DirtyComanche

It worked fine this morning. All the way to the gas station, and then work, and when I moved it into the back lot (3 starts/stops). But I parked crooked. Fired it up to wiggle straight (4th start of the morning) and can't get it into 1st, grinds in reverse. I think I will swap the master, bleed again, and failing that I will buy a clutch kit, flywheel and slave.

Well, yeah, you do have a point.

So I just bled the crap out of it with a somewhat better setup. I don't think there was any air in it, but it's hard to tell. Of course it was fine on the test drive, just like when I tried this yesterday. We will see tomorrow morning.

I think 5 o'clock (imagine the gauge as a clock) would be pegged out past full. Which on a Renix, which I believe he has, would be an open circuit situation. (Full is high resistance, so infinite resistance is really really full on the gauge) That said, normally the Renix gauges don't move key on vs off. So maybe he has a HO. Or maybe the gauge is actually broken. Or maybe it's hooked to something totally random and not the fuel sending unit at all.

I thought you needed a different bellhousing to run the external slave? I'll admit I have no idea because it never occurred to me that you might be able to swap it.

Probably a 6.5" or 7" lift spring for the front. It's going to vary a bit but I'm guessing you would be able to get it level with your shackles using a spring in that range. Also, not all lift springs are advertised height, they vary a bit, and may or may not settle a bit.

Order a clutch, flywheel, and slave for a 90?

You can. I'd size the fuses according to the wire gauge.

Yeah, driving it today and it was way worse than yesterday. It's odd, but it's intermittent, and being cold (much colder this morning than yesterday) seems to make it worse. Not that it makes any sense to me how temperature would affect clutch disengagement. Either way, it is a clutch disengagement issue. I had it stopped and couldn't get it into gear, but when you bump the shifter to try to get it into gear you could feel the truck lurch a bit (synchros trying to drive the gear for engagement, I guess?). I actually had to shut it off a couple times to put it into gear, but I was intentionally pulling it out of gear at stoplights. I think you're in the right track about reused flywheel or worn clutch... I think the person who installed the tranny reused the worn/previously enjoyed Renix flywheel, and probably just threw the used AX-15 clutch at it... Everything else was more or less done wrong, so why not do that too? I'm going to get a pressurized bleeder and try that before I pull the tranny off, but I think I'll just order a clutch kit, flywheel, and probably a slave cylinder either way.

The factory bench seat is terrible and I would rather use a milk crate.

I'd suggest adding a few extra for future use (skidplates or whatnot else) while you're in there. I really regretted not putting a bunch in on my XJ when I had the floor up.

Yeah, I wish I could have found a 12+, and for that matter a Rubicon (or at least one with a rear locker) would have been better for me. It worked out though, I traded a truck I couldn't sell and didn't want for it, so one way or another I was ahead. I'll admit I'm rather attached to the stupid gutless orange bugger now, which isn't so helpful because I've got way too many vehicles and it would probably be the easiest one to sell. :rotf:

I didn't do the tranny swap on this. I bought it with the trans and tcase in it (the tcase was barely installed, I pulled it back out to do the SYE, but not a lot of confidence in the work there...) but the swap had not been completed and the truck was FWD with a bag taped over the slip yoke. All prior work has been considered to be suspect, but I didn't go as far as pulling the trans off to make sure things had been installed correctly, rather I just hit the bellhousing bolts with a wrench and gave the rest of the install a visual. If I start it in gear/clutch in, the starter isn't loaded up any more than usual or trying to pull the truck. The clutch/throwout doesn't make any bad noises or anything, it's all pretty much as per usual. I don't know where this AX-15 was sourced from, other than the tcase (presumably paired with it) was a 92, and it's internal slave 23 spline. It may well have 8 million miles on it like the D30/D44 that came with the truck (which came out of an 87 XJ). And it probably had the wrong oil in it most of its life.

I think it's fully releasing and it's just in my head. That said, talk about an awkward thing to try to bleed. I could put the vacuum pump on it and try I guess? Driving it I can't float into second or first. 3rd, 4th, 5th, no big deal, well no worse than how it normally goes when I do that (I normally use the clutch to shift, was not taught how to drive properly). The feeling of disengagement (if that is actual disengagement or not, the point where it no longer has enough bite to load the engine up) is higher up in the travel than I thought, maybe half way or a little past that. Or it changed after I bled it. I think part of the problem is I'm comparing apples to bananas because my plowtruck and JK are both very different than this thing, and they're the only manual transmission vehicles I have around here. I just spent 5 minutes in the driveway messing with it and it went into first and second basically fine every time, no massive forcing and feeling of it just not being willing to go... But it's warmer out today too...

11. And being a Canadian model the 'safety' features may not operate exactly the same.

I think I answered my own question. Bled it and there might have been a tiny amount of air in it. Very slight difference in pedal feel, or it is all in me head. :dunce: I think the synchros are pretty shot, or something along those lines. I could possibly try a different/better oil (Amsoil MTG?) and see if that helps at all, otherwise it's live with it or put a plan in place to get my spare tranny and swap it in. Conveniently I don't recall if my spare is actually in amazing shape or not, so might be wasting my time there...

At least then it's only the traction control that's trying to kill you. "NO, NO, THROTTLE! THROTTTTTTLE!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!" as it senses wheel slip when trying to pull onto the highway and reacts by cutting throttle while applying the brakes. :doh: That's an optional menu item easy to turn off. Which it always has been. Mine turns back on with key cycle... Just have to remember to shut it off before I try to do anything where I might need throttle. I've never looked into it, but if you could just delete it cutting throttle, or override cutting throttle if more throttle is applied, the system would work a lot nicer... Not sure if there's programmers out there that would allow a guy to play that level of a parameter, I just have a Procal so I could turn off the TPMS and make the speedo right (which is about all it can do).

My 88 is a massive PITA to get into gear if you're not moving and the engine is running. It's not a huge deal because I just downshift to first before I come to a stop, but if I leave the truck idling out of gear it is insane to try to get it into gear, pretty much any gear, even stopping to put it into reverse can be quite a frustration. Sometimes trying to jam it into reverse will produce grinding, even if not moving. Not running you can just smack it into whatever gear you want, not as easily as say my JK is, but I don't feel it's at all off. It also doesn't always shift awesome. But if I'm trying I can float the gears without the clutch. Initially I thought it was because it probably had the wrong oil in it and it was cold out, but I realized the oil type is correct. From there I assumed synchros, or another internal problem along those lines... But I'm thinking that doesn't totally make sense since I can just pop it in gear not running. So I'm thinking I should try bleeding the clutch out before I make plans to get my spare AX-15? Where should full clutch disengagement be in the pedal travel? I recall my last MJ was with the pedal damn near on the floor, and that's just how it was, this one is similar (although maybe it is not completely disengaging?)

The cable drive to signal converter in the first picture can be unscrewed from the drive gear assy and put onto the other tcase, and I believe the 2wd trans used the same setup. Somebody like Hornbrod that knows his truck intimately could answer that for sure.

At least then it's only the traction control that's trying to kill you. "NO, NO, THROTTLE! THROTTTTTTLE!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!" as it senses wheel slip when trying to pull onto the highway and reacts by cutting throttle while applying the brakes. :doh:

That's a terribly inconvenient solution to a transmission problem.

Would the speedo drive adapter just bolt up, or will i have to find some adapter for it? Should just go onto the existing drive gear in the tcase. Unless there is different styles that aren't the same, but I don't think so. You can test fit it by removing it from the truck and trying it on the tcase, it will be obvious if it works or not.

I forgot, the TV cable is different between 87-90 and 91+.

Use your flexplate. The speedo drive adapter from your 2wd trans 'should' work on the tcase you bought. If not the parts are readily sourced from an XJ. With a 4wd the speedo is driven off the tcase so it still functions correctly in low range.

Those shackles are installed the right way. Yeah, I just said it. They're curved, and have the reinforcing piece on the front, because on an XJ you have clearance issues against the bumper mount bolts and the channel that makes up the rear crossmember. You could flip them, but it wouldn't make any difference to anything, other than causing you a bunch of work. It would not affect height, the shape of the shackle does not matter, only the centerline hole to hole distance. You should be able to snake a grease gun into there either way.