Manual tranny won't go into gear when car is on

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

hi there,



my friend just picked up a 1996 ford ranger xlt, 5-speed 4wd. it has just under 100k miles on it. it runs like a champ. until…



a few days ago, she got in to start it up, and once the engine was running, she could not shift into gear. any gear. she turned it off, and she could shift into gear. she says the clutch pedal feels slightly loose.



i should mention that this truck is in some very cold weather right now. she’s in northern new mexico, and the weather has frequently been in single digits and below.



she said she has heard that ford rangers need a new clutch at 100k miles, almost guaranteed.



so, do the symptoms sound like she needs a new clutch? i’ve heard changing a clutch out is pretty easy, though i’ve never done it. she is snowed in right now, i will be going there next week.



any thoughts greatly appreciated. thanks very much!

2

It sounds like the clutch is not disengaging when she steps on the pedal, but that’s likely to be a problem with the clutch hydraulic system rather than the clutch itself.

First thing to check is the level of fluid in the clutch master cylinder reservoir.

And, no, Rangers don’t automatically need clutches at 100K miles.

3

thanks for the response. i will check the the fluid, among other things.

4

lazOrama is probably correct. However you might have to adjuxt the clutch adjustment at the slave cylinder. That’s on the side of the bell housing.

5

agree it is a hydraulic problem, probably low fluid, many times the slave cylinder is the culprit, leaking a bit and then not enough pressure to release the clutch, You should check fluid levels and particularly slave cylinder for leaks.

6

I don’t think the Ranger’s slave cylinder has any adjustment. IIRC, it is INSIDE the bell housing. Not one of Ford’s better ideas… That being the case, I think you are looking at a new clutch assembly. Dropping the tranny to change just the slave cylinder (IF that is the problem, and it isn’t.) doesn’t make economic sense. Here http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/details/QQFordQQRangerQQRaybestosQQClutch_Slave_CylinderQQ19932004QQSC360016.html is a picture of it. It appears as though the throwout bearing is attached to the slave cylinder, and the input shaft of the tranny goes right through it.