Newbie doing a clutch...advice?

So this past weekend, my throwout bearing went out in a very loud fashion. The XJ is still drivable, and got us back from WV....but MAN it squeals EXTREMELY loudly when the clutch pedal is in, and still whines lightly with the pedal out.

So, I ordered a clutch kit on Ebay - $118 shipped, looks to all be quality parts. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...=1&item=120377874045&viewitem=#ht_5828wt_1585

I'll be attempting the install myself, and this is a first for me.

My questions:
1. Besides the inverted Torx bolts on top of the trans, are there any other special tools I should have available to me?
2. Is there any other general maintenance I should do while I have the trans out - seals on the transmission, new trans fluid (I would guess this is a given to drain and refill the trans for this job, but I really have no idea), ANYTHING else that just makes sense to do?
3. Any hints and tips to make this easier?
4. What's the best service manual to get? I don't have one at all yet. Is there an XJ Bible like the Bentley manuals are to VW's (what I'm familiar with)?

Thanks!

do the e12s first
clean the inside of the bell-housing, the input shaft, and the fork
grease the input shaft and ball and joint that the fork pivots on
replace pilot bearing that is in the crank

gradon said:

do the e12s first
clean the inside of the bell-housing, the input shaft, and the fork
grease the input shaft and ball and joint that the fork pivots on
replace pilot bearing that is in the crank

Click to expand...

Just did a clutch on my 98 about a month ago.... You might want to borrow or rent a transmission jack to make the job easier since you are planning to do this yourself....
Doing the job by yourself will take the better part of the day....
You can use Brake Kleen to remove the srunge from inside the bell housing and input shaft (if any), use hi temperature grease for the pivot points, the kit should come with the grease to apply to the input shaft where the throw out bearing slides, inspect the flywheel for HOT spots (may require resurfacing), and during reassembly apply some anti seize to bolts and alignment dowels on the back of the block.
I replaced the adapter housing seal (seal between back of transmission and housing that transfer case bolts to) and the transfer case sector shaft seal (seal for the shaft that shifts transfer case) and since the bellhousing was being removed I replaced the Crank Position Sensor.

Best service manual, hands down, is the Factory Service Manual, http://www.techauthority.com. The aftermarkets are slim in comparison, and have also been known to have just plain wrong info.

You don't say anything about the flywheel. The FSM claims it can't be resurfaced. I just bought a replacement. If the surface is blued, or cracked, address it, or it'll never be right.

You don't have to split the tcase from the transmission, but you will have to deal with the pesky tcase shift linkage. A good transmission jack helps moving the assembly.

One final note: Assuming you're jacking up the XJ, *PLEASE* be sure it's stable before you get under it. And don't let it rest on jacks, use jackstands, blocks, etc.

Another good source of Factory Service Manuals is of all places E BAY....
There are quite a few Original FSMs available....

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=Jeep+Cherokee+Service+Manuals&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Don't worry about changing the oil now. Of course it's a good idea, but doesn't have anything to do with the clutch. FSM does suggest roughing up the flywheel with sandpaper.

Thank you all for the great advice....I'll make sure I have all the necessary stuff on hand before digging in, including a transmission jack.

As far as the flywheel...besides the throwout bearing making noise, the original clutch still works great, clamps great, no shuddering @ 155k miles. Trying to keep things on a budget, but still trying to save myself hassle down the road - would you guys still change the flywheel, or just scuff it up per the FSM?

If it works good now, it'll work even better with the other new parts. New flywheel not needed.

IF the flywheel is heat checked or has hot spots (bluish discoloration) it should be replaced according to the FSM.

But, and this is a BIG one, some have successfully had their flywheels resurfaced, and others have had nothing but trouble after having them resurfaced, particularly with the clutch not fully releasing. Some have shimmed the slave, some have put in Howe racing MC with a larger bore. YOUR CHOICE. Once you have pulled it apart, decide just how much fun you are having, and how soon you want to do it again.

I think Centerforce has replacement flywheels for about $140.

maybe i missed it, but what year? this determines whether its an internal or external slave.

assuming you have the ax-15, if you decide to replace the trans fluid, dont use a gl-5 gear oil. recommend is gl-3 which is nearly impossible to find at a reasonable price, you can use redline mt90 or the thinner version for cold winter is redline mtl. i think someone on here is trying mobil 1 10w-30. there are a few other options, just make sure it specifies that it doesnt eat/wear down yellow metals.

if your rear main seal is leaking, this may be a good time to replace. you will need a rear main seal(buy 2, there cheap and you may score the top half when installing it), oil pan gasket(i used a 1 piece molded fel pro), and torque wrench.(may have to loosen a bearing cap, retorque to 80lbs).

did the kit come with an alignment tool for clutch/pressure plate?

after the install on my 89 with internal slave, i bleed the system. not sure about the external slave as it may come pre-bleed.

I'm sorry I didn't specify - it's a 1996. Is the rear main seal an easy job with the transmission dropped? I do have a good Snap-On torque wrench that I'll have handy anyway. If the rear main seal ISN'T leaking, should I mess with it?

The kit comes with OEM throwout bearing, pilot bearing, alignment tool, Sachs pressure plate, and ASCO clutch disc. I'll probably count on bleeding the clutch hydraulics anyway, as I'm not sure it's ever been done.

Replace all the clutch brake fluid with new while your at it. It's a good idea to do this for the clutch and brakes every two years (or so).

on other cars i've done just a clutch disk and then had clutch chatter even though with the old worn out clutch there was no chatter and the pp/fly looked ok. so i say replace the flywheel. autozone actually has a new fly wheel for cheap. P/N FW91002 is for a fenco new one and its $82. thats for the AX-15 if you want to change out the fluid in the tranny (no real need just b/c you are doing the clutch, just that its 'related' ) and its the AX-15 just use 10w-30 motor oil. trust me! thats what the dealers now use. also i changed my 130k mile factory fill manual tranny fluid, with the 10w-30 and noticed absolutely zero difference, and its been like 12k miles since.

things i think about doing. (this is based on cars in general i never did this job on my jeep)

-rear main seal
-tranny input shaft seal
-flywheel
-Pressure plate

just use your head. if something looks like its getting shot, and would be a pain to replace once the tranny goes back in... replace it!

I can live with a little bit of clutch chatter...while I would love the Jeep to last me forever, I have to leverage how much it's worth spending on an XJ that cost me $890 to purchase. Unless the flywheel looks particularly bad, I probably won't replace it.

I think I will probably replace the rear main seal and input shaft seal, however, and possibly the oil pan gasket.

Don't cheap out and re-use the throw out bearing like the previous/mechanic owner of mine did. The clips holding the fork in place snapped when I was 30 mins from home. It was a fun ride home with no clutch.
I saw flywheel shims in the Goodson catalog, they had a few thicknesses but I can't remember what sizes they were.
When I did mine I bought the entire clutch kit from NAPA [clutch, pressure plate, tool to center the clutch, throw out bearing, pilot bearing and grease for the moving points.
I used the FSM and it helped out a lot. There is a special way to remove the shifter lever and its mentioned in there.
A tranny input seal might be a good item to install while you're there.

happy wrenchin.

If you still have the E12 inverted Torx at the top of the bellhousing, replace them. They were threaded 3/8"-16 on RENIX, and that probably did not change - you can source hex head capscrews easily enough. Just match the underhead length.

I'd like to suggest that you also replace the screws that hold the clutch cover to the flywheel - they're fairly heavily strained, and it's cheap insurance. RENIX uses 3/8"-16 - again, they may have gone metric by then. I used socket heads there, because I like them (and the OEM ones are a reduced head head anyhow, IIRC. Anytime I run into a reduced hex head, it gets socket head replacements.)

Scuffing up the flywheel shouldn't be done with anything stronger than a 120 grit - the idea is to "rough up the surface slightly," not "remove material and cause problems." Check for bluish spots or concentrated cracking as mentioned - that's heat checking. Whether or not the XJ flywheel can be ground, heat checking can't be fixed by grinding. You've just got yourself a paperweight.

I suggest using LocTite #242 (or equivalent) on the clutch cover screws, but I'm widely regarded as paranoid.

Before you put on the new TO bearing, clean the sleeve on the front bearing retainer (where it rides) with a Scotch-Brite pad and some carburettor cleaner, or some steel wool and same. Clutch dust can collect on there and screw things up. After cleaning and you've let it dry, you can apply dry graphite as a lubricant. I like to do that, and burnish it in with an old leather belt (I find it works better than grease in just about all cases there.)

Be careful with that plastic alignment tool - it can bend on you and cause some trouble. That's why I've cut the input shafts off of the last two Peugeot transmissions I've been through (and I'll have a sleeve made for one to bring the pilot up to later AX-15 size soon...)

Second on the transmission input seal - you're there anyhow. It's not difficult to replace. You can usually use a couple of sheetmetal screws in the shell of the seal to pull it out, and then use a large bit of pipe (that fits on the shell of the seal and long enough to go all the way over the input shaft) to drive the new seal in nice and straight. get the pipe, and get a cap for it so you're not tapping around with a hammer to seat the thing.