Own a 1988 Ford F250 Custom. A few days ago I noticed that when the truck was put into gear, even on 1st, it took a bit for any power to kick in. Just the other night it just quit changing gears entirely. The stick moves freely without the clutch being depressed and when the gas pedal is pressed it just revs with no power to wheels at all. The clutch still has to be pressed to start it up but if it is put into gear the engine will not stall after letting up on both the clutch and accelerator. Is this just a problem with the Master Cylinder, Slave Cylinder, or the Clutch?

SOURCE: Clutch will not Engage

You need to bleed it out. It takes some time to do this. There is a bleeder valve above the hose fitting on the tranny. Have some one pump the clutch and hold it down and crack the bleeder nut. Just like you would when you do your brakes.

SOURCE: 1994 Ford Ranger, turned into parking lot and

look under your dash driverside at your clutch pedal and there should be an arm that goes through the firewall and to your pedal if it is disconected reconect it if not then check your clutch fluid

SOURCE: my 2001 ford ranger clutch does not work

common problem with these transmissions have the shift fork replaced its probably aluminum a little is alot for those for wear

SOURCE: just put in new clutch

what you mean is the clutch is not disengaging the transmission from the engine, so you can shift it.

This is always due to air trapeed in the clutch system. It is very hard to purge the air.

You may have to have a shop use their evac/fill equipment, if they have it.

Try raising the front of the truck as high as you can, including facing uphill. The air is likely trapped at the slave cylinder, not at the clutch.

There is a video on you tube showing a guy purging air from a Ranger. See if you can view it.

1) The Hydraulic system should be bled to remove all the air whenever air enters the system. This occurs if the fluid level has been allowed to fall so low that air has been drawn into the clutch master cylinder. Under normal circumstances, air should not enter the system when the quick disconnect hydraulic line fittings have been disconnected. The procedure is very similar to bleeding a brake system, but depends mainly on gravity, rather than the pumping action of the pedal, for the bleeding effect.

2) Fill the master cylinder to the top with new brake fluid conforming to DOT 3 or DOT 4 specifications. Caution: Do not re-use any of the fluid coming from the system during the bleeding operation and don't use fluid from which has been inside an open container for an extended period of time.

3) Raise the vehicle and place it securely on jack stands or drive it securely up on ramps (whichever method you chose) to gain access to the bleeder valve, which is located on the top left side of the bellhousing (See Illustration 1-1 below). Try to keep the truck as level as possible. Caution: Don't forget to chock the rear wheels and set parking brake for extra safety...

4) Remove the dust cap which fits over the bleeder valve and push a length of clear plastic hose over the valve. Place the other end of the hose into a clear container.

5) Open the bleeder valve. Fluid will run from the clutch master cylinder, down the hydraulic line, into the release cylinder (the Slave Cylinder) and out through the clear plastic tube. Let the fluid run out until it is free of bubbles.
Note: Don't let the fluid level drop too low in the clutch master cylinder, or air will be drawn into the hydraulic line and the whole process will have to be started over.

6) Close the bleeder valve.

7) Open the bleeder valve and have an assistant slowly depress the clutch pedal allowing fluid to flow through the clear plastic hose. When the clutch pedal is almost to the floor, close the bleeder valve and have the assistant release the pedal.

8) Slowly press the pedal five times, waiting two (2) seconds each time the pedal is released. When releasing the pedal on this step, release it fast. This tends to help **** fluid down the stream and aid in faster bubble reduction.

9) Fill the fluid reservoir to the top.

10) The clutch should now be completely bled. If it isn't, (indicated by failure to disengage completely, and a soft or no pedal), repeat steps 5 through 9.

11) Continue this process until all air is evacuated from the system, indicated by a solid stream of fluid being ejected from the bleeder valve each time with no air bubbles in the hose or container.

12) Install the dust cap and lower the vehicle. Check carefully for proper operation before placing vehicle in normal service. Check the fluid level.

Note: If you can NOT get fluid out of the bleeder screw, then the internal check valve in your clutch master cylinder may be stuck, or you haven't bleed the system for at least 30 minutes. You will either have to use a different bleed technique, or replace the clutch master cylinder. Bleeding a Ranger clutch system takes time and patience. One small mistake / loss of patience / or shortcut, and you'll have to start all over.

SOURCE: Explorer 4WD manual 2000 stiff gear change

Are you sure you installed clutch plate facing right way? They are either stamped or have a tag says "flywheel side". Or might have wrong clutch kit.