The hydro boost shouldn't be leaking if the pedal holds. Clean it up now and see if it stays clean after all the clutch work...dust it with baby powder to see a leak and its source.

 

I will do that thanks! But wouldn't the pedal holding have more to do with the master cylinder than the hydroboost?
I only know that the pedal holds good with the truck off, I didn't test it with the truck on yet, but I've never noticed any problems with the pedal.

The shifting problem isn't fixed :-( still jerks real good when shifting into reverse. I'm really starting to think its the pilot bearing, but I guess my next step should be to remove the new hydros and attempt to bleed them and see if any air comes out...what do you guys think? am I on the right track here? Will I have a really hard time getting the slave back in now that the hold down tabs are broken?

 

Mine weeps a little at the joint where the reservoir sits on the master cylinder, but no big deal...

If it is moving with the pedal fully depressed, you are out of adjustment somewhere. How far off the floor does it engage?

I didn't think the slave could be bled...sealed unit.

 

Yes right now the hydroboost is the least of my worries since my brakes are working fine. I need to get this clutch figured out.

My clutch starts to grab about half way off the floor, maybe a little more. But there isn't much of anything to adjust is there? I know the hydros are not adjustable...

I actually just got done bleeding the system, but it didn't help. Mopar1973man have a video on youtube about how to do it. I started the truck and it was fine at first, like usual, but after warming for a few mins I tried to put it in reverse and got the usual clunk and jerk. That was without moving at all. So there would be absolutely no reason for anything in the transmission to be turning. That proves that something is making the trans turn even when the clutch is disengaged.

 

If the engine is running the input and secondary shaft will be turning, just the output shaft will be still.....

I would check the adjustment on the clutch pedal, mine engages at about an inch off the floor and has since I had the South Bend installed about 6-7 years ago...

I know if it is farther out it should be disengaged further, but IIRC the space between touching and not touching is pretty small, like less than a 1/16" in between the pressure plate/disc/flywheel..

 

The factory clutch hydraulics are not adjustable....I know the SB ones are, but I did not wanna pay twice the money for them so I went with a set from Napa. It is just like stock and is not adjustable...Maybe I should have just bit the bullet and got the ones from SB...but there has to be some other issue here. They were not designed to be adjusted from the factory so if everything is working properly they must not need to be.

 

To clarify: with the clutch disengaged, and the truck at a standstill, nothing *should* be turning. It sounds like something is, and that's the problem.

When in neutral, with the clutch engaged, the input gear will be spinning the counter gear assly which will turn *all* the gears but none of them will be locked to the output shaft, so only minimal force from bearing and lube friction will transmit to the output shaft.

A dragging pilot bearing is a possibility, but I would say an unlikely one. Usually a dragging pilot is more of a noise issue, or surprise damage to the input shaft found during a clutch installation. Since hydros are crossed off the list, I would suspect a damaged disc, or *maybe* a damaged or loose pressure plate.

Course I have been wrong before. More than once...

 

Well I appreciate you trying to help me clear this up. I feel like I have been getting some conflicting info on what should be spinning and at what time. Maybe it's just me misunderstanding lol Is there any way to figure out for sure if something is dragging before pulling the tranny? A guy on another forum suggested pushing the clutch and shifting into a high gear to stop things from spinning, just like I would to go into reverse now to prevent the clunk and jerk. Then he said to keep the clutch in and shift to neutral. Then hold the clutch in for 10-15 second and try to shift to reverse. This is all to see if things start to spin back up with the clutch pedal pressed...does it sound like a good test to you? Is there any other way to determine for sure if something is dragging? I just don't want to pull this tranny and find out it's nothing, or just a quirky and/or slightly worn trans...Another question for you, if it is dragging, how urgent is it to get it taken care of? One more thing, you mentioned that a pilot bearing is a noise issue, what kind of noise and when? I have noticed that my trans makes kind of a slight buzzing/rattle noise under light load, like when I've just shifted to the next gear and the rpms are low...not sure if it's always been there or not though...

 

I mentioned it earlier among other things, jack the rear wheels in the air, with engine running and clutch pedal down shift through your gears. Tires may rotate slightly at first, if the counter shaft is still spinning as the syncro matches speeds. They should not continue to rotate. If they do, clutch is dragging. If not and still tricky to shift, I would gather the syncros are getting worn.

 

Well I got the truck checked out by a trans shop that was recommended to me. After driving it, they*are very confident that it needs a new clutch and that the shifting problem is caused by it not properly disengaging. They said the overall health of the trans seems to be very good. They want about $1000 total parts and labor to replace the clutch and clutch components. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go home to PA and tackle this myself with help from my dad and a friend or two. We have a place to do it inside so the cold won't be as much of and issue. Now I just need to get the parts and decide what all should be taken care of at the same time. I am already planning on the rear main*seal, the pilot bear, throwout bearing, clutch, drive shaft center support bearing. Someone mentioned the input shaft seal and bearing? where should I get those and how do I replace them? also, should I mess with the fifth gear nut?*if so where do I get the parts for that? How do I reseal the trans? just RTV?*Also if anyone has clutch recommendations let me know. I know people are going to say just call SB or Valair and see what they say but I want your opinions. I know I want/need a single disc. I just want to know if I need something like an SB or if I should save the money and get one from Napa...I don't tow and I don't plan to make any more power. I have 75hp sticks and a smarty. I may downgrade to RV275's when I do injectors, which won't be any time soon lol. I want to be able to tow if I need to though. Biggest thing is I want this thing to LAST.*

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

Heres a little update,

I called both Valair and SB yesterday. SB is just way to expensive, minimum $850 from them. Valair is better at $599 and Fred at DAP, who I also talked to today, said that he personally prefers Valair. Both SB and Valair recommended a clutch that includes a 13" flywheel kit for the power that my truck makes. The part number for the Valair is NMU70279-01-5SCE. I think that is the one ill be going with. I am currently in the process of trying to figure out what all else I want to replace at the same time. The list just keeps getting longer and my bill for parts is upwards of $1200 by now :-( Basically I'm looking at rear main seal, the clutch kit, a new fork, new pivot ball, new input bearing and bearing cup and trans front seal as well as trans pilot bearing, trans rear seal, T case input and output seals as well as rear output bushing. Then add the $100 in Mopar trans fluid. Now for the two dilemma's I have reached. What should I do about fifth gear while I have this thing apart? Truck has 254,xxx miles and I don't know if anything has ever been done to 5th gear. The guy at Quad 4x4 said that if it is still stock, and not loose, there is a good chance its not going to fail. Heres the thing, I want to have a solution ready incase I tear it down and find a loose or modified nut. I will be working on a limited amount of time, thats the reason for being prepared ahead of time. So my options are, 1) use the retainer made by Active transmission with the 4 teeth that engage with the nut, its easy to find on google if you don't know what I mean. It looks foolproof, and they claim no failures, but I found a few threads saying it failed and did a lot more damage than just loosing 5th gear. The other downside is that it costs $155. 2) Get a new updated nut with setscrews and use a ton of lock tight. Its cheap, only $25, but it seems they are about 50/50 on wether or not they work. 3) pretty much out of the question unless I can find an EXPERT welder, but there is always tacking the nut in place and hoping the shaft doesn't shear off. 4) Final option is kind of an overall for the trans to make sure I don't screw anything up. It is to pull the trans and T case and take them to a local trans shop that my dad recommended for them to look over and do whatever work they think it needs, i. e. input shaft bearing or not, seals if it needs them, best fifth gear fix they know of ect. not including a full rebuild because it doesnt need it. Doing a whole new manishaft and fifth gear is not an option right now. I am also a little nervous about doing the seals without the proper tools. That's all I can come up with so far and I need to make a decision on this. Please don't hesitate to give me your opinion and/or any experience you have had with any of these methods! Oh by the way, another issue I'm running into, the one big reason for letting a trans shop look it over and fix 5th gear, I REALLY hate to spend over $100 on the stupid tools to tighten the 5th gear nut and hold the main shaft. Especially when I'm going to use them once or twice and never again. Anyone know of a place to rent them or someone that would loan me them in the Watertown, NY, Boyertown, PA or anywhere in between area? Also, should I get a Speedy Sleeve for the rear main seal right away? or is it likely undamaged?

 

When I went through mine almost 100k miles ago, I made a socket out of 1/4" square stock welded to a pipe flange, then bolted a bar to it for leverage. I think I still have it if you would like to borrow it in case. Remove shifter and engage 1st and 3rd to hold shaft from spinning. I used the old split nut with tons of locktite and have had no problems. Truck is loaded heavy regularly and has towed 8-12k loads several thousand miles. 5th can be repaired with trans in truck as long as splines and shaft threads are ok. Also, I have been very happy with my 13" kevlar/ceramic from valair. Little grabby but has never faded or slipped, feels the same now as when it was new ~80K miles ago.

I'm not a fan of changing just the input bearing without checking endplay/re-shimming everything, which is done at the rear retainer behind 5th IIRC. Quad sells the shim kits, need a dial indicator to check endplay. I think terance is around .006-.012" off the top of my head.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to have a sleeve for any seal being replaced if time is money.

 

I appreciate your input and advice! And I appreciate your offer of the tool! When you redid your 5th gear nut, had it come off? or were you just trying to ensure it didn't?

Right now its looking like my dad an I are going to pull the trans an take it to a reputable local shop for them to go over it and deal with 5th gear if there is an issue. Then we'll install the clutch and trans. I went with the basically one step above a stock clutch with a 13" FW upgrade from Valair. That was all I needed for the amount of power my truck has and will have, and it is what Valair recommended.

I actually just ordered 2 rear main seals. I called cummins to place the order and they told me that the one with the wear sleeve didn't come with an installation tool :-(. I also asked if you can use the one that come with a wear sleeve, without the wear sleeve if you don't need it. The parts guy wasn't sure as he said the seal part numbers were different. He recommended I just start with the one that came with the install tool unless I really need the wear sleeve. I also told him that my FSM says that if there is a wear mark, you can just set the seal in a little deeper. He said he didn't know but offered to transfer me to service so I could ask them. I tried to ask them, but I couldn't talk to a tech, but rather some lady that answered the phone. I'm pretty sure she was convinced that I had a Dodge truck with a Dodge engine not a Cummins. She said she asked a tech about setting the seal deeper and they said not too, but then I asked her if they thought 250,000 miles would cause my truck to have a wear mark and she said, "in a dodge pickup truck yes, that would be time for some major engine work. Now if it was an 18 wheeler it would be more like 500,000." Thats why I say I'm pretty sure she thought I had a Dodge engine lol so i ordered both figuring ill return the one i don't need.

 

The 5th nut can be done with the trans in the truck IIRC (web info) so you could cross that one off for later if needed. (+1 to Gorms)

But one thing I'd *seriously* consider if you're talking about 13" clutch and fly is to upgrade to 1.375" input shaft. Another is using your OE flywheel redrilled to take the 13" clutch.

As to Valair, I'm on my second 13". Organic single with HD spring hub. I can make it slip if I get *really* stupid and am guesstimating I'm putting about 430ish hp to the crank. I was happy enough to get another one, but really wavered between a ceramic button vs organic.

Not really sure what HP you are at, but it's gotta be somewhere near where I'm at. If you think you are higher, I would say you are gonna have to compromise and get a non-organic.

So $370 for a clutch kit, $275 for the input upgrade, some machine shop work on the flywheel, and a couple seals.
Dodge Cummins 6 Speed Performance Clutches
Dodge Cummins 12 & 24 Valve 5 Speed Performance Clutches

 

Thank you for bringing up about the 5th gear nut being able to be done in the truck! I had forgotten all about that and really getting stressed out over wether or not I can get this all done in 5 days with taking the trans to a shop. Also thank you for the advice on the clutch and input shaft. I am only at about 370HP, on paper, probably less than that with no plans to go bigger, I may even downgrade from 75hp injectors to rv275s in the future. So I really don't need the upgraded input shaft or a ceramic clutch. Plus I don't want to loose any drivability with a grabbier clutch like a ceramic or Kevlar.