clutch in an AX15 - done, thanks all

[JackstandJohnny]

blew the slave cylinder on my way out to waiparous today   pedal was very squishy and the jeep wouldn't go into gear.  no fluid leaks anywhere.
yes i was not happy.
so i picked up a clutch kit from autovalue.  i think the clutch plate is still good but whatever.  gonna have to tear it apart, might as well do it all while im in there.

guess i'm just lookin for tips and stuff on how to make this job go smooth.  what kind of timeline etc.  

cheers

[jpthing]

This is in your YJ? Is it the internal slave type?

[JackstandJohnny]

yup yup. otherwise it'd have been fixed yesterday

[cLAY]

Some of those older models have two "reverse torx" headed bolts at the very top middle of the bell housing. I always replace them with regular bolts when I put it back together but you'll want to check and see if you have them and if so pick a set up. Reverse torx looks like a 12pnt head(like the bolts for the unit bearings) but they are different and if you have them you'll need a set. Nothing screws up a project like running around on a Saturday looking for an odd ball tool.

I have two sets of drive on ramps that I drive on to to get the vehicle into the air. If you only have one set then driving onto them and putting jack stands under the other diff works well too. If you use a tranny jack then the t-case can stay on. After being unhooked from the engine the assembly can be lowered and rolled back. Otherwise remove the t-case.

The front driveshaft bolts to t-case can be a pita. Different bolts were used over the years so have a look and make sure you have the correct wrench.

The easiest way I've found to get those two top bolts out of the bellhousing is to remove the crossmember and lower the back of the tranny as much as possible while watching for contact of the rad/fan. Once its lowered reach up over it with a LONG(2 foot?) extension and zip the bolts out with an impact if you have one or ratchet if you don't. Pull the CPS before this to prevent damaging it. Not sure how much they are now but consider a new one as well.

Pilot bearings can be a bugger as well. Princess Auto makes a pilot bearing puller for fairly cheap($30-$40?). Don't cheap out and not do it. I had the clutch in my '89 XJ out twice in one year, once for the pilot bearing and 10months later again for the  slave cylinder.

[Gearhead]

You should convert to external slave , it's not difficult , er , um finding the correct parts can at times be challenging.
It's  so  worth doing , and you will have it all opened up for the repair anyways.
 I've done it ,   know what is involved and have pics.  Jeep junk would have been helpfull for this , um ,

# 1   If they ever answered the phone.

# 2   Returned phone calls.

# 3   Had a good selection of stuff that wasn't already busted or worn out.

# 4    Gone out of buisness as a result of the above and many other reasons

[Immortal]

not that Jeff is bitter.....

[dunl]

I hear they had some real nice Dana 35's for $1500.   

[hps4evr]

do the conversion, i just bought a used ax-15 with the outer slave cylinder for 325$. priced out the bellhousing and fork new and it was about the same price, although i have a spare ax-15. a good tranny jack is nice on this one.

[rws]

used ax-15 with the outer slave cylinder

What did you get this out Eric??  A newer XJ??

[JackstandJohnny]

thanks for the ideas all.  i've read some ideas on pulling the pilot bearing online too.  i'll think bout the external slave too. i like the ease of such things.

the reverse torx thing sounds stupid; but i always need excuses to buy tools

eric, i'm gonna be doing this in my garage without a lift, do i need the tranny jack still or can i get away with a floor jack?
where to rent the Trannyjack?

gonna attempt this next weekend.....

[Pookapotamus]

you can do it with floor jacks it is a pain in the arse but doable. eat your weaties before you will need a lot of upper body strength.

[morerpmfred]

Advanced adapters makes a external slave kit that uses stainless line instead of the plastic line. might be something to think about.

[RckyMtnTJ]

To get at some of the bolts I came at it from behind the transfercase using extensions. On my 98' TJ I has 18mm bolts so I consider that to be a bit of a specialty size. I tried grease and a wooden dowel/bolt to get the pilot bearing out to no avail. I rented a pulled from Canadian tire and it broke, I think it may have been broken to start. Then I bought a pulled from Princess for $22 I believe. It made very short work of the bearing. I recommend the transmission Jack and an extra set of hands to pull the tranny and reinstall. Definitely the biggest job I have undertaken. I think overall it took me about 17 hrs on and off. Alot of time spent messing around with the pilot bearing and some seized transfercase drop pucks and bolts. I think I could do it again in a little over 10 hours now. 

[jpthing]

You can get a "tranny jack adaptor" from PA it's a bigger platform with adjustable pcs to chain the tranny down to, it fits onto a standard (decent sized) floor jack. I think I got mine for around $50, It's a little mickey mouse but totally does the trick, I just couldn't justify dropping $300+ for a real tranny jack and then having to store the thing 98% of the time. I would consider loaning it.  You can also get the e-torx @PA  they are only like $10  a set or something. The problem with any kind of tranny jack is that the vehicle has to be that much higher, i.e. high enough to get the tranny strapped to the jack in and out rather than just high enough for the tranny. When I did mine I didn't have it high enough, so coming out with the tranny and t-case together, the duo had to be removed from the tranny jack before they could come out from under. Going back in I did them one at a time (by myself!!) and didn't bother with the tranny jack. I just put the tranny on my chest, inched my way under, and benched that mofo into place...I was perhaps in a little better shape then...

One very useful tip: Even when everything is properly aligned it can still be very difficult to persuade the tranny to go that last inch or half inch. All the experts will tell you never to draw the parts together with  bolts or you can damage stuff, and they are right. The trick is to use two longer bolts with the same thread as stock, one on either side, through the block and into the bellhousing. (they need to be longer so they can engage even though the tranny is an inch too far away). Thread them in as far as you can BY HAND ONLY. Then wiggle the tranny side to side and attempt to finger tighten more. Basically you just wiggle the tranny while hand tightening one side, then the other. once it is within 1/8 inch you can switch back to the proper bolts and snug it up. From my experience this is the only way to do it solo and is way easier that muscling it into place.

Good luck!
My first clutch took me about 10 hrs with help.

[jpthing]

Also I would NOT reccomend having a jeep flywheel machined. It should either be lightly scuffed or replaced. The reason is that the clutch is not adjustable, so when you reduce the thickness of the flywheel you increase the distance from the fingers to throwout bearing.