I have setup my CJ5 with a ford np435 behind a 304 with a t150 bell. I am using the slave cylinder for a non amc Jeep 4 cyl, the master cylinder is aftermarket replacement TJ MC. (I have a TJ tub), and I have a stainless braided hose and adapter AN fittings from Advance Adapters between them.
Im also running the stock CJ v8 clutch setup, with a clutch fork return spring between the fork and bell.

my question is why is the clutch so crappy? Its hardly has any pedal, i can very easily push it to the floor.
I have bled it numerous times with the pump-pump hold way and I just let it gravity bleed for an hour to see if that helps but it doesnt.
My only thought is that the slave cyl's pushrod is not long enough to completely get the clutch disengaged.

If i shift the trans into first and the tcase into gear then push the clutch in, i cant move the rear xcase yoke at all. I am thinking a longer rod will do the trick of getting the clutch all the way disengaged, but im not sure.
When the pedal is completely pressed to the floor, the clutch fork has moved about 1.25" or so.

what kind of metal can i use to make a longer slave push rod with? If that is what I need.

any ideas or suggestions?

How much free-play do you have in the fork? You only want about 1/8". Does your slave have an internal spring? If so, toss the return spring and let it self-adjust.
1.25" is in the ball-park, so you are at least close.
Do you happen to know a few numbers, such as:

Slave bore.
M.C bore.
Fork ratio.

Did you add the plastic bullet?
I'ts a stock Jeep part that goes on that setup.
http://www.monsterslayer.com/jeep/HydClutch/HydraulicClutch.JPG

I used some 3/8" rod cut about 1.5"s longer than the original shaft and radiused the ends on a belt sander. Works OK now but I think I'll try a weeker return spring also.

Holly smokes i just fixed the exact same sort of problem with my willys

I have a ch350 + 4 speed.

I am using the same style hydro clutch set-up.

Here is what i had to do.

1. bleed the system.
2. press in pedal and hold down.
3. grab the clutch fork and hold in position.
4. release pedal, the puch rod will not go back intot he slave because the clutch fork is being held in place.
5. press pedal again to make the push rod extend again.
6. repeat until you are in the sweet spot where the clutch is engaged when pedal is out and where clutch is diengaged when pedal is pressed in.

I had trouble with, when i let the pedal out the slave would decompress.

It looks like your slave is a bit far away from the clutch fork, you make need a longer rod.

If that does not help at all, you may have to lengthen/shorten the clutch fork arm to get the right throw.

Joe

Hold on to your lug nuts while I type up a book here... :D

There are two distinct styles of slave cylinder: manual adjust, and self adjusting. IMO, self adjusting is hands down the better of the two.

The manual adjust style uses (you guessed it) an adjustable-length rod and a return spring. The slave is supposed to bottom out when you release the pedal. You adjust in a little free-play (1/16" - 1/8" or so) with the pedal released to keep pressure off the throw-out. As the clutch wears, you have to maintain the rod adjustment or the free-play will steadily disapear until your clutch starts to slip. Adjusting clutch rods is a PITA, and this is why self-adjusting is much nicer.

The self-adjusting type uses a light spring inside the slave to push the piston *out*. The is no return spring, and the push-rod need not be adjustable (although it certainly can be). When you release the pedal, the slave retracts only as far as it needs to to release pressure on the throw-out, and the light spring maintains zero free-play while keeping the piston from bottoming out. As the clutch wears, the piston retracts further and further into the bore, maintaining a balance between the clutch and spring. It works just like disc brakes, only in reverse. With this style, when installing a new clutch, you need to make sure the piston is *not* bottoming out, or even close to it, because as the clutch wears, you could wind up with it bottoming out and causing slippage.

So, if you have a self-adjusting slave (pop out the piston and look for a long thin spring), ditch the return spring and make sure there is no pressure on the throw-out fork with the pedal releasd. There should actually be very very light pressure from the spring, but you should be able to push the piston further into the bore (by something like an inch for a fresh clutch) by hand. If you have a manual slave, then make sure it's bottomed out and adjust a little free-play into the rod.

If, after getting the thing setup, you still can't get the clutch to disengage, then you may have an issue with your fork being too long, or a mis-match between master and slave bore sizes (they should be the same or very close). Also make sure you have a good free-play at the pedal end as well (1/8").

Or maybe you just put your disk in backwards :flipoff2:

thanks for all the good info.

CrustyJeep, I have a solid push rod, so it looks like I have the self adjusting style slave.
I am going to try the "adjustment" that 84excursion mentioned and see if that helps my problem any.

Should I ditch the inner return spring that you speak of all together?

Jaffer, i got the plastic "bullet" part on the rod.

You all have given me some things to try, ill do them and see how it turns out.
thanks

Should I ditch the inner return spring that you speak of all together?NO! You want either the inner spring or the return spring.

NO! You want either the inner spring or the return spring.

I vote for both.
The outer will help keep your throw-out bearing from racing while disengaged

I vote for both.
The outer will help keep your throw-out bearing from racing while disengagedThat will work, as long as you have an adjustable rod, but the return spring defeats the purpose of the internal spring.

I recently did a nv4500 swap from AA and the all thread push rod they gave me was also to short and could not get the clutch adjusted, so i just made a longer one and it worked fine. I also put a 3/4" wilwood master cylinder for more power ( i dont know if that was needed but thought it was a good idea since i had the peugot and a internal slave.)