clutch pedal assembly to clutch master cylinder bushing

Shadetreemechanic

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Is there some trick to replacing this bushing without it cracking as it is being installed? I have been through three in the last month. Once they crack they will not hold the push rod to the pedal assembly. Having the clutch pedal drop to the floor in traffic is getting old fast.
 

pontoonrob

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the trick I used was to do away with that pos. Bought a heim joint and installed it on the end of the push rod. no more problems!!
 

cpdenton

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I had the same trouble. I bought a brand new one after the one that came on my m/c wore out in a year. It cracked as soon as I put it on. This was a motorcraft unit too. From ford.

I greased it really well, but before that, I drilled a small hole through the end of the post on the pedal. This allowed me to place a small cotter pin through it that holds the rod on firmly.
 

Sycostang67

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I just noticed my new ford bushing was shot again, the pin on the pedal bracket is also pretty hammered. For now I just took two plastic bushings that came with a linkage kit for the toploader shifter in my mustang and hogged them out with a drill bit. They are much sturdier but I doubt they will last much longer. I will replace the stud and do the heim joint conversion next year. I already did the cotter pin trick which I am sure saved me from a few road side repairs.
 

dunk

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Pedal should not drop to the floor if bushing breaks? Every truck I've ever had there was a washer and cotter pin on the far side of the pedal pin. Bushings wear quick and disappear and never had a problem other than loose/sloppy pedal. My buddy said a Chrysler door hinge bushing fits earlier Ford clutch pedals so not sure if it would work in these newer trucks but it would be nice to have a decent bronze bushing. Grease now and again and it would last forever. I don't understand plastic bushings. Regardless, pedal should not fall out.
 

IDIoit

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my pin is SHOT! worn down beyond belief
i plan on replacing it soon, but ive been doing other things to it.
in order for me to keep it going for now,
i am not using a bushing at all. instead i use a shaft collar lock with a longer allen set screw.
perfect temp fix,
 

Shadetreemechanic

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I ordered a new ford bushing and will be putting a cotter pin in with it. Today I figured out I can actually reach down under the dash and put the master cylinder pushrod back on the pedal while driving, though its probably more dangerous than texting.
 

IDIoit

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just as long as you finish your beer before getting behind the wheel......
 

fields_mj

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I've been having a very similar problem. Mine has no pin on the end of the pivot, nor a hole for such a pin. I've gone through 3 plastic bushings in the last 2 weeks. The second bushing wore out and the push rod slipped off the end as I was backing into a parking spot. Very lucky I didn't do some serious damage to someone's vehicle. I'm going with the heim joint repare since my pivot is worn, and so is the end of the push rod.

My question is what is the diameter of the push rod shaft, and what is the diameter of the pivot pin? For some reason I was thinking that I had read that the push rod diameter was 3/8" and the pivot is 1/2", but that doesn't seem right. Just trying to figure out which heim joint to buy. I've seen teh $40 kit on e-bay, but $40 seems a bit high for a $5 heim joint, $2 worth of nuts, bolts, and washers. I'm plenty capable of drilling a hole for a set screw in the silly thing.

Thanks,
Mark
 

ironworker40

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I used a 3/8" C-CLIP. Snapped it on the end of the shaft and left the brand new bushing that the ear broke on in place. Worked for 8 months now.
 

Greg5OH

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oddly enough, it is my 2 year old clutch master cyl pushrod eyelet that is worn, and not the brake pin!
i will be doing a heim joint as well. Just cut the eyelet, thread the rod for an appropriate size female thread heim joint to go on right?
 

fields_mj

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The $40 kit on ebay (search for "FORD Clutch Rod End PERMANENT Repair powerstroke") is a heim joint, a bolt (SHCS), a nut, and a lock washer. The Heim joint has had the threads drilled out, and it looks like the lenght has been cut down some. It has also had a set screw installed to hold it onto the push rod since the threads have been removed.

The process goes like this. Cut the eyelet off of the push rod off so that the new heim joint will slip over what's left of the shaft. Remove the arm that has the pivot pin. This can be difficult as the bolt that attaches it is splined. Its a good idea to mark the position some how so that when you put it back together, it goes back on the splined bolt in the same position. Once the bracket it off, grind the head off of the pivot pin. The pivot pin is splined also, and it's welded on the back side only. Once the weld has been ground off, the pivot can be knocked out with a hammer and punch. The included bolt goes back into the arm and serves as the new pivot pin. Its a tight fit, and it will likely need to be screwed into place even though there are no threads (the splines on the original pivot pin swaged the ID of the hole causing interference with the new bolt). Re-install the arm onto it's splined bolt makeing sure to assemble it in the same position that it came off. Not getting this correct will cause problems with getting the clutch to disengauge. Slide the Heim joint onto the remaining push rod shaft. Snug the set screw to hold it onto the push rod. Slip the heim joint over the new bolt, and secure it with the nut and lock washer. Make sure that the clutch pedal is in its fully raised position, and the push rod is all the way out before fully tightening the set screw and the nut/lock washer.

There's a decent video of the process here:
http://powerstrokehelp.com/PSD_common/clutch_pedal/1of1.asp

I just need to figure out what size bolt is needed to serve as the pivot pin, and what the diameter is on the push rod. I'm always a little leary of a set screw staying put on a round shaft, so once I have it adjusted correctly, I will likely mark where the heim joint is on the shaft of the push rod, disassemble, and then use some loc-tite, JB weld, or something when it goes back together to make sure it all stays put. Also, I probably won't use a set screw. I'll probably tap it for a 10-32 and use a grade 8 SHCS so that I can put a big enough allen wrench on it to get it to stay put for a few days while I make sure everything is adjusted where I want it. If I'm going to make a few mods to the unit, I don't see any reason to pay $40 when I can buy the parts for less than $10 and do the mods myself.
 

Greg5OH

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indeed my thought, set screw to keep it on when its being put in tension? no thanks. threaded ftw. im goign to sotp by ACE tonight see their heim joint selection. $40 is pretty damn pricey for a bolt, nut and heim joint. $10 or less at the HW store.
 

fields_mj

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indeed my thought, set screw to keep it on when its being put in tension? no thanks. threaded ftw. im goign to sotp by ACE tonight see their heim joint selection. $40 is pretty damn pricey for a bolt, nut and heim joint. $10 or less at the HW store.

I think it should only see tension if you happen to pull up on your clutch pedal. My concern is that the shaft of the push rod wasn't intended to be used like this. There's no key way, hole, groove, or notch for the set screw to go into and engage. By design, a set screw is normally only used to apply a small amount of pressure to something. Typically just enough force to keep something from falling out. Any time that it does more than that, there's some feature designed into the mating part to accommodate the screw and assist with its function and even then it can be problematic. Given the cyclic nature (mostly compression) of this application, I just worry that it will come loose.

I’m probably worrying too much about it, but my luck with set screws isn’t so good. My recent near miss in the parking lot when my push rod slipped off the pivot has given me reason to address this problem in a very permanent fashion. I can just see myself approaching a busy intersection with the clutch depressed only to have it slip off and shoot me out into traffic just long enough for the engine to die keeping me from getting me out of the mess. Even if the engine doesn't die, I'm stuck in 1st gear so I'm not going to be able to get out of the way any time soon. Or worse yet, when I’m at a stop sign by the elementary school I drive by every day on my way too and from work, and the crossing guard is escorting a group of children across in front of me. I’m really surprised that this isn’t something Ford has been sued over, not that I’m advocating that approach. Just surprised (and glad) that someone hasn’t really been hurt by this.
 

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