I'll start with the technical problem... but the story is too much to pass up.
I drive a '98 TJ Sahara that I bought brand new and have now racked up
112,000 miles. I know that the clutch wears out and have heard some stories of these babies lasting 125k, but I planned to get mine serviced this winter anyways.Now the clutch is shot, but it didn't happen while I was driving... you'll need to read the whole post to know when that happened. When I depress my clutch, I feel very little resistance and will not release. Even to truly diagnose the problem, I'll need to remove the transmission. When I depress the clutch there is no resistance. The clutch will not release, I can't change gears. I can start in 1st gear and move that way, but that's obviously rather awkward, especially in a city where one needs to stop every few blocks. I am a smart and handy guy and have made some minor repairs on my Jeep before, such as replacing the radiator, windshield wiper motor and linkage, etc... But the clutch is a big job.
So for now I'm driving a rental Mitsubishi Lancer (ARGH!) Anyone want to help? Any suggestions of a mechanic that will help? I don't have a tranny jack, apropriate tools, nothing. But if there's somebody in the city who wants to help, I'm eager to learn, and already know essentially what is entailed in a clutch overhaul. My theory is the clutch throw-out bearing came loose from the fork and just started falling straight through. I read another post with identical symptoms and photos of the fork. I'll pay for the parts and provide beer and good conversation and help, I just don't know enough Jeep people in Chicago to help me out with this caliber project. What's worse, I don't even have a garage! I'm hoping this ordeal will help me make some good Jeep friends in the city to work with and off-road with for years to come.
Now for the back story... the Jeep was stolen last week, on Dec 29th. I had done something stupid... the ignition key cylinder is, let's just say, a tad worn... so I can slide the key out while the engine is running. This allows me to lock the doors and run into the house for quick things and then come back out without putting undue wear on the ignition system. So one night I did just that, ran into a friend's house to drop off some things, 10 minutes later I came back to a missing Jeep. I was beside myself with anger with myself, with the thieves, with the City of Chicago and their inept system... but mostly with myself as leaving the car running in Chicago was inviting this. Oh by the way, I live in the city of Chicago... I KNOW THIS WAS STUPID.
So, the thieves headed their way to the west side with my Milo and I'm sure it was destined to a garage where the wheels would be taken and or at the least it was to be dumped in an out of the way area... *SHAZAM* but the clutch release evidently stopped working about 3 miles into their trip... 3500 W Madison Ave. For those who don't know Chicago, this is a very busy road, and a fairly obviously place to be caught with a stolen vehicle. They stole the stereo and left the car on the side of the road, unable to get the car into gear or turn the engine off, I can only imagine they were in a hurry to get away from a stolen vehicle and I WISH I had seen the look on their face. When I checked the impound lot on Jan 2nd for my plates, they had my Jeep. I feared the worst, but found it in near new condition minus the stereo (of course) and the bad clutch... a roach in the ashtray and a smell that defies explanation. It's since been towed to my parking lot while I try to diagnose the problem.
Thanks for reading, hoping for the best!
- Andy