AX-15 clutch replacement

[94XJ2door5speed]

Is there a write up? my searching brought up nothing on a write up. What is anyone that has one that mostly drives it on the street recommend for a clutch? Dont know if i need a flywheel or not but it is all stock on 202,000 miles and is starting to make some pretty iffy noises.

 

[5-90]

A "clutch kit" should have everything you need to replace in it, save the flywheel (you should be able to resurface that in a pinch, but it's easier to get the screws holding it out if you have some variety of impact tool.)

The only real difference will be if you have the "internal" or "external" slave - the "internal" combines the throwout bearing and slave cylinder into a single unit (a stonking bad idea, if you ask me...) and the "external" has the TO actuated by a fork and a separate slave cylinder. The break is somewhere around 1995 for that - later ones are "external."

You probably won't know if your flywheel needs to be resurfaced or replaced until you get into the job - if there are deep gouges, plan on replacing it. If there are blue spots, don't even bother trying to grind it - replace it (those blue spots are hard spots from heat.)

Word of Caution - if it's "all original" as you say, it will still have the original upper bellhousing screws. They're threaded 3/8"-16, but they've got external Torx heads, and you'll need an E12 socket to get them out. Remove them, measure the length, and throw them away. Replace with hex head capscrews of the same length (I already told you the thread pitch.) SAE5 or SAE8 will be fine, so use whichever is available to you.

Since you're not getting silly with the thing (off-road with on-off clutch action, or towing heavy loads,) the stock off-the-shelf replacement should be just fine for you.

 

[94XJ2door5speed]

Thanks alot on the info 2 questions; Is there a way to remove the flywheel without an impact? I will be doing wheeling but it is very mild with my all stock Jeep and maybe i mean maybe twice a month. i can't afford to break my only driver. The regular cluth should be fine right?

 

[5-90]

Thanks alot on the info 2 questions; Is there a way to remove the flywheel without an impact? I will be doing wheeling but it is very mild with my all stock Jeep and maybe i mean maybe twice a month. i can't afford to break my only driver. The regular cluth should be fine right?

You can - but it's difficult. The flywheel screws are torqued to around 105 pound-feet, with LocTite applied, and you have to really hold the engine from turning while you're trying to break torque on the screws. I've done it, but it's not easy (I think I used a modified "chain wrench" to hold the flywheel. It really sucked.)

Yes, the regular clutch should still be fine. Doesn't sound like you're anywhere near needing a clutch made from something exotic (like Kevlar...)

 

[outlander]

They make flywheel holders I'll see if I can find a link......you might be able to put a 19mm socket on the crankshaft pulley to keep the flywheel from turning the motor over and have a friend hold it while you are taking the flywheel bolts out.

 

[outlander]

ahhh here it is:
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/...eel,turner&cm_mmc=PMD_SE-_-MSN-_-Performance_

Although they are supposed to be used to turn the motor I used one of these when I put my clutch in.

 

[94XJ2door5speed]

Suppose ill use my 1/2" drive with a breaker bar and use someone on the front bolt to try to hold it still. is 105 the true torque reading or is it in my Hanes i wonder? Thanks again all you guys this is the heads up stuff i needed!

 

[Jes]

Do not resurface an AX15 flywheel. It has a slightly domed surface and is meant to be that way. If you have it resurfaced the clutch won't grab right off the floor and after 100,000 or so miles it doesn't grab untill at the end of the throw.
The stock replacement clutch(made by Luk) that you get from the dealer is a good unit, all I've ever used.

 

[94XJ2door5speed]

Nice to know! I depend alot on these little bits of advice to help me with the little quirks that may happen from time to time.

 

[Rev Den]

IF....and thats a big if at that milage, your flywheel has no grooves, blue spots, cracks, etc. and looks good. Hit it with some fine sandpaper to break the glaze, then CLEAN it with brake cleaner.

The job itself is involved...but not hard.

drop crossmember
disconnect lines, linkages, etc.
drop trans and xfer as one unit.
Get every socket extension you have....3' is good....4' is better, and a wobble end.

Get a LARGE trans jack, it should look like this:

dont bother with the little ones.

change everything out, replace.

my first one took 6 hours....the last time I did it (internal slave, so I got good) was 3 hours.

When are you going to do it? If you know when, we can try to check here often if you have questions.

Rev


Oh.....and I prefer those stui little reverse torx suckers, real easy to get the socket on.

 

[gradon]

I've had my 94 flywheel machined with great success and excellent engagement with the Centerforce DF2 clutch kit(I highly recommend it). I have been corresponding with someone that says his clutch chatters on occasion(machined flywheel and fresh clutch kit), and that he has to let the pedal more than halfway out for the clutch to engage, so maybe his machinist took off too much? He's been told it could be corrected with some washers on. . .?
Those reverse torx do suck--I always remove shifter and driveshaft, and put the floor jack under the tranny, loosen the crossmember and slowly lower the tranny until I can get a good angle on the torx from the shifter hole inside of vehicle using like 3 1/2" extensions. Don't lower the tranny so much that the mech fan hits the radiator and keep in mind the ground strap on the firewall. Definitely good to have an extra set of hands and eyes when you do this.

 

[5-90]

Suppose ill use my 1/2" drive with a breaker bar and use someone on the front bolt to try to hold it still. is 105 the true torque reading or is it in my Hanes i wonder? Thanks again all you guys this is the heads up stuff i needed!

FSM torque specs are on my site. I don't have all years, but you should be able to find something close to yours...

 

[94XJ2door5speed]

Not sure when its gonna happen hopefully back in CT in 2 months if i can milk it till then. Thanks for the tips and i'm going to replace it all including the flywheel but my external slave was replaced last saturday with the master. I did a 4x4 ranger with my buddy and yeah it took us 4 hours aswell.

 

[seanyb505]

The break for internal/external was 94. 94s are external. I was able to use 3/8 12pt socket to get the torx bolts off. It was scary but I was able to do it.

 

[Ronbo]

I had problems with the Centerforce clutch, and would recommend the basic OEM clutch. The Centerforce worked fine for months, but eventually the centrifugal weights would stick, not allowing the clutch to release fully. This happened when the trans was good and hot, so every morning it was smooth as butter, after about twenty minutes shifting was difficult, sometimes barely able to engage first gear at a stop light.
I was warned that was a common issue in 4.0/AX15 vehicles, and sure enough.. BTW, Luk manufacures the Centerforce disk, it's stamped right on it.

Then I went with the basic Luk clutch kit and a new flywheel. It has a very slight chatter starting off under load, which is starting to bother me. I really don't want to do this again, but I'll probably put in the factory clutch, which always worked fine.

 

[outlander]

I went with a luk pro gold.......I get a slight chatter every once in a while.