New member w/clutch issue.....PLEASE HELP!!!!

Sorry to make my 1st post so long, I just hope someone has an idea on this issue.....


86 Jeep Cherokee 4wd
2.5 4 banger
ax5 5spd trans.

A while back my buddy started having trouble getting it to go in gear, instead of taking it to my dad who is ASE certified in every category & owns his own shop, he decides to take it to a shady mechanic to try to save money.

The guy replaced the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, & master cylinder, he was supposed to have changed the slave cylinder. but it turns out he didn't & said he did. VERY LONG story short, my buddy drove it for a day or so but it was still hard to get in gear. He took it back to the guy who supposedly ended up doing something to it, we went to pick it up & the pedal was stuck to the floor, he FINALLY brought it to my dad.

Dad started with replacing the slave cylinder & bleeding the system relentlessly with no success.

Dad tore it all back down & replaced the clutch fork (it had been installed backwards by discount mechanic & ended up getting bent), throwout bearing (wrong one installed before by discount mechanic), slave cylinder, master cylinder, the front shaft that the clutch fork slides on (it was grooved badly from the wrong throwout bearing), & the line from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder ( it had a pin hole & was leaking). He even made sure the clutch disc wasn't installed backwards.............

EVERYTHING has been replaced & we have bled it until we can't bleed it anymore, it has a decent pedal but it still will not release...........ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS? Dad is driving himself insane & losing buckets of money on this job. Maybe he just needs a fresh mind? ANY HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Ive had a similar problem where it would disengage after a new clutch and hydraulic system. I have a newer XJ with an external slave and i fixed the problem by making a longer rod that pushes the clutch fork. Ive also heard of using shims behind the flywheel to move the clutch assembly closer to slave cylinder. The basic problem is the slave cylinder is too far away from clutch.

wait a sec, arent 80's XJ internal slave? if its internal then there shouldnt be a clutch fork.

Either way this isnt the 1st time i heard of this problem and of course its happened to me.

lowicz96 said:

Ive had a similar problem where it would disengage after a new clutch and hydraulic system. I have a newer XJ with an external slave and i fixed the problem by making a longer rod that pushes the clutch fork. Ive also heard of using shims behind the flywheel to move the clutch assembly closer to slave cylinder. The basic problem is the slave cylinder is too far away from clutch.

wait a sec, arent 80's XJ internal slave? if its internal then there shouldnt be a clutch fork.

Either way this isnt the 1st time i heard of this problem and of course its happened to me.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure on the internal slave year models, but this one does have an external slave. Your diagnosis seems to make a lot of sense, just curious as to why the rod on the slave would be too short in the 1st place? It's definitely worth looking into. Thanks man!!

Ok, no manuals on the 84-86, but here is my .02 cents on it: the flywheel has been surfaced one to many times and the MC/slave can't move far enough.

Options:

1. Replace the flywheel.
2. Use an aftermarket MC with a larger bore, like a Howe.
3. Lengthen the rod.

I would do number 1.

After beating my head against a wall with a similar issue, I went with Joe's option #2. Worked fine. I picked up a Wilwood M/C and installed it in my friends 1993 that was having the same issue. The best advice would be to remove the transmission again and either shim the flywheel or slave or replace the flywheel. The only PITA part of the Wilwood M/C is running a new hard line down to the clutch slave.

I think this happens from resurfacing the flywheel to much and aftermarket components might not be exactly like OEM.

It took like 15 mins to find a piece of steel bar the right size, cut it to about 3/8" longer than what i had, round the ends and put it back together. worked great ever since.

work smarter, not harder

I didn't realize you had the external slave setup on that truck. Well, that may require a different approach. I would go with lowicz96's suggestion to extend the push rod in your case. I think there may be a TSB on the external slaves having a shim that needed removal as well. Look for LuK TB122.

http://bulletins.schaeffler-aftermarket.us/results.phtml?search=all

Its the second one in the list. It doesn't give any specific information though.