Can’t fully push in clutch pedal all of a sudden

[onetonjohn]

Try prying the clutch fork with a pry bar? Super hard? Sometimes the springs in the disk can pop out and get lodged between disk and pressure plate. This will give hard pedal. You should feel it bind up with your pry-bar. ZF-5 has the Dual mass Flywheel. I remember all kinds of problems with springs popin' on these too, but don't remember if they give hard pedal.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Must be an issue with clutch internals.

It may be inside the clutch master or slave cylinders.

 

[rreegg]

Try prying the clutch fork with a pry bar? Super hard? Sometimes the springs in the disk can pop out and get lodged between disk and pressure plate. This will give hard pedal. You should feel it bind up with your pry-bar. ZF-5 has the Dual mass Flywheel. I remember all kinds of problems with springs popin' on these too, but don't remember if they give hard pedal.

Will give it a try.

It may be inside the clutch master or slave cylinders.

It’s in the realm of possibilities but after isolating the pedal and master/slave portions of the system, by removing the slave from its bracket, the pedal pushes in fine.

Should I be able to actuate the clutch fork by hand?

 

[Nero]

Should I be able to actuate the clutch fork by hand?

Absolutely not.

 

[rreegg]

It may be inside the clutch master or slave cylinders.

guess it’s also possible the hydraulic force from the master/slave Just stopped being sufficient to push the clutch fork..

 

[Nero]

You able to have someone watch the fork while you press the pedal? Should only move maybe... Two inches?

 

[IDIBRONCO]

guess it’s also possible the hydraulic force from the master/slave Just stopped being sufficient to push the clutch fork..

Or I was thinking that something came apart internally in one. Or maybe some debris plugged a passage inside one or the other making it impossible to let fluid pass. That would make it difficult or even impossible to push the pedal all of the way down. It can happen to brake masters, so why not clutch parts? They even use the same fluid.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

It may be inside the clutch master or slave cylinders.

Or I was thinking that something came apart internally in one. Or maybe some debris plugged a passage inside one or the other making it impossible to let fluid pass. That would make it difficult or even impossible to push the pedal all of the way down. It can happen to brake masters, so why not clutch parts? They even use the same fluid.

I'm just saying that you can't rule them out as possibilities.

 

[onetonjohn]

The other think I thought of on those ZFs was that the collar where the throw out bearing rides used to waller out. I suppose it could be worn, and binding up cause it gets cocked. There where the pribar test might tell you something. As someone pointed out, if you can get someone to press the clutch and watch it (remove the boot) and see if the TO bearing is riding even, and the fork is not cocked. Hoping you see something and get the ah-ha moment where it all makes sense.

 

[rreegg]

You able to have someone watch the fork while you press the pedal? Should only move maybe... Two inches?

Had someone push the pedal while watching the fork and it does move a bit. Maybe like 1/4” at most?
The angle of travel of the fork seemed correct.
The pedal felt like it’s just compressing fluid without any outlet.

Ended up swapping in the new master and slave cylinders but don’t have everything hooked up yet, have to cut down the pushrod and yadayada. I’m optimistic but not holding my breath.

Try prying the clutch fork with a pry bar? Super hard? Sometimes the springs in the disk can pop out and get lodged between disk and pressure plate. This will give hard pedal. You should feel it bind up with your pry-bar. ZF-5 has the Dual mass Flywheel. I remember all kinds of problems with springs popin' on these too, but don't remember if they give hard pedal.

Couldn’t actuate the clutch fork at all with a pry bar but admittedly didn’t have a great angle for leverage

 

[rreegg]

Can’t add the video from my phone it seems like but with the slave cylinder disconnected from the bracket the clutch fork has some play in it, maybe 1/2” of jiggling around but not towards the direction the slave would push. Is that expected?

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I would think so. The throw out bearing doesn't have to sit against the front of the transmission so there would be a little wiggle room.

 

[rreegg]

Not really proud of taking apart the old master cylinder but got the old pushrod ejected. It may have been more difficult than setting the slave cylinder.
Hopefully the old pushrod will be the correct length to fit the heim joint/pedal - have spend hours on my back filing this thing down to fit right.

 

[rreegg]

Dang. New master and slave installed and hooked up with no change to pedal action.

Was optimistic but not expecting the issue to be hydraulic related - worth trying the $100 and 5hr repair before going new clutch though.
Glad there is a lot of good info on clutch work around here though. SMF probably gonna be coming soon

 

[Clb]

Try barring the engine over and check all the way around the entire clutch (what you can see) looks like a bellhousing removal is in your future...