clutch or transmission trouble

Over the last 2-3 days of moderate highway driving, my manual transmission jeep has gotten noticeably harder and harder to shift (not wanting to go into gear, especially the lower gears.) Yesterday, I was having to double, triple, and quadruple clutch just to get it to go into gear.

Today I started it up and went to drive it, starting it on a level surface. In doing so I noticed that even when the clutch is all the way to the floor... the jeep is still pulling lightly forward in 1st and 2nd gear, and backward in reverse!

Holy crap! It's not supposed to do that when the clutch is all the way in!!!

I suspect I've probably got major transmission problems, but I thought I would ask here and see if there are any relatively simple quick-fixes I could try first, before I turn my wallet over to a transmission shop.

This is a 25 year old jeep, but the transmission and clutch (NV4500 and Centerforce III) are allegedly new as of 10,000 miles ago.

Reply to
sm3gurpal
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Probably needs to be bled. Or Master cylinder is going bad. Probably both.. Nick

Reply to
Nick N

Sounds like you have a bad clutch master or slave cylinder, or if you have a manual linkage setup, an adjustment issue. Relatively inexpensive to fix.

Reply to
Jerry McG

You have a leak in your hydralic system. Slave, Master or both. Check your fluid level. Top it off and see what happens.

Scott

Reply to
reconair

I suspect you have clutch issues not transmission. Does it grind when trying to go into reverse at a standstill?

That makes it a 79 model (or so), so there will not be any hydraulics associated with the clutch. It may just be a linkage adjustment. When you release the clutch, where does it begin to catch in relation to the floorboard?

Reply to
JimG

Clutch isn't releasing all the way. It's either a hydraulic problem (low fluid, bad slave, bad master, etc.) or possibly the clutch disc hanging-up on the tranny input shaft because of rust, wear, etc. I had the latter problem on my 94 when I first bought it - previous owner let it sit for about a year which caused the clutch to "almost" disengage completely after it warmed up. The tranny input shaft just needed a bit of grease to make that disc slide well again. Working fine for almost two years since. 10K is pretty soon to have issues with the clutch hanging up though unless you've been through lots of messy stuff or it wasn't done right the first time, so I'd probably suspect hydraulic issues first.

-jd

Reply to
jdarg

The OP said it was a "25 year old Jeep", which will not have a hydraulic clutch.

JimG

Reply to
JimG

So let me take out my crystal ball and try to guess what kind of Jeep it is...

Nope, ball is cloudy. ;-)

Well if it is a CJ, they have an inspection of the clutch linkage. It is adjustable, but my guess is something has come loose or has worn out because of no grease or something.

CJ's have mechanical linkages.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

sm3gurpal wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

You have a hydraulilc system that connects the clutch pedal to the clutch. By the description you give, the master cylinder is either toast, or empty. If toast, it must be replaced, if empty it must be filled and bled.

Reply to
CRWLR

WHOA!

I said that you had a master cylinder problem, but I said that before I got to the part where you said you have a 25-year old Jeep. You ought to have a mechanical linkage instead of a hydraulic one.

I think your troubles are rooted in the linkage and not the clutch itself.

Reply to
CRWLR

Not to sound like a total doofus, but, this is something I don't know anything about. Where should I look for the hydraulic cylinders, and what am I looking for?

Reply to
sm3gurpal

Most definitely... assuming I can even get it into gear. (I have been having to turn off the ignition and shift it with nothing running to get it to go in.)

Yes but as I said, it is an aftermarket Centerforce III clutch, much newer than 79.

It may just be a linkage adjustment. When you

Not sure I understand your question. It is still engaged slightly even when the clutch is all the way depressed; I can't get it to disengage.

Reply to
sm3gurpal

Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

I was referring to the model of the Jeep... is it a 79? It would help if you let us know exactly what you have (make, model, engine, transmission).

Your clutch is definitely not adjusted properly or the linkage is defective.

JimG

Reply to
JimG

NV4500 uses hydraulics.

Reply to
jdarg

Why?

Or better on what application?

I mean I just helped a guy put a Mustang engine and T5 in his Jeep and no one could make the stock cable clutch work so I made him a stock CJ clutch linkage that works like a dream.

If the guy wants the right answer, he should post what the heck he has.

Mike

jdarg wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

That manual transmission does not use hydraulics. It may be installed with a clutch/bell housing that use hydraulics. The 79 CJ did not come original with a hydraulic clutch.

The OP needs to give us some more information.

JimG

Reply to
JimG

Oh... sorry, you tell us it was a NV4500 transmission.

Has it been fitted with a hydraulic clutch or not?

JimG

Reply to
JimG

The problem is that I don't know enough to know what I'm looking at. (I did not put this jeep together, I am like the 5th owner.) I have been reliably informed by the previous owner that it has a centerforce III clutch and NV4500 manual transmission.

If that's not enough info to determine whether it's a manual linkage or hydraulic, can you folks tell me roughly what I should look for to figure it out?

I can crawl under there and snap some digital photos and post them to the web if it would help.

Reply to
sm3gurpal

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