Topic: clutch question

[rcrovo1]

hey, been a lurker ont his site for quite some time and i have learned a bunch from reading everyones posts. great site!! luckily i havent had many problems with "tyrone" for me to have to post anything...well until now
anyways on to the question:
i have a 95 yj 2.5. my clutch has a tendency to intermittently stay on the floor. when this happens i can pump the clutch 4-5 times and it will be restored to original height. this happens maybe once every two weeks and the jeep is my daily driver. if the pedal is on the floor i cant put it in or get it out of gear. what does this sound like to you all? i have been visiting forums trying to find old posts on this type of behavior and it seems as though it may be the mster cylinder. if this is the case would replacing it be very difficult. im pretty sure that in 94 they started mounting the master and slave cylinders ont he firewall to ease installation and maintenence. any info on this would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
bobby

[littleredbeater]

I just had the exact same thing happen. I replaced the master cylinder which was a breeze but I haven't had to much time to drive it lately. If you can hang on for a couple of weeks i can tell you wether or not the master cylinder did the trick. I did notice a big difference right away and the short time I did drive it, it seemed much better.

[wrangler387]

Sounds like your slave or master. You can try and bleed the system though first incase maybe it is air.

[littleredbeater]

hey RCROVO1 I finished my jeep this weekend and it was definitly the master clutch cylinder in my case so I would give it a shot. There only like $60 at auto zone. Hope that helps.

[Jeffy]

I had that happen once but it never happened again.  I agree, it sounds like the master.  It's really easy to swap.  Basically two bolts and a clip, IIRC.

[rcrovo1]

thanks for all the input...it hasnt been acting up lately so i am gonna see how long it will last. i am definitley set on it being the master cylinder then. appreciate all the help. as always great site.
bobby

[Drummer]

im having the same problem with my 88 YJ 4.2L.  it was kinda spongy since I bought it, but i was never really that bad.  then yesterday, i had to pump it 8-9 times to get into or out of gear.  then driving home from the girlfriends house, i went to shift from 4th to 5th and there was NOTHING on the clutch.  normally i could still kinda feel the clutch at the very bottom of travel, but there was nothing there.  good thing i was taught how to drive a big rig.  i managed to get it home. (without stopping, i love living in a little town).  i checked the master and theres still fluid in there, but there is NO pressure.

could the slave cylinder be shot?

[chrisfranklin]

Yeah, my clutch is the same way.  I have to top off the resovoir one a month or so.  Don't detect any leak so I dunno where the fluid is going.  

Replaced the master cylinder a couple of years ago and have stainless lines (highly recommend) now.  Still think something up...

Also noted what Jeffy was talking about with some occasional brake pedal softness, likely a side-effect of the whole intake-upgrade deal.  Still looking to have Turbo City do a MAP sensor install; may address air/fuel, brake pedal pressure, emissions issues (read the deal with the recent ADJ MAP Sensor DIY here; sounds like the install, DIY, may be  challenge enough...syncing it with emissions regs is pushing me to go to Turbo City for the work.

[Jeffy]

im having the same problem with my 88 YJ 4.2L.  it was kinda spongy since I bought it, but i was never really that bad.  then yesterday, i had to pump it 8-9 times to get into or out of gear.  then driving home from the girlfriends house, i went to shift from 4th to 5th and there was NOTHING on the clutch.  normally i could still kinda feel the clutch at the very bottom of travel, but there was nothing there.  good thing i was taught how to drive a big rig.  i managed to get it home. (without stopping, i love living in a little town).  i checked the master and theres still fluid in there, but there is NO pressure.

could the slave cylinder be shot?

Well, most of the time when the slave is dead it will leak.   The time I had my master die it swung freely and had to drive off a hill and back home without the clutch.  I'd try flushing the system then bleeding it first.  It's probably the cheapest option.  Since it's not leaking, I'd look at the master first.