3 days changing clutch and still going

I finally got my trans back in after over coming many problems. I was very excited finally. Until I found out it didn't work. It seems to grab good with the clutch linkage short but I can't shift without grinding. With the cutch linkage an inch or two longer(thats alot!) I am finally able to shift through gears, but it grabs high and I don't think its fully engaging. I am wondering if anyone knows any common mistakes that an amateur would make changing a clutch. Maybe the trowout bearing isn't sitting right (even though I swear it is). The clutch disk said "flywheel side". So I installed it accordingly. But the illustration in the FSM showed the disk installed opposite. I went with what the clutch disk said.

I can look through the boot and see the ball and spring are installed right. The washer is intact too. Its a borg warner stock clutch. Any obvious solutions?

 

Strider, Now when you say flywheel, this is toward the front of the vehicle? Some amateurs confuse the pressure plate with the flywheel. The pressure plate is what you installed at the same time as the clutch disc. It is toward the rear of the Jeep. Did you before assembling the cluch, try to spin the disc while pressing it (lightly by hand) against the flywheel? If so did it hit the flywheel bolts, or did it clear these bolts with no problems? May we ASSUME that you replaced the pilot bushing/bearing in the center of the crankshaft? This is what the transmission input shaft rides in. If so did you check that the input shaft still turns freely in it? Is the new throw out bearing the same lenth as the old one (within 1/16 of an inch)? Please tell us that you did not use the bell housing bolts to "suck" the transmission up against the engine! It slid into place with just a small amount of pressure. Sucking the bellhousing up to the engine with these bolts can and will break things.
These are some of the common mistakes that a "newbe" or rookie will make. This is an expensive way to learn, but you do learn. I hope this helps, Matt W.

 

Uh oh. I did use the bell housing bolts to suck it in :/ Its the only way it woul go in. we struggled for hours with the tranny perfectly lined up and it wouldn't slide in. we used the bolts and it slid in hard but smooth. with all due respect, it was a very tight fit between the alignment shaft and the new clutch. you had to tap the new clutch on and off the alignment tool...so i didn't see it being that unusual taht the tranny didn't just slide in.

I did install the "flywheel side" towards the flywheel, and I did change the pilot bushing.

Come to think of it, the fork had alot of play that took alot of adjustment to get out. kinda seemed like maybe one of the tangs on the fork didn't catch the throw out bearing? I could be compleetly wrong tho. probably am, i took alot of caution putting it in. if it is off, can i catch it through the opening the boot is inwithout droping the tranny? please say yes. please please say yes.

 

Strider, when you speak of "grabbing low, and grabbing high" are you speaking of the clutch pedal itself?

I just adjusted the clutch in my 75, hanging pedals (should make no difference) and my clutch "grabs high" when properly adjusted, if I understand you correctly.

You should be able to push on your pedal about 1" (check a manual for the proper spec for your 57) with very little effort before you feel any resistance. This distance is called free play, there is a proper spec for it for your year/engine in almost any manual, Chiltons, Haynes, FSM, if you have one.

A good clutch will disengage without you having to push the pedal anywhere near the floor of the jeep. All the action takes place within the last 2" or so of the upper pedal travel.

I'm thinking you're right in the ballpark, adjustment wise. Find yourself the proper spec and adjust and drive it. I'll bet you'll be a happy camper. Don't panic and tear stuff apart until you have tried this.

Sometimes folks get so used to driving with a worn clutch you have to stomp to the floor to get it to disengage, they freak out when they get a new clutch....

 

I can adjust it to the extreme one way and it will fully disengage but not even think about engaging. adjust it to the extreme the other way and it will fully engage but not come close to disengaging. Adjust it in the middle and with the pedal all the way in, it dosn't fully disengage, and with the pedal all the way out, it dosn't fully engage.

The clutch plate said "flywheel side" on the side with the longer hub. all the books show the cluth plate going in opposite of that, with the hub towards the pressure plate.

This is breaking my heart. I just painted it olive drab and want to drive it around town and get it muddy. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

The only things i can think of are A) was the clutch disc lined up perfectly, you should slowly tighten the pressure plate while pushing the alignment tool in and out, once it is fully tightened, you should be able to slide the alignment tool in and out easily with your pinkie, otherwise it would be very difficult to get the trans on/ may create hard shifting and B) Wrong pilot bushing, my friend was given the wrong one by the parts guy, but didn't figure it out until it would not shift right when put together . . . just my thoughts

 

Bummer. Looks like you'll have to dive in. The only thing I can think of is wrong parts also. Pilot or throwout. Did you compare old with new before assembly?

 

I put a clutch plate in backwards a long time ago, and have heard of it done here a few times. I've never heard anyone who could disengage it when it was installed incorrectly. I don't think that's your problem.

I'd get it close and drive it a few miles, see what happens.

 

What brand of clutch? I'm installing a Centerforce I in my 1973 and the throwout bearing isn't correct. It's significantly shorter than the old one, and it doesn't even fit over the shaft (bearing ID too small). I ordered the correct part number from Quadratec but the throwout was wrong. The pilot matched with the original 304 that was in the Jeep, but the engine I was installing was not original and the pilot in this engine had smaller ID. I wonder how often this has been missed when swapping engines? One way and it won't go together. The other way it will go together but the tranny shaft will be completely unsupported.

Chilly

 

The side with the longer hub does go towards the pressure plate. It sounds like your clutch was marked wrong.

 

Did you adjust both rods? Horizontal one is very touchy. The one that comes through the floor, not so much. 1/2" on the horiz makes a big difference.

 

Yea, I adjusted just the horizontal one. Never in my life have I messed with the vertical one. Its a stock cj5 clutch. borg warner (SP?) I thoguht this would only take one day. I'm about to take it to a shop and have them do it. Nah, just kidding. i'd never.

 

Ugghhh, I dont like reading this thread, as I need to look at a new clutch here soon. But I guess this is the best place to ask, as someone that has never done clutch work before, is it possible to do this in a weekend.

 

my opinion is that if you used the b-h bolts to "suck" the transmission together with the b-h you ended up bending the clutch disc hub, which is contributing to your engagement/disengagemnet problem.

you absolutely have to get the input shaft to slide through the clutch, and seat itself in the pilot bushing, without using any bolts to help it. if it doesn't slide together, no matter how perfectly aligned you think it is, it isn't aligned perfectly yet. when you tear back into it, look very closely at the clutch disc hub. the center will probably be distorted, with cracks around the centrifugal springs.

wally

 

it can be done, but you need patience. don't force anything together. when things are aligned correctly, they'll slide together with virtually no effort.

 

Did you check the new pilot bearing by fitting it over the end of the tranny input shaft before you installed it?

 

Went in there on day 4, my third time seperating the tranny. flipped the clutch disc around and everything works amazing. I can't believe the difference. Borg warner labeled "flywheel side" on the wrong side. The hub does indeed stick out. thanks guys

 

Good to hear everything worked out!

 

I find it interesting that you could not easily remove the alignment tool when installing. I found out the hard way that the 4X4 shop here ordered the wrong clutch disc for my swap The Ford disc I needed had an input shaft diameter of 1-1/8 inch, but they gave me a Chevy disc with a shaft diameter of 1-1/16 inch. Alignment tool DID fit tightly but not so bad I didn't think I had problems until I went to install the motor, then nothing would slide in as it was supposed to. On removal the disc (a new Centerforce 2 which is still taking up space on my parts shelf ) showed some scratches around the splines which prompted me to break out a micrometer and measure.Yep,,wrong one. It's possible you just wound up with the wrong parts. When you "sucked it on" with the bell housing bolts you might have tightened it or distorted it to the point where it worked intermittently or sporadically. It is also possible it was labeled incorrectly, so when you tear it back down if the splines fit right you need to double check which way the hub faces and try reinstalling it.

Either way,,sounds like your going to have to tear it back down in order to fix it right if the advice from others here to adjust it to where it will marginally engage and disengage and drive it several miles doesn't get you positive results.