Clutch or master / slave cylinder?

Squbbles

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I’m having problems out of my dang jeep (again)…. She’s a 04 jeep wrangler tj 4.0 5 speed manual…

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!


-started out making whining noise a few weeks ago, the noise was similar to the whine that power steering has been known to make… it done it when the pedal was up. When I would push the pedal in the noise would stop.

Then…….

-I get in my jeep the other morning and push the clutch in and turn the engine over and it’s in 1st Gear and my jeep tried to take off even tho I had the clutch pedal push down…



-going down the road when I push the clutch pedal down and try to shift gears it’s almost like the clutch ain’t doing what it’s supposed to do… almost like I’m floating the gears..



-when I come to a stop sign and stop completely I have to pull it out of gear and it’s not very easy and I have to start it with the clutch in and it jumps forward and starts and takes off… and I was doing that in reverse also….



-so I changed out the master cylinder & slave cylinder for the clutch. I got it from the auto parts store that starts with the letter O. Cost me $223! It was pre-filled and pre-bled. That still didn’t fix the issue…. And a friend of my was dang and determined that it needed to be bled.. I told him it came pre-bled… but he said “I bet u $100 if we bleed the slave cylinder that’ll get it going” so I said “I don’t have $100 to bet but ok we can bleed it”

Well, long story short- we went thru over a half a big bottle of DOT 3 brake fluid! And it didn’t fix it…

The pedal felt like it was building pressure but every time I push the clutch in the jeep started jumping like it did to start with….. but we bled and bled and bled and bled… and i finally just said “FORGET IT!!!!!”

It was like it had tiny air bubbles in it each time I open the bleeder screw on the slave cylinder….





So idk if the air in it was causing the issue of the clutch not working right..



I took some pics on the inside where the rod from the slave cylinder goes… and it looked to be ok.. I’m not sure tho so I’ll post pics of it….



I have a bad feeling that I’m gonna have to put a new clutch kit in my jeep… and this is something that is gonna be WAY over my head…… I know the transmission will have to come completely out of my jeep… makes me nervous just thinking about it… but if that’s gotta be done I’ll do it!!!! I don’t trust any mechanic shops around here….. been there done that and learn my lesson! Plus I’m a single mom and I don’t got a crap ton of money to pay somebody and them half a$$ it….. I want it done right…



Can yall plz give me some advice….? It’s very appreciated…



My jeep is my daily driver and I don’t have a second vehicle to fall back on… I need it fixed like yesterday… I got a side job to work this week to make the money for the clutch kit if that’s what I’m gonna need…



I trust yall… yall ain’t led me wrong and yall don’t talk to me like I’m stupid just because I’m a female…

And I very much appreciate that, yall don’t even know how much!

I posted a pic of inside the hole where the slave cylinder goes…. I think that is the fork 🤔… I know just a tad about transmissions lol I’m hoping this ain’t my clutch…

PS- Clutch is not slipping at all… idk if that helps with diagnosis or not lol if y’all got any questions about it just ask… thanks yall

I also check the fluid in the transmission and had to end up 3/4 of a quart in it..

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Last edited:
I just skimmed it, but it sounds like the slave cylinder to me, maybe? I wasn't far from home, but I had to start the jeep in neutral and use 4-low to crawl home.

I got the Luk, which comes pre-bled.
 
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I just skimmed it, but it sounds like the slave cylinder to me, maybe? I wasn't far from home, but I had to start the jeep in neutral and use 4-low to crawl home.

I got the Luk, which comes pre-bled.

It’s like there’s endless air in it….
 
If that is an O brand master/slave, I would try a LUK.

The throw out bearing shouldn't be spinning when the clutch is up, so your old one may not have been fully releasing causing the whine.
 
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If that is an O brand master/slave, I would try a LUK.

The throw out bearing shouldn't be spinning when the clutch is up, so your old one may not have been fully releasing causing the whine.

The throw out bearing always spins with the pressure plate. The spring in the slave cylinder that you fight against as you bolt the slave down ensures that.
 
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Well, damn, I guess I'm old.

On the mechanical linkages, you were never supposed to ride the clutch as it would keep the throw out spinning.

Guess I was lucky to still have the original throw out bearing working at 270K when the pilot bearing went.
 
I wonder if the O store would give me back my money for the master/slave cylinder I got from them…. I read that Luk was the best to get… And it for sure comes pre-bled…. Idk what I was thinking letting my friend talk me in to bleeding the one I put on that was supposed to be pre-bled…. Do yall know of any auto parts stores that carry the Luk brand….? I’m gonna try that and if it don’t fix it I’ll just have to see if I can find some body I trust to help me change out the whole clutch business…. I’m scared to do it by myself cus it’s a pretty in depth job…..
 
I wonder if the O store would give me back my money for the master/slave cylinder I got from them…. I read that Luk was the best to get… And it for sure comes pre-bled…. Idk what I was thinking letting my friend talk me in to bleeding the one I put on that was supposed to be pre-bled…. Do yall know of any auto parts stores that carry the Luk brand….? I’m gonna try that and if it don’t fix it I’ll just have to see if I can find some body I trust to help me change out the whole clutch business…. I’m scared to do it by myself cus it’s a pretty in depth job…..

Chances are that buying a Luk master/slave cylinder won't help if the one you bought didn't make any difference. I bought one (pre-bled) from AutoZone with a lifetime warranty because Rockauto sent me the wrong Luk part and I had already removed the old one. It fixed my issue but made a click noise every time I depressed the clutch. I got the correct Luk part for $100 and returned the $170 AutoZone part.
 
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If that is an O brand master/slave, I would try a LUK.

The throw out bearing shouldn't be spinning when the clutch is up, so your old one may not have been fully releasing causing the whine.

I’m gonna take the one I got back to the store and get my money back…. $223 is a lot of money….
Would u happen to know the Luk part number for my 04 jeep wrangler tj 4.0…..? I’d like to get one at a local store if possible… like autoZ or advance or some place
 
I’m gonna take the one I got back to the store and get my money back…. $223 is a lot of money….
Would u happen to know the Luk part number for my 04 jeep wrangler tj 4.0…..? I’d like to get one at a local store if possible… like autoZ or advance or some place

Call the store ahead of time. That’s what those guys do. They’ll ask year, make, model, whatcha lookin’ for?
 
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I’m gonna take the one I got back to the store and get my money back…. $223 is a lot of money….
Would u happen to know the Luk part number for my 04 jeep wrangler tj 4.0…..? I’d like to get one at a local store if possible… like autoZ or advance or some place

Look it up on RockAuto or Summit.

-Mac
 
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Call the store ahead of time. That’s what those guys do. They’ll ask year, make, model, whatcha lookin’ for?

Me: Having clutch problems, and I need a slave cylinder for my jeep.

Dude: what year?

Me: 1997

Dude: 4.0 or 2.5L?

Me: 4.0L

Dude: Manual or automatic

Me: ..................here's your sign.
 
It seams like every time I go to my AutoZone down the street there’s someone different behind the counter. All they know is what the computer tells then. I miss the days when the guy behind the counter was an ex mechanic with a bad back. Sadly all the independent parts houses in my town are out of business even our NAPA closed more than 10 yrs ago.
 
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I doubt any local parts stores carry Luk anyway.