I have a 88 SR5 4 x 4 with the 3.0 liter V6 in it. Recently, I found
that my clutch pedal was sticking to the floor once engage. I
inspected the master cylinder and the slave cylinder and found that
both needed to be replaced. The master would not hold any fluid what
so ever and the slave looked as if it had worked beyond its agreement
with the master cylinder. I replaced both of them myself with rebuilt
ones that I obtained from a famous auto parts store. The R&R on both
of those took me about 2 hours even though I have never done anything
like that. During the process of pouring fluid into the master
reservoir the cardboard top, that sets on the bottle of the brake
fluid bottle came off and fell inside the reservoir. I did not see
this happen. After about 10 hours of banging my head against the wall
as to why I could not get any pressure in the system, I finally
started to check the system for leaks. As my luck (or lack of it)
played, the inside of the reservoir was the last place I looked. Once
I found this trash inside the reservoir I removed it, and within 5
minutes I had a working clutch system.

No one could tell me to look there in the reservoir for something
blocking the flow the of the fluid. But the symptoms where obvious
that something was not allowing the fluid to flow all the way through
the system to the slave cylinder.

Every thing was great for a couple of days until somehow air got back
into the system which left me with a spongy / sticky feeling clutch. I
bleed the system once more to satisfactory pressure retention in the
system. Again that service lasted only a few more days.

There most be a leak somewhere. But where? I have checked all the
clutch lines, including those two rubber hose sections. They all seem
fine, but do show signs of wear. One of the rubber hoses where it
connects to lower portion of the metal line that gos into the slave
cylinder looks a little odd. But it does not leak in my test.

Regarding that section of the rubber hose I am trying to figure out
how the system works. I am not a mechanic, but I am a engineer. I
wonder if once the system comes up to pressure, i.e, using the clutch
to shift the gears in city driving, that the hose can no longer handle
the pressure and it starts to leak out. How do these things work?

I mention this as there is a leak. I get fluid on the driveway after I
have been using the clutch while driving the truck for a while. If I
just start up the truck and leave it running, I get no fluid coming
out. It is difficult to tell, if it is hydraulic fluid or oil as the
transmission is covered in both. I spent 100.00 on paying someone to
pressure wash it for me under there and to have them try to find a
leak. They put in a new bolt, but the leak is still there.

Could this mean, that my rear main seal is gone? If so, does that have
any relationship to the way my clutch system loses pressure. Or could
it mean that I have a leak in the power steering unit? What else could
be leaking.

I have had this truck since it was new I had to replace the engine
about 3 years ago do to a head gasket failure. At that time, my
mechanic replaced, the water pump, clutch, through out bearing, etc. I
use the truck on the farm so it does have some value to me. I pull a
two thousand pound trailer with it on occasion loaded with 1000 pounds
of livestock. Never very far and on flat farm roads only.

What do you folks think the problem is?