Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) If you can't Dodge 'em, RAM 'em!!!

[GMincher]

Hi everybody, Let me pick your brains! Coming home last night I had a Nissan Altima try to push me the last 10 miles!! Hit me at 40mph and I was at a dead stop. Hmmm, I needed a new bumper anyway. The air bags knocked the heck out of the Nissan driver and I could see his camshaft through his shattered valve cover, no more Nissan!! I'm stiff and my babies not hurt bad... . but, the clutch doesn't feel the same. I had my big foot on it at the time of impact, is it possible that I could have bent the clutch fork? I don't have as much peddle travel as before. Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[ROADWARRIOR]

I'm glad to hear you and your baby are ok. Not sure on the clutch. Is your rear frame area ok after that impact?



Dan

 

[Sticks]

Frame? The Nissan should have made it to the axle, which thanks to Newton the impact would be felt all the way to the fan.



Any number of things could have happened. I would have the truck thoroughly checked out, especially the driveline if the axle shows any sign of impact.

 

[GMincher]

Thanks Guys, Luckily Mr. Nissan pilot jabbed the brake at the last second and the receiver hitch,( with pintle! He he) took the blow. Frame looks fine, checked with level and rudimentary carpenters tools, everything seems straight. I'd better take your advice however and have the frame checked. It's the clutch engagement point that has me concerned. Obviously there's no adjustment, so something had to have bent/moved. I leg press 500lbs. so w/ 1 foot on the brake and the other on the clutch those pedals got squashed pretty good!! Thanks again, Greg

 

[GMincher]

Oh yea, by the way, I'M ONE STIFF PUPPY TODAY!!!! Ouch!!!

 

[Sticks]

I'm glad you're OK. Stiff, but relatively uninjured. Been there, done that.



You can look at the floor under the pedals to see if you may have pushed the pedal enough to cause a dent in the floorboard. . That is the only thing that I can think of that would have hyper extended the pedal. This is a hydraulic system, you can only push the piston so far (like 1 1/2 or 2 inches).



If the impact was severe enough something might have gotten knocked loose. Check your seat position to make sure it is in the same place.



Look at the master cylinder for the clutch under the hood for leaks and fluid levels, and the slave at the bell housing for leaks.



Was your hand on the shifter when you were hit? You might have tweaked somehting in the shift tower if it was.

 

[Truckie]

Glade to here you are OK except for being still today. I would still go and get the frame looked at and also have a transmission place take a look at the clutch. Better safe than sorry.

Like you said in the beginning if you had you foot depressed on the clutch at the time of impact you may have pushed the clutch peddle beyond the point that it is made to stop. You could have pressed it well in to the floor and maybe even dented the floor which would make the peddle go beyond the point it should and then start bending and pushing on other components.

The bottom line is you are OK and the truck is OK except for the clutch.

MIKE.

 

[GMincher]

Well guys, I'm fine, the soreness was gone by Monday. State Farms friendly adjuster came by on Tuesday and basically accused me of insurance fraud. "Mr. Mincher there are 2 points of impact on your bumper, it appears that some of this damage was pre-existing!" Uh, yeah... 2 points the Nissans front fenders! I took your advice and took the baby to a frame shop! WOW!!! $2500. 00!!!!! I was going to let some minor stuff slide, but the body shop pointed out something that I hadn't noticed. The bed rapped the cab hard enough to dent both sides slightly and break the paint on the passenger side. Oh, man... hear we go! I'll update you. Thanks for the good advice, I guess I shouldn't be so soft hearted!

 

[JClement]

Was the driver of the Nissan talking on the cell phone or playing with the PDA or both?

 

[jwilliams3]

Check yourself into the emergency room for back pain and call a Lawyer.

Then call that guys insurance company.



--Justin

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Originally posted by jwilliams3

Check yourself into the emergency room for back pain and call a Lawyer.





--Justin

Sure why not that is how many people make their first millions theese days. I need my rates to go up as I am bored with my rediculous payment as is.



Make sure you get an Adjuster that knows HD trucks well and welcomes YOUR input not just what the book says! My buddy is now 100% certified after 6 years, and he will tell ya about the "General field" of writers.

 

[GMincher]

It's a shame that I have to be a pain in the a** to State Farm to get any satisfaction! He hit me... he was totally at fault... I have to suffer!! NO FAIR!!! Well remember the first thread, the clutch didn't feel the same? Tonight it went plunk! O. K. , which tends to go first... the master cylinder or the slave cylinder! I pulled into my brothers driveway and put the truck in reverse because it's a pretty steep grade. I sat there momentarily with my foot on the clutch and suddenly found the truck powerbraking in his driveway!!!! Clutch is full of fluid, got home by shifting quick. Now I,ve got a 50/50 chance of picking the problem child. Waddaya think! 113,000 miles nothing in the clutch touched yet. By the way it's a 98. 5 the 92 was the (good) truck! Does anyone want the M37's I'm gonna have to sell 'em to pay for repairs on this one!!!! And I'm gonna have to drive the 76 CJ to work until the Dodge is fixed!! Thanks in advance!!Greg

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Go inside the truck and look at where the master cylinder rod attaches to the clutch arm. There's a switch on that rod. Pull that switch (it just slides up and down the arm) and there's a small sponge between them. See if it's wet there. When my master cylinder went out that's where it was leaking. I thought it was the slave at first and replaced it and didn't get it fixed. Most of the time it seems the slave does go first though. SBC sells the master/slave cylinders seperately - most auto parts stores can't get the cylinders seperately, at least they couldn't when I went to buy them for my 98. 5. A complete assembly is about $200 from the dealer which is everything from the reservoir to the slave cylinder. You just remove the old one and install the new one - about a 5 minute operation. Bleeding the system can be kind of a PITA because there's no bleeder screws! You have to leave the cap off and carefully pump the slave cylinder with it in an upright position (line at the time) to pump the air back through the system and out the reservoir.



It's probably just coincedence that it's happening to you right now and isn't necessarily related to the accident. Mine failed at about 70,000 miles.

 

[GMincher]

Thanks alot, I agree, it's just so weird that when I pulled away from the accident scene it was the first time it had felt that way! It felt funny for a day, went back to somewhat normal and then "THUNK"!! Oh well!

 

[Jetson]

Thunk? Maybe you lost the roll pin that holds the slave on the line? My clutch used to pop every now and then. It turned out to be a broken retainer spring on the clutch fork. It keeps the fork centered on the pivot ball. It would come off the pivot ball and then pop back on when I pushed in the clutch. You should wiggle the clutch fork after you pull the slave out to make sure its still in place.

 

[rashwor]

Off subject...

but won't the nissan insurance pay since it was the nissan's fault? Uninsured? File only on yours if you have to... .

 

[GMincher]

I'm sorry I shouldn't have worded it like that. Actually I had just come from the grocery store... all was well, I drove about 5 miles to my brothers for my nephews birthday party... all was well. I pulled into his driveway and put the truck in reverse on his steep driveway and within 5 seconds the clutch engaged without my permission! I felt kinda' stupid because I couldn't figure out what the noise was. It was my tires spinning on his blacktopped driveway!! $260. 00 will fix the problem. Thanks though!