You want to make some money, help me fix this I and I will pay you. I have a 1989 Ford Ranger 5 speed. Today while I was driving on the highway I pushed the cluctch in to shift gears. The clutch went to the floor with hardly any resistance and I could not shift gears with out grinding. After pumping the clutch a fex times I managed to get it back into gear. On further investigation the clutch regained pressure and I can shift gears without trouble. Now when in gears 1-3 the car makes a loud whirring noise, smoke comes out of the shifter boot and it accelerates poorly. In fourth it sounds good, but it starts wirring again in fith gear. It also whirrs when accelerating in reverse. I check the clutch fluid and it is fine. I looked under the car at the transmission where the it meets the drivetrain and there is oil everywhere on the underside of the car. Or at least I think it is oil. It does not smell sweet and it is almost black like oil. I am thinking that I lost the oil in my transmission but I am wondering if I took out my clutch in the process. I have yet to open the access port in the side of the transmission to see if there is oil in the tranny. I am too fat to get under there with out jack stands. If you have any ideas on what the problem might be and would like to help I will feed you and pay you to help. Please call me at 946-0906. Thank you wolf web!

10/24/2005 6:36:45 PM

Sorry for the double post. I just talked to the "experts" and they told me it was probally a bad slave cylinder. They said it was realativly cheep and easy to replace. Unforutanaly I have neither jack stands or a jack to do it. I do have tools though. If someone can help me replace this I will pay. Thanks.

10/24/2005 6:53:34 PM

You got one Mazda 5 speed that has done shit the bed.

I don't know where the oil came from, but 4th gear in almost any 5 speed will be the one quiet gear if you have major bearing failure or countershaft problems, as it's a straight pass-through.

All other gears will make noise. So I'd be willing to bet that, at the very least, that tranny will have to come apart.

As to why the clutch did what it did, I can't rightly tell you. It is one of them stupid annular throwout bearing/slave cylinder combos that slides over the input shaft. The tranny has to come out to pull the slave cylinder. And they are famous for going bad.

10/24/2005 6:56:10 PM

Do you know of any place localy where I can get this looked at that will not ass rape me on price and is honest? I have heard too many horror stories about local mechanics.

10/24/2005 7:29:15 PM

expect to pay at least 300-400 just in labor to pull the trans and replace the slave. if the trans needs a rebuild, count on another 200-300.

10/24/2005 7:40:38 PM

Yeah, I do this kind of thing, but I don't have access to a press anymore, so I can't go thru the tranny.

I am pretty booked up this week though...it'll be Monday most likely before I have time to do anything.

10/24/2005 7:49:30 PM

^i've got one you're welcome to use.

10/24/2005 8:21:45 PM

Ivan...do you have bearing puller plates? I don't have a set, but if I start wrenching again very much, I might buy two...a small one and a big one.

10/24/2005 8:31:56 PM

i believe i've got a larger one around.

10/24/2005 8:48:07 PM

zxappeal: Do you have a place to work on this? I live in an apartment complex and don't really have a place I can leave a taken apart car for a couple of days. I can wait a while on this so if you are busy this coming week thats fine. I live close enough to campus to walk and I have a couple of friends with cars if I really need to drive somewhere. I put a new transmission and clutch in this last Christmas and I am a carful driver and do not ride the clutch. Would some pictures of the oil leak between the transmission and the drive train help? Thank you very much for the quick responce and help.

10/24/2005 9:02:08 PM

It'd be even quicker and better if I can pop by and take a look one evening this week.

10/24/2005 9:04:57 PM