newbie clutch problems CJ7

[05renegade]

Ok, I'm new to having a clutch, I have an '82 CJ7 that has had numerous problems with the manual clutch linkage. This is the 3rd time that the bushing closest to the transmission has pulled out. I replaced the linkage bushing,boot, and locking pin again only to have it fail once again only this time the linkage didn't fix the problem. Now my transmission is in neutral whenever the jeep is running and i cannot put it in gear, however if the jeep is not running it feels as though I can go through all the gears. The clutch pedal is non-existent - no resistance at all. I noticed the clutch fork really didn't have any tension either and it appears that the tension spring is still attached. I have a transmission jack ready to pull the transmission and clutch, but I'm hoping that its something easier to fix. I've only had this jeep 1 year and really haven't had a chance to use it. Thank goodness this a toy and not my daily driver. Any help is appreciated. :?|

 

[mud4feet]

OK, first off, I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination......but......I've driven\owned many manual transmissions along the way. That being said, it sounds to me like your problem is not in the linkage..........although I've never really experienced any linkage problems. " The clutch pedal is non-existent - no resistance at all."......sounds to me like you need to drop the transmission and replace the disc/pressure plate. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I've got 120K on my stock clutch ('03 Wrangler) and haven't had any problems yet (other that the pedal pulling out when it gets a notion!!!:shock::shock. But the "pedal being non-existent" sounds like an internal problem to me.......for what it's worth.

 

[05renegade]

That's kind of what I was thinking too. I think its time to learn about clutches!! It's also another excuse to buy more tools! Thanks for your input mud4feet!

 

[Crazy4diesels]

Hey there 05Renegade, Did you get this problem resolved? I'm new here and was looking through the old posts... I had a 78 CJ7 that did the same thing. My belcrank kept popping out of the frame bracket. The little plastic bushing would split apart and the little clip would be gone. This happened several times and finally it got so bad that the clutch no longer worked much at all. I found, upon close looking, that the driver side motor mount was gone which allowed too much engine flex. This would pop the bushing out. New motor mount and I never had the problem again. Best of luck - John

 

[SteelHeadz]

Check Both Engine Mounts, Transmission/t.Case Mount. if it's good, like John said, check the plastic pivot bushings inside the bell crank.i did away with mine after i built a bell crank with bearings in it. more reliable. if the bushings are good, check the Bracket on the body side of the bellcrank and make sure it's not ripping off the sheet metal. if this check passes, remove your transmission and check the pressure plate springs if they all collapsed or just blew up.

 

[05renegade]

That's interesting! Never thought of that! Unfortunately I have already pulled the transmission out. I haven't got to the clutch yet - I have a lot of other stuff going on so I haven't got a chance to work on it as much as I wanted. I have to replace the rear main seal which looks like I need to loosen one of the motor mounts anyway to get the pan off. I'll check the motor mounts then, and then inspect the clutch. I think I'll buy a whole bag of those bushings and clips for the bell crank. At some point I will consider converting to a hydraulic linkage.

Thanks for the advice!