Clutch Issues...I'm stumped!

Well, spent a good part of the weekend under my '66 CJ-5 (225V6). Took out the transmission and checked the clutch. I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. The clutch itself appears to be in good shape, throwout bearing is OK, bearing fork is NOT BENT, transmission appears to be sound, as does the transfer case. But the action of the clutch (when all together) is so stiff that it stripped the swedged fitting off the end of the cable???? What am I missing here guys? It is a diapharam style clutch, and is a bit stiff, I suppose, but everything looks right. Petals are well greased, will grease up the pivot pin on the throwout fork when I reassemble (need to send for some gaskets first, and a new cable...)

Any of you experts got an idea about this???? Like I said, I'm stumped!

Thanks in advance....

Tom in Frankenmuth

 

don't rule out a defective cable Tom
have seen that many a time
did it also pull the head off of the first cable?

 

where the t/o brg rides on the front trans bearing retainer
does the bearing retainer look good, not worn on one side? any wear marks?
does the t/o brg slide easily on the retainer?
with diaphram clutch, the t/o bearing surface should be rounded type, not squared off

 

Tom I feel your pain, bro. There's nothing worse than feeling the pedal give way knowing that the ferrull at the end of the cable gave way. I went thru 4 cables like that before discovering that the fork was slightly twisted where it held the T.O. bearing. That's why I mentioned to check the fork for tweakness, lol.

Do you have the clutch bellcrank setup....where a rod connects pedal to bellcrank, and a 15"-ish cable connects bellcrank to the fork?

Test linkage: The next time you get everything installed and go to test the clutch, grab/steal a knowledgeable assistant to be in position underneath to watch linkage travel as you attempt (or vice-versa) to put a running V6 into gear. Something may be binding underneath that'd be impossible to know it unless a set of eyes watches each link closely. Cable-stops are available at AutoZone's HELP section if you want to reuse the busted cable-end for testing purposes. Just tighten 1 or 2 of those down at the end.

Test clutch: Disengage the linkage. Attach a come-along ($20 at Big Lots) from the rear x-member to the fork (hook must be centered on the fork-end just as if the cable was pulling it). Start engine in neutral. Go underneath and cinch the come-along a notch or 2 at a time while you peer at the fork travel. Go back up and very carefully attempt to ease the tranny shifter into 1st. If you hear the slightest grind, keep it in neutral and go back and click the come-along lever again and repeat until clutch disengages.

Oh yeah, always be very careful when going underneath the Jeep anytime the engine's running. Don't need anyone run over!
Good luck!!
-Alan

 

The petal seems to push hard (very hard) at the top and get easier as it goes down.

 

The first cable was rusted so badly that it only moved about half as far as it was supposed to, so I replaced it with new and on about the third or fourth push of the petal, stripped the swaged end off...I suppose the second cable could have been defective.....

Tom in Frankenmuth

 

Alan,

Thanks for all the info! I'll take another look at the throwout bearing and the throwout lever. At first glance, they both appear correct and in pretty good shape. This is a possibility that I have the WRONG throwout bearing in place, as at this moment, I don't recall if it had a rounded face or not. Mine has a one piece, 58" cable that runs from the petal boss to the throwout arm in a big swooping curve under the floor. Seems like it would be simple enough, if it would work! I'm calling Krage motorsports today to order up new gaskets and things, I'll get a cable and a throwout bearing too, and hope that this time things go together and work correctly. Don't know when I'll have time to work on this again, as Sunday is our 29th anniversary and the boss lady wants to go to Mackinaw Crossing to see the new show there on Sunday. Perhaps it'll be Laborday before I get under it, and start getting things put back together. If the cost wasn't so darn high, I'd order up one of those chain drive units for the rig, and forget about the darn cable.

Thanks again, to all the guys for the info. I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

Tom in Frankenmuth

 

Tom, the 1 piece cable you mention is the same I use on my Jeep.
You really should be able to push the pedal down with just your hand, it is that easy (my clutch p/plate is the stock factory clutch, not aftermarket)
My cable has been on about 21 years now, and it is still easy to push.
I suspect now, as Alan has mentioned, some type of problem with the fork or fork pivot. If the cable were free and easy before installation, not much left to ponder. There should also be 2 clips on the back of the fork that the t/o collar clips into. Not a major todo if they aren't there, but they do help to hold and align the t/o brg and sleeve. I don't know who/where clutch cables are made today; you might ask.
After reinstallation of trans and t/case but before you hook the cable up, see if you can look into the fork opening with light/mirror and confirm that the fork is positioned properly over the pivot; if not, push it onto the pivot until it seats.
You might also check the fork to make sure the pivot is not starting to "push through" the fork in that area.
All I can offer for now.

 

Tom that 58" cable is exactly the one I have as well. Got 3 semi-ruined ones in my shop, lol. Got my replacement(s) from Krage. As Jim mentioned, there are horseshoe-type clips that hold the cable in place at each end to 2 pieces of installed hardware (one on tranny, other on frame). Those clips are available from Krage as well.

If the cable end isn't too boogered up, you can prolly re-use it by attaching a cable-stop at the end. IMO they hold better than the ferrull. Or, any hardware store has ferrulls and a worker might be happy enough to crimp one on for ya.

 

Guys,

Thanks again for the info. I just got off-line with the Jeepdoc site and ordered the parts I need. I decided to change the throwout bearing and the fork with new ones, as well as the cable and the gaskets I needed, the whole shooting match came to a touch less than $62, plus shipping for a three working day delivery. Not a bad price. I'll stop by the auto parts place an pick up a couple cable stops and see if I can save the old cable as well, so I have a spare. Would like to get the jeep on its feet before the end of September so I can use it to haul trailers when we harvest the pumpkins on the 25th. After that, I need to get the snow plow mounts fabricated and the snow blade in place. I have a sneeking feeling that this is going to be another BIG SNOW winter here in Michigan. Would like to be able to use the jeep to keep the place cleaned up, and work to repaint and restore my little John Deere 830 Utility during the winter.

I'll let you know how things work out, if I get the parts before the long weekend.

Thanks again!

Tom in Frankenmuth