dropping into gear. And if I'm rowing through them quick, I'll might get a quick grind going into 5th (and maybe 6th). Once again, it's not something it does all the time, just occasionally. If I didn't know any better, it almost seems like the clutch isn't engaging/disengaging at a consistent position in the pedal travel. This is the only vehicle I drive, so I'm pretty used to rowing the gears. I know it's a truck tranny, so I shouldn't expect to have it shift like a sports car, but it just feels different than it used to.

Anyone have any ideas for which area(s) I should look at? I really hate to have to take it to the shop and pay for them to drop the tranny and take a peek at the clutch, without having at least some idea what might be wrong.

BTW, I did switch over to Redline MTL after some of these problems started thinking it may just be hard-shifting problems with the NV5600, but it didn't seem to make much difference.

Since I've already written a small novel, I'll cut it off here. But if I left something out that will help with the diagnosis, let me know.

Thanks for the help,

Justin

patriot pearl blue

from my experience just say a few cuss words during the time when you push in the pedal, and try to get it into gear.

my FORD 99 stroke does this exact same thing

sitting at a light, traffic takes off and i try to slam it into first and it will not slip into gear. wait 3 seconds and it will slip right in.

on the last clutch when i finally got so ****** cause i got stranded in the middle of a intersection for 30 seconds cause the trans wouldnt get into gear, i took the trans out and a spring had popped out and was causing the INTERMITTANT issues of getting it into gear...

some days its fine, others i get so ticked i get red in the face

HTH
BW

patriot pearl blue

oh sorry bout that, a spring had popped out of the clutch assy causing it to be a PITA
BW

rvnagain

I also had the same problem with the old power stroke 1994 5 speed. I installed a napa slave and master cylinder. was better for awhile but not 100% so i figgured it must be the clutch. Replaced the clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, had the flywheel turned. Same problem so finally one day I pushed the clutch pedal to the floor and it stayed. I wasnt a happy camper by now. Guessed on a master cylinder,replaced it, problem solved till the slave cylinder blew a seal. I replaced the slave cylinder and traded it in....that fixed it for good. So i would try a master cylinder if its a hydraulic clutch and not to buy it at napa.

linetrash75

freind of mine had 98 powerstroke did the same stuff your all talking about turned up to be worn linkage inbetween the the pedal and the slave cylinder went to ford cost like $20 for a new rod problem fixed. my 92 ctd did the same thing linkage wore on the clucth pedal bought some door bushings drilled rod to fit helped alot

jed

AggieJustin

Uh oh...sounds like I might have been given a 'stroke clutch. Or I just have more in common with the strokers than I'd like.

Thanks for the info on the linkage, I'll check it out. I was thinking that it might be a hydraulic problem and had considered the NAPA replacements to save some cost from the dealer, but it looks like they have some problems. Anyone else know of a source for reliable hydraulics, other than the dealer?

Hopefully it's not the spring, but at least it gives me one more thing to check out.

Keep the advice coming if anyone else has any.

Justin

rvnagain

I noticed the worn bushing your talking about on my ford. I didnt think it was enuff slop to be a problem.......maybe i was wrong

bennydodge

could be your slave cylinder. I had problems engaging/disengaging with my clutch and a new slave setup fixed it. Go to the HELP forum and read "6spd clutch problem" for more detail

AlpineRAM

On some vehicles the clutch disk will get a bit sticky on the shaft due to dust. I don't know whether this is possible with the ram, but we usually took a long piece of plastic pipe and sprayed the area with brake cleaner first and then with WD40. Solved lots of htese intermittant problems.
If you get a noise with the clutch pressed it can also be the pilot bearing sticking and acting like a clutch that doesn't separate..

AlpineRAM

patriot pearl blue

so was the clutch the problem or what?

Pa outlaw

ive replaced a few clutchs that the disc was good but the preasure plate was bad,kind of did the same thing, in most of the stock or semi stock trucks ive put luk gold series clutchs in them and they have been working great,i buy alot of the clutchs at the pep boys that are local they were pretty cheap there and the same clutch napa sells,you should be able to get the clutch slave cylinder stuff too from a napa,but alot of times they dont have them because they are too new of a truck,id start with the slave cylindereasy to get too and a bit less of a hastle to get too,try and bleed it out and see if it gets any better

Haulin_in_Dixie

Could be your pilot bearing starting to seize. If so it will get worse until it locks up and you can't release the clutch.