Stiff Clutch

A

ArttyG

Member
Joined
Nov 20, 2021
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27
Location
Memphis, TN
How hard is your clutch to operate? I have a 2010 JK. It has the most difficult clutch to operate that I have ever dealt with. I have mastered using it, but it can be tiresome.

Is this just the way it is?

Is there an adjustment that I can make?

My friend has a TJ. The clutch in it is so easy to use.
 
When I first bought my 07 JKU with 118k mi, the Jeep had sat for a while. The clutch was stiff. After driving it a couple of weeks, the throw out bearing crapped out (you could see the ball bearings from the holes in the bell housing drain gaps.

Don't want to scare you, but I think my clutch was stiff because the throw out bearing went out because the Jeep sat for about two years without being used and when I bought it - it was just dried out and grenades.

Maybe yours is worn. Does it squeal or make a gritty sound from under your Jeep?

As soon as my mechanic put a factory clutch in.... I almost put my foot through the floor it was so soft. How many miles on your Jeep? Or better yet, do you know how many miles are o your clutch?

To the all knowing others.... slave cylinder?

Side note: I test drove a brand new Chevy Camaro back in 2016... that's a hard/stiff clutch.
 
I bought the Jeep in December 2020 with 96,000 miles.

I assume it is the factory clutch, but I have no way of knowing that. I am the 7th or 8th owner, so who knows.

The guy that had it before me only put 4,000 miles on it the last year he had it.

It's a 2 door, so I'm thinking people bought it thinking it was cool or cute, then sold it because of it's limitations as a grocery getter/people carrier. I'm daily driving it and using it offroad.

It doesn't make any strange noises, and it hooks up fine. But you do have to really feather the clutch to make smooth shifts and to start off from a stop.

Any way, I was just curious.
 
ArttyG said:
I bought the Jeep in December 2020 with 96,000 miles.

I assume it is the factory clutch, but I have no way of knowing that. I am the 7th or 8th owner, so who knows.

The guy that had it before me only put 4,000 miles on it the last year he had it.

It's a 2 door, so I'm thinking people bought it thinking it was cool or cute, then sold it because of it's limitations as a grocery getter/people carrier. I'm daily driving it and using it offroad.

It doesn't make any strange noises, and it hooks up fine. But you do have to really feather the clutch to make smooth shifts and to start off from a stop.

Any way, I was just curious.
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I'd definitely get a professional opinion and get ahead of it if your clutch or TOB is going out, just in case it decides to go out on you in the middle of nowhere. Could be something else, but all the manual JKs I've driven, where the clutch is good/new, they weren't stiff. And, a clutch can go whenever, depending on how previous operators used it.
 
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ArttyG said:
But you do have to really feather the clutch to make smooth shifts and to start off from a stop.
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This would make me wary.
Based on your sentence, it sounds like your clutch is getting ready to go if you're having to feather it with gear changes. You're literally having to find the pressure sweet-spot where it'll engage and allow you to get it into a gear.
 
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Anybodyhome,

It's not that I can't get into or out of gears, it's just that if I don't carefully release the clutch pedal once I have switched gears, it makes for a rough ride.

In first from a stop, I have to feather it to get it going smoothly.

I can rev the engine and dump the clutch, but that makes for a rough ride as well.

I'll definitely check into getting the clutch replaced.

Thanks,

Art
 
ArttyG said:
Anybodyhome,

It's not that I can't get into or out of gears, it's just that if I don't carefully release the clutch pedal once I have switched gears, it makes for a rough ride.

In first from a stop, I have to feather it to get it going smoothly.

I can rev the engine and dump the clutch, but that makes for a rough ride as well.

I'll definitely check into getting the clutch replaced.

Thanks,

Art
Click to expand...


Sounds kinda like a pressure plate problem.
 
Ok, I've done a bit of research, and I do believe a clutch replacement is in order.

Does anyone have a recommendation on what clutch I should use?

I'm conflicted about balancing ease of daily driving with off road capability. I would lean toward off road capability over ease of daily use.

Thanks
 
I got a factory one put in (Luk), but my mechanic did it for about $400 or $500 less than the factory.

For my on/off road driving, I believed it was sufficient and would last another 100k+ miles like the original.
 
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72c10 said:
I got a factory one put in (Luk), but my mechanic did it for about $400 or $500 less than the factory.

For my on/off road driving, I believed it was sufficient and would last another 100k+ miles like the original.
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I also agree I don't see why the OEM clutch wouldn't be strong enough for offroading.
 
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I've used Centerforce clutch assemblies for years, with good results. They're rugged and I've never felt the clutch pedal was too stiff
 
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