calmain13

This morning I started to go out, XJ was already in Reverse, so I backed out, put it into 1st and started out. The pedal came back up off the floor only about 2/3 of the way. Pressing the pedal and trying to shift, won't go into any gear, so I coasted backwards into the parking space.
No unusual noise from the clutch when running. I looked under the Jeep and watched what I assume is the slave cylinder while someone else pumped the clutch pedal. I couldn't see anything going on, didn't look like there was any fluid coming out. I may not have been looking at the right thing. This was a black plastic tube thing on the driver's side going into the housing, and it looks like the photos of a slave cylinder.
The master cylinder has what seems to be plenty of fluid in the reservoir, I did notice some wetness around the part where the reservoir joins the little neck that goes into the firewall, but after drying it off and pumping the pedal, I didn't see any more.
Looking inside at the place where the pushrod comes thorugh the firewall and attaches to the pedal mechanism, I see a little fluid around the rubber seal which surrounds the pushrod, but there's no large amount of fluid either on the firewall, the fusebox, or on the floor of the cabin.
Pumping the pedal and trying to shift does nothing, the pedal doesn't return to the origianl position unles I pull it up the rest of the way, and it feels mushy.
I did "feel" a small pop or crack when I was pushing the pedal after I first got into the Jeep this morning.
Any ideas? Master cylinder bad, slave cylinder? Could I have broken some part of the actual pedal mechanism?
What other 'tests' can I do to figure out what the problem is?
Please understand that I have no experience with clutches. My maintenence extends only to changing oil and filter, fuel filter, plugs, wires, cap&rotor, etc.

calmain13

Anybody?

xer0

it sounds familiar to the same issue i had on my ax5 on my 94 yj.

yes that black thing on the driver side is your salve.

i tried replacing the master cylinder and had no luck, i broke the line that runs down to the salve when i was uninstalling the master. after that i could never get a good seal when i tried to fix the line.

i ended up just buying an other new set up but a full set up master and slave already filled with the fluid form a part store (cant remember what chain store i got it from). and after that my clutch worked liek a champ.

as in labor. easy fix i did it abotu a year ago and have sold my yj since then but if i rember correctly it was 4 bolts 5/8" and a pin that attached the master to the easy fix

but my advise is get the entire assembaly it makes it easyer in the end.

calmain13

Thanks.

BuckB91XJ

Sounds to me like your Clutch Master Cylinder is worn out. The rubber seal on the end of the piston in the master cylinder can be worn and letting fluid by within the cylinder bore. This condition would give you the mushy pedal, no return of the pedal and there for no actuation of the slave cylinder allowing you to shift your tranny. It can also do all of this without leaking a drop of fluid into the outside air.

calmain13

Thanks for that. I'm actually hoping it's "only" the master cylinder. don't want to think too long about having to take off the bell housing and playing around inside with the actual clutch.

Any big chance that one of the damper springs broke off and lodged somewhere in there, not allowing the clutch to disengage? Someone mentioned that, but I would've thought there would have been some noise or something if that happened.

BuckB91XJ

There would have been noises that you definitely would have heard if things started departing your clutch inside the bellhousing. I had this same problem many times with my Toyletta truck. 3 times it was the master cylinder and 2 times it was the slave cylinder.

calmain13

Well, either I just made a discovery, or I broke something. I was out there mashing(a nice southern way of saying pressing) the pedal and pulling it back to the proper height, and then I must've pulled with too much authority because ***Boom* and the pedal came up MUCH higher than normal. I thought "OH crap! Now I broke the pedal too."
I looked and the pedal mech seems intact, but now there's some nice nasty brake fluid oozing out of the "weep" holes on the rubber boot where the rod from the MC comes into the firewall and attaches to the pedal. Messing with the pedal more(why not?) results in what looks like much more of the rod and maybe something else coming through the boot opening.....
Holy Moley. If the MC wasn't bad before, it appears to be now!

BuckB91XJ

Sounds like you muscle F****** the whole piston right out of the master cylinder bore. Sounds like we use a common rule of thumb. "If it won't go, force it and if it breaks you needed a new one anyway".

xer0

lol good job. you can go the route of just replacing the master, just dont break any thing like i did. then all u have two nuts on the fire wall and two pins, one on the peddel and hte other on the master where it connects to the hose.

when i was replacing mine i did look on the internet alot and soem ppl say dont just replace the master or salve, get teh whole package from the part store ( master/salve and the hose all connected and primed rdy to just be installed) they said becuases u can run in to issues with geting a good seal with the new master and old hose. others swear u cna jsut replace the master and you will be ok. it is all opion and waht u want to do. if i didnt sell my wrangler i woudl still have an extra new master i coudl give you.

but it does soudn like you need to replace the master. $50-70 part and $5 in brake fluid. easy fix just need a nail to push out the pin in the master and a ratchet or wrench set

calmain13

Relieved if the master was the original problem...

Hey Buck, I'm right across the water and south of you a bit.

calmain13

Oh yeah, I also cracked the clutch pedal shaft.

wicked_xj

Mine did this the guy thought it was a slave cylinder turned out to be the master cylinder 50 parts easy fix. Thats why I got my 2dr for $250

aircruiser

had this problem with my friends yj..theres a little sleeve coming off the tranny housing..the seal had popped off and a hose clamp later..good as before