I have a 1997 dodge ram 1500. I noticed some weird problems with my clutch. at first if i pressed my clutch all the way to the floor i'd hear a whiny hum sound. later i couldn't put my truck into 1st or second reverse without having the clutch almost at engaging point. a few days after I was driving home from work and I went to shift out of 5 into 4 to go up a hill and i couldn't put my truck into gear. lucky enough i coasted home and pushed my truck into it's resting spot where it has sat for a week. I can not put my truck into gear while my truck is on, but i can move the stick to the different gears when the truck is off. Also my clutch now has a lot of pressure on it when i try to push it down with my foot. It's my first dodge and i am by far no mechanic but i try to fix all my own stuff to save money. I'd just like help figuring out exactly what the issue could be, if it's my slave cylinder or my master cylinder or my pressure plate. I don't have a clue what it is exactly and i'd prefer not to replace every part trying to guess what the issue is.

 

If you put the truck in gear, and try and start it, does it want to move? (careful with this, make sure you have room if it decides it DOES want to move....) Does it grind when trying to shift while driving?

 

How many miles on the truck?... throwout bearing is likely shot (the noise).
Time to replace the clutch.

 

You're going in, like it or not. The pressure plate's busted.

If you want the repair to last its longest and not ruin some future day, throw the money at it. Replace clutch, pressure plate, and throwout, and resurface the flywheel, at the minimum. It was new parts that got put in a long time ago that got you this far, ya know?

 

The truck does move if i start the truck in gear, but it feels like the clutch isn't disengaging, I have to turn the truck off to make the truck stop.

 

Correct, the clutch is NOT disengaging. Either the hydraulics are toast, or, some part of the clutch itself. Need to determine which.

 

Mine, the throwout bearing disintegrated... started it in gear and drove crash-box to get home.
There was still a couple of thousand miles left on the plates, but it was all near enough done.

 

I just replaced mine last weekend. This was to correct a bad clutch that a mechanic I used to trust put in two years ago. Should never have to replace a clutch in just two years. Well, he used a crap kit with a plastic thrust bearing. Guess what? It was in pieces too. How I was able to still shift I'll never know.

So I bought the genuine Sachs 12" kit from rockauto and had a friend help me. We did it right with all new parts. Shifts butter smooth now. I highly recommend the 12" as it has twice as many springs (10) as the 11" and has more strength.

I would hate to do that job again but actually could in half the time with the knowledge I gained. If you need help, let me know. It's still fresh in the memory.