Clutch doesn't fully disengage with pedal all the way in - Solved

Chris97

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Hi all, I am new to the forms but have had my jeep for about 7 years now. I bought the jeep at 96k miles and noticed that the clutch was disengaging very late in the pedal throw (bottom 25%). At 120k miles I replaced the clutch with a Luk 05-065 clutch kit and saw little improvement. Now at 145k miles I have replaced the master and slave cylinder with a prefilled system and saw no improvement. Trying to chase down the issue I have removed the transmission again to check for any obvious issues and don't see anything alarming. To get the clutch to disengage in 1st and 2nd the pedal has to be depressed all the way to the floor and I often have to wiggle and almost "force" the transmission into gear. I have also checked the slave and master cylinder by mechanically locking out the slave cylinder and slowly applying pressure to the pedal to feel for any give due to air or a bad bleed and the pedal is very solid with no issues. I have the transmission out and am happy to provide any pictures, information, or perform any tests if anyone has any ideas.
 
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If your saying that your clutch starts engaging as soon as you start letting it out from the fully depressed pedal position, mine does that too. Not sure of there's any way to adjust it though.
 
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Yes, that is pretty much what it is doing except that sometimes it doesn't even fully disengage with the pedal all the way to the floor. I'm thinking at this point that it probably has to do with tolerances being off in either the throwout bearing, clutch disk, flex plate, or release fork. The flywheel is also factory so I will inspect to see if there is possibly any warping there that would cause issues but it almost appears that the pressure plate isn't being actuated far enough to deliver a smooth shifting clutch. I know there isn't any adjustment from the factory but If my thinking is correct any way to add an offset to the slave cylinder so that it moves the release fork sooner in its travel should move the clutch engagement up in the pedal?
 
How far down does the clutch pedal move before it takes up the slack pushing lightly by hand? Mine is an inch or less after pulling up on the pedal.

If its excessive I'd be tempted to cut and extend the rod from the master to the pedal. Either by threading it and using a barrel nut and jam nuts or just welding it.
 
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With the pedal, all the way up I can move the pedal about half an inch before it tightens up and starts to move the slave cylinder. The rod that connects from the master to the pedal was the exact same length for all 3 of the master cylinders I have on hand. I have read that many TJ owners have their clutch engaging in the upper 33% of the pedal travel but mine doesn't start to engage until past 50%. Trying to eliminate variables I am wondering if I possibly made an installation error with the clutch at this point or may just need to replace my release fork as that would be the next location down the line that could be accounting for the "slack" I experience.
 
Looking closely it does almost appear as if the clutch fork is slightly bent on the clip side that pivots in the transmission. The wear points for the throwout bearing are consistent with what is expected and the whole assembly freely moved on the main shaft. I will go ahead and order a new clutch fork just to be safe. I'm hoping this is the issue. Does it make sense to replace the flywheel while I am here if I'm at 145k miles?

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Continuing to do some more reading and measurements I found another thread that exactly describes the feeling I was having in the transmission which led me to believe it was a clutch disengagement issue.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/hard-to-get-into-1st-gear-from-a-stop.33542/
Additionally laying the clutch fork flat the cup with a clip is 1/8" further bent from the centerline compared to the side where the slave cylinder pushes. I am going to go ahead and order a new clutch fork, TOB, and pilot bearing and take measurements of the before and after. I have also ordered the redline Mt-90 transmission fluid as I was previously running the recommended weight motor oil instead. I will continue to update the thread with my results.
 
This is a little later than I hoped, but I appear to have solved the issue. Upon receiving the new clutch fork, I did measure with calipers, and the old fork was bent back 1/8" as previously thought. Additionally, the pilot bearing had never been replaced, so I went ahead and replaced that and greased it well. I also installed a new clutch fork pivot point and, of course, a new spring. The seal at the top of the transmission where the shifter inserts had degraded, so I replaced that while I was at it. Lastly, I added the MT-90 transmission fluid. After putting several hundred miles on the jeep, it shifts much smoother into first and second gear. There is the occasional time when it does take a slight bit more force to slide in, but it is night and day better than previous. I assume that the bent fork was the main issue, but replacing the pilot bearing and new fluid also helped with the overall shifting feel. Unfortunately, I have had multiple rear axle failures in the past couple of months (Dana 30 carrier bearing and a brand new Dana 44 wheel bearing), so I also was completely rebuilding the 44 with a disc brake conversion which took a little longer. Overall, I believe this issue was solved thanks to everyone who pitched in advice.
 
This is a little later than I hoped, but I appear to have solved the issue. Upon receiving the new clutch fork, I did measure with calipers, and the old fork was bent back 1/8" as previously thought. Additionally, the pilot bearing had never been replaced, so I went ahead and replaced that and greased it well. I also installed a new clutch fork pivot point and, of course, a new spring. The seal at the top of the transmission where the shifter inserts had degraded, so I replaced that while I was at it. Lastly, I added the MT-90 transmission fluid. After putting several hundred miles on the jeep, it shifts much smoother into first and second gear. There is the occasional time when it does take a slight bit more force to slide in, but it is night and day better than previous. I assume that the bent fork was the main issue, but replacing the pilot bearing and new fluid also helped with the overall shifting feel. Unfortunately, I have had multiple rear axle failures in the past couple of months (Dana 30 carrier bearing and a brand new Dana 44 wheel bearing), so I also was completely rebuilding the 44 with a disc brake conversion which took a little longer. Overall, I believe this issue was solved thanks to everyone who pitched in advice.

Thanks for updating the thread with the solution to your issue