so to figure out what was wrong with the truck, i followed the diagnostic procedure outlined in the ford factory shop manual. i examined the hydraulic fluid reservoir, hose down to the clutch master cylinder, hose from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder.

it was then i noticed that the transmission was wet (as the entire underside of the truck was covered with slush & ice) but in some areas it looked at bit yellow. i remembered yellow – from the hydraulic fluid reservoir. so, it was leaking fluid from where the hard line enters the slave cylinder inside the transmission.

this is the point in the diagnostic procedure which dictates replacing the broken parts. the procedure for replacing a defective slave cylinder begins with removing the transmission from the vehicle.

Mo (that’s the ranger’s name, btw) left on a flatbed friday afternoon. it should be returning under it’s own power, sometime this week, sporting a shiny new slave cylinder and an expensive new clutch. not a bad idea to do the clutch @ 70,000 miles, given that i’m paying for the labor to remove and reinstall the transmission at this point, anyway. if i ever need to do this again, it will be when Mo and i are both long in the tooth.