Clutch Replacement

Thanks Focker.
The method is Ideally suited to field repairs.
Most hardcore rigs have a rollbar and most Jeepers carry a come-along.
The chain type come along is a very hady tool.

 

I'll have to take a closer look, but I don't think that the bellhousing on a V6 has enough firewall clearance to allow for clutch replacement.

 

Wasn't a problem to remove the V6 bellhousing in my 2A.
Should be even more room on a CJ5.
How it was done at the dealership.

 

I agree with pulling the transmission and transfer case as a unit. I am 56 and did mine last year by myself using some jack stands and an ATV floor jack (with some wood blocks). After the clutch is installed, I used some some long bolts with the heads cut off and screwed them into the transmission to bell housing adapter so they can act as a guide for aligning the transmission to the bell housing. Worked pretty well. When the input shaft of the transmission is finally seated in the pilot bushing you just unscrew the guide bolts by hand or with vise grips (if tight) and then install the stock bolts with heads.

 

That engine sits awfully damn close to the firewall...I don't see how it could work that way.

 

No experience with this engine, but you need to support the back end of the engine with a jack. Lower the jack a little to tilt the bell housing down. No problem.

 

I fabbed up a plate from 1/4 in. sheet metal. Drilled holes to match the skid plate mount holes in the crossmember. Found a socket that matched the hole in my floor jack, and welded it to the plate. bolted the plate to the cross member and used my floor jack to handle the trans & tcase. Being bolted to the plate, and stud (socket) snug down in the floor jack, it was quite stable. Not much room with the bell on the trans. may have to separate, trans down first, then remove the bell.

 

And a cordless 3/8 imact dewalt or Milwaukee makes the work go alot faster also.

 

Pull the trans and t-case.

I just R&R'd mine last week. Got a trans jack at HF on sale for $99. I'm 61, ten years ago I did it without a trans jack. Similar to what BJHitson60 noted above I cut the heads off some long carriage bolts to guide the bellhousing to the block. Had a bottle jack under the rear of the oil pan to adjust engine angle (just a little). Trans in 2nd to rotate the output yoke to align the splines while bringing the two together.

As you can see from the picture below, with the floor pans removed there is easy access to the bellhousing. In fact you can do a fair amount of wrenching from above.

 

I didn't think pulling the floor pans would allow access to the whole bellhousing but it's apparent from the pic above that it does.
Thanks for posting!

 

Thanks James!
I went ahead and bought a HF jack (my truck will need a clutch soon too) but I could always use a helping hand!

 

I've done it this way several times. A small jack can help align things as needed.

 

I have pulled my Trans and TC with a Cherry Picker, I put a 5/16" eye bolt in the right rear trans cover bolt hole, it picks pretty level, let it down on a rug and drug it out. It helps if you lay the windshield down. I had a leak at the cluster shaft at the front of the case, took me two tries to find it. Putting the throw out bearing and fork in right is the tricky part. I have done it this way four times, last year rebuilt the Transfer case. Never thought about leaving the bell housing on the trans, Good luck what ever you do.

 

X2 on the motorcycle jack. Mine is rated at 1500 lbs. And I would put the Heep up on jack stands as high as possible. Unless you are planning on rolling the vehicle out of the way once you have the trann/tc disconnected from the bell housing.

On the other hand, lifting the engine out to do the clutch, means you can get the clutch area up where you can work on it while either sitting on a rollaway stool, or standing. Pulling the tranny/tc means you gotta do the clutch replacement under the vehicle. So my vote goes for taking it in and having it done. If you have the money to do that.

 

Take a hack saw and cut a straight groove a big screwdriver will fit into, then you can unscrew it that way.

In my '63 GMC with V6, I used long bolts as guides by getting the tranny close enough to slide the bolts in and screw them in with a handwrench. Then removed and replaced them with the socket wrench when the other four or so bolts were in and snug. That was a long time back, some time in the mid-'80's.

 

The tub was installed after the engine and Trann/tc were already in place. Maybe lifting the tub off and out of the way would be best? then replace all the pucks for the tub while you are at it. They probably need replacing anyway.

 

Yep-way easier than pulling the engine. Getting the probably rusted floor plate off to pull the transmission tower is usually the most difficult task.

I'm another one who lets no one else touch my old Jeeps. The JK? Anything mechanical I do but that can buss electronics is another story----not to mention a pain in the posterior.

 

Just dropped my Trans, T-Case, Overdrive, and PTO. This method worked great.