My Ford Ranger pickup has had a problem since it left the factory. The first clutch lasted 22,000 miles and the second really heavy duty one lasted about 40,000. The wear occurred most when I was just driving along and not shifting or touching the clutch. I've driven manual transmission vehicles all my life and never had such a problem.
The first time I had it replaced I told my story, but the repair shop thought 'that idiot is riding the clutch and wearing it out'. So, they slapped in a new one and sent me on my way. This time I went around to several repair shops and told them my story and that I didn't just want a new clutch I wanted the problem fixed. They either didn't believe me or thought there were easier ways to make a buck.
I finally went to Frank at Eagle trans. in Rowlett. He listened to my story, didn't believe my diagnosis which turned out to be wrong, but agreed to figure out what the problem was. They disassembled it and inspected and measured everything and found nothing obvious. Frank called experts at Ford and at parts suppliers and tried to find a logical explanation for this problem. He finally concluded that the master cylinder on the clutch pedal was not releasing the pressure properly when the pedal was released. This was causing pressure build-up when things got hot and allowing the clutch plate to partially release and wear rapidly. He replaced the master cylinder and the problem seems to be fixed. The clutch feels better than it ever did and I fully expect it to last a very long time.
Thanks, Frank for the time and effort you put in to diagnose the underlying problem and truly fix it.
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