Hard clutch pedal

I just replaced the clutch in my 71. Checked all the new parts with the old and they were the same. I also had to replace the clutch fork because the clips for the pivot were broken. The first time I tired to disengage the clutch the cable broke. Are new clutches normally this tough or is something else wrong?

 

Check this thread for some good info.

http://www.earlycj5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19887

 

OMG go with the clutch chain from AA. my 68 (oddfire/t-14/t-18/) would loose the clutch rod everytime i went out on the trails (i actually fell off of a 5 foot cliff cause clutch went out and it took off.)
it had flat spots that would cause it to lurch when i let out the clutch pedal on the highway and the back tire would chirp.
once i installed the AA chain/gear, it was smooth as silk. chain operates smoothly through the whole motion of the pedal with no jerks nor jumps.

**one thing you must watch for**
when you install it, tuck it up in there as good as ya can. i bottomed out on sand with the current placement of my chain, and it froze motion. i managed to get the clutch in, but once in, it wouldnt come out (can you say push the jeep in the sand? ) =\

anyway, it was the best $100 i spent on this jeep.

 

I just orderd the AA chain clutch controller, hope it does the trick. It sounds like it's the way to go. Thanks for the info

 

Be careful, though. If the clutch fork is somehow install wrong, or something is completely stopping it from moving, you'll need to address that before applying pressure with the AA unit. You don't want to get in and stomp the pedal and have the clutch fork snap, or break the bellhousing.

If the springs on the new clutch are just tighter than the old clutch, and the cable was already weak, causing it to break - the chain will solve that problem. But I'd sure try to figure out a way to acctuate the clutch fork by hand (or with a pry bar) before using the AA unit.

Clear as mud?

 

As far as I can tell the clutch fork is moving freely. I was able to dissengage the the clutch by tighening the nut on the cable before I tried pushing in the pedal, all though it looks as if the throwout bearing is riding on the pressure plate springs. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be doing that or not?

 

I had the same problem with my clutch cables until I installed a new clutch fork and realigned the whole works. It now works smoothlyand actually quite easily. Have not popped a cable in over two years. There was also a thread about someone building their own just using some pulleys and cables available from hardware stores.

 

I snapped mine a couple weeks ago and just used a quicklink-turnbuckle-quicklink set up. It allowed adjustment with the turn buckle, side to side movement to help with binding, and I forget how many pounds it would hold. More than enough, and cost me under 5 bucks.

 

The advance adapters website claims the chain conversion doesn't work on a 70 or 71 model, am i wrong?

 

That thread about pulleys and cable was me. It works so good I can do it by hand. I'll try to attach some pics. the only time I have a pronblem is when it is really twisted up.

 

you have something bindind it ---the fork should move easy back and forth with little effort---sounds like you have something not back in the right place