New clutch for the T5, now the car won't move

[Zoro]

Working on a buddy's Eagle with the T5. Did everything by the book and now we can't get the car in gear while it's running. If we stick the car in gear and try to start it the car will lurch forward. We did disconnect the clutch line then bled the heck out of it after it was all back together.

Any ideas on what went wrong?

[eaglefreek]

How does the clutch pedal feel? If it doesn't feel normal, it might need some more bleeding. I had a similar situation one time with a manual transmission vehicle The replacement clutch disc was a little too thick and I had to shim the pressure plate to get the clutch to release.

[Zoro]

How does the clutch pedal feel? If it doesn't feel normal, it might need some more bleeding. I had a similar situation one time with a manual transmission vehicle The replacement clutch disc was a little too thick and I had to shim the pressure plate to get the clutch to release.

The pedal feels normal which is what has me stumped.

[T5258]

ahhh, the pain that is a T5 clutch blled issue...OK, I ran into the same issue 15 years ago on my SX/4....here's how I corrected it (I've posted this a BUNCH of time, but it never gets old... )

Step 1: Make sure that screwed up tube AMC called a master resevoir is full.
2) Get under the car...use a broomstick, pipe or other device to SLOWLY push the clutch fork (and in turn, the slave cyl piston) forward, so the slave piston bottoms in it's bore.  Hold it there, using the stick, pipe, etc to brace against the floor or x-member.
3) (this step requires an octopus, or 2-3 people-your choice) while under the car, open the bleeder on the slave cyl, then have assistant 1 SLOWLY push the clutch pedal down.  The location of the bleeder seems to resist getting all the air out any other way....once the pedal is down fully, close the bleeder.
4) Before assistant 1 releases pedal, either come up, or have assistant 2 monitor the fluid level in the "reservoir" as assistant 1 releases the pedal.  That tube won't have enough fluid to refill the bore of the master & slave, so you've gotta fill it as the pedal is released.  ALSO, remove the brace you shoved up against the fork...again, monitor the fluid level, cause it's gonna drop as the piston is allowed to travel outward....

It sounds like it's a bigger pain than it is...it takes 10-15 minutes to complete & HOPEFULLY you'll have a good pedal at the end....

[hypereagle]

I like your bleeding proceedure T5258. That all makes scence. Toro you did mention the pedal feels normal?  Is that saying there is resistance at the pedal? If T5258s proceedure doesn't work which I believe should work. Only hoping the disc isn't in backwards.

[T5258]

I can only take a little credit for the procedure....the factory TSM doesn't say anything about pushing the slave piston back into its bore....I got that from a Clymers (I think) that I had picked up LONG before I had my Eagle...it made note to do that, which is how I finally got a pedal back in my SX/4 after doing a clutch.....

[Zoro]

ahhh, the pain that is a T5 clutch blled issue...OK, I ran into the same issue 15 years ago on my SX/4....here's how I corrected it (I've posted this a BUNCH of time, but it never gets old... )

Step 1: Make sure that screwed up tube AMC called a master resevoir is full.
2) Get under the car...use a broomstick, pipe or other device to SLOWLY push the clutch fork (and in turn, the slave cyl piston) forward, so the slave piston bottoms in it's bore.  Hold it there, using the stick, pipe, etc to brace against the floor or x-member.
3) (this step requires an octopus, or 2-3 people-your choice) while under the car, open the bleeder on the slave cyl, then have assistant 1 SLOWLY push the clutch pedal down.  The location of the bleeder seems to resist getting all the air out any other way....once the pedal is down fully, close the bleeder.
4) Before assistant 1 releases pedal, either come up, or have assistant 2 monitor the fluid level in the "reservoir" as assistant 1 releases the pedal.  That tube won't have enough fluid to refill the bore of the master & slave, so you've gotta fill it as the pedal is released.  ALSO, remove the brace you shoved up against the fork...again, monitor the fluid level, cause it's gonna drop as the piston is allowed to travel outward....

It sounds like it's a bigger pain than it is...it takes 10-15 minutes to complete & HOPEFULLY you'll have a good pedal at the end....

Will give that a shot, good egg to you

[Zoro]

I like your bleeding proceedure T5258. That all makes scence. Toro you did mention the pedal feels normal?  Is that saying there is resistance at the pedal? If T5258s proceedure doesn't work which I believe should work. Only hoping the disc isn't in backwards.

Pedal does feel normal, don't think the disc went in backwards.

[captspillane]

I had the same problem recently. In my case I installed a slave cylinder from a 258 into an Iron Duke. The casting and cylinder itself is identical, but the length of the pushrod is different. Try pulling out the new pushrod and sliding in your old pushrod. Also if you're missing the plastic nose piece your pushrod won't be long enough to disengage the clutch.

Its also possible that the dimensions of your pressure plate or throwout bearing are slightly off but still functional. Try using a ratchet strap to the transmission to pull the throwout fork back. Start the car and see if the clutch is disengaged. Release the strap. The clutch should be engaged and the car should lurch forward with the starter. If everything works correctly its your pushrod that is the wrong length. You may need to make a custom pushrod or find an adjustor. My Red SX4 needed an adjuster and it came with it, I don't know where to buy one. It replaced the plastic nose piece with a metal piece that threaded bigger or smaller. You might be able to cut down a CJ or Spirit mechanical pushrod, because those did have an adjustor built in.

I use a ratchet strap to the front crossmember instead of a broom stick. Its alot easier to adjust and install. The ratchet strap holds the clutch release fork stationary, because you don't build up enough pressure as you push the pedal to evacuate the air and fluid without it.

If you have the tube resevoir, you should replace it immediately. No joke, its not worth it. I've only ever had one with a tube. It cracked and dumped all the fluid, leaving me stuck in third gear while driving. I killed the ignition and swerved up and over an enbankment to keep from hitting the car in front of me. Only a few 6 cylinders had those dang tubes, some 6 cylinders and all Iron Dukes had a respectable resevoir. (Iron Duke Spirits had it too). If you can't find an original resevoir you can use a Wilwood resevoir.

[Zoro]

Thanks for the tip capt, I believe the one on this car is the plastic tube type. Gonna try that ratchet strap trick.

[papacarn]

I'm no AMC mechanic yet, but if you put the clutch disk in backwards in a 57 chevy, it will not disengage. They were completely manual with no hyd assist.

[Zoro]

For the heck of it we ended up putting in another T5 we had laying around, the car drives great now. The old tranny was missing 2nd gear so that was the main reason for the swap. Also tore the clutch down and put it back in, the disc was installed correctly. We used the bleeding techniques from this thread and got great results....Thanks for all the help guys!

[eaglefreek]

Good news!