Clutch Pedal Sticking

[dumbath]

Hello all, I just picked up a 1986 f250 4spd 4x4 and she's definitely a project.
The PO had some interesting fixes to say the least. I think ill be rolling through here pretty often.
The problem I am battling now is the clutch sticks down but it disengages just fine. THe PO said he did some custom fab work for the 4spd swap under the dash and that's where he thought the issue might be, so i did some lookin. He fabbed up the lever that connects the crossover rod to the master. To make it all work he took a grinder to the crossover rod and bent the input shaft of the master. To be honest I am not sure where to start on this one, I am assuming i'll need to replace the crossover rod and the master so tips on both would be appreciated including where to find parts and if there's anything else I should do when I have the pedal assembly out.

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I am not sure of etiquette so if multiple issues in a thread is a nogo let me know and i'll adjust. PO also drove with no power steering for a while, so the bearings near the tilt knuckle thing are shot to kingdom come. I'm worried because he was yanking on it so much it he could of damaged more than just the bearings. Should I grab a used one or rebuild this one? WHen I pulled it apart there was a lot of metal shavings but I didn't see any cracks in the pot metal. Also my phone is a damn potato so sorry about picture quality

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[Jesus Freak]

Hey man, welcome to the forum!

You're best bet it to hit a junkyard and grab a whole steering column and pedal assembly, in my opinion. But I wouldn't throw the old column away, id keep it for parts or rebuild it and have it on standby. Your pedal assembly will be body style specific.

 

[Rocknit4x4]

I recently rebuilt my steering column - had good success with prosteeringcolumns.com kit for my truck. It was pretty straight forward to rebuild - might be worth a look to see what they have for your truck.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Hey man, welcome to the forum!

You're best bet it to hit a junkyard and grab a whole steering column and pedal assembly, in my opinion. But I wouldn't throw the old column away, id keep it for parts or rebuild it and have it on standby. Your pedal assembly will be body style specific.

I'll second this. If you want to rebuild the steering column, I see no reason why you shouldn't. Personally, I wouldn't, but I do have a couple extras sitting around. Not to mention that I'm an oddball and I don't really care for the looks of the 83-86 steering wheels. I prefer the 87-91 style so it wouldn't bother me at all to swap one of the later style in. In fact, I have one in my 1985 F250 right now, and I had one in my 1986 Bronco while I still had it.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Not to mention, if you're interested in that kind of thing, you should keep an eye on my Boob Tour 2.0 thread in the get togethers section on the home page. Arizona isn't that far from Colorado.

 

[rreegg]

I purchased and installed a used eBay brake/clutch pedal ass’y in my ‘88 last year and would recommend it. The main aluminum housing was cracked through so bit different than your problems, maybe you could just replace the problem components? Good Luck lots of help here

 

[DirtyWood]

I recently replaced the clutch pedal swing arm that connects to the clutch master push rod and as I recall the swing arm needs to be positioned/clocked so that the push rod connects easily without having to move the swing arm. Basically I did it and had the same problem with the pedal sticking down a bit but simply reclocking the swing arm a few hairs made all the difference. But do bear in mind that when the swing arm is installed there are/should be splines that cut into the swing arm.

 

[Sergey]

Hello all, I just picked up a 1986 f250 4spd 4x4 and she's definitely a project.
The PO had some interesting fixes to say the least. I think ill be rolling through here pretty often.
The problem I am battling now is the clutch sticks down but it disengages just fine. THe PO said he did some custom fab work for the 4spd swap under the dash and that's where he thought the issue might be, so i did some lookin. He fabbed up the lever that connects the crossover rod to the master. To make it all work he took a grinder to the crossover rod and bent the input shaft of the master. To be honest I am not sure where to start on this one, I am assuming i'll need to replace the crossover rod and the master so tips on both would be appreciated including where to find parts and if there's anything else I should do when I have the pedal assembly out.

You must be registered for see images attach

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I am not sure of etiquette so if multiple issues in a thread is a nogo let me know and i'll adjust. PO also drove with no power steering for a while, so the bearings near the tilt knuckle thing are shot to kingdom come. I'm worried because he was yanking on it so much it he could of damaged more than just the bearings. Should I grab a used one or rebuild this one? WHen I pulled it apart there was a lot of metal shavings but I didn't see any cracks in the pot metal. Also my phone is a damn potato so sorry about picture quality

You must be registered for see images attach

My 86 F250 has a similar problem - clutch pedal return is weak. If foot is taken off the clutch pedal will return but hesitates a bit and at times may sit pressed for a fraction of a second. However, unlike your situation, all my pedal hw is factory original.

May seem that aluminum pedal assembly is cracked, or the clutch pedal return spring is weak due to fatigue. Not sure.

If you happen to remove/replace your clutch pedal assembly and find aluminum is cracked, please share the info.

Thank you
Sergey

 

[Olds64]

You can use this search engine to find a truck in a salvage yard near you.

Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

 

[DirtyWood]

My 86 F250 has a similar problem - clutch pedal return is weak. If foot is taken off the clutch pedal will return but hesitates a bit and at times may sit pressed for a fraction of a second. However, unlike your situation, all my pedal hw is factory original.

May seem that aluminum pedal assembly is cracked, or the clutch pedal return spring is weak due to fatigue. Not sure.

If you happen to remove/replace your clutch pedal assembly and find aluminum is cracked, please share the info.

Thank you
Sergey

I would investigate the connection between clutch master pushrod and clutch pedal swing arm & bushing. There may be some wear and slop in the connection that is causing your pedal issue.

 

[Sergey]

I would investigate the connection between clutch master pushrod and clutch pedal swing arm & bushing. There may be some wear and slop in the connection that is causing your pedal issue.

I checked that and there is plastic bushing which is not worn. There is very little end play in that connection. Clutch pedal feels also without any slop. I am still considering return spring fatigue or cracked aluminum pedal housing. Either one would be a lot of work to disassemble for investigation.

 

[rreegg]

@Sergey hydraulics in good order?

 

[DirtyWood]

I checked that and there is plastic bushing which is not worn. There is very little end play in that connection. Clutch pedal feels also without any slop. I am still considering return spring fatigue or cracked aluminum pedal housing. Either one would be a lot of work to disassemble for investigation.

I suppose it could be the spring, but I do have 389k on my return spring and it's working just fine. I did improperly align the swingarm that the plastic bushing rides on--not the push rod--and that poor alignment 100% caused my sticking pedal. YMMV

 

[Sergey]

@Sergey hydraulics in good order?

Yes clutch hydraulics is good state. Both clutch master and slave cylinders are new and so is the hose. All was checked by Tony at Kirkland Transmission whom I trust.

 

[Sergey]

I suppose it could be the spring, but I do have 389k on my return spring and it's working just fine. I did improperly align the swingarm that the plastic bushing rides on--not the push rod--and that poor alignment 100% caused my sticking pedal. YMMV

OK good to know. That improper align of the swingarm you described - can it only occur when disassembling then assembling incorrectly? Or could it happen as natural wear progresses or corrosion makes it jump one or multiple splines?