Steelslinger

I just bartered for a '89 Cherokee Laredo (4.0L, 4x4 w/ 5spd AX-5) from a friend.

The main issue it has is the clutch doesn't engage due to the pedal/hydraulics.

My friend thinks it might be the slave cylinder, but when I looked at it tonight, I'm not as sure.

Master Cylinder is full (albeit a bit dirty) and the pedal just drops to the floor, completely resistance-free, like there is nothing there.

Any way to pin point the problem? or should I just swap the master, and then if its still not working, swap the slave?

99 Purple XJ

If its a 4.0 you have an ax15 and your problem sounds like theyres no fluid in the slave cylinder

jeepokee95xj

My Jeep is a 95 with the AX-5 they didn't change over to the AX-15 till (i think) 97 or 98. Mine has been in the shop 4 days now. Started out as a clutch swap, but when my mechanic got it all back together, my pedal was spongey/sloppy and it wouldn't DISengage completely, like it had air in the system somewhere. This caused it to not want to go in gear at a standstill with the eng running, especially reverse. Anyway he spent 1/2 a day friday tryin to get it to bleed out and pump up with not much luck. I spent 1/2 a day Sat doin the same. When I took it back to him this mornin, I was pretty much of the oppinion that the Master had give up the ghost so to speek, so I told him it's prolly gunna need a master cylinder. He put a new master on it. Same problem, wouldn't pump up. He then called the parts house and told'em to bring a slave. He couldn't get the line out of the old slave so he called me and said, hey man im afraid this line is gunna break if I pull any harder, and I can't get the line from my parts people, so u might wanna check with the dealer to see if they have or can get the line. Of course he'd allready driven out the pin that keeps it from comming out, before someone suggest that we're stupid, lol. Anyway, when i called the dealer to see about the line they told me that they only sell it all together (the master, the line, and the slave) as one piece and it's allready bled and ready to go. Then he said "And I'll tell you the reason why we only sell it that way. It's because there's no way to bleed it. You can never get all the air out. O'Reiley's or Autozone will sell you a master or a slave but it won't do you any good cuz you can't get the air out and it won't work. I don't even know why they sell the parts." I was shocked and couldn't believe it, but i did't really have a choice at that point so I wrote the check. So anyway, from where I'm at, I say this: If you have any kind of trouble with the master, slave, line you might as well get ready to go to the dealer and write the check, and it aint a small one, because (from what they're tellin me at least) if u try to just change the master or the slave, ur in for a nightmare of wasted time and money. If somebody knows somethin different and is credible PLEASE by all means speak up and enlighten us. Otherwise, this is where we're at...

jeepokee95xj

lol, Purp's Jeep must be an automatic. I think he's more confused than I am.

Asphalt Cowboy

I just did a master cylinder for the clutch. Did you verify that the push rod is going into the mater cylinder? Mine the cylinder came apart so if you lifted the clutch the pluger would drop out.

jeepokee95xj

Well, i don't think that's the problem, but idk, at this point. We put a whole new hyd. system on it (new master, slave, and line all together, one piece, from the dealer). That didn't help anything, so he pulled the tranny back out. We couldn't find anything wrong really, sept my clutch fork was a little bent. I then went back to Beaman Dodge and bought a new clutch fork and pivot ball. I hope to God that fixxes it. At this point, the flywheel, pilot bearing, clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, clutch fork, pivot ball, slave cyl., line, and master cyl. are all brand new, and we can't see anything wrong with any of it, such as a deffective part or anything like that. I don't have a clue what else it could be. It was all working fine when i took it into the shop. Hell, my clutch wasn't even bad. I mean, it was bad, as in the throw out bearing was makin a heck of a racket, and everything was pretty much worn out, but it was working! It never slipped or anything and even against all odds, with a throw out bearing that was practically dust, it engaged and diss-engaged perfectly. Now, I've spent at least a thousand dollars in parts and labor and still no clutch. He's gunna put it all back together later this mornin, for the third time, with the new fork and ball. I hope that getts it working but i aint so sure it's gunna. The fact that it was working when i took it in keeps tellin me that he aint puttin it together right, but now that i've looked at all the parts, and how it goes together, I don't think there's any way that u can put it together wrong, and it work at all. Idk... wish me luck i guess. If this don't work ima start lookin for a Voodoo Shaman...

Willys55

^ how about starting your own thread and stop double posting your woes on other peoples threads.....pointless, because at this point the op's question gets thrown to the sidelines

cruiser54

OK. Back on track.

There has to be a leak somewhere most likely. Either from the master or slave. Poke your noggin up under the dash and look to see if there is fluid leaking down the firewall near the clutch pedal rod.