KATOOM

Again.....the fork should move freely and smoothly forward and back, bump to bump about 3/4 of an inch. If you're uncertain of this then check again.

But thats why I was explicit on saying "check when the engine is fully warmed and the clutch pedal is feeling sticky". This is because the fork should move very easily as there's no stress or binding going on in there. Of course you cant move the fork farther than its free unobstructed movement in either direction because the pressure plate requires somewhere around 3500 lbs to move. But what could be happening is the heat after everything is hot is changing tolerances, and the grease on the shaft can be getting hotter, or is contaminated with clutch dust and only showing its ugly self when everything is warmed. As for the slave, the piston shaft is protected by a rubber boot that fits on the slave and sits up against the bell housing hole. If the rubber boot slips off then it can allow clutch dust to contaminate the slave piston and get into the hydraulic fluid. An indication of this happening is pulling the slave and seeing if the shaft is clean on the inside of the rubber boot and that the hydraulic fluid is not dark. If it is then the slave could be bad.

Check the fork as I described. That should eliminate or diagnose possibly the throwout dragging and sticking as it moves along the input shaft sleeve.

Warm the truck up to the point where the pedal is sticky, then undo and remove the slave and feel the forks movement by hand. It should ONLY move forward and back about 3/4 an inch and it should be very smooth. If not then there ya go. Just dont pull it too forcefully if it's sticky otherwise you probably pull the fork off the pivot ball.

Good discussion, as always.....

Interesting approach.....because the way I understand it is the actual "draw" on the plates is what changes the electrolytes and chemically alters the lead cells. The larger the draw the more it depletes the plates and if the draw is too great then plate corrosion becomes a problem. So yes, less recharge time will cause the destructive stratification but thats going to be a problem with any battery. Although again, a larger battery will see less overall capacity draw and therefore, from what I read, should result in less acid stratification because the overall charge is maintaining higher and the charging system isn't forced to boost the system in order to reverse stratification. A reason why AMG batteries are becoming so popular too.....

As awesome as your battery bank is (wish I had the same thing so I can get rid of PG&E)..... I'm not sure we can compare your larger banked 6 volt batteries in a DC to AC invertor system since even though there is some relationship to the principles of whats happening, the charging process isn't. Meaning, I've been down this road with my RV/trailer batteries and how they function and recharge and I'm not sure its not an analogy I'd use for my truck. Matter of fact, on that very note, last year I pulled my trailer somewhere with very low charge on the house batteries. During that trip I noticed some odd things happen which I can only attribute to the issue that trucks charging system was trying to handle dealing with the trucks batteries and the trailer batteries which weren't at the same charge level during that trip. What I'm getting at is, if the diodes are working their hardest to replenish the batteries capacity which has been used up for the cycling grids, I would presume that if the overall capacity of the battery is greater then the alternator/PCM will recognize this difference in capacity as minor in relationship to that capacity and place the charge mode in a more "float" manner instead of a more "boost/recharge" mode. Thus much easier on the diodes and stator over time. If the batteries are small and have just enough capacity to start the truck one time, imagine what the alternator stator and diodes have to endure to replenish that battery for the next go around.

So it seems the largest amp capacity battery is the best for reducing the load on the diodes.

Hmmm..... Good info.

I really appreciate all your input for sure. In defense of my logic to replace them before they quit.....this is really what I'm thinking. These trucks are particularly sensitive to electronic anomalies. Nothing anyone here doesn't already fully understand either so I know this is preaching to the choir. Lots of threads out there where people are having all kinds of odd electrical issues and random codes and they never bother to look at their batteries or alternator. So knowing that batteries acts like a filter for the electrical system and its sometimes difficult to know if one is getting weak and potentially adding stress to the entire electrical system, I just thought it would be wise to change them out before they cause problems. I certainly really have no desire to spend the couple hundred dollars..... If this was pertaining to any of my older vehicles then you can guarantee that the batteries would remain until they had nothing left.

You make good points..... I guess I was just trying to be ahead of the game since batteries generally last about 7 years and I'm at year 6.

Wow, loads of information in that link. Thank you.

Mine has a washer and clip. I thought I remember the washer being between the clip and the shaft. And I "thought" those style of clips were something you could find at a hardware store like Ace. As for the hydro's..... its actually the other way around. The single disc clutches are the ones which have heavier pressure plates as generally the dual disk clutches get away with lighter pressure plates because they have more surface area. Thats not me arguing either but merely pointing something out.....

Fine with however you get it to work right and not slop around. The side to side pressure on the master cylinder is nothing.

I think you'll be fine.

The shafts adjust-ability will change the distance the pedal can or has to move in relation to the master cylinders throw. So yes, it can make your engagement or disengagement higher or lower, but all I'm trying to make clear is the pedal height will change as well.

Sorry, I did forget to answer that..... Yes, being able to adjust the pedal position was helpful for me. Not so much but because of my height and sitting position, I do better with a pedal closer to me. Again, to each is own.....

Well you know where I stand on this topic..... My opinion is.....because the OEM hydro's require complete removal and bench bleeding when replaced, and because the OEM hydro's are weaker (strength wise) whereby the aftermarket hydro's are built to increase leverage over the pressure plate for less leg work, and because aftermarket uses a flexible SS line (which is also shielded) instead of the hard pre-bent OEM line which is forced to worm up and around the hot hydro-assist unit, and because the SS line can be positioned in such a manner that it points upward for constant self bleeding.....I think that the aftermarket hydraulics are the best bet. Sure they cost more but aside from the added strength, the simplicity is still there and the adjust-ability is an added convenience. I say all this with respect to all aftermarket hydro's too but I've only used SB, although I believe Valair to be the same in the aspect to being constructed for additional strength when being using with stronger pressure plates. Although I think the two piece design of the Valair uses both hard line and SS line so I cant comment on how functional it would be for self bleeding like the SB full SS line. In regards to the warranty, I'd have to say that NAPA's kind of warranty would just prove pointless for me.....and potentially costly too if you were forced to chase a problem unknowing if the part was faulty. Its one thing to bring in a starter or alternator or battery and have it tested on the spot, but if you have to send it off and wait forever to get a result which may or may not be in your favor would simply give me reason to simply replace it and walk away. But thats just me..... And no, I didn't need to bleed the SB hydro's but as I mentioned, if there happens to be any air in there, the SS line can be routed in such a way which always allows any potential air to find its way up and out the master. The hard OEM hose routing up and over the hydro-assist makes this self bleeding impossible which is why they need to be bench bled. Thats not a deal breaker either but just another step some may or may not care to deal with. And yes, the SB hydraulics came with everything I needed, including the switch. Lastly, I'm not "pro OEM" either just because I feel this way about the hydraulics. There's plenty of things I believe OEM to be best. And I have zero desire to spend money on things I can get cheaper too but there are some things I feel are best done by aftermarket companies. So as always, however anyone wants to get it done, its their truck and this is only "my" opinion.

Nice write up..... And if I understood what you were describing with the grease making it past the piston, it would sound like the master cylinder is shot. If thats the case then PB isnt going to do any help for the plunger seal as its probably not in good shape. If you determine that the master is done then you can either pick up another at NAPA and bench bleed the whole system, or order a whole aftermarket kit. But that said, just note that there are differences between Valair's and SB's. They're very similar but not exact and I even believe that Valair's hydraulics come in two pieces and must be connected at some point of the install. Not sure if that affects or requires further bleeding either but just passing on information.

Then I wouldn't be ordering from DAP. Thats ridiculous.....

The SO and HO VP's are identical except for a couple differences. The PSG which is removed anyways (or should be), and the plungers and fuel cam. Other than that, there is no way to tell the difference between the two unless you knew what you were looking for. So a core is a core.....

My O'reilly group 34 batteries have done me well. Even though they're 1000 CA and 800 CCA, they're date stamped '09 which means about 7 years old. Old enough that I'm betting I'll be looking for replacements soon.....so why not now instead of in a parking lot or when I need to be to work. And old batteries add more stress to the charging system so as much as I dont care to spend money, it seems like the right move. So as a 21st century consumer does, I shopped around the internet and found NAPA to have a pretty good deal on a group 27 (the OEM size) which have 1000 CA and 810 CCA. They even have a small rebate to boot. I dropped by my local NAPA to pick up a couple but none were in stock so they had to get them sent down from another location. I paid for them and came back later to pick them up. The problem is that when I got there the ratings were not the same but showed a low 940 CA and 750 CCA. I certainly wasnt happy and said whats the deal with the lower amps but strangely no one had a reasonable answer other than "they'll work fine". Well fine or not, thats not what I paid for. Long story short, I tried taking home their group 65's but they didnt fit so by now I was just getting agitated. And after never getting a reasonable answer as to why their batteries are not rated as advertised, I eventually called enough NAPA personal to figure out that NAPA had the ratings changed a couple years ago by Johnson Control (who makes the battery) but have yet to update their website information. No one though I talked to (even Johnson Controls) could or would tell me why they changed the amp ratings or how the change was made either..... I dont like sketchy things like that. So I got a refund and went shopping around again. This time I found Costco now sells Interstate batteries for incredible deals whereby I can get a group 34 (27's are hard to find these days) with 1000 CA and 810 CCA for like $90! Sounds like the way to go..... But then as I'm shopping around some more I find this place who sells Northstar AGM batteries and they have group 34 AGM with crazy high amp ratings of something like 1500 CA and 950 CCA. Usually that battery costs around $250 - $350 but they'll sell them to me for $200 each. Hmmm..... Should I care enough to spend the extra $210 over what the Costco batteries will cost me or should I go for what appears to be enough cranking amps to start all my vehicles at the same time? Would be nice in the cold though and I understand AGM batteries last longer. I figured some of you would care and some of you would say "whatever works". I just needed some opinions.....

I'm only pointing out that the second differential picture is not a LS unit but looks like a lunch box locker was installed. A limited slip carrier will still look very similar to an open carrier, with the differences being that you can clearly see the "S" spring up against the spider gears, and the clutch packs on the outer insides of the carrier.

I have two snubbers. A snubber on the gauge line coming off the fuel filter housing and ISSPRO custom installed a snubber orifice in the mechanical gauge for me for free. Smooth and responsive gauge movement. Oh yeah, I also installed a tee in the gauge line after the before the snubber and re-installed the OEM schrader valve test port in that tee. I've only had to use it a couple times but I was sure glad it was there when I needed it. I also bought a Vulcan test gauge and have it sitting around just in case. Its always good to confirm your in-cab gauge upon installation at the very least.

The 1999 SO trucks came with the optional 5600, and the tranny came with the smaller 1 1/4" input shaft like the 4500. To be sure if you have the SO or the HO, you can confirm with the VIN. If the 8th digit is a 6 then its an SO. If its a 7 then you have an HO.