Ranger Clutch Fluid Change procedure?

Fountainhead

You're welcome!

Well the fluid has no where to go after pedal release but back into the reservoir. Since fluid does not compress there is no "squeezing" the fluid, it's a solid under pressure. After releasing the pedal the fluid from the bellows/CSC cylinder must go somewhere and there is no room anywhere in the hydraulics *(hose, CSC) but in the reservoir. Just experiment and see for yourself.
It wouldn't hurt to bleed the system just for your peace of mind. Be careful to not release the clutch pedal until the valve/bleed screw is closed. And be gentle when pressing the pedal as there won't be any fluid/cylinder resistance to limit the pedal travel and you could damage the O-rings in the master cylinder. My fluid has always been crystal clear so I've never had to pump "30 times" usually only about 12. Just for my peace of mind, lol. Peace of mind is worth a LOT. Plus I'm a short shifter, non dragster, non launcher so my CSC will probably never get even slightly dirty.

Good Luck Sinister, and welcome to the forum!

nis350

1. when you release the clutch pedal, the csc would retract to its original position and pushing the fluid back to the same spot in the clutch line. The operation is quite simple, when you press on the clutch pedal, the cmc pushes the fluid downward to the csc, and you release the clutch pedal, the fluid goes back to the same spot on the clutch line. So the fluid just goes back and forth in the clutch line pretty much on the same spot as there is no way for it to circulate anywhere else.

2. during the bleeding process, you press the clutch pedal down first, then open the bleed valve. so there is pressure/resistance as normal. also, the cmc always does full stroke when you press down the clutch pedal, so there is no groove to damage the seals like an old brake master cylinder.

Fountainhead

How to account for the volume of fluid added inside the clutch SC required to push the SC bearing about .5 inches into the clutch fingers? The fluid amount required for that bearing SC travel isn't occupying the lines when the clutch is released. The clutch fingers press the bearing down .5 inches into the SC bellows when the clutch pedal is released. That additional fluid is introduced from the MC reservoir during pedal press. The hydraulic action of moving the SC bearing into the Clutch Fingers requires additional fluid on top of what was already in the lines. So there is a "cycling" of fluid from the MC into the lines, otherwise the pedal couldn't move outward into the clutch fingers unless the volume of liquid changed.
I get your point about the lines never changing volume but even if the fluid in the lines remains static, then MC ram uses fluid from the MC reservoir to move the bearing into the fingers.