AX-15 Issues...

Driving to work the other day, pressed the clutch in to shift gears, and the pedal pressed all the way to the floor with no resistance.... Uh oh, I say to myself, and I press it again... this time it's stiffer then snot. If I press it really really really hard, it drags down the engine, and makes a nasty noise.

I drove it the rest of the way to work, just shifting at the shift points, with no clutch.

Was going to drive it home from work the same way, and just park it, but unfortunately, when I started it this time, and thought I'd see if it still made the nasty noise, it did , and this time, didn't stop.

Pulled the slave cylinder off, and it seems to work properly. Reaching inside, I can grab the metal piece it engages, and it's awfully loose.

I had bought an extended warranty on the Jeep, but they specifically exclude Clutch and throwout bearing. So, I don't want to pay shoptime to diagnose what the problem is only to find out I'm gonna have to pay for the clutch anyhow.. Would rather use a weekend Saturday, and find out for myself... but then, if I find something other then clutch/throwout bearing it should be covered, and I want the shop to do the work.

Anyone have any guesses off hand?


Also, ShopKey says that the flywheel can't be resurfaced during a clutch job, and if it does need resurfaced, must replace it. If I have to replace it, anyone know of a heavier weight flywheel?

When the throwout bearing goes altogether, you won't be able to engage gears at all with the engine running. If you switch off the engine, engage 1st gear, then restart the engine, the Jeep will lurch forward and even if you press the clutch pedal to the floor, you won't be able to change gears without crunching the gear teeth.
If the slave cylinder goes, the clutch pedal becomes floppy and with minimal pressure it just goes to the floor. You won't be able to change gears either.
With either fault you're in the same predicament. The only difference is that with a broken TO bearing the clutch pedal doesn't go floppy.

Well, the clutch pedal did go sloppy at first, right to the floor, but then, It became really really stiff. I was still able to shift gears, at the right rpm's/speed though..

So, doesn't sound like either a throwout bearing or the slave?... peeked up inside the hole with a borescope, didn't see anything broke... Guess I'm pulling it apart tomorrow.


On that note... I may go ahead and put a new clutch in, even though this one might still be good... figure if I have it all apart and all...

Can you get the flywheel resurfaced or not? Reference I'm using (Shopkey) puts a note there that you cannot have them resurfaced...

The FSM (for a 94 XJ at least) that the max material removal for a clutch resurfacing is 0.003", and that it's a profiled, not flat, surface.

Unfortunately, the only place I've found to pick up new flywheels for a stick shift is from the dealer.