My first JEEP - First clutch change

Hey guys,

Picked up a 1970 CJ5 V6 (all stock) last summer from an old man down the road that had it in his garage since 1971! Since then, I've had a few breakdowns and quickly realized that I was gonna have to learn to work on this thing or sell it! I'm not a mechanic by any stretch, but I've had a ball learning on this one. With that said, My clutch won't disengage. I disconnected the cable from the fork and there is absolutely no resisitance, so.....I've disconnected everything from the transfer case, gear box and unbolted the bell housing. The thing is basically sitting there with a couple bolts in the crossmember and being held up by a floor jack....ready to pull, right? I don't have a fancy transmission jack, just a 3 ton floor jack. At this point, I need advice from someone on how to pull this thing out and get it on the ground safely. the bell housing, gearbox and transfer case are all still bolted together. Would it be advisable to seperate the transfer case from the gearbox, then the gearbox from the bell housing, or try to man handle the whole assemble with someone's help. I don't know how heavy this thing is....don't wanna get myself in a pickle here. Comments??

 

Yes separate it, make sure all of the oil is out of everything.

Do you have a over drive? I just want to make sure. Procedure is different if you do.


and Welcome to the forum

 

It's a 3 speed. Thanks for the response. Im gonna get right on it.

 

one more thing - top of transmission has to come off

 

Hi Jason,
First, welcome to the forum. It helps if your profile shows a location, you may have a nearby member for some on-site help.
Like another member asked, do you have a Warn overdrive installed in this Jeep? This makes considerable difference in the job you face.

Also, are you working on a garage floor or outside on a paved drive? If you are working on a hard floor or paved surface I would strongly suggest going to Harbor Freight and buying one of their medium duty transmission jacks. Get the 800 lb. capacity one, costs about $120 if I recall correctly. With the transmission jack you can safely pull the entire gear train, bellhousing/T14/D18 including an OD if you have one. More importantly you will be able to re-install the entire package working by yourself very easily. The whole geartrain package is too heavy to try and manhandle under the Jeep, and two men just get in each other's way.

If you are working outside on a dirt surface, the jack won't roll unless you put down some plywood or something for it to roll on. The first time I did a clutch on my 1st Jeep I was working outside on a dirt surface with only a floor jack. I separated the D18 from the T90 first, then the T90 came out. The weight is manageable when you separate them under the Jeep but it sure is messy. 90 wt. gear lube in the hair isn't fun.

Make sure you have the back of the engine supported when you pull the geartrain package, whether separately or all together. Without the support of the crossmember, the engine will tilt back and probably break the motor mounts. Last time I did mine, I used a short length of angle iron laid across the top of the radiator support rods that attach to the cowl. From this I attached a short length of chain and a turnbuckle down to the back of the engine block. You will see a large hole in the block casting right above one of the bellhousing bolt hole to attach a clevis through. Make sure all this is secure before you proceed. If you have a turnbuckle in this rigging you can adjust the angle of the engine during the reassemble process. I think this is safer than trying to use a bottle jack under the oil pan, because if the Jeep rolls the bottle jack will fall over letting the the engine drop.

You said there is no resistance after disconnecting the cable from the fork. You mean you can move the fork through its range of travel without feeling any resistance? The fork itself may be broken. You'll have to get the bellhousing off to get that changed.

Don

 

I understand that you understand that your Jeep is not a new model from the factory with a warranty.

I had also to learn a lot, pay and learn.

It took me 3 years to have all "perfect" (My Jeep is in my country house, so we meet occasionally) and it will be faster for you.

Moreover you have for sure some help not far.

So my message is : be patient, one day all will be nice and it is a total pleasure to drive such a car. there is no equivalent.