Sorry for the long drawn out breakdown but im in serious need of some opinions and insight. New here and to the Jeep life.

Picked up a manual 93 XJ a bit over a year ago. No issues whatsoever, absolutely love this truck but heres where this snowball starts.

About 4 months ago the clutch that came in the truck started roaring when pressed. Drove fine and really had no issues other than the noise while getting it the short ways back home. No smell, no vibrations, no slipping, shifted as it always had and no noise with the clutch engaged, only when pressing it.

Leaned towards the throwout slave cylinder combo but it spun freely and had 0 play once i got everything apart. Only thing that was a wrong there was the missing keeper clip from the post at the 7 o'clock position and it had some discoloration in the center around the face of the bearing that looked like it could have come from heat or friction but again it spun like butter and the bearing face was as smooth as the replacement.

No sign of the clip in the bell housing and i dont believe it was ever there during my time in ownership but I could be wrong. Pressure plate was just fine looking, clutch material was in great shape and not a single mark on the flywheel or pressure plate face. What was damaged however was the clutch springs and center where it splines onto the input shaft.

It had a substantial bit of rotational play in the center and the springs weren't broken but looked like they had been getting ground down making contact somewhere. Very fresh marks but absolutely 0 damage or evidence anywhere else. Nothing on the flywheel or the clutch fingers. Had no idea what to make of that other than seeming like the plate starting to beat itself to death and decided to just go the full refresh route.

Got a stock luk clutch kit, fly wheel and master cylinder. New everything, pilot bearing, flywheel, clutch disc, pressure plate, slave/throwout bearing, master cylinder and figured id do the input seal aswell.

All was good for the past few months then about 2 weeks ago I was going uphill at about 1200-1500rpms in 4th gear and the truck bucked a time or two.

Pulled off into a parking lot and started putting it through its paces. No issues getting going in 1st, 2nd gear grabbed and stayed solid aswell as 3rd, even under hard acceleration. Started thinking it was a misfire but i recreated the symptom when bogging down to just above 1000rpms in 3rd and very lightly accelerating, did it in every gear 3rd to 5th at lower rpms only. Only then would it seem to slip and catch rapidly or buck as im phrasing it, under load no issues.

At the time i chocked it up to the clutch i removed possibly being a heavier aftermarket kit given the additional weight the pedal had and the general engagement feeling tighter and more noticeable compared to the new kit. As I write this though I'm realizing that this issue with the new clutch started the same day i let the truck sit and run for a good while doing the AC retrofit.

To adapt to the new clutches behavior I just got the rpms a tad bit higher before shifting and kept it above 1500 going up hill. No burning smells, no hesitation, no issues under load even in 5th.

Now here's where it gets weird and where I need some advise from more knowledgeable individuals than myself.

It's been a bit colder the past couple days so I let the truck warm up 5 min or so to get some heat rolling and that seems to be cooking the clutch somehow as it got drastically worse with that being the only variable.

Thursday after doing so there was a slight smell I assumed was just the cold air and lack of cats on the old 93 but it started to buck again while in 4th and 3rd not even a mile from the house for the first time since keeping it out of the lower rpms in the taller gears, this was on flat ground aswell. Turned around and took it easy on the way back and was able to avoid it repeating that behavior.

Friday I did the same thing, let it warm up for a good while but this time when I went back outside I could strongly smell clutch just from it sitting there idling.

I planned on ruling it out as that stock clutch being to weak for the set up, 3in lift on 34s but it completely toasted it just sitting there in neutral. Hopped in went to see how bad it really was.

1st gear felt odd, 2nd felt better, got down the street with a slight shutter but then while still in 2nd i let off as i went around a bend, it felt horrible and i could really feel and smell it starting to burn under the deceleration then went to accelerate a bit and it smoked that clutches entire soul. Like it wasn't even in gear almost

Its completely nonexistent except limping it in 1st gear and I want to just put a centerforge or southbend heavy-duty in it and be done with it but I'm concerned and confused by the odd failure of the first clutch and now the near immediate failure of the second. Primarily the burning while idling.

What could this be caused by, I can't find any information anywhere. Anyone who's got some ideas lmk please

I want to just swap it out for a proper clutch but I'm worried about this burning at idle thing because it's definitely taken place with this OE part

 

Worn or missing Pilot Bushing in the end of the crankshaft would be my guess. AW4 equipped models don't use one, so if someone swapped in an engine without knowing that, ...