Jumpy speedo and grindy gears

Hi all,

Two issues that i am curious about today. My jeep sat for a few days and now it has gotten colder. Yesterday I went out and the speedometer was jumping wildly between 30 and 50 (OK 3 and 5 really) regardless of my actual speed...this is much wilder that the normal slight bounce that typically only covers a few degrees of arc as I accelerate.

It seemed to settle down as the car warmed up...thoughts?

More importantly, I am wondering if there is a clutch throw adjustment i can make...under normal operation I find it is most easy to get into first if i go into third drop to second and then to first. Prevents grindy-ness...so i do this regularly...but sometimes, and this is new, and does not happen often, even at a total standstill I cannot even put it in third without grind grind grind, won't do 2nd or 1st either... it is like the revs are not matching up...so in neutral, at a standstill.... I give it a good rev, let it settle back to idle and it goes into third fine, then easily to 2nd and then 1st. I thought at first it might be that I am not depressing the clutch far enough but even to the floor this can happen so I thought maybe I am not getting enough disengage/reengage with clutch fully depressed.
In my imagination, i want to shorten the travel distance so that I get more action with each clutch pedal depression to the floor....thoughts? New engage/return springs? I've not dug into the trans on this vehicle yet so I do not know all of the operations of the clutch system yet. Done clutches on an old Fiat and a BMW 2002 in the past. Figure this one's even less technical...

BTW...I think the clutch plate surface is fine as I have no dragging, no issues up hills....
Thanks in advance!

 

Sounds like you need to lubricate your speedometer cable. You can unscrew the cable housing from the back of the speedometer, and the core of the cable, the part that turns, will pull out. it may be a little sticky so be gentle and twist it back and forth to free it. Once you get it out, clean it thoroughly..I would use spray brake cleaner and a rag. you can also unscrew the speedo cable housing from the transmission and pull it out that way...if you unscrew both ends you can flush the cable housing with that same brake cleaner. Lubricate the cable core ..I use AC ST 800 General Purpose Lubricant. It is a very light grease that is good from -50 degrees to +210 degrees.....then slide the core back in the housing, make sure the ends engage and you should be good to go.

How much free play do you have in your clutch pedal? How far do you need to push it before you feel resistance? Should be just an inch or two...The book recommends one inch exactly... There is a short cable/clevis just under the drivers floor..you can see it from underneath...and you can make some adjustment there.

 

NICE! I definitely do NOT go into first while moving. It is not possible.

 

As far as pedal play I have at least 2 inches til it really applies any pressure.

 

You may not be dis-engaging enough so you need to tighten the free-play to 1" from top to resistance. That will give more throw and more clutch disk clearance. Make shifting easier.

 

What they said. Also the weight of lube in the transmission and type can have an effect on shifting of the transmission in colder weather.


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