New clutch won’t disengage on 2006 4.0

[JAAPITA]

Hello all,

I have a 2006 jeep wrangler x with a 4.0l i6, 6 speed.

Recently replaced the clutch with an Exedy stage 1 clutch kit. This included replacement of pilot bearing, clutch disk, pressure plate, and throwout bearing.

Once I got it back together it drove fine for about 3 days then began to have issues with shifting. It would go into gear but had some creep while clutch was depressed. I thought that possibly the new pressure plate put some added stress on the stock master/slave cylinders, so I ordered a new set and installed. Have bled several times and was unable to get it into gear at all. I pulled everything apart again to inspect the new parts and replaced the fork pivot ball, the fork itself, and the retaining spring that holds it in place. Re-installed the assembly and tried it all again. I am still unable to get the transmission into gear.

The pedal feels as though I am not getting the full travel out of the pressure plate to disengage the clutch disk.

Could it be a faulty pressure plate? Do I need a heavy duty master/slave combo to operate the heavier stage 1 pressure plate?

Kind of at a loss here. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chris]

Hello all,

I have a 2006 jeep wrangler x with a 4.0l i6, 6 speed.

Recently replaced the clutch with an Exedy stage 1 clutch kit. This included replacement of pilot bearing, clutch disk, pressure plate, and throwout bearing.

Once I got it back together it drove fine for about 3 days then began to have issues with shifting. It would go into gear but had some creep while clutch was depressed. I thought that possibly the new pressure plate put some added stress on the stock master/slave cylinders, so I ordered a new set and installed. Have bled several times and was unable to get it into gear at all. I pulled everything apart again to inspect the new parts and replaced the fork pivot ball, the fork itself, and the retaining spring that holds it in place. Re-installed the assembly and tried it all again. I am still unable to get the transmission into gear.

The pedal feels as though I am not getting the full travel out of the pressure plate to disengage the clutch disk.

Could it be a faulty pressure plate? Do I need a heavy duty master/slave combo to operate the heavier stage 1 pressure plate?

Kind of at a loss here. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

A few things to check:

Clutch Pedal Adjustment: Make sure that your clutch pedal is properly adjusted. Sometimes the pedal can be set too high or too low, leading to insufficient engagement or disengagement of the clutch. Sounds obvious, but Occam's Razor is a real thing!

Master/Slave Cylinder Compatibility: While a heavier pressure plate can require more effort to disengage, it shouldn’t require an entirely different master/slave combo. Double-check that the new components are suitable for use with your specific pressure plate.

Bleeding Issues: Ensure that you’ve got all the air out of the hydraulic system. Sometimes small bubbles can cause a lot of trouble, and a two-person method can be more effective than a one-person method for achieving a solid bleed. You might also want to check for any leaks in the system, as this can introduce air again.

Clutch Fork Alignment: Since you mentioned replacing the fork, double-check that it’s correctly aligned and seated on the pivot ball. Any misalignment here could prevent full actuation of the pressure plate.

Inspecting the Pressure Plate: While it might be rare, a faulty or improperly assembled pressure plate could prevent it from disengaging. Look for any signs of damage or misalignment when you have it apart.

Throwout Bearing: Make sure the throwout bearing is making full contact with the pressure plate. If it's not seated correctly, it may not be applying enough force to disengage the clutch.

If you’ve gone through these checks and still can’t find a solution, it might be worthwhile to seek out a second opinion from a mechanic who specializes in clutches or manual transmissions. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can spot something that’s been overlooked.

Good luck, and I hope you're able to get it resolved soon!

 

[JAAPITA]

A few things to check:

Clutch Pedal Adjustment: Make sure that your clutch pedal is properly adjusted. Sometimes the pedal can be set too high or too low, leading to insufficient engagement or disengagement of the clutch. Sounds obvious, but Occam's Razor is a real thing!

Master/Slave Cylinder Compatibility: While a heavier pressure plate can require more effort to disengage, it shouldn’t require an entirely different master/slave combo. Double-check that the new components are suitable for use with your specific pressure plate.

Bleeding Issues: Ensure that you’ve got all the air out of the hydraulic system. Sometimes small bubbles can cause a lot of trouble, and a two-person method can be more effective than a one-person method for achieving a solid bleed. You might also want to check for any leaks in the system, as this can introduce air again.

Clutch Fork Alignment: Since you mentioned replacing the fork, double-check that it’s correctly aligned and seated on the pivot ball. Any misalignment here could prevent full actuation of the pressure plate.

Inspecting the Pressure Plate: While it might be rare, a faulty or improperly assembled pressure plate could prevent it from disengaging. Look for any signs of damage or misalignment when you have it apart.

Throwout Bearing: Make sure the throwout bearing is making full contact with the pressure plate. If it's not seated correctly, it may not be applying enough force to disengage the clutch.

If you’ve gone through these checks and still can’t find a solution, it might be worthwhile to seek out a second opinion from a mechanic who specializes in clutches or manual transmissions. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can spot something that’s been overlooked.

Good luck, and I hope you're able to get it resolved soon!

Thank you for the reply, and the possible solutions! I won't be able to tear into it until next weekend, but I'll be sure to go over all of these. Ill update as I find anything.

Just off of what I have done so far, there really is no adjustment at the pedal that I have found. The push rod for the master cylinder is a solid rod and no stop on the pedal. The rod bottoms out in the master and that is the full travel of the pedal.

The slave and master cylinder I bought was vehicle specific. I know that aftermarket parts can be a gamble sometimes, but I have tried all of the combinations of the new slave/master with the push rods from the old setup. The pushrod from the original slave cylinder was about a 1/4" longer than the one that came with the new one so I tried both of them. The master cylinder push rods were the same, but I tried them both anyhow. Same result.

Bleeding is something I have had to do myself and I will certainly try a two person approach. I have heard that bleeding a clutch system can be a pain. So I will look into this again.

The others I will check when I am able to tear it apart again.

Thanks again for the reply!