Hello again Jeep pickup drivers,

Today I will offer you a little modification that will save you a couple of bucks and make your trip to the parts store a one time deal and not a back order nightmare.

This guide covers repair of the hydraulic clutch slave cylinder. It is bolted to the bell housing and can be found by following the metal brake line tubing leading to it from it's own separate master cylinder. Eventually the neoprene plug that slides inside the slave cylinder  will wear enough that it starts to leak fluid. You may notice a wet spot on the ground or your first sign may be when your clutch pedal goes clear to the floor without giving you any clutch release.  The easiest way to extract the plug is to loosen the rod that pushes against the clutch fork, remove it and the dust boot,  and then step on the clutch pedal which will push the plug out of the slave cylinder. You may want to put a catch pan under everything  and you may need to add some fluid if it has all leaked out. If it has you will have to pump the pedal several times to get fluid to the cylinder. You will see that  the metal piston that pushes against the linkage rod  is  a specialised item with a one of a kind  neoprene plug attached to it .  When I asked for a new one at the parts store it was about $10 and of course not in stock. Since the slave cylinder is basically the same as a 1 inch wheel cylinder I priced a kit for one of those. It was $4 and you get two neoprene plugs.  I took that home and used the metal (aluminum) 1 inch diameter piston from another wheel cylinder to replace the original piston since the original has a button in the center which holds the original plug and the plug holds and centers the fork linkage rod.  When you discontinue this you need a concavity in the back of the piston to center the linkage rod.. This could also be done by drilling off the original button if you can't find a wheel cylinder piston.  Any 1 inch metal rod would work with a depression drilled in the back . It doesn't have to be a Jeep part.. First insert the spring that comes with the kit into the slave cylinder.  Wet the neoprene plug with brake fluid and carefully insert it in the cylinder with the widest part toward the front of the truck. If you get it backwards the fluid will go right past it when you step on the  pedal. Loosen the bleeder fitting to give the air a place to escape. Put the metal piston in next with the flat side against the flat side of the plug. Replace the dust boot and linkage rod. Pour brake fluid into the master cylinder untill it comes out of the bleeder fitting on the slave cylinder then tighten this. Top off the brake fluid and replace the lid.  Press the clutch pedal a couple of times to adjust the slack out of the linkage rod. Check the fluid again and try it out.  If the pedal is too soft you may have some air in the cylinder.  Open the bleeder again untill only fluid comes out, no bubbles, Check fluid level again and repeat  untill you have it like you want it. Some people may choose to hone the cylinder before putting it back together. I have not had a problem skipping this step. I leave that up to you. If it's not rough or pitted, it should be O.K.

The next time you need to fix this problem all you will need is a 1 inch wheel cylinder kit, easily available at any parts store.  If you are organised enough , you may still know where the spare plug is.

More to come...                                                   Skullhunter