Air in clutch hyd line or...not?

One more thing just occurred to me, it could also be the LINE between your master and slave cylinders. It is possible for the inner layer to leak but not the outer layer. If that were to happen, it would have the same symptoms as air in the line. EASY test for this is to put yourself under the truck while someone else is pumping the clutch pedal, and inspect the entire length of the line to make sure it isn't bulging anywhere.

 

Usually, a blown clutch disc resembles a rodent nest.

 

Blown clutch disks don't come with acorns

 

Ha!
To original poster though.....most of us have had to replace hydraulic parts in our first gens. by now.
I rec'd all together if keeping for the long haul. Old stuff contaminates new.

 

I think that if it were me, I would FIRST pull the transmission. That will expose everything so you can see what is going on. The slave and master are cheap enough that is not a bad first start, but they both COULD be perfectly good which is a waste of money. There are enough potential parts that you might spend 2x what you need if you just start replacing things.

 

NO!!! This is TERRIBLE advice.

The first thing you do, is DEFINITELY NOT something that will for sure take up a whole day of work.

The first thing you do, is inspect everything you can from the outside. You check that hydraulic hose. You check the slave cylinder STROKE LENGTH to make sure that it is actually moving as it should. OP says his is moving 5/8" -- to me, that really feels short. Now I don't have any specs for that transmission, so its really just a gut feeling that 5/8" isn't enough, so maybe somebody else with the same transmission can go and measure it for him?

 

The odds are pretty good that if it's binding up in gear, it's the hydraulics.

There is some adjustment under the dash to get some more pedal. i.e. more stroke.

 

My advice assumed that the trivial had already been done with no improvement. I had already suggested checking everything from the clutch pedal to the slave cylinder. But unless something in the diagnosis process suggests that a specific part has failed, I would try to avoid replacing things until I know they are bad. I would not want to replace hydraulics if it turns out the pressure plate or clutch disk has developed a problem, or the clutch fork. or ... etc. That only makes the part places like you.

 

I lengthened the rod going into the master cylinder a good quarter inch and it didn't help the problem. There's only about a 6" run of rubber hose on the hyd line, a few inches from the slave cyl, and the rest is hard line. I'll remember that about checking the rubber line. I bench bled the new slave cyl and got it hooked up to the hyd line, so tomorrow I will finish that.
Dropping the trans is the last thing I want to do and do not look forward dropping it if I have to. I don't mind replacing the slave cyl and maybe the master cyl, because they're probably due anyway and at least I know the stuff is new, and hoping they don't punk out not being Aisin brand.
Thank you Gents!!!!!!!!

 

Well Gents.....here is the verdict. Yesterday I put a slave cyl on and the problem wasn't fixed. Today I put a clutch master cyl on and..............IT FIXED THE PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I took the old cyl apart and the rubber cup had a gouge in in from>>>>>>wearing on the hole in the top of the cylinder where the fluid comes through.

"When you have a problem.....DO NOT go dropping the trans until you replace the hyd cylinders."
Thank you Gents for all your help and knowledge!!!!!!!