Comangi Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 Hey all, so my '86 MJ with the AX5 manual trans is giving me issues.... I drove it about 2 weeks ago and it's been sitting because I need to replace an axle seal. I went to move it this week, when the weather had dipped into the single digits, and I can't get it to go into gear. Symptoms: With the truck off, I can clutch and shift into every gear, no problem. With the trans in 1st, trying to start it results in the starter pulling the jeep forward (as expected) When started in neutral, starts, runs great. When I try to shift into 1st, it's gated, it blocks you completely. Reverse tries to grind the gears. My first thought was that maybe the brake fluid is frozen. I'm pretty sure it's got ice in the lines. the fluid is the color and consistency of grey/black water. Nothing vegetable oil color or consistency about it. I've obviously got to do a flush when it warms up. The reason I'm leaning towards a freeze is that the trans has been perfect until now. No symptoms of master/slave failure or anything. Can anyone think of anything else? Anything maybe I should check? It got up to 35 yesterday, the jeep ran for a good 15 minutes, enough that the cab was nice and toasty. No luck, either it's just not warm enough for long enough to thaw the lines, or something else is shot. Any input, stories, ideas would be appreciated, I really need this thing to move!
yxmj Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 ???? Do you mean Clutch fluid is froze....you mention brake fluid And if your clutch fluid was frozen you would not be able to press the clutch to the floor :dunno:
Comangi Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 ok, so maybe I'm on the wrong path? I was told that the clutch and brake share fluid. If this isn't the case, am I looking at a slave or master cylinder issue? Forgive me, this is my first manual transmission.
yxmj Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 The clutch and the brakes are not connected....is your clutch reservoir filled to the fill line with dot 3 ( or better) fluid And with all do respect.....the clutch reservoir not the break reservoir
Comangi Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 I'll check the clutch reservoir. Feel kinda dumb, but now I can work on tracking down the issue.
Comangi Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 The clutch reservoir was low. Has thin, grey, watery fluid in it. It's too cold and snowy to go climbing under it now, but i'll be chasing tubing to see if it's leaking.
yxmj Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 Fill it up with the correct fluid and bleed the clutch....I would lay money that it will solve your problem
Comangi Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 will do, any input as to where the bleeder might be? Haven't crawled under it yet, but I'm also finding conflicting info on my AX5. External v.s. Internal slave cylinder.
yxmj Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 Bleeder will be coming out of the bell housing....Probably 5/16 or 8 mm (looks like a brake bleeder screw. As for the other look at the drivers side of the trans....if it is an external ......you will see it bolted there....internal you will not be able to see Internal External
Comangi Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks man! you've been awesome! Thanks for accepting my newbness. Did a rebuild of the NAG-1 transmission in my 2009 SRT8, did AMG shift solenoids in it. Yet somehow this thing is another language completely. It's fun (and frustrating) to learn a new side.
Comangi Posted February 23, 2015 Author Posted February 23, 2015 So i climbed under the jeep to get a look, and I think i've got an internal slave. Here are some pics, Pass side: Driver's side: i assume this complicates things..... Is there a way to bleed these? Looks like the hard line in the foreground of the driver's pic is the clutch line. Is that link on the bottom a bleed spot?
yxmj Posted February 23, 2015 Posted February 23, 2015 One answer at a time 1- No the link is not a "Bleed spot" It is how you would remove the line if you want to take the trans out. 2- No it being internal does not make it harder or easier to bleed than external....it is the exact same process. 3- Look at the pictures I posted On the bottom one you can see the internal slave on the left had side....you can see the bleeder on the lower line.....now look at the top pic..the line with the link goes into the bell housing to the slave....the one coming out of it has the bleeder on it. Follow you line from the top down to were it goes into the bell housing....is there a bleeder there?
BlackBeast Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 Heck, check the fluid and fill if needed and pump the clutch. .it should build resistance. Yes you will have a bleeder also if you need to use it,I didn't on my internal. Also make sure ur master cylinder isn't leaking inside your cab..
Comangi Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 Ok. Going to check and make sure it's holding fluid. Then I guess if it's holding fluid I'll make sure the pedal is engaging the master. When/if all of that checks out, I'll reach up and find that bleeder line. I see what you're talking about in the pic of the two slave cylinders. When I pump the clutch right now, there's no resistance. Goes to the floor.
BlackBeast Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 You lost pressure.. bad master or slave. Like I said,check fluid and go from there. Good luck! You will find its a simple system.
yxmj Posted February 24, 2015 Posted February 24, 2015 This is a YJ But the process is the same....watch the Video To bleed you will need a helper ( you can go on you tube and see various techniques) Basically it is this....Find a wrench that fits the bleeder...slide it on....slide on a chunk of hose...clear is better but any will work....put the other end in a clear bottle or jar. Top up your reservoir.....open the bleeder and have your helper put the pedal to the floor and hold it....close the bleeder.....helper lifts foot off pedal...open bleeder....pedal down....repeat. You should be getting a stream of dirty fluid emptying into you catch jar.......after about 4 pumps up and down stop at the point were the bleeder screw is closed and the foot is off the pedal....top up you reservoir....continue to bleed until you fluid runs as clear coming out as going in. ( this might require you stopping a couple of times and topping up the reservoir...once it is clear close screw...top of reservoir and you should be good to go.... :thumbsup:
Comangi Posted February 24, 2015 Author Posted February 24, 2015 Thanks bud! the second we get above freezing, i'll give it a try. The dead clutch pedal scares me, lets hope this works!
metrictonner Posted February 25, 2015 Posted February 25, 2015 Clutch fluid is bake fluid: DOT 3. COLORLESS unless its soaked up lots of water and the resultant rust. Drain and refill while you are bleeding the slave.
Comangi Posted February 25, 2015 Author Posted February 25, 2015 I plan to completely replace the clutch fluid for sure. It's almost black.
Comangi Posted March 12, 2015 Author Posted March 12, 2015 Update: Kinda..... ok so I finally had a warm enough day to crawl under the MJ and not be laying on ice and snow. The clutch line goes from the driver's side, over the top, and into an external slave cylinder on the PASS side of the jeep. what the heck? is this not an AX5? Driver's side: Pass side: in this pic, you can see, at the end of the cylinder, the little silver nub is the bleeder, it's on top, above the bleeder is where the clutch line runs. You can see it's soaked in fluid, so i assume it's the bad part. So what transmission do i have? i assume I need to know that before I go buying a new slave! ha!
Comangi Posted March 13, 2015 Author Posted March 13, 2015 Is my trans possibly the BA-10/5? If the slave is external, I want to replace it. I'm just confused, as it's on the wrong side....
Comangi Posted March 13, 2015 Author Posted March 13, 2015 Edit: Found this: http://comancheclub.com/topic/45765-ax-5-external-clutch-slave-replacment-made-easy/?hl=external+clutch looks to be on the pass side, I guess i was wrong about which side it's supposed to be on. Nevermind! ha!
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