TJ Stuck in Reverse

LostSahara

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Apr 28, 2023
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Alabama
Alright guys. I’m at a bit of a loss. My Tj is a 4.0L inline 6 with the 5 speed. My clutch went to the floor and naturally I looked everything over and determined with a lot of reading that the culprit was the clutch master and slave cylinder. I was able to push my Jeep up my driveway a little bit to give me more room. I pulled the clutch master cylinder and slave and replaced it with a new prefilled system. The pedal acted normal and I shifted through the gears and then it became stuck in reverse and the pedal went to the floor. I disconnected the slave and when I did I discovered that the rod and rubber boot had dropped inside the transmission and I can’t feel either one. The Jeep is stuck in reverse and I can’t find the rod or boot…and I’m at a total loss. Is there a way to get the shifter out of gear? Maybe disconnect the linkage? If so, how do I do either??
 
Alright guys. I’m at a bit of a loss. My Tj is a 4.0L inline 6 with the 5 speed. My clutch went to the floor and naturally I looked everything over and determined with a lot of reading that the culprit was the clutch master and slave cylinder. I was able to push my Jeep up my driveway a little bit to give me more room. I pulled the clutch master cylinder and slave and replaced it with a new prefilled system. The pedal acted normal and I shifted through the gears and then it became stuck in reverse and the pedal went to the floor. I disconnected the slave and when I did I discovered that the rod and rubber boot had dropped inside the transmission and I can’t feel either one. The Jeep is stuck in reverse and I can’t find the rod or boot…and I’m at a total loss. Is there a way to get the shifter out of gear? Maybe disconnect the linkage? If so, how do I do either??

Are you just trying to push it into a new location before you pull the trans? Put the transfer case in Neutral if you can.
 
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Is there a way to get the shifter out of gear?

I assume you're just trying to get it in neutral. Have you tried rocking it back-and-forth while trying for neutral?
 
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I assume you're just trying to get it in neutral. Have you tried rocking it back-and-forth while trying for neutral?

Rock the jeep back and forth? No I haven’t tried that. Will it work with the clutch master and slave out of since the rod and boot popped off and is somewhere in the trans
 
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Are you just trying to push it into a new location before you pull the trans? Put the transfer case in Neutral if you can.

Well, I wasn’t pulling the trans I was just replacing the clutch master cylinder and slave when this happened in the past hour. I pushed the jeep up the driveway a little bit so it would be closer to the garage so I didn’t have to walk back and forth as far. The jeep is stuck in reverse and the clutch master and slave are out since the rod and boot on the slave popped off and is somewhere inside of the trans
 
Well, I wasn’t pulling the trans I was just replacing the clutch master cylinder and slave when this happened in the past hour. I pushed the jeep up the driveway a little bit so it would be closer to the garage so I didn’t have to walk back and forth as far

I meant are you just asking for a solution to get the Jeep rollable so you can fix it. You likely need to use @BlueC 's method either way to unload the pressure, if the trans won't pop into neutral try getting the T-case there.

Be careful, obviously, not trying to have you Anton Yelchin your buddy.
 
@BlueC alright I got the lost piece out of the trans and put back together. But the clutch is still soft and the shifter will not go into gear. Any ideas?
 
Possibly air, or out of adjustment spec. (if adjustable)


Likely just at a tooth-on-tooth position. Try rotating either the input or output shaft, then try again.

You’re talking about the transfer case shift lever's shift rod? So it simply pulled out of adjustment? What are the specs for it? Do I just loosen it and then tighten it back up?

Now. Here’s the curious thing: I can’t move the shifter into gear in normal 2H, BUT if I put the 4x4 into 4H, Neutral, and 4L, I can move the shifter between the gears, but not in normal 2H.
 
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You’re talking about the transfer case shift lever's shift rod?

I was not. The transfer case really has nothing to do with the clutch. I'm not familiar with the TJ slave cylinder/clutch engagement, but if the clutch feels "soft", which could mean different things to different people, then I would verify 1 - the clutch system has been properly blead and is air-free, 2 - I'd verify the slave-to-clutch engagement is within spec, whatever that is.
 
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I was not. The transfer case really has nothing to do with the clutch. I'm not familiar with the TJ slave cylinder/clutch engagement, but if the clutch feels "soft", which could mean different things to different people, then I would verify 1 - the clutch system has been properly blead and is air-free, 2 - I'd verify the slave-to-clutch engagement is within spec, whatever that is.

Gotcha. Here’s the curious thing: I can’t move the shifter into gear in normal 2H, BUT if I put the 4x4 into 4H, Neutral, and 4L, I can move the shifter between the gears, but not in normal 2H.