'90 YJ leaking brake fluid from clutch housing?

[dankulinski]

Alright, I suspected I might have a problem when the clutch hydraulic fluid emptied itself, but now it has gotten worse, if I hold down the clutch pedal, it forces the fluid out of the system, but it is leaking from the inside of the clutch housing! Now this being my fist jeep it looks like that are tubes that go into the clutch housing, so I suspect that there will be something for me to replace or tighten in there. There is a nut loose that holds the hydraulic lines close to the engine, so I suspect that someone did a half assed job when tighetening down the rest of these things.

What I am looking for it this. From the break down that my Haynes manual gives me, it looks like there is a retainer pin and a nut holding down the hydraulic assembly. Is this going to be easy to tear down and fix/replace? What time frame am I looking at?

Thanks,

Dan Kulinski

[Darrell]

Sounds like you have an internal slave. You have to drop the tranny to get at it. Sucks!!!

Are you sure that it is just a bad connection and not a leaking slave cylinder?

It is worth a try to tighten it up, but what if you drop the tranny, tighten the nuts, put it back up and it still leaks?

How old is the clutch assemly? If it is original, I would change it out while you have the tranny dropped. Check the clutch plate and flywheel also.

If you are doing it yourself, the parts arent that expensive and you dont have to worry about it for a long time.

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89 YJ 258 5sp, 2.5" Skyjacker, 1.25" shackles, 34x9.50 TSL, BD shocks, custom rockers, Cherry Bomb, CalTops Fastback, stereo stuff WTB: 33x10.50, 7" stock YJrims, D30 4.56s, front locker, 4.0 head/etc, etc.
AIM: MightyDCI ICQ: 3954956
Trip/Jeep Pics (http://photos.yahoo.com/dci311) , Lauren (http://www.remeberlauren.com) , NorthEast Jeep Registry form (http://www.geocities.com/dci311/jeepform.html)

[TRL RDE]

You probably have the internal slave cylinder. It is held onto the belhousing/tranny with a small c-clip, easy to pry off. You probably need to replace the entire hrydraulic clutch release cylinder, and it slips off the tranny input shaft. You have to drop the tranny and transfer out to do it. It's not too involved, though. Just time consuming. If you have a Haynes and a little experience, you can do it.

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95 YJ 2.5L, Magellan GPS, Uniden CB, Rusty's air tube, electric fan, Hi-Tec 30" MT Retreads, Optima.
Remember;
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Drive Trackers

[got4lo]

If you are leaking clutch fluid out your slave cylinder you probably have contaminated your clutch disc. I would highly recommend doing the following while you have the tranny out:

1. new clutch disc
2. new bearing (can't remember exact name..."throw out" maybe???)
3. resurface flywheel

I too had my slave cylinder go out on my '93 YJ @80k and only replaced it at first (~$150). Then my clutch disc slipped (contaminated) and I took it out again and replaced the disc & pressure plate (Centerforce- $160) and had the fly wheel resurfaced ($10). The third time I took it out was when the tranny went (had it rebuilt...$800) and the bearing was SHOT! I don't know if this was the cause of the failure or the result but it was only a $5 part (and 2 hour pain in the ass due to it having exploded).

Don't be an idiot like me http://jeepsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif...do it right the first time! It is not hard to pull the transmission...just time consuming. A lot easier if you rent a transmission jack (~$30).

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JolyonF
'01 TJ 4.0L, 5-speed, D44, ARB Bull Bar, 1.75" spacers, 32x11.50 BFG MT, Clifford Concept 600.
'99 WJ Limited 4.7L V8, QuadraDrive, UpCountry, 28K, Class IV Towing, 10-disc CD changer.

[astape]

Don't resurface the flywheel. The 4.2 and 4.0 flywheels are slightly domed and you can't reserface them. If your slave has gone bad it should not effect your flywheel anyways.

[Darrell]

Butif his clutch his original it may be worn down to the rivets and they could be sliding/grinding on the flywheel...

[bighause]

Ok, here's the deal, I have a 90 YJ and just fixed this on mine a week ago. You DO have a internal slave cylinder. They are about 80 bucks or so (mine was warranteed so im not sure exactly). To replace it really isn't that hard. You dont have to mess with the clutch or flywheel, but you do have to slide the tranny back and down enough to slide the input shaft out of the back of the engine. The slave cylinder slides on the shaft between the clutch and the tranny. Once that tranny is out it is VERY easy. You also need to remove the front downpipe on the exhaust to lower the tranny. It you have a friend help and the tools (basic hand tools) it can be done in a day easily. I would be happy to answer any ?'s you have if you decide to do it yourself. It will cost you about $500 dollars to have it done for you i think.

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90 YJ, 2.5L, 5sp, Rancho 2.5, 3/4in shackles, 1 in body lift, No swaybar
33x12.5 BFG MT's on chrome rockcrawlers
Detroit Gearless locked rear, open front
Gibson Cat-back, Hi-flow cat, Centerforce clutch

[got4lo]

If you have contaminated your clutch disk then you *should* replace it. If you replace the clutch disk then you *should* resurface your flywheel. At least this is the proper procedure for a '93 YJ. I am pretty sure the factory service manual calls for this...I will double check when I get home. Gee, it seems like someone around here needs to get a FSM for a '90 YJ http://jeepsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

The kicker is that you cannot really tell that your disk is contaminated until after you put the tranny back in and it starts chattering.

Good luck!

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JolyonF
'01 TJ 4.0L, 5-speed, D44, ARB Bull Bar, 1.75" spacers, 32x11.50 BFG MT, Clifford Concept 600.
'99 WJ Limited 4.7L V8, QuadraDrive, UpCountry, 28K, Class IV Towing, 10-disc CD changer.

[got4lo]

Well, I'm a day late but I'm here to admit I was wrong. There is no place in the '93 service manual that says not to resurface the flywheel but it is worded such that they strongly recommend replacing it if there is any major scoring. Basically, anything that cannot be fixed without taking more than 0.003 inches off requires replacement. Also, they make no mention of the domed surface but they do advise against any heavy stock removal.

Now the funny thing is my '01 service manual does mention the "eliptical shaped surface" and does advise not to resurface the flywheel to avoid losing this shape. I'm really not sure what you would lose, though. Does the shape really make that big of a difference? Well, it didn't seem to on my YJ. It must have been the Centerforce installation notes that suggested resurfacing the flywheel in addition to several seasoned mechanics. It was always presented to me as a general automotive rule of thumb...replace clutch -> resurface flywheel.

astape, thanks for pointing this out and showing me the error of my ways. I think I will check with Centerforce and ask for their insight on the matter.

I still recommend replacing the clutch disk and the pilot bearing while you are there. Also, at least inspect the flywheel for scoring. Any minor stuff can be taken out with 180 grit emery.

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JolyonF
'01 TJ 4.0L, 5-speed, D44, ARB Bull Bar, 1.75" spacers, 32x11.50 BFG MT, Clifford Concept 600.
'99 WJ Limited 4.7L V8, QuadraDrive, UpCountry, 28K, Class IV Towing, 10-disc CD changer.

[AlexYJ]

OK while we are all still on this tranny removal topic http://jeepsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif could some one post a link on a write up or something similar on how to drop one from a YJ/TJ? In my previous expriences I had to take it to the shop, but since everyone says it's so easy with a basic toolset I thought may be I'd look into it. I've seen the transmission adapters that are sold for floor jacks, are they any good or is it cheaper to just rent/buy a tranny jack? I am primarely interested to find out how to remove the shifter on a manual. The bellhousing attachment seems straight forward. Anyone?

[got4lo]

I don't know much about the tranny adapters for a floor jack. The tranny jacks I've used are low, broad (stable), and have several adjustments for positioning the transmission. Until I found out how easy it was to remove the t-case shifter we always jacked the Jeep way up and still couldn't get the transmission out without taking it off the jack. If you have 2-3 people you could probably go without the tranny jack and just use a regular floor jack (no adapter).

The manual shifter is held in by a retainer. To get it loose you have to reach up around the top of the tranmission to the shifter tower. Once you slide the rubber dust boot off the rim of the tower you can reach the retainer. You have to push down and twist the retainer located inside the tower (it is spring loaded) with the tips of your fingers to get it to come loose. Once the retainer is loose you can pull up on the shifter and it will seprate from the transmission.

This was the single most time consuming and frustrating part of the transmission removal. Pushing down and twisting a smooth and oily metal surface in a hard to reach place sucks. I think one time I got it off within the first 5 minutes. Other than that I think I usually averaged around 30 minutes. It does help if you have lowered the tail end of the transmission so you have more room to work in.

An air ratchet and impact wrench are extremely useful to have for the transmission removal. The basic procedure is a lot of diconnecting and removing although there is some need to understand how to support everything and the few trick items (like the shifter).

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JolyonF
'01 TJ 4.0L, 5-speed, D44, ARB Bull Bar, 1.75" spacers, 32x11.50 BFG MT, Clifford Concept 600.
'99 WJ Limited 4.7L V8, QuadraDrive, UpCountry, 28K, Class IV Towing, 10-disc CD changer.

[bighause]

Go4lo is right, the hardest part is getting the manual shifter off. I just gave up on it and ended up being able to get the tranny out by just putting it in 3rd gear and it barely cleared but I dont know if everyone's will clear the same. I would really recommend just renting a tranny jack, it would have make the process go a lot easier than with a regular jack.

[azyj]

Removing a YJ tranny (the way I did it):

(1) Pull both front and rear driveshafts.

(2) Support the tranny and drop the center skid plate.

(3) Drop the exhaust from the down pipe back. It's kind of hard to get it completely out from under the vehicle due to the curved section that goes over the rear axle. But you don't need to. You can just keep moving it around to get it out of your way.

(4) Pull the t-case. You'll need to disconnect the speedo cable, the front axle disconnect vacuum line and a breather hose. Then remove the nuts from the studs holding the t-case to the tranny and slide the t-case out. Be careful because it is heavy.

(5) Disconnect the clutch hydraulic line. On my YJ, this is done near where the line enters the bellhousing. There were different types of connectors used. Mine was really bizarre and required sliding a plastic sleeve into the connection and then pulling the connection apart. Other types I think were more obvious as to how to disconnect them.

(6) Pull the tranny. You'll need to remove the starter, disconnect the shift lever as others have described, and disconnect any other electrical connections. You may also need to unbolt any t-case shift lever brackets mounted to the tranny. Then loosen and remove the bolts holding the tranny/bellhousing to the motor. Note that on my 93 YJ with 4.0L and AX15 tranny, there are 2 bolts on top of the bellhousing that have male torx heads and require female torx sockets. Also, to reach these, lower the tranny down a bit and use really long (about 2 feet) extensions. Once all the nut/bolts are removed, slide the tranny backwards until the input shaft clears the clutch assembly. Be carefull because the tranny is heavy.

(7) Replace the slave cylinder. Remove the hydraulic line and the bleeder line by pulling the retaining clips and sliding the lines out of the cylinder. Remove then c-clip holding the cylinder to the bellhousing and then slide the cylinder off the tranny's input shaft.

Install is the reverse of the above but note the following:

(1) You only want to do this once so it probably makes sense to replace your clutch as others have described.

(2) You only want to do this once so make sure you get a good quality, name brand slave cylinder.

(3) You only want to do this once so use only the Mopar Dot 4 clutch fluid. (This is just something I have heard. I do this but have no proof that it makes a difference.)

(4) There are o-rings where the hydraulic and bleeder lines enter the slave cylinder. Lightly coat these with oil before installing the lines into the new cylinder.

(5) Replace the pilot bearing (in the hole that the tranny input shaft slides into). Do this while the clutch and flywheel are off.

(6) You can probably rent a clutch alignment tool from your local auto parts store. You'll need this tool to reinstall the clutch. You can also buy cheap plastic ones for a few bucks.

Hopefully this covers it all. It should - I've done this twice in the last month.

The Haynes manual I have describes most of this pretty well. I don't know about the Chilton manual. But I suggest getting one of these.

-Roger

[got4lo]

azyj:
Great writeup! After reading your post I remember it like it was just yesterday(s) that I pulled my tranny (three times). The only things I did differently were that I did not seperate the t-case from the transmission and I supported the engine prior to pulling the transmission. After separating the two when it was out of the Jeep the last time (to have the transmission rebuilt) I guess this wouldn't be to hard while it was still int he Jeep. It would make things a bit easier by reducing the bulk you are dealing with although it is certainly not required.

Like azyj said, a basic Haynes or Chiltons should cover this pretty good and cover anything we might have missed. The Factory Service Manual is the ultimate resource but is pricey (~$90).

If you do the clutch, a clutch alignment tool should run you about $5. Be sure to tighten the pressure plate bolts in a star pattern and do not overtighten them.

Also, the service manual recommended a blind hole puller for the pilot bushing (rented from AutoZone for free) but my bushing was too far gone to actually verify it the tool would have helped. I had to use a chisel and needlenose pliers to extract mine.

Wow! I didn't think those torx bolts were stock. What a PITA they are...2 feet of extensions is about right http://jeepsunlimited.com/forums/images/ubb/biggrin.gif I always thought they were not stock since on mine there was a cut into the bellhousing near one of those bolts that indicated somebody stripped whatever was there once and had to cut the tranny away from the engine. I just thought the torx was a substitute. Okay, so be careful not to strip out the torx up top. http://jeepsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

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JolyonF
'01 TJ 4.0L, 5-speed, D44, ARB Bull Bar, 1.75" spacers, 32x11.50 BFG MT, Clifford Concept 600.
'99 WJ Limited 4.7L V8, QuadraDrive, UpCountry, 28K, Class IV Towing, 10-disc CD changer.

[spacemonky182]

I have an 89 YJ, and my clutch's hydraulic system is also leaking from the clutch bell housing. Does this always mean that the slave cylinder is leaking? Is there anything else (easier to replace) that it could be? I just replaced the slave cylinder a year ago and Im finding it hard to believe that its the same problem again, especially since last time the slave died it leaked from where the bleed line goes into the tranny. Any insight anyone can offer will be helpful. Thanks.

[crawgator]

I would strongly recommend changing the the clutch plate while you are in there. I changed mine on my "88" awhile back and was able to leave the trans. bolted to the skid plate, drop it low enough and slide back far enough to install new slave cylinder. The catalytic conv. is bolted to the
mount bracket with two bolts. They have to be removed. I have a brand new slave cylinder in the box I will sell you for $60.00 plus shipping, which should be around $10.00. I bought a new Luk clutch assembly and the cylinder was included eventhough I didn't need it.