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86 k5 blazer clutch adjustment

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Wyatt Tankersley

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I have an 86 k5 blazer with a hydrolic clutch and I just changed the clutch recently. But when I engagethe clutch it doesn't engage until the pedal is almostall the way up. Can I adjust the hydrolic clutch system and how?
 
There is no adjustment unless you have an aftermarket master cylinder, some of which have a threaded end that can be moved.

Theoretically these things should bleed themselves if you opened the system to do the clutch. Theoretically.

Are you sure you installed the fork into the throwout bearing properly? I don't have my clutch instructions handy, but IIRC the clutch fork goes in the slot in the bearing, and the fingers on the back of the fork go outside the slot.

FWIW, don't operate the clutch without it being connected to the fork/bellhousing/clutch assembly.
 
dyeager535 said:
There is no adjustment unless you have an aftermarket master cylinder, some of which have a threaded end that can be moved.

Theoretically these things should bleed themselves if you opened the system to do the clutch. Theoretically.

Are you sure you installed the fork into the throwout bearing properly? I don't have my clutch instructions handy, but IIRC the clutch fork goes in the slot in the bearing, and the fingers on the back of the fork go outside the slot.

FWIW, don't operate the clutch without it being connected to the fork/bellhousing/clutch assembly.
Click to expand...
Ya me and a mechanic installed it when we put a new engine in it I will double check it though. Both the master and slave cylinder are fairly new also. Where could I find one that adjusts?
 
dyeager535 said:
Theoretically these things should bleed themselves if you opened the system to do the clutch. Theoretically.
Click to expand...

I don't think they will. Typically, the slave needs to be unbolted and tilted to get the bleeder high enough that the body doesn't trap air.
 
Yeah, I'm going to recant that statement. I thought for sure I read in a manual, or it was omitted, any bleeding procedure. But the manual certainly does say to remove the slave, tip it so the bleeder is highest point, and bleed like you would the brakes.
 
The clutch doesn't engage until the pedal is almost all the way up ?..
That doesn't sound like air in the system,if it had air bubbles the clutch wouldn't release fully ,or you'd have to pump the pedal to get it to disengage..

There may be other issues --like did you buy a matched setup,sure the right length throwout bearing was used (there were 3 different types on square bodies depending on the type of pressure plate and height of the "fingers" on it),and if you had the flywheel resurfaced ,it may need a shim to put it back where it is supposed to be...

You want about 1" of free play at the pedal before you feel resistance,otherwise the throwout bearing will be in contact constantly with the pressure plate and can wear it out in short order,also possibly make the clutch disc slip and ruin it..
 
diesel4me said:
The clutch doesn't engage until the pedal is almost all the way up ?..
That doesn't sound like air in the system,if it had air bubbles the clutch wouldn't release fully ,or you'd have to pump the pedal to get it to disengage..

There may be other issues --like did you buy a matched setup,sure the right length throwout bearing was used (there were 3 different types on square bodies depending on the type of pressure plate and height of the "fingers" on it),and if you had the flywheel resurfaced ,it may need a shim to put it back where it is supposed to be...

You want about 1" of free play at the pedal before you feel resistance,otherwise the throwout bearing will be in contact constantly with the pressure plate and can wear it out in short order,also possibly make the clutch disc slip and ruin it..
Click to expand...
When installed the new set up I got a new pressure plate and clutch so you think I could have gotten the incorrect ones? Because I did the engine swap and all that stuff about 8 month ago bit I didn't really drive it that much and I've been driving it recently and am noticing the problem
 
diesel4me said:
The clutch doesn't engage until the pedal is almost all the way up ?..
That doesn't sound like air in the system,if it had air bubbles the clutch wouldn't release fully ,or you'd have to pump the pedal to get it to disengage..

There may be other issues --like did you buy a matched setup,sure the right length throwout bearing was used (there were 3 different types on square bodies depending on the type of pressure plate and height of the "fingers" on it),and if you had the flywheel resurfaced ,it may need a shim to put it back where it is supposed to be...

You want about 1" of free play at the pedal before you feel resistance,otherwise the throwout bearing will be in contact constantly with the pressure plate and can wear it out in short order,also possibly make the clutch disc slip and ruin it..
Click to expand...
And yes is don't engage until is almost all the way up
 
Anything is possible,being a former auto parts counterman,I've seen "matched sets" consisting of the clutch disc,pressure plate and throwout bearing have the "wrong" bearing included--if the parts were purchased individually there is a possibility the bearing was boxed wrong (two out of the three lengths are pretty close and hard to tell apart at first glance)..

If the clutch master cylinder is aftermarket and has an adjustable push rod from the pedal to the master it might be possible to fine tune the amount of free play,in your case I think the rod needs to be shortened a little bit to allow more free play and for the clutch to start engaging sooner (closer to the floor)..

Others here may have more advice as I'm more familiar with the old style mechanical clutch linkages vs hydraulic ones..
 
diesel4me said:
Anything is possible,being a former auto parts counterman,I've seen "matched sets" consisting of the clutch disc,pressure plate and throwout bearing have the "wrong" bearing included--if the parts were purchased individually there is a possibility the bearing was boxed wrong (two out of the three lengths are pretty close and hard to tell apart at first glance)..

If the clutch master cylinder is aftermarket and has an adjustable push rod from the pedal to the master it might be possible to fine tune the amount of free play,in your case I think the rod needs to be shortened a little bit to allow more free play and for the clutch to start engaging sooner (closer to the floor)..

Others here may have more advice as I'm more familiar with the old style mechanical clutch linkages vs hydraulic ones..
Click to expand...
 
I'd bet you have the wrong throwout bearing installed for your arm & pressure plate combination. If it is close to working you can adjust the length of the rod between the slave cylinder and the arm. I had the opposite problem and fabbed up a longer rod to compensate. It only works within the arm's range of motion, so you can't correct something that's way out of its range. But it sounds like you'd be fine just by cutting your rod a little bit shorter.
 
diesel4me said:
If the clutch master cylinder is aftermarket and has an adjustable push rod from the pedal to the master it might be possible to fine tune the amount of free play,in your case I think the rod needs to be shortened a little bit to allow more free play and for the clutch to start engaging sooner (closer to the floor)..

Others here may have more advice as I'm more familiar with the old style mechanical clutch linkages vs hydraulic ones..
Click to expand...

The slave cylinder adjusts itself until it is hydraulically happy, so adjusting the range at the master cylinder will not correct for issues where the hydraulics are bottoming out. Otherwise your thoughts are correct.
 
campfire said:
I'd bet you have the wrong throwout bearing installed for your arm & pressure plate combination. If it is close to working you can adjust the length of the rod between the slave cylinder and the arm. I had the opposite problem and fabbed up a longer rod to compensate. It only works within the arm's range of motion, so you can't correct something that's way out of its range. But it sounds like you'd be fine just by cutting your rod
So I should cut the rod on the slave cylinder or master cylinder?
Click to expand...
 
Wyatt Tankersley said:
So I should cut the rod on the slave cylinder or master cylinder?
Click to expand...

Adjusting the master cylinder rod will only adjust how the pedal interacts with the hydraulics. It will not adjust the slave cylinder, as the slave cylinder is self-adjusting. To adjust the mechanical linkage range you will need to change the linkage downstream of the slave cylinder.

As an example, here's a picture from when I was chasing down my clutch issue. For diagnostic purposes I "lengthened" my rod by adding a spacer to the end. When I determined the correct spacing I then made a new rod with the proper length (by grabbing a suitable bolt and grinding down the ends until they were the correct shape).

20161206_133217-jpg.220523


Your problem is opposite of mine, so you will need a shorter rod instead of a longer rod. But the concept is still the same. If the slave cylinder has not self-adjusted correctly, the linkage geometry isn't where it needs to be. It's not a bleeding issue or your problem would resemble mine (problems at the top of the pedal stroke instead of the bottom).
 
[ QUOTE="diesel4me, post: 3844953, member: 13741"]I'd bet you have the wrong throwout bearing installed for your arm & pressure plate combination. If it is close to working you can adjust the length of the rod between the slave cylinder and the arm. I had the opposite problem and fabbed up a longer rod to compensate. It only works within the arm's range of motion, so you can't correct something that's way out of its range. But it sounds like you'd be fine just by cutting your rod
So I should cut the rod on the slave cylinder or master cylinder?[/ QUOTE]

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@Wyatt Tankersley when posting be careful where you insert your own text (blue), when you put your statements / questions inside the "quote" tags (red) is displays as if the quoted person (green) posted it and it looks like you hit the post button but didn't write anything (see how posts #12 & #16 display).

Put your text after the last quote tag. :thumb:
 
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And no, you should not cut the rod if everything is factory. There is no adjustment because adjustment is not necessary. Something that has been changed from factory is wrong, not the factory components.
 
This ^^

Do not modify anything yet, this would only be a band-aid. You have not diagnosed the problem.
 
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