Clutch/Tranny Issues

Starting about a month ago after wheeling through some crazy ass rain storms and slicker than snot mud my XJ started to devolup a noise. It started as an intermentent squeek and I couldnt find it or identify the conditions when it happens, it just did. I pulled the rear diff and checked pattern and gears which looked good and the bearings felt good. Next I checked the transfercase fluid and it slowly started to dribble out the fill hole. It was full and the fluid didnt look contaminated in any way, it was a nice ATF red color. Next I checked the tranny fluid and the gear fluid dribbled out the fill hole and looked ok. No water or nasty stuff in it. On the drive home from wheeling, the clutch petal felt funny and was engauging very close to the floor. The cover to the master cylinder had a crack in it and I assume the fluid had absorbed a lot of moisture. So I replaced the cap, flushed the fluid out of the master and slave until I got nothing but clean fluid. Almost went through a big bottle of brake fluid. The petal felt great after this and was fine until this past Tuesday. I took it out to run to the bank and noticed that is felt weird and the squeek noise was becoming more common. Then on Wednesday I had to make a small road trip about an hour and a half one way and the noise was even more common. At this point there was no noise under accerlation, when crusing, the squeek noise would come and go depending on engine load, and then when engine braking the squeek would be very apparent. When I pushed in the clutch, the noise would instantly go away. I could hit the gas and the noise would go away and when I let off, it comes back. The clutch also started to grab when the petal was very low to the floor. When I was almost back home, I pushed in the clutch coming up to a light and take the tranny out of gear and it wouldnt come out easy. I had to really pull to get it out even with the clutch to the floor. I got it back into 3rd with lots of force and didnt take it out of 3rd until I got it to a friends shop where its sitting now. There is fluid in the master cylinder and its not leaking out around it or by the push rod. The petal still feels good, not like a sponge. There is no fluid leaking out around the bellhousing so I dont think the slave cylinder is blown.

I am thinking its a throw out bearing on the clutch. Anybody else have an idea of whats happening?

If the clutch and or throw out bearing are bad, what would be needed to put an external slave on? Just a bellhousing and slave or do I need a new clutch/pressure plate?

Thanks,

AARON

I've blown several throw-outs in VWS and that's exactly what its like. As the ball channel and keeper breaks down the "depth" of the bearing changes randomly. I hope this helps but I can't tell how it feels in a jeep as i have yet to burn one.

ps- the last throw-out i ran in a dune was overbuilt w/ titanium balls in a teflon race. it was twice as much but 5x as old when i sold the VW.