I don't know if this could have posed an issue or not, the clutch hex bolts are 3/4" in length. The replacement socket cap screws that I had installed were 7/8" in length.
Throwout bearing install dilemma
- Thread starter jeep_boss
- Start date
Fractured a bone in my hand today trying to torque the new flywheel onto the crank. I had reluctantly spent $25 on a Canadian made flywheel wrench. If you're installing an AMS flywheel for an NSG370, do not use the Lisle flywheel holder, it is not compatible. It won't grip any of the teeth whatsoever, I had to get creative to keep my crank from spinning:
When you are bolting on the pressure plate, you are compressing the springs and locking down the clutch plate. I think what you are describing is normal. Unless you can turn in all of the bolts at the same exact time it is going to compress those fingers per bolt you are tightening. So when you start your clutch cover bolts the plate is loose, but by the time it is cranked down the plate it tight. When you crank them down you are compressing the springs which are fingers.
How it works is your throwout bearing presses against those fingers and freeze up the clutch plate which lets the disk loose. Once the throwout bearing leaves the fingers the plate is tight again. The fingers are actually springs that pull and push the clutch cover surface against the clutch plate.
I hope that makes sense? So when you are tightening down the cover you are compressing those springs with the mounting bolts. That is why it looks like it deforms. The thing you have to worry about is when you are done all of those fingers must be even. If they are not then you have a problem.
Also make sure you clean all of the film off of the clutch cover surface. That could explain the irregular pattern on the plate honestly.
I've seen the distortion around the edge when tightening the bolts down. Having never read how to do it or had anyone tell me how, I've always just turned opposite bolts in a few turns at a time to keep the cover moving towards the flywheel evenly due to seeing it flex. If I tightened it and the other bolts got loose, that would tell me the cover wasn't distorting but I've never found that to be the case but then again, I've only done a very low number, maybe 10-15 or so.
Just got the transmission back in. The rain beat me, probably ran down into the new clutch and flywheel as I was getting the bellhousing back in. For not being a state in the rust belt, rust forms in a matter of a couple of hours here. Might be time to move back to the southwest soon, so sick of this rain and darkness in the pnw. :/
The first clutch that I put in DEFINITELY deformed as the bolts were torqued down. I dis an over exagerated star pattern with this new clutch, I didn't notice the same apparent deformation this time, so it might make the difference.
Move down here to Dallas, jeep boss, I'll help you work on your jeep.
Get out of the depressing pnw!
What a bitch, but I fixed the issues that I described. The new, new clutch is working properly. I did have a rear driveshaft issue, pertaining to the (Moog 607) centerball yoke that I had replaced, but I sourced a Spicer 211335X today, which got rid of the new driveline issues.
In the process of reinstalling the transmission yesterday morning, the wiring bundle for the bank 2 downstream O2 sensor got caught in between the bellhousing and the engine block. This is the engine-side wiring run that is routed along the top of the bellhousing - I had installed the top left bolt and had problems getting the top right one in. Sure enough, I zoomed in with my phone camera and saw exposed copper wiring in the middle of the fucking bolt hole! It was pissing rain and even though I had tarps drapes over the top of my Jeep (also covering the cowling), rain was still dripping down right where the stupid wiring run was damaged.
I had to take the transmission out for a third time to free the wires, the O2 connector wouldn't have come out any other way. There was no way to fix the problem in that area, so I covered it with some tape and loom and had to start from square one at mating the transmission with the engine. It seemed like the more pissed off I got, the harder the rain fell. I came very close to hugging my chainsaw.
When this pissfest of rain gives way, I'm going to figure out how to remove the right front quarter panel and solder the wiring. It won't be fun, there doesn't seem to be any room to work with - but at least I wouldn't have to do it in a contortionist position working above my head, under the Jeep. I would very much like to publicly stone to death the engineer that implemented that wiring run right there, he / she / it has some negative karma coming their way.
I have an extremely light vibe to work out in my rear driveline, I had tweaked my UCAs pretty aggressively in over-undoing the test from a few days ago. I have the new OEM rubber transmission mount on now with the BombProof poly engine mounts. I bought a new set of the BombProof torsion engine mounts, so I'll get those installed and see how it affects the minor vibration, then tweak my UCAs accordingly.
In the process of reinstalling the transmission yesterday morning, the wiring bundle for the bank 2 downstream O2 sensor got caught in between the bellhousing and the engine block. This is the engine-side wiring run that is routed along the top of the bellhousing - I had installed the top left bolt and had problems getting the top right one in. Sure enough, I zoomed in with my phone camera and saw exposed copper wiring in the middle of the fucking bolt hole! It was pissing rain and even though I had tarps drapes over the top of my Jeep (also covering the cowling), rain was still dripping down right where the stupid wiring run was damaged.
I had to take the transmission out for a third time to free the wires, the O2 connector wouldn't have come out any other way. There was no way to fix the problem in that area, so I covered it with some tape and loom and had to start from square one at mating the transmission with the engine. It seemed like the more pissed off I got, the harder the rain fell. I came very close to hugging my chainsaw.
When this pissfest of rain gives way, I'm going to figure out how to remove the right front quarter panel and solder the wiring. It won't be fun, there doesn't seem to be any room to work with - but at least I wouldn't have to do it in a contortionist position working above my head, under the Jeep. I would very much like to publicly stone to death the engineer that implemented that wiring run right there, he / she / it has some negative karma coming their way.
I have an extremely light vibe to work out in my rear driveline, I had tweaked my UCAs pretty aggressively in over-undoing the test from a few days ago. I have the new OEM rubber transmission mount on now with the BombProof poly engine mounts. I bought a new set of the BombProof torsion engine mounts, so I'll get those installed and see how it affects the minor vibration, then tweak my UCAs accordingly.
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The crap you have gone through, but it sure seems as though you can see the sunlight off in the distance and it's getting closer.
You knew the wire harness was there. It isn't the engineers fault you screwed it up. Also why we lower the back of the motor down so we can actually see over the top of the trans and keep that harness out of harm's way. If you were intent on fixing it correctly, you should have done it while the trans was out because now it's going to be a real bitch to get up in there and do it right.
If you think about the harness for just a moment, you'll figure out there is just about no other place to run it easily and efficiently. If it went down the frame rail, it would have to cross over the exhaust twice and you'd be bitching that the exhaust melted it. If it came down the other side of the rig, they would have to do some pretty special gymnastics to keep it out of the driveshaft and shift lever on the autos and the t-case linkage on both. Where it runs is the best and most efficient location possible.
It wouldn't have killed them to put a $0.10 plenum studded zip tie instead of what they chose to do. I fought with that stupid wire harness the entire time, so I don't want to hear it. Not everyone has the luxury of a shop and a lift.
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I don't have a shop, I work on the ground in the driveway under a tarp and I don't have a lift and if I did, I wouldn't use it. We lean the back of the motor down so we have access over the top of it to see the harness, tie it up out of the way, and access the bell housing top bolts with a long extension or extension string. You made your own life difficult, not the Jeep engineers.
There was no where practical to tie up that O2 sensor harness on my Jeep. I would have had to have bent beyond what I would have been comfortable with to tie it along the main wiring bundle, and I wouldn't have had a safe way to cut the tie after the transmission was installed. My motor was titled all the way back each of the three times the transmission was reinstalled. I had the harness tucked at the rear of the block ahead of the bellhousing - it moved while I strong armed the assembly back into the motor and you couldn't see the wires stuck in there whatsoever with the naked eye.
There was no "we" on this repair, this was a one man job in piss weather in the cold, dark and wet PNW. I don't need you or anyone else to tell me that the situation sucks or that I made a mistake, you're just being an asshole for saying so. I and everyone else that has had this issue stands by the point that the wiring run over that portion of the bellhousing is STUPID from a maintenance point of view, but Jeeps were never designed for maintenance beyond things like oil and spark plug changes. They should have ran the O2 wiring along the top of the motor just like the other three O2 sensors.
The wires are fixable, it's just more work that has to be done so meh.
I'm sorry for your trouble, it still isn't the engineers fault. FYI, I've done many trans jobs by myself under the rig on the ground and have never pinched the harness so I know it can be easily done with one person, but again, sorry for your troubles.
Just fixed the wires - CEL is gone and the voltage levels look normal again. One of the wires was completely severed in half, another got magled a little and the third was just bent a little. Kind of a pain in the ass, but removing the front passenger quarter panel did buy me enough space to get to it. Had my AC bottle in my face, space was pretty tight.
Strange feeling now that there are no pending maintenance issues with this Jeep.
Strange feeling now that there are no pending maintenance issues with this Jeep.
Yeah really, sheesh! I had feared the transmission was on its way out to lunch before doing the clutch job, but it turned out to be fine, near perfect even.
I was planning on selling it after I did the clutch, but I took some time to clean up the area on the right side of the engine bay this afternoon and started realizing this little beast is pretty damned solid (and very clean) after the ~6 months of effort put forth. There aren't any problems with it now whatsoever, just a bad taste in my mouth from the cascading shitstorm of issues that I have had to fix.
I'll have to figure out what I want to do, I need more hauling capacity, so that might be the deal breaker. Total coin toss at this point.
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What do you want to haul? A trailer may be in your future, unless you off it and buy a 4Runner, then you're on your own.
I am new to this thread. I read almost the entire thing and found it quite compelling.
Did you keep the Jeep? Did you definitively solve the vibration and exhaust noise problems? Did you make it back to work? Are you still in the PNW? Eagerly awaiting the rest of the story.
Did you keep the Jeep? Did you definitively solve the vibration and exhaust noise problems? Did you make it back to work? Are you still in the PNW? Eagerly awaiting the rest of the story.
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