Htchevyii Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 There are lots of cool parts on my wish list that I'd rather be purchasing, but after driving home 488 miles from the Black rock Desert with no clutch disengagement whatsoever, it looks like the AA external slave kit is it. Actually, it's already on the way from Summit Racing and expected delivery is 2 days. Dependability has to come before "cool stuff". I looked at piecing together the parts to save a few bucks, but there are no wrecking yards around here. By the time I bought the bellhousing on eBay and ordered the parts from multiple different sources and waited who knows how long, it didn't seem like it was worth the hassle for a few hundred bucks. I'll let you know how the install goes. The clutch setup is a LUK kit with under 15,000 miles on it, (the master and hose were also replaced). The slave failed suddenly and catastrophically. The fluid was leaking out of the bell housing as fast as I could pour it in, even if I didn't touch the clutch. The Comanche was working great for the first week. The only issue was a sticking IAC motor. I finally unplugged it when it returned to a reasonable idle speed and just gave it a little throttle in the AM. Of course, on the first fuel stop after the clutch issue fuel started leaking out of the sender. The lock ring was still tight. I need to get a few trips under it's belt without problems so it regains the trust of my wife! Part 1 of the trip is on YouTube. More to come. My parents' 2020 JLU did have a problem on the trip as well, but it was just a low fob battery that made the alarm go off when you opened the door with the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Looks like a good kit. I’d double check to see what throw out bearing it uses though. If it’s not a National, Timken, Koyo or similar, chuck it and get one from the auto parts store that is one of the above. The best ~$50 you’ll spend while doing an external slave setup. You *may* also need the master cylinder 7/16 inverted flare to -3 AN adapter. The 91+ master cylinders used the roll pin retainer style master fitting but the older ones used a brake line style screw-in fitting. Looks like that may be in the kit though from AA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 I think the included adapters pretty much cover the bases. The parts list for the kit that I ordered shows that it comes with all of the adapters shown below. That is one of the reasons that I went with their kit, I've seen people splicing lines together or having to grind out master CYL mounting holes to mount. I'm also not too crazy about the later plastic hard line. I'm hoping to do it right and do it once. That throwout bearing is definitely a concern. If I don't like it, I'll order a Timken. I couldn't find where anyone had used this particular kit, so we shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 one of the best upgrades Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howeitsdone Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 I wish I would have known about the braided cable before I replaced with the MC and hard line as it would have simply cost less, but happy to have a new MC at the same time. Also agree with the bearing suggestion. AA is typically good quality though. You'll certainly appreciate the convenience! Couldn't imagine driving 488 miles like that though. I'd have an ulcer at that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 It wasn't great. We managed to avoid all but one city. The biggest problem was if I had to stop on a incline, it wouldn't crank over fast enough to start. That happened twice and my dad pushed us with his JL. I think that it would have started in low range, but then we'd be creeping to a flat place to up shift and restart. I don't want to repeat hence the AA kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 I ran one of those braided AA lines in my MJ. Make sure you get the correct size.....they make a 48" and a 60". While the 48 might "work" I was more comfortable with the extra length. I just made a small loop (to act as a relief) in it right where it connected to the slave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 The bill of materials says that the kit comes with a 60". Hopefully Ontrac will deliver it today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMO413 Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 I have been looking at that kit for a while now. Can't wait to see what you think of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 On 10/17/2022 at 12:53 PM, ghetdjc320 said: Looks like a good kit. I’d double check to see what throw out bearing it uses though. If it’s not a National, Timken, Koyo or similar, chuck it and get one from the auto parts store that is one of the above. The best ~$50 you’ll spend while doing an external slave setup. I received the kit today. The throw out bearing definitely seems suspect. It was just wrapped in the brown anti-corrosion paper. No brand or part numbers to be found. It also felt rougher compared to the National. Can you tell which is which? I wish they would just knock $10.00 off and not even give you one instead of a cheapie. I was also surprised that it didn't include an input seal, (I bought the one in the pic). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 I put a new clutch in my Focus awhile back. The kit came with a new internal slave/throwout that was an incredible piece of Chicom pot metal crap. I though briefly about complaining to Advance Auto but realized they probably weren't going to do anything about it, so I just sucked it up and bought a different one from a competitor that was an exact copy of the OEM one (stamped made in Germany). No way was I about it do all that work and have it crap out on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 It's pretty frustrating, especially on something so labor intensive. Unfortunately most of my vehicles are old and OE parts aren't available. Aftermarket seems to be a crapshoot, even when you by name brand products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howeitsdone Posted October 21, 2022 Share Posted October 21, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 7:19 PM, Htchevyii said: Can you tell which is which? Well, based on my spare National bearing in the garage I'd say the one on the left looks a lot like mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 The left is the unknown Chinese looking one and the right is the BCA/National. It definitely looks to be of a higher quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted November 29, 2022 Author Share Posted November 29, 2022 Here's a link to the conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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