no start; clutch problem?

[norfolkff05]

i've had my truck about 2 or 3 months and the clutch has always had to be pushed thru the floor to engage enough to start. it has the characteristic stiff shifting into 1st and reverse. recently i've had to actually pull my seat almost completely forward and push the clutch in with both feet while holding the key in the start position in order for the truck to start. well, as of the other day that won't work now either, it won't start. i already had the parts needed for the heim joint mod, so i went ahead and did that hoping it would help....no luck. i also replaced the switch (little black box on the clutch push rod that acts like a neutral safety switch on an auto tranny) and it didnt work either.

any ideas? anyone else had this problem?

i'm thinking it might be the clutch master cylinder, maybe its not building enough pressure for the clutch to engage enough to start? does anyone know of any other troubleshooting methods? i'd rather not throw a bunch of parts at it, but i don't know what else to do.

i would love any help
thanks

 

[swampdigger]

Sounds like the safety switch. You can jump a couple of the wires and disable it entirely.

If you have the switch disabled, you can start these trucks in gear, without even pushing in the pedal one bit.

 

[dairieman36]

Sounds like the safety switch. You can jump a couple of the wires and disable it entirely.

If you have the switch disabled, you can start these trucks in gear, without even pushing in the pedal one bit.

thats what my truck does can switch i it back to were i have to push the clutch in to start it (girlfriend likes to take the truck,, scary to think of)

 

[gunnie]

try unpluging both wires going to the clutch safety switch and put a small jumper wire from one wire to the other, if the truck starts you've found your problem. if it doesn't then you have something else wrong. the master cylinder plays no part in it at all just the safety switch

 

[norfolkff05]

i was thinking it might be an issue, but i put a new one on and no change. i'll jump it though. it has 4 wires going to it...if i remember correctly, 2 are green and 2 are yellow. do you know which ones to jump? green to green, yellow to yellow?
thanks for the help

 

[norfolkff05]

so it was 2 red and 2 green, i just made two jumper wires and connected the like colors to each other and guess what?...it worked, my truck starts now!!!
thanks again for the idea

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

First thing I do on every truck I get is skin those clutch-safety wires and twist them together, thus eliminating the switch completely.

Many years ago, I had two seperate occassions where that silly switch kept the engine from starting, both occassions in situations where a "no start" was definitely not safe, and could have gotten someone hurt/killed; since then, no more safety crap for me.


Only a moron would try to start a truck in gear; just don't be a moron and all will be safe.

 

[[email protected]]

Have you installed the firewall brace as outlined in the Ford TSB? The firewalls flex, and they have a "regular" fix which is a plate that bolts on the clutch master cylinder from inside the cab, and for severe cases a more expensive fix which of course cost more and is harder to install.

Wayne

 

[[email protected]]

Have you installed the firewall brace as outlined in the Ford TSB? The firewalls flex, and they have a "regular" fix which is a plate that bolts on the clutch master cylinder from inside the cab, and for severe cases a more expensive fix which of course cost more and is harder to install.

Wayne

 

[norfolkff05]

i haven't done the firewall fix yet, i'll look into it this week. does it make a big difference?

 

[[email protected]]

Yes. And replace the bushing between the master cylinder and the arm.

Wayne