Ford Ranger & Mazda B-Series Pickup Clutch Hydraulic Release System Bleeding Procedure Part 2

The Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series are very challanging when it comes to bleeding the hydraulic clutch release system, specifically due to the trapped air in the master cylinder and pressure line. This video shows the technique that we use in our installation lab when we work on one and it is what we recommend to diagnosis the release system, identify the problem area and then "burp" and gravity bleed the system. If you have a question the best way to contact us is at 1-800-258-8312 press 4 8-5 EST. Presented by Gary Croyle. For instruction bulletins and additional videos by our part number go to www.clutchtechsupport.com

[@skip3543]

I gotta say thank you, you helped me out more than I'll ever be able to tell you about. My clutch got severely burned out on my 94 ranger. I had absolutely no idea how to make the repairs being as I've never done a clutch job in my life nor have I watched anyone do it. A friend of mine said he could do it no problem, however the days later I was still inobile. I mean we had it all back together just still had no clutch and even less pedal. My help turns out he could change the clutch but had no idea how to bleed the system. I watched over an hour with of videos before I found this one. I watched it for our five times before I bummed a ride to my truck. With a buying level of confidence and your very detailed video I had it working in under 45 minutes. I'm not sure who was more spirited me out the guy helping me. As I started he told me everything I was doing was completely wrong and no way on earth it would work. Until I reinstalled the preprimed master cylinder and drive away. Freaking awesome. And with your help I did it completely by myself. Hahahaha thank you so much. I hope you have other videos on other things on my truck because I will be doing allot more of the work on it myself

[@perfectionclutch]

Glad to be of help!!

[@John_NJDM]

There's no way I would have been able to fix my 08 Ranger without your videos explaining the process. Thank you so much for posting this and the few others you have on Ranger clutch hydraulics. My clutch feels factory new, when this morning it was so soft that I couldn't drive the truck.

[@kumarrangerboy2328]

This is by far the most accurate and helpful guide on planet earth. Changed my clutch myself, and had to tow the ranger to a shop. Master just went out and found this gem of a vid. Saved me 210 dollars. Thanks.

[@mikelemke9182]

This video is very well done and should be a must see for anyone who needs to work on a Ranger or Explorer clutch from this era and has little experience. Congrats to folks at Perfection and keep up the good work. Very cool.

[@StevenCastro]

You guys are great. I love the videos and have learned a lot. So I have a 2000 Mazda B3000 Manual transmission with about 185K miles. I replaced my clutch a little over 2 years ago with a mechanic buddy. I am no mechanic but love to try to fix things on my own, of course to save money since I am a student. We only replaced the clutch. About a year ago my clutch lost all pressure and I couldn't gears at all. I was stumped as I didn't know what to diagnosis. I paid a mobile mechanic to come and fix it. He informed me that my m/s reservoir was empty. He ended up doing a bleed & check clutch system service for me to get it back running. He told me that I had a very small leak somewhere and that if I ever noticed the reservoir low to add some Dot 3 fluid of course.Over a 12 month span, I have only needed to add little fluid about 2 times when I felt the pedal lose a little pressure. Just a few days ago, I completely lost all pressure again and had an empty reservoir again. I put more fluid and pumped the pedal to get me going for the time being. I am persistent on getting this fixed. I can't seem to locate any leaking fluid anywhere but did notice some black residue in the reservoir. I'm sure there is air somewhere since I have been needing to pump my pedal/clutch every time I go to start my truck for the past 3-5 days. How do I know whether or not I will have to replace the slave cylinder or the master cylinder or both to fix this? I'm sure I can bleed the system myself after learning it from your videos, but I do I go about diagnosing the real problem so this can be fixed? Sorry for the long story but I hope you guys can help me out. I would sure appreciate it.

[@StevenCastro]

Does this mean I have to drop the transmission? Just curious.

[@fincity1964]

This video makes the most sense and clears up a tricky situation that us ranger guys have dealt with for years. Thanks for your clear instructions.

[@CWB615]

Was your rod attached since u already had it installed & If so did u have any trouble getting it slid thu firewall

[@fincity1964]

@@CWB615 It has been a few years since i did this, but I think I had a new master, burped it with a philips screwdriver, and then installed rod after master install. This video made the difference for me understanding my rangers setup.

[@armstrongautomotive9666]

Video was exceptionally done. I have had issues with these before and was always, eventually able to get them to bleed. This 94 Mazda B4000 we replaced the slave on would not bleed for the life of it. Found this video, followed it to a tee and immediately had a rock solid clutch pedal. Very much appreciated and God bless you!

[@screevo1974]

These guys are awesome! Thanks for the very informative and step by step instructions. I was able to bleed and get my ranger's clutch working on my own! I have been fighting this for weeks, you made it very simple. Thanks again!

[@sten4413]

You Sir are a genious. This is by far the best "how-to" I have ever seen. This is going to save me this weekend when I attempt this. The other two videos that you have reguarding the Ford Ranger clutch and hydraulic disconnect are awsome. Thank you for making these.

[@deving5934]

Been looking for a few days now for a solid instructional video and I have found the one. Thank you! I look forward to having less headaches and see what other videos you guys have!

[@troydorn3286]

Wow....thank you guys so much. So relieved to have this done and a relatively simple fix (and cheap ;) )For other viewers: This works fantastically!!! I tried bleeding, vacuum pumping it out, took truck across street to friend's mechanical shop and we tried for over an hour including more vacuum pumping. I even tried some other non-conventional method I saw on another video where the guy disconnects the pushrod from the clutch pedal and takes out the snap ring and pulls up on the piston to draw air out of the system in the MC, but mine didn't work at all! I thought for sure my MC was toast, but as soon as I got the system out and tipped it upside down I could literally hear, feel, and see all the air coming up to the reservoir! It was like tipping a bottle upside down I couldn't believe how much air was in there. Followed instructions, installed, checked pushrod movement, gravity bled. Checked clutch engagement and everything checked out. Started truck up and wham bam thankya Perfection Clutch!!! You guys are awesome-

[@wiebold2379]

Sir, I have to tell you that I am so grateful for this video. Alldata and AutoZone Repair guide were so vague as to the bleeding/burping procedure that I would have most likely thrown hundreds of dollars at this and still would been in the same spot- no disengagement at the clutch. This is certainly some work but is the ONLY way to get this done. Again, I am soooooo grateful for this video and I will look for your products next time I install a new clutch! You guys certainly know your industry, and offer the tech support to back it up- awesome business plan/model you guys have!!!

[@mikestephens1419]

Thanks so much for this video. Two days trying to do the push and hold and couldn't get it tight. 30 minutes after watching this it's done. I owe you about a hundred bucks.

[@kansaskev8684]

I can't thank you enough for this video. I was getting really aggravated with the bleeding procedure that the Chilton's manual tells how to do it. I found this video and this works great especially the screwdriver tapping. Thanks again.

[@Thmoore18]

Today I followed the steps in the video on my 2011 ranger 4.0 and it worked. Shifts like a dream now. Thank you for this video

[@shovelnut]

Thank you so much for the the time and effort in explaining/illustrating. With this info, I now have the confidence to tackle my 1996 b2300 clutch bleeding.

[@texfanusa]

Thanks very much for posting these clutch bleeding vids for now I understand my '95 Ranger's (4.0) system (and troubleshooting) perfectly. Having only performed clutch replacement on my '89 VW Cabriolet, this was invaluable hydraulic system information. I've long suspected air bubbles or a bad slave as the cause of the frequent 1st and reverse issues I've had since obtaining the truck and this nicely-produced vid will make my upcoming clutch replacement a far easier experience. Thanks!

[@prst23]

I had some much of problem with my bleeding , finally worked after following the steps on the video, great input ,god bless you

[@thomastoadally]

Excellent video and explanation! I watched your other videos, now seeing this one. I figured to do this from my situation. I bleed but with the OEM Ford Master cylinder, no bleed screw like your has. So idi everything but disconnect the line to the slave cylinder. Tipped the Master cylinder and saw the air pumped lightly. Reinstalled and I got clutch again. Thanks all for your help. I bought the system from you but will install later. Thanks again.

[@charlie99210]

Thank you SO MUCH for this bench burping method! I just replaced the clutch set in my 96 b2300, and thought I may have pulled the noob mistake of friction disk in backwards. Thanks to your video, i was able to see where the real problem was, and got it fixed. The only real pain in this process was the R&R of the M/C. Once I had that out, the burp process went real quick, and very shortly had the solid feel to the M/C. When I had tried to gravity bleed prior to finding your video, all I was getting from the bleed screw was a very thin trickle. Once I had burped the system, and reinstalled, the S/C bleed flowed very fast. Best guess would be that loop over the frame rail.

[@miahcollins4945]

Hands down the best video on bleeding the clutch on a Ford Ranger.

[@jamesward5721]

Great tips - this got me out of a bind today. Everyone else was condemning the new clutch, condemning the slave cylinder, condemning the master cylinder - nope - it was air. Got it sorted - nice one.

[@smoll_sauce]

EXTREMELY HELPFUL, the measurements for actual release were very useful

[@bryanfries906]

Thanks for your video, helped me get my 96 B4000 shifting smoothly again.

[@johnniealbert1975]

This video saved me a lot of money, I have a 2002 ford ranger and ever sense I brought it the clutch had issues but I paid it no mind until I had a problem.So I removed the clutch master and bench bleed it then reinstalled it, but it still had to much free play so I reach out to your hot line and one of the techs walked me through what I needed to do and now my clutch feels almost like new. Thanks guys.

[@johnniealbert1975]

Thanks, for being there for us!!!

[@chuckharris1746]

This worked perfect! Thank you! These are a pain but you got the BEST way to get it done right,

[@donvnielsen]

Best video out there that explains the whole problem and solution. You are left with knowledge.

[@TheJazzocaster]

Had a limp pedal issue after a R&R on a slipping clutch on my faithful '94 V6 B3000 and did what I thought was a good flush and bleed; Followed your recommendations and it's totally firm again - now I have the problem of getting use to the like new clutch. It's freaky how so air gets in that system.; And getting that master cylinder system out as a whole is a trick. Excellent video - THANK YOU Perfection Clutch!

[@benmc48]

Perfect. I am so glad I found you. My weekend just got a whole lot easier

[@joerichardcycles69]

Thank you brother! I already use a quart of brake fluid, but removing it and doing it just as you said fixed my bad clutch pedal issues!

[@ravensilverleaf]

Have a soft clutch pedal in my 1994 Ranger, Thank you for the advice! Will do a full check.

[@zacharylowell9594]

Very informative. If you want to do it right this is the only way. Great job guys. This diagnostic process is fool proof and burping is 100% effective. You are now my go to guys when repairs are needed.

[@zacharylowell9594]

@@perfectionclutch Yeah I realized after I posted. I was wondering if you might be willing to take a look at a quick video I have of the slave cylinder as the clutch pedal is being pressed and tell me what you think? The pedal is very mushy and I dont think its moving more then a quarter of an inch. Also I noticed some fluid leaking from the oil pan/bell housing and was wondering if you might be able to enlighten me as to what you think it might be. I have video of both.

[@Fourty4north]

Thank you guys so much, I just swapped my clutch out on my 93 ranger. I spent about 1 1/2 hours bleeding my clutch, trying like i would my brakes; without any gain in performance... I had heard about bench bleeding, but i was trying to avoid it beause it seemed like another pain in the butt. I was very wrong, this took me a small amount of time and my truck shifts like new again. Thank you very much for this free education. You guys rock

[@isaiahmckeown-philip1238]

Doing the same for my '93. Wish me luck, I'll give an update

[@hankbui8496]

As an auto mechanic for over 30 yrs I tried all the tricks in the internet recomented but none work but this one. Thanks a lot

[@perfectionclutch]

Great to hear!

[@rnicholasd87]

This video gave me the information I needed. The problem I had was I could not access the clip to remove the high pressure line from the slave with out pulling the transmission back and I was working on the street and I was not going to do that. With the reminder of in the video of how air traps in fluids, I was able to bleed the line. The high pressure line was not made out of metal (lucked out) but was made out of a plastic that was somewhat flexible. So I was able to flex the line enough to bleed it like brakes, and while bleeding I would rapidly tap on the clutch line with the end of a wrench while a had someone in the Ranger pumping up the pressure to the clutch. It only took me an hour and only a half a pint of fluid-more than I would of liked to use, but thankfully it worked. I do not recommend anyone doing this. Thank you for the information, as it helped me to adapt and overcome my dilema, inexpensively.

[@zmanjeep8230]

Excellent Video. Very thorough and informative. Thank you.

[@joshuapruden6497]

Greetings from Hartford Connecticut USA! Fantastic video content. Excellent video for not only the DIY'er but also for the professional! Thanks for putting up this video!!! Happy New Year!!!

[@fpcman98]

thank you for this video. it saved me alot of money, my master went bad, removed it, bled it, and reinstalled it in about 2 hours... it took more time to remove my inner fender than it did to replace and bleed the master.

[@jaimelopez8378]

Best video I have seen on You Tube for this job on a Ranger. Well explained. I wish this would of been the first video I seen , instead of seeing like 10 other videos. Lol. Thanks.

[@corysturgis6660]

Did it work

[@Yaga1973]

Excellent presentation and explanation of how to get those really difficult hydraulic clutch systems to bleed. I'm actually working on a 1996 F-150 with the M5R2 and using the factory bleed instructions, I'm not having any luck. Even though my master cylinder has the reservoir built in, I can still burp my system the exact same way as I just have to be a little more careful about the reservoir orientation. Thank you!

[@Hobblecreekkid]

Great video. All the details needed to do the job without a lot of fluff. Thank you.

[@MrHarley1560]

Tapping on the line and master definitely got more air bubbles out of the system, took a little while but it definitely works very informative video on this system thanks for this video

[@oscardanielcontreras5986]

Esta era la solucion a mi problema con el sistema hidraulico. Muy buena iniciativa por subir el video Thanks soo much

[@a1972ss]

Best Explanation I've seen, great Job!

[@teddungee490]

Was very helpful in bleeding my brother's F150 which I put new clutch kit in and had the problem of bleeding it.

[@Clay1976s]

Thank you for this clip it helped me and a family member solve our problem with our clutch

[@aaronhuntington5798]

Thanks for this very informative video. I successfully performed this procedure yesterday. It worked.

[@cameronsanders6779]

Thanks for sharing your well needed knowledge & experience :-)

[@kentuckyblue4936]

Saved my butt watching this video thank you 😊

[@ferdinandhuber8774]

This also works for silverados they don't have the separate reservoir it's built into the master cylinder, but this helped me a ton after replacing a leaking master cylinder on my 2000 silverado 2500. My clutch worked and disengaged after replacement of the MC, but it had to be jammed down all the way. After gravity bleeding, pump bleed techniques this did the trick to make the clutch work how it should.

[@tinmanintherain]

Thanks for posting! Great video! It helped me greatly.

[@cgbusiness1024]

Thanks for the quick reply btw, i didnt think i would get one so soon

[@jimmysteve8270]

This is very well done video. I have never bled a clutch. I watched the video and I actually did it. I am not even a mechanic. My truck is driving super. Thank you Sir, for a job well done.

[@popageorgio]

Great video. Great explanation. Thank you

[@frigingoon]

While yall could learn a lil bit about spicing it up, EFFIN good job explaining what i have in front of me to fix my truck. Thanks guys!

[@frigingoon]

+perfectionclutch lol well good on you for doing it.

[@shebamonster]

Thanks for posting this. I only wsh I would have watched it before I spent 4 hours screwing around with that hydraulic clutch Cable disconnect fitting. You rock. Thanks a million.. Y

[@ronniet68]

Fantastic video! Thank you!!

[@WiPri0371]

Video I needed. It helped the most.

[@darwinmetiva5640]

I wish I had found this one sooner. Work perfectly.

[@128auto]

It works! I have done a clutch job, master and slave. Spent 4 hrs bleeding the system no luck. Your trick took 5 mins. I want to buy you a case of beer! Thanks!

[@otakop67]

I think there are THOUSANDS of garages and shady-tree mechanics alike who would want to once they see this video. I'm going to give this a try on mine once weather lets up. If it works, then I owe Gary & crew some beer or coffee... their choice.

[@otakop67]

***** Blenheim ROCKS!!

[@otakop67]

***** Yep, I get a few from South of the Border in South Carolina every time I visit the in-laws in Florida. It truly has the traditional, old world spicy kick.

[@JimRobb44]

Thank you! This kind of video makes KZbin golden!

[@corysturgis6660]

Did it work. I've tried 3 times

[@corysturgis6660]

@@JimRobbSTC good luck. I've tried everything and I can't get it to work. I'm worried the new slave cylinder is bad. It's in the bell housing

[@ziahreid9269]

Excellent video.

[@bizob211]

This is awesome. Thank you!

[@knikula]

great video series...very well explained...

[@nathanielbrush5802]

Thank you this video has me out on a 1999 Ford F150 troubleshooting n Bleeding the Clutch Master cylinder

[@brichardwaters666]

Great video gonna go try this right now

[@jockodog2009]

Great tutorial!

[@MyTaylorb]

Excellent video. I just got a new clutch, slave and master cylinder in my 03 B3000 v6, 2 wd. The clutch is very hard to push and the clutch releases within 1/2 and almost gave me whiplash. This is the 4th clutch from 2 different shops in 2 years. The last clutch from the same shop (1 week ago) was easy to push but, after heating up would slip very bad.

[@valdanilov]

Scorpion, did you ever figure out why the clutch would slip after heating up? Mine does the opposite, releases fine when cold, but won't release after warm up.

[@arturogiii]

Excellent video, very well explained!

[@cwilkes32]

Can you call Orange Ford in Albany NY and explain this is how they should do it lol? I studied up last night on your 2 videos, so I knew what I was talking about. I tried telling them this AM, but they just looked at me like, "hey, you don't need to tell us". It's been 4 hrs and they're still having trouble lol.

[@cwilkes32]

***** Thanks, Gary. Had a leaking Slave Cylinder, so they replaced that, did a gravity bleed, and gave me the truck back. I paid, and realized that night something was still wrong, and that's when I found your videos, and took it back the next morning. They gave me a rental and kept it overnight. I keep asking if I can talk with the tech to explain this method, but all they say is they know what they're doing. Very frustrating.

[@manglermalachi8080]

Thank you for this public service announcement! Haha! I am a DIYer performing my 2nd clutch job in over 30 years. Nearly everything I have read and seen (until now) had me shaking in my boots over getting the system bled properly. Not any more! You dudes are awesome! Thanks again.

[@corysturgis6660]

Did it work

[@tonyrandazzoe8210]

Very good depiction of this . Going to try it now :-) Back later

[@CliffHubbard]

great video!!!

[@chrishale8714]

Outstanding video thanks

[@rarebreed73]

a life saver the exact video i needed to see

[@corysturgis6660]

Did it work. I've tried 3 times.

[@johnjohns2333]

Thank you will use your advice on my project!👍

[@propabilityfpv303]

Thank you so much for the video sir the shop couldn't figure this out so I had to do it myself

[@corysturgis6660]

Did it work

[@JamesHumble-mr5zi]

Great expert examples thank ya

[@MultifinanceTV]

Зачет! Видео на пятерку. Пожалуй, я порекомендую это видео своим друзьям .

[@shanesmaineshop]

A very well done video thanks so much

[@TheLostboy85]

Thank you for this video

[@rochadson]

this video helped me a lot thanks

[@jorgecastillo6023]

gracias por los buenos tips y precauciones proporcionadas.

[@GodWasAnAlien]

Gotta say at first glance I'm much more impressed with Perfection's concentric slave cylinders than even the OEM part from the Ford dealership. I purchased both for comparison, and honestly the Ford part seems like a rebranded Dorman, looks identical, made of cheap plastic with a not-so-smooth spinning throwout bearing, the Perfection unit much heavier, made of metal, and the bearing glides very nicely. Think I'll be returning Ford's OEM part they double charged for and installing the Perfection unit.

[@josephturcotte8596]

Yes great explaining !

[@bullkennelmoraisbkm9249]

Perfeito muito bom, Resolvi um problema aqui usando esse método de sangria, muito eficiente parabéns

[@jdr1854]

Gracias por su técnica,muy clara la explicasion

[@padraic561]

Thanks for the great video.

[@padraic561]

Just like the video showed. Appreciate the sheet in the box with the website to get the info needed to do it right the first time. Truck shifts great.

[@carlosberrios1021]

Great video thanks

[@glennnypiuk4156]

Love it guys helped so much God bless

[@angeluribe2232]

Good video

[@williamperez8659]

Gracias por enseñar su tecnica funciona.

[@doncastro1965]

Thank you! For your help.

[@Francoxyzm]

Great video. How do you move the drive shaft my hand on a ford ranger? Just spin rear tires in neutral?

[@schatts77]

nice vid.

[@jaberwocky6669]

Excellent video! Thank you! If I'm replacing the throw out bearing then can I hook it up and let it hang at the bottom to bleed?

[@Kimbeattie]

just did my clutch thank you, took the whole assembly out thank you for a great video

[@alexgardiner3977]

Thank you sir

[@MarioGarcia-td1ed]

thanks for you video

[@martinsanchez2140]

Gracias , muy detallada la explicacion

[@kikopombo1824]

Thank you great help