Clutch pedal feel issues with 3rz Runner

[99Runnr]

I purchased this 97 4runner as a fixer slightly. I was told it ran and drove fine, except the clutch pedal needed a spring fixed. If anyone is familiar, the 3rz 4runner apparently has a different spring layout on the clutch pedal? Not sure, but the previous owner had a shop install a new clutch, as well as clutch master and slave.

The system is properly bled, but it doesn't feel firm until the bottom 15% of pedal travel. So you assume it's just air or whatever in the system. I took this steps further. I purchased OEM Aisin parts, clutch master AND slave. Re-installed, bench bled, gravity bled, adjusted the prop rod on the clutch master as aggressively as possible without pre-loading the clutch. I threaded the rod all the way out of the clevis and then turned it back in 3 rotations, tightened the jam nut. This brought the pedal pressure UP on the pedal travel and has made it driveable.

However, I'm meticulous. I've rebuilt and spent a ton of cash on this entire truck. The pedal is not returning to full height. There is a good 50% of the pedal travel that is "dead". It again, has been 110% bled properly, new Aisin clutch master and slave cylinder. I am out of adjustment on the master to adjust this properly.

Has anyone ever had this happen? My pedal assembly is 100% unaltered and stock. It functions as it should from the very limited info I could find online. It is barely disengaging the clutch to shift properly. I want a normal pedal feel, anyone have a thought? Extended the rod off the master somehow?

1997 4runner, 3rz, manual trans, 4wd. Thank you

 

[99Runnr]

It's late, I took a quick video showing the new Aisin parts on the truck, it's full of fluid, ect. I push the pedal and you can see the mush in the majority of the travel. I might be explaining this weird, but even if I replaced the spring on the clutch pedal and it "returned" to full height, the master cylinder still needs more pre-load as it isn't getting firm until the majority of the pedal is compressed.

Video;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCYLcv0UIhw

 

[St Runner]

I would adjust the pedal height before you go any further. The pedal height should be approx 7"(you need to check the fsm for your model) off the floor where it touches when you push it down. Adjust the height first with the top adjuster, then the master rod. Next check the return spring assembly. They are notorious for binding up when worn. You can replace the bushings or replace with a linear spring. And finally check the little plastic insert that the clutch switch and cruise control switch hit against

 

[99Runnr]

I would adjust the pedal height before you go any further. The pedal height should be approx 7"(you need to check the fsm for your model) off the floor where it touches when you push it down. Adjust the height first with the top adjuster, then the master rod. Next check the return spring assembly. They are notorious for binding up when worn. You can replace the bushings or replace with a linear spring. And finally check the little plastic insert that the clutch switch and cruise control switch hit against

I have tried a bunch of searches, again wording is critical. I found a couple other people with the same complaint about the master cylinder rod being too short. Nothing seemingly comparable to mine though, guy's were checking clutch install processes and such. It drives good, it just has the worst pedal feel of anything I've ever driven practically.

I will dig into this adjusting stuff more and see what I can figure out. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Scramble]

I have tried a bunch of searches, again wording is critical. I found a couple other people with the same complaint about the master cylinder rod being too short. Nothing seemingly comparable to mine though, guy's were checking clutch install processes and such. It drives good, it just has the worst pedal feel of anything I've ever driven practically.

I will dig into this adjusting stuff more and see what I can figure out. Thanks for the feedback.

There are threads here on replacing the spring. The bushing wears out & then you have metal on metal contact. I need to do this eventually. My pedal feels fine but I have the metal on metal squeak that lets me know that the bushing is shot.

 

[99Runnr]

I understand the bushing and metal on metal concern. I have one side of the bushing broken away. I do not have the noise though, and this is not going to move my pedal pressure. I'm not avoiding the issue but I am focused on the bigger concern is all.

I looked, I do NOT have any single adjustable pedal mechanism. The one and only adjustable portion to the pedal assembly is the master cylinder rod. Which I have adjusted to it's capacity. I had a friend stop by who has Alldata and some other sources who was going to dig into this for me.

Being a 4runner specific board, I assumed someone would have had experience like this possibly? My thought was either finding a different master cylinder with a longer rod, or welding a female threaded nut to the clevice which would allow me to preload the master more and effectively cure this issue.

Thanks for the feedback and I just did the marlin crawler bushings today, completely transformed the transmission feel. Amazing change, next I will get the $17 kit I saw for the bushings and do that. Along with it though, I just want the pedal to feel "normal" haha.

 

[St Runner]

If you dont have any adjustment on the pedal then its not original. Check again, its the cruise control switch at the top that hits when the pedal is released. Take a tape measure and measure from the top of the pedal to the bottom of the firewall and let us know what the measurement is

 

[99Runnr]

I did not notice another response to this. I just looked it up again to reply encase someone down the road encounters this too. Here is what ended up happening.

I had a Toyota mechanic and my friend (ASE Certified who works on everything for a living) take a look. Both of them were completely baffled, again, suggestions for faulty components or air in the system were thrown out. Bled, again, again, gave up. New Aisin parts are there for both master and slave as mentioned. Which behaved exactly as the cheap parts store crap on it was prior to my replacement.

I ended up removing the big spring and the broken bushings. Then took the clevice off and welded on a .550" long female threaded body. I tacked them together with the spare clutch master rod threaded into both. So the threads didn't bind or anything or that nature for future adjustments. Once welded, ran a tap through them and re-installed.

Little extra room for adjustment (where I had none before) gave me a proper pedal feel, complete height return, and clutch engages roughly 1/3 travel off the floor instead of only having 1/3 of the pedal range seeing pressure. It drives like a new truck now, combined with the marlin crawler bushings and this mod, I will not be battling the transmission and components any longer.

Thank you guys for the assistance/suggestions. Not sure what the hell happened to my truck, but I was also told by another company, their product would not fit on my truck as they had never seen an exhaust setup like I have in 10+ years. Which turned out to be stock and another business said 75% of them are like mine? So.. wtf, who know's, I've only confidently noticed these 3RZ 4runners seem to have some differentiating parts or feedback out there. Lol

 

[St Runner]

Glad you got it worked out. I am still confused that you did not have any adjustment at the top of the pedal. Are you missing cruise control? There is no threaded switch at the top of the base of the pedal that stops the pedal when you let off the clutch?

 

[St Runner]

This is from my 97 SR5 3.4 My 99 tacoma with a 2.7 has the same switch on the clutch

 

[phattyduck]

Does the clevis have a rubber coupler in the middle of it? If so, and especially with stiffer pressure plates, that rubber can degrade. My Camry has the simple single return spring style clutch pedal with a very stiff clutch and I could barely get the clutch to disengage. This happens on Celica's and MR2's also. The easy solution is to weld up the clevis solid...

From this:

To this:

Won't be an issue for you now... but might have helped solve it.

-Charlie