YJ clutch help

[Joe Giglio]

I have been working on my clutch since the last club trail ride. I cannot figure out what to do and need advice on how to proceed or who to bring this to. I cannot exclude the possibility that what I am about to write can be flawed. If it wasn't then I would be driving my daily driver daily.

My master cylinder was leaking and finally crapped out on the way home from RC. It was not disengaging until the last inch of travel. I bought a new master cylinder from Advanced Auto and installed it the next day. I gave it a test drive and it worked fine, problem solved. So I thought.

I also had to put my exhaust back on. That is well documented in another thread. I was test driving the Jeep after reinstalling the exhaust and the clutch crapped out again. I am able to depress the peddle and disengage the clutch enough to start it, but I cannot shift in or out of gear with the engine on.

I bleed the thing multiple ways. At first, I just pumped the peddle and it worked fine. After it stopped working I moved to the hand held vacuum bleeder. I called my wife to operate the peddle as I opened the bleeder screw. I even forced fluid up through the bleeder screw. The thing doesn't even change how it is operating.

I pulled the transmission and found the spring fingures did not have a uniform gap. I showed a picture the people at Advance Auto and they gave me a new clutch kit (includes a new slave cylinder) honoring the clutch they sold me 15 months before. Nothing looked out of the ordinary on the flywheel or transmission input shaft. The flywheel had a uniform wear patter. I put it back together in time to attend my families Christmas celebration. I was very proud of myself. I got in and tried it with the same issue.

I thought that maybe the new master cylinder experienced infant mortality and I bought and installed another one. Same issue.

I took the master cylinder off so that the plumbing had no high spots that can trap air and forced the fluid through the bleeder screw. Same issue. I even went to three operators on the bleeding operation. Mia pushed the peddle, Holly made sure the resevoir remained filled and I operated the bleeder screw.

I need to drive this to work so that my wife can get her car back. I need help.

Thanks in advanced.
Joe

[Rick_Bear]

Joe,

Typically when the clutch master cylinder goes south, so does the slave cylinder found on the bellhousing of the transmission. The slave cylinder is what disengages the clutch when the pedal is depressed using the hydraulic fluid.

[Jeepnharleymomma]

Hi Joe ,This is Jenn's husband Dave I was with you on the trail ride when all your clutch trouble started. It really sound like there is air in your clutch's hydraulic system.  They can be a major P.I.A. to get all the air out. I have had the best success with stuburn ones by letting it gravity bleed. Sometimes it takes it a while for the flow of fluid to begin once it does you have to make sure the master cylinder doesn't run dry. After you get steady flow close the bleeder than refill . Have someone work the clutch pedal  DON"T pump the pedal at this time, open the bleeder have the pedal person slowly and consistently push the pedal down. While it has a good stream coming from the bleeder close it before the pedal reaches the floor . Do this as many times as necessary to get a good stream. Once you have a good stream ,close the bleeder than check to see how the pedal feels. Bleeding the clutch by pumping the pedal than opening the bleeder can induce air back into the system once the flow stops the key is to close the bleeder BEFORE the flow stops. Hope this helps. Don't let yourself become frustrated as I said they can be a difficult.

[obijon]

 Try using a nice vaccum bleeder - i have one and i love it - i had the same problems as you with my 87 wrangler,
and discovered a pinhole leak iin my line. a little time w/a tubing bender and a flare tool and it was fixed....