Dai C wrote:It takes a pressure bleeder to do a good job on the clutch system, just like the brakes. It takes a lot of fluid as well, half a quart or more. I like doing the job with a person pressing on the pedal as I'm evacuating the air out of the slave.
The reason the truck is difficult to get into the gear you select is because the clutch as not fully disengaged. It doesn't fully disengage because there is air in the lines or trapped in the MC or slave cylinder. Get the air out. Use a quality brake fluid like Castrol DOT 4 low moisture activity.
A couple of reasons why the transmission feels sloppy.
The shifter itself (what the lever is connected to) has shot parts and is sloppy and needs rebuilding. There is a great post by Inkblotz about solving that problem with a 5 speed shifter. Look at it. Eurotruck can supply the rebuild parts if that is the problem.
The other probable cause is the rubber bushings that the shift rods connect to on the bottom of the shifter itself and the transmission levers. They are rubber and can go south for unknown reasons. Like LA smog. They can easily be checked for integrity and replaced if toast.
In my opinion the transmission itself is probably perfect. If it shifts and goes forward and backwards, it is OK. The transmission is not in crap shape, the bushing is worn out. That is the problem.
The alternator is most likely not working because of the voltage regulator. Replace it with the VR in the spare alternator you have. The VR is integral with the brush holder. Two machine screws hold it in. It is the bloody easiest fix I know of. You can spend more money and time on a replacement alternator but the VR is usually the culprit.
Calmly address one issue at a time. If you are frustrated walk away. Come back with perspective and an open mind. You can solve the problems.
-Dai
Dai,
Thanks for the good advice here. Well, here is what I ended up doing. I locked the car and vowed not to touch it for a few weeks. I came back to it, took out the alloy wheel bolts, put the right steel bolts in and then replaced one of the valve stems (it was leaking). I put air in the tires and charged the battery and fired the G up. Despite being off for over 1.5 months it started RIGHT up. I depressed the clutch and put the car into gear. It worked!
Here is my idea. The clutch system had air in the lines and as a result when I pushed the slave cylinder in with the clutch pedal it wasn't pushing the clutch all the way in or whatever. The gears got jumbled up and that's why the shifter was crazy. When I bled the system I reset all the levers down below and made sure everything was okay. I engaged the clutch and shifted through all the gears with ease like I did when I bought the G Wagen.
So, the clutch works great. The transmission is shifting perfectly as it should and now I only have to replace those bushings to make shifts a little tighter. Transmission mount? It seems to actually be OK - should I still replace it? It's like 75 bucks...
Thank you once again everyone for the help!
Hunter