clutch glitch

[truex14]

My 97 zf5 clutch is starting to catch fast into gear from a standstill, feeling a little pop when the clutch is let out. fluid level ok in resevoir. Maybe slave cylinder sticking a little? anyone come across this?

[Patrick Feeley]

Check the bushing at the clutch master rod to pedal linkage joint (they get sloppy or are completely missing sometimes). Also check the pedal box mainshaft bushings for evidence of play. If the master rod bushing is bad and the rod end has been ovaled-out, you can get the heim joint fix off ebay that many folks have used. Cheers!

[truex14]

thanks for your reply. the pop isn't in the pedal...it's down under.

[truex14]

took a closer look today. sound is coming from inside housing...sounds like a thin guage metal plate getting plucked...like a pick against a creditcard or something, but metal. Does anyone know where I can get a schematic for a zf5 so I can figure if this is causing damage?

[truex14]

I'm guessing that the clutch release fork is fractured or something...anybody know if this can be replaced without opening anything up? does it just sit on a center pivot somehow?

[PowerstrokinIt F250]

the transmission has to be removed to remove the clutch fork. i would check again with what patrick feeley said. i just did the heim joint mod he mentioned. it sounds crazy but lot of people do unneccesary clutch work to these trucks when its the pedal box bushings and the master cylinder push rod that end up being the problem. i would check all that out first.