JustCuz

I just bought an 89 XJ a month and a half ago. It seemed strong and no noticeable leaks. I kept an eye on everything as I drove it and still everything seemed good. The past couple of weeks however, I noticed the clutch was not fully disengaging. The XJ would lurch a little while starting, and at certain times be very difficult to get into gear. I knew the clutch was going out, but ignored it hoping it would go away. Thursday afternoon it finally failed on me on my way back to work from lunch. I had to put it in 2nd while off then start her up. Luckily, I live at sea level and work is only about 8 miles away and at an elevation of about 800 feet so the drive home wasn't to hard. Looking into what might be the issue, I looked into the clutch master cylinder and found a red liquid. The PO must have decided that Automatic Transmission Fluid was a suitable sub for DOT3. So three days and $600 dollars for parts and tools my clutch finally works and feels like it should. I'm glad it happened though, I had never changed a clutch before. Now I've done that and changed the master and slave cylinders too! All in all a good weekend! Moral of the story 1. There is no substitute for the proper fluids. 2. When buying a used car, check all the fluids to make sure they are correct.