2001 5 Speed trouble bleeding hydraulic clutch system

[Doms01LS]

Ill keep the story short and sweet. You guys can chime in if you see any red flags or have any insight. Driving along and stopped at u-turn on a highway. Clutch is in and car is in 1st gear. Car bucks on its own and stalls (like letting the clutch out too fast with not enough gas). I restart the car, car wont go into gear. I am now being swerved around cars going 40-50 mph. I dont want to get blasted from the rear so I really shove this thing into 1st and the car starts to roll and im revving the engine thinking i dont want to get rear ended by an 18 wheeler i better get off the left lane of the highway im a sitting duck. I get the car towed home and find out the metal rod in the clutch master cylinder broke. I buy and new one and install not a big deal. Now im trying to bleed the hydraulic clutch system and its giving me all kinds of problems. I am following everyones techniques and i have a tube connected to the nipple in a jar of brake fluid. I am topping off the master cylinder every couple pumps. I go about this maybe 30-40 times loosening the bleeder screw and letting brake fluid squirt out. The clutch pedal feels like a brake pedal. WHY? it goes down but gets extremely tight at the bottom and i cant put the clutch to the floor. Is there still air in the system? i didnt bench bleed the clutch master cylinder. I can start the car if i really put my leg into the clutch but even then it grind gears when i try to move it from neutral into 1st. any insight on bleeding is greatly welcomed thank you

 

[LSinYourLS]

Assuming you're bleeding it correctly, it sounds like you need to bench bleed it, or get a new master cylinder.

 

[Doms01LS]

the clutch master cylinder is brand new. tried every method of bleeding I could think of. Now when i press the clutch down it feels like a brake pedal more then a clutch. it goes almost to the floor but then gets really really stiff at the bottom before it will touch the carpet. There is a small creaking noise coming from the bell housing. I'm thinking maybe the pressure plate got screwed up and wont disengage the clutch. I ordered a clutch kit (slave cylinder, clutch, pressure plate). Transmission looks fairly simple to remove along with the bellhousing. If there was still air in the lines i would assume the clutch pedal would be soft and spongey instead of like a brake pedal. Thoughts?

 

[pragmatic]

So it gets really hard but continues to travel until it bottoms out?

Not sure what the problem is. Did you try putting it in gear (engine off) press down the clutch and cranking to see if the car lurches forward or pushing down the clutch with the car in a higher gear and trying to rock the car and see if the engine rocks. Either way will show if the clutch is disengaging.

I'm really puzzled about what is going on. From your first post it seems your clutch push rod snapped engaging the clutch but can't figure out why. I think I'd pull the transmission and see whats going on inside the bell housing. Check the pressure plate and clutch as well as the flywheel.

 

[milehighmikey]

It sounds like you got a mismatch on the replacement master cylinder. Either that or, the master cylinder is somehow too close to the pedal ass'y. You're hitting the bottom of it without ever getting it all the way back to the starting position internally, due to a problem with the part. When I changed my clutch, bot times, the bleeder design is so good that you only have to open the bleed screw and let it flow out on its own, I never had a helper, never put anything on the bleed screw, and always had great clutch action immediately. I would compare the old part and new part master cylinders before going any further. If your clutch was good to start with, and your master cylinder linkage rod broke, the problem is likely right there. Good luck... And good to hear that the brotherhood of MTX LS owners is still alive and well!

 

[Doms01LS]

Thanks guys I will be sure to keep everyone updated. I did that thing online where you can talk to a ford expert and he said if there is air in the hydraulic system the pedal will feel soft and spongey. This pedal is soft until i get maybe an inch away from the floor and it gets really hard I have to stomp on it to get it to start. I can start the car in neutral if I absolutely stomp on the clutch but even then the trans grinds when i put it in gear. I am in the process of taking out the trans and checking to see what's going on in there! I have a suspicious feeling that the pressure plate broke not allowing the clutch to disengage. I ordered the "clutch kit" online and it gets here Thursday. I'll make sure to keep everyone updated!

 

[LSinYourLS]

Take a look at the flywheel & install a new rear-main seal while you're there. The flywheel is a dual-mass design, and if you have a lot of play, where the springs are loose, you'll need new one. Rock it back and forth, and look to see if the integrated plastic pilot bearing has any wear. See this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO07u4_sU6M

 

[Doms01LS]

Hi everyone! OP delivers with a follow up! I got a LUK clutch, pressure plate and slave cylinder off the internet for around 250. yanked the bellhousing off after figuring out the trans is not supposed to seperate from the bellhousing (alot of prying later). The clutch was DESTROYED. it basically just fell apart when i took it out and luckily only the pressure plate side fell apart the flywheel side stayed in-tact. Tossed everything together and bled the system now everything is working perfectly! One thing i did notice is unless im at a complete stop the transmission wont downshift to 1st gear (only 1st it doesnt happen in any other gear). There is a grinding noise from the trans is i try to move it from second to first if im rolling (yes clutch is all the way down). My guess is the 1st gear synchro is screwed up. A buddy of mine is thinking its something electrical (since there is the two plugs that go into the side of the trans). Anyone have any insight on that?