Quick questions

[danthedent]

So I recently blew my clutch. And I am now wondering if its at all my fault. I bought the jeep with a bad clutch from the start so it was bound to go eventually. So am I doing anything wrong.
Ill always shift at around 3000. Sometimes I'll get it to 5000 when going from 1st to second. After that ill shift 2500-3000. I only put it in 5th going about 70.
Also when I "double clutch" I just keep foot in gas push clutch in rev match and disengage. Is this bad?
Also wheeling advice would be helpful I haven't gone much but riding the clutch sometimes was an issue. I was not riding clutch when in mud or water though. And I now also have 4lo.
And last question is my shift indicator. It pretty much tells me to shift from 2nd to 4th should I follow it?

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Dan , you don't need a jeep , you need a Maserati ! Even though its a five speed , its not geared for speed like a car . You take what you get ( speed wise ) and that's all you can do . 3000 rpms is starting to really push too hard in lower gears and 5000 from first to second ? Please Dan , its a jeep not a rice burner ! Your loading the clutch with engine torque against gear resistance that is not meant to spin that fast ! Each gear has a specific road speed up shifting and downshifting.
Speaking of , are you double clutching to nurse a bad synchro ? You NEVER accelerate when stabbing the clutch for a shift , unless you like the burned odor in the cab ! Always come off the throttle an instant before clutching for a shift . Never ride the clutch in 4lo , feather the throttle .
We lose more clutches and main bearings that way ! Engine blocks too . DON'T RIDE THE CLUTCH ! PLEASE ! Sorry for the lecture but please get familiar with the proper speed for each gear for up and downshifting. Matching engine rpm and road speed is generally for RoadRanger transmissions found in tractor trailers (9,10,13,15,16,18,20 etc.) .they are un-synchronized and are driven that way. If your road speed is right and the syncros are good , rpms will fall natural. Greg

 

[danthedent]

Alright. First c'mon now Greg I felt that as an insul obviously you were not though.
To start I learned driving stick by my self on tractors and little toro workman carts. So I guess I wasn't doing it the right way.
You said that you think 3000 is to much for low gears what does that mean? I should shift earlier.
Also suggested shift pattern?
I've been Shifting around 2500 now 3000 tops.
Also as to downshifting how do I go about downshifting then. Like double clutching in that case. For example if I'm goin up a hill in 3rd and its gettin down to around 1300 or less RPms how would I get it into second.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Alright. First c'mon now Greg I felt that as an insul obviously you were not though.
To start I learned driving stick by my self on tractors and little toro workman carts. So I guess I wasn't doing it the right way.
You said that you think 3000 is to much for low gears what does that mean? I should shift earlier.
Also suggested shift pattern?
I've been Shifting around 2500 now 3000 tops.
Also as to downshifting how do I go about downshifting then. Like double clutching in that case. For example if I'm goin up a hill in 3rd and its gettin down to around 1300 or less RPms how would I get it into second.

My apologies to you , Dan. My post was never meant to be insulting , heavy handed or discrediting to you as a driver of a manual transmission vehicle. What I do believe is that you've outgrown your jeep and are looking for more than it offers.
I learned to drive stick in a 22 ft. Stake truck , a Ford w/ 392 heavy duty four barrel 5 spd. No power steering air over hydraulic brakes and had to load it myself with parts because the hydraulic crane wasn't working . Rough days in the junkyard then.
Well , enough about me. When you get your jeep back on the road with its new clutch , I'd like you to try this as an experiment.
Starting off in 1st , accelerate until you hear the engine comfortably reaches its highest rpm for that gear( without straining ) and observe the road speed . Let off the throttle and see if you feel any turbulence from the engine and trans . If it dosen't feel comfortable , try the same at a lower engine rpm and observe the road speed. When you find what you believe is good for the jeep , the up shift should feel more precise than having to yank it out of gear to shift up to 2nd. Too much rpm produces too much torque load on the trans and is abusive to it . Not to mention , backlash on the clutch caused by the main shaft trying to wind down to its natural speed range versus road speed versus engine rpm causes lots of friction and heat. Very abusive. Equally abusive is rapid clutch release after shifting . Release should be gentle but not too slow. When I drove that truck , I had to learn that 1st gear was only good for 3-5 mph and not to push the engine any harder. If I did , it was non-synchromesh and was just as hard to pull out of gear as it was engaging it from standing start. If you learned not to overload first with too much torque you quickly shifted into neutral and found second ( down to neutral , over right and up in a U and down to third) and did not lose road speed or cause the engine to lug. If you blew the shift , pray you didn't rattle the mains ( main bearings) and cause engine ( block) damage. I realize my post is becoming long and drawn out in description and I can go on , but I am trying to say that there is a comfortable and specifically determined speed range for every gear , for any vehicle. Conversely , if you shifted too soon , when you release the clutch , the engine will drop back ( in deceleration ) too close to idle and accelerating through the next gear is straining the engine from too low and rpm. I know you are familiar with this all but ideally , you ( and everyone ) should find what is comfortable for the engine in terms of proper engine rpm for each gear. We are in constant search of the most useable rpm range ( powerband) from our engines. This is important to really get familiar with as you ( everyone) must know proper speed ( rpm and road speed ) for proper downshifting as well . Lower gears are for getting the jeep under way until you get to a road speed the engine can comfortably accelerate with less resistance of road speed and weight to hurt it . Once less rolling resistance is established , you can get more rpm out each gear ( 3rd,4th & 5th). Shift earlier means at lower rpm range .

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Alright. First c'mon now Greg I felt that as an insul obviously you were not though.
To start I learned driving stick by my self on tractors and little toro workman carts. So I guess I wasn't doing it the right way.
You said that you think 3000 is to much for low gears what does that mean? I should shift earlier.
Also suggested shift pattern?
I've been Shifting around 2500 now 3000 tops.
Also as to downshifting how do I go about downshifting then. Like double clutching in that case. For example if I'm goin up a hill in 3rd and its gettin down to around 1300 or less RPms how would I get it into second.

I think you mean by shift pattern , the correct rpm range for each gear. As I've posted earlier , you will determine that by giving yourself the test by listening to the engine , reading the tach & speedo and you will feel a comfortable shift. Even on RoadRanger transmissions , rpm range varies from lower gears to higher gears . I could explain that , but it won't take up a whole thread in itself. Gear patterns within transmission ranges ( under drive , direct drive , overdrive) . 2500 to 3000 in 3,4&5 th gear is probably fair . First and second , probably lower. I never drove a jeep with an AX15 , but my old '78 jeep cherokee had a t-18 Warner and 1st was un synchro and good for 3-5 moh . 2,3&4 were mostly used. Second to third was the FIRST shift and performed at 15 to 20 mph . Comfortably. 25 at best. You get the idea. Did not have a tach. If you must downshift to second from third due to loss in road speed and engine rpm , you do not want to shift into neutral ( double clutch ) and down to second as THAT is shock load to the transmission. You will have to let the road speed drop to a comfortable range good for the engine AND transmission . My old jeep was like that to. Especially easy on the clutch engagement on downshifting on a hill climb . Never too quick but not too long to release. Shock load is deadly to transmissions. A transmission with good syncronizers should not require double clutching , which is meant for non-synchromesh.