Clutch issue & question

jmitchell418

jmitchell418

Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2017
Messages
79
Location
Dandridge, TN
2003 TJ 5 speed.

This morning I noticed my clutch grabbing very quickly upon release... practically instantly. I started to pay attention to any other changes in behavior.

This evening I ran out to the store and it was still biting quickly. Got back in and shifted into 1st. It grabbed quickly as it had all day. Went to shift into 2nd and..... nothing. No resistance at all.... pedal right to the floor. Was able to limp home and park in the driveway. Now, with the engine off, the clutch pedal won't budge at all. Rock solid and I can't start the Jeep.

Not sure if it's related but for the last week there's been a higher pitched whirring that I thought was a belt squealing, but now I'm not sure it wasn't related to this issue. Also, I put an OME 2" lift on it over the summer. Feeling some driveline vibes through acceleration and it almost feels like 1st and 2nd gears are barely grabbing sometimes... more pronounced since it's getting cold up in the northeast.

Any thoughts as to where I should start troubleshooting? I'm capable of doing the work but just don't know if there's any specialty tooling required. And I have downloaded the FSM and Parts manuals too. Thanks for any help!

Joe

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Mine did about the same thing; got stuck in 2nd and the pedal did nothing. Throw out bearing was toast along with the pilot bearing. Yours is likely frozen up. Time for a new clutch. LUK is the one usually recommended and what I used. It's not an overly tough job but I recommend buying or renting a trans jack. I bought the Harbor Freight 100 model.
 
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I agree with Rob5589, but I want to stress changing your pilot bearing for sure when you are in there. I am not sure if the clutch comes with one or not but if it does replace it and if it doesn't get one an replace it. they can be tricky but definitely worth it especially with what you say is going on.

The pilot bearing is the little bearing or bushing that is inside of your crankshaft that holds your input shaft of your transmission in place. If that gets hogged or warn it will scream like a belt putting your clutch in or taking it off. It will mostly go away when you are all the way in or all the way out. Your throw-out bearing will scream only when you press the clutch pedal. Your throw-out bearing shouldn't be touching anything if your foot is off of the clutch unless something is wrong.

It sounds like your throw-out bearing is binding up. You may need a throwout bearing collar too. make sure you inspect that too. It is the sleeve your throw-out bearing rides on. It is hard to say what is going on without looking at it,

The fact that you could depress your pedal with no tension then it was frozen makes it sound like your something came apart and maybe bound up in the clutch cover.

I would also check your hydraulics for leaks. (clutch master/slave)
The fact that you said you lost all tension leads me to believe you may have a hydraulic issue also unless your t/o bearing came totally apart then got stuck in the cover. I would inspect the hydraulics just in case.

I believe you can get a LUK clutch from Amazon for a pretty good deal.
 
Thanks Rob5589 and ac_. I appreciate your input. I'll drop the tranny this weekend and see what's going on.

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Well, I found the problem. The ToB completely shattered. Shitty plastic housing. The guy I had do my clutch 2 years ago didn't upgrade and I didn't ask. So I'm in for a new fork (galled) , ToB, fork ball and retaining clip. The clutch looks good. While I'm in there I'll change the pilot bearing as recommended and take a look at the RMS. I had that replaced with the clutch but I'm still leaking oil. And I'll going to replace the oil pan gasket and the valve cover gasket both of which are damp with oil.

Oh, and I scored the jack yesterday at Pep Boys for $69 regularly $145. It handled the tranny with ease.

3ee92b89d84ce3096efc4e99af9e9e59.jpg
 
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jmitchell418 said:
Well, I found the problem. The ToB completely shattered. Shitty plastic housing. The guy I had do my clutch 2 years ago didn't upgrade and I didn't ask. So I'm in for a new fork (galled) , ToB, fork ball and retaining clip. The clutch looks good. While I'm in there I'll change the pilot bearing as recommended and take a look at the RMS. I had that replaced with the clutch but I'm still leaking oil. And I'll going to replace the oil pan gasket and the valve cover gasket both of which are damp with oil.

Oh, and I scored the jack yesterday at Pep Boys for $69 regularly $145. It handled the tranny with ease. View attachment 26044
Click to expand...

Score!! Nice Jack. There are definite rewards doing it yourself.
 
Finally getting around to replacing the clutch, ToB, fork, fork clip, pivot ball, and the pilot bearing. To remove the pilot bearing, I used the wet paper method (as seen on You Tube) and it worked like a champ. I didn't use the LUK ToB since it was a composite sleeve. I ordered a Crown Automotive one with a cast sleeve.

89d40eb66e810ee89280488bc6ff233d.jpg

3cfc01a86eab56a932740858dc2f2cf2.jpg



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Questions about the install:
- the tranny vent located on the upper left side...where is the vent tube supposed to be routed? There is no tube on mine, just the 90* stub facing upward
- the two uppermost torx head bolts - any idea what size the bolt is? I found that I have a cheap hex head bolt there and would like to replace it with a flanged hex head bolt unless there's a compelling reason to stick with torx. FSM p/n is J400 7389 bolt, torx. No size listed.

Oh, the torx bolts are the upper bell housing to engine bolts and I have the 4.0L 6cyl engine.

Thanks!


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If you can get a bushing instead of a bearing you will likely get longer life. It seems it should be opposite but a pilot bushing seems to hold up longer than the bearing does.
 
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