I have a 1998 2.5l with the ax-5 manual tranny. SHORT VERSION AT THE BOTTOM
So on the 11th of June after not driving my TJ for a week or two and not noticing any problems when I parked it last, I went to start it and drive off after oil started flowing. It went into 1st just fine no resistance or anything but I noticed it felt “off” when I was letting off the clutch in 1st, but I drove it regardless summing it up to not driving her for a little. About half way down my 15 min drive it started making strange and honestly crazy ass noises. So probably not for the best but I doubt it did anything problematic. I drove it the rest of the way to where I was going and then 4 hours later I went home (another 15 min drive) and I parked it and started to pull it apart that night. By the next morning I had it pulled apart and started ordering parts. I put on and fixed stuff until all the parts came in and I could put it all back together. I replaced the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, clutch fork pivot, clutch fork spring, and I flushed the clutch fluid using this procedure (a few separate mechanics I know and myself had all concluded it to be the TOB before I tore anything apart but I replaced so much due to “while I’m in there”syndrome)
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-bleed-replace-your-clutch-fluid.24126/Once I get everything out back together I row through the gears while she’s not running and everything slides in very nicely and everything feels great. I start it up and there’s a new noise but I’m 90% sure it’s a belt pulley because that’s where the sound appears to be coming from. I even put my ear onto the bell housing to hear if that’s where the sound was coming from and it wasn’t. I sum the noise up to just being a pulley going out or cleaning rust off since I washed the engine bay after replacing the valve cover gasket due to that failing as well. I didn’t run the engine after washing due to it being disassembled so the noise is most likely a belt pulley. I go to shift into 1st and it’s hard to shift into, not grinding but just hard, 2nd the same, 3rd fairly easy, 4th easy, now at first I couldn’t shift into 5th or reverse at all. After taking off the slave cylinder and checking to make sure it’s seated in the clutch fork well and checking the fluid level, I was able to shift into 5th but still no reverse. It also caused all the other gears to shift much easier and just all slid together except reverse. When I go to shift into reverse I hear a slight grinding some of the time and sometimes it just kinda feels like there’s a wall there. I’ve tried plying with the clutch while shifting into reverse, I feel like some time it started to mate up but just didn’t go in (could be too much hope making me hear something). I also have tried to shift quickly between 1st and then reverse and the same for 5th. Basically anything that I could find on the forms about hard reverse shifting or hard shifting in general I tried. I run thicker than recommended gear lube due to the heat in the summertime here, but even in the winter I’ve never had a problem shifting before.
SHORT VERSON
I replaced the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, clutch fork pivot, clutch fork spring, and I flushed the clutch fluid. (TOB went bad on me one day) when not running I can shift in between every gear with the clutch engaged and not engaged (always been normal for me). When I start it I don’t hear any strange noises from the transmission area. I go to shift into 1st and it feels hard, 2nd the same, 3rd easier, 4th easy, 5th nope, reverse nope. I take off the slave cylinder and check the fluid level as well. I make sure it’s seated in the clutch fork and bolt it back on. I start the jeep all gears are easy but still no reverse. Slight grinding sound sometimes, other times it feels like a walls there.
I’m sorry for how long the long version was but I just wanted to go into as much detail as possible while it’s still fresh in my head.
I’m thinking it might be the slave cylinder or something with the hydraulic system.
I’m 80% sure I installed the clutch facing the right side. (Very hot out, trying to hurry up it slipped my mind to double check) but from my understanding that would cause me to not disengage the clutch AT ALL which I’m doing when I shift into any of my other gears. So I think that’s just me worrying too much.
What do y’all think?? Hydraulic system or something I did wrong or could it be something in the transmission internally??
So on the 11th of June after not driving my TJ for a week or two and not noticing any problems when I parked it last, I went to start it and drive off after oil started flowing. It went into 1st just fine no resistance or anything but I noticed it felt “off” when I was letting off the clutch in 1st, but I drove it regardless summing it up to not driving her for a little. About half way down my 15 min drive it started making strange and honestly crazy ass noises. So probably not for the best but I doubt it did anything problematic. I drove it the rest of the way to where I was going and then 4 hours later I went home (another 15 min drive) and I parked it and started to pull it apart that night. By the next morning I had it pulled apart and started ordering parts. I put on and fixed stuff until all the parts came in and I could put it all back together. I replaced the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, clutch fork pivot, clutch fork spring, and I flushed the clutch fluid using this procedure (a few separate mechanics I know and myself had all concluded it to be the TOB before I tore anything apart but I replaced so much due to “while I’m in there”syndrome)
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/how-to-bleed-replace-your-clutch-fluid.24126/Once I get everything out back together I row through the gears while she’s not running and everything slides in very nicely and everything feels great. I start it up and there’s a new noise but I’m 90% sure it’s a belt pulley because that’s where the sound appears to be coming from. I even put my ear onto the bell housing to hear if that’s where the sound was coming from and it wasn’t. I sum the noise up to just being a pulley going out or cleaning rust off since I washed the engine bay after replacing the valve cover gasket due to that failing as well. I didn’t run the engine after washing due to it being disassembled so the noise is most likely a belt pulley. I go to shift into 1st and it’s hard to shift into, not grinding but just hard, 2nd the same, 3rd fairly easy, 4th easy, now at first I couldn’t shift into 5th or reverse at all. After taking off the slave cylinder and checking to make sure it’s seated in the clutch fork well and checking the fluid level, I was able to shift into 5th but still no reverse. It also caused all the other gears to shift much easier and just all slid together except reverse. When I go to shift into reverse I hear a slight grinding some of the time and sometimes it just kinda feels like there’s a wall there. I’ve tried plying with the clutch while shifting into reverse, I feel like some time it started to mate up but just didn’t go in (could be too much hope making me hear something). I also have tried to shift quickly between 1st and then reverse and the same for 5th. Basically anything that I could find on the forms about hard reverse shifting or hard shifting in general I tried. I run thicker than recommended gear lube due to the heat in the summertime here, but even in the winter I’ve never had a problem shifting before.
SHORT VERSON
I replaced the clutch, pressure plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, clutch fork pivot, clutch fork spring, and I flushed the clutch fluid. (TOB went bad on me one day) when not running I can shift in between every gear with the clutch engaged and not engaged (always been normal for me). When I start it I don’t hear any strange noises from the transmission area. I go to shift into 1st and it feels hard, 2nd the same, 3rd easier, 4th easy, 5th nope, reverse nope. I take off the slave cylinder and check the fluid level as well. I make sure it’s seated in the clutch fork and bolt it back on. I start the jeep all gears are easy but still no reverse. Slight grinding sound sometimes, other times it feels like a walls there.
I’m sorry for how long the long version was but I just wanted to go into as much detail as possible while it’s still fresh in my head.
I’m thinking it might be the slave cylinder or something with the hydraulic system.
I’m 80% sure I installed the clutch facing the right side. (Very hot out, trying to hurry up it slipped my mind to double check) but from my understanding that would cause me to not disengage the clutch AT ALL which I’m doing when I shift into any of my other gears. So I think that’s just me worrying too much.
What do y’all think?? Hydraulic system or something I did wrong or could it be something in the transmission internally??
