DIY Centerforce flywheel and clutch install

[bllprk]

Good evening,

So, I have installed the Centerforce clutch.
I am having trouble with the hydraulics. The clutch engages when the pedal is only 1/2” off the floor.

When I install the slave, into the bell housing, i don’t have to compress the slave much. When I measure, the distance from the fork to the housing, is just less than the length of the extended slave piston.

Really feels like I did something wrong.

I have used every bleeding technique I can find including using the vacuum bleeder.

Any advice? Thank you!!!

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[Toycrusher]

Good evening,

So, I have installed the Centerforce clutch.
I am having trouble with the hydraulics. The clutch engages when the pedal is only 1/2” off the floor.

When I install the slave, into the bell housing, i don’t have to compress the slave much. When I measure, the distance from the fork to the housing, is just less than the length of the extended slave piston.

Really feels like I did something wrong.

I have used every bleeding technique I can find including using the vacuum bleeder.

Any advice? Thank you!!!

Bleeding these systems is a bugger. The least ineffective method I've found is to remove the slave, hold it in a position so the hose is higher than the plunger, and slowly compress it (pump it) about 10 times. It's difficult to do and if you don't press straight-in, you can break the piston (you can guess how I know that).

That should get you going, though you may need to do it again in a few weeks as the air is really tough to fully purge

 

[Cutterone]

My CF2 did the same thing new, engaged almost immediately off the floor. Give it a week or 2 it will loosen up as the engagement point moves up pedal...

 

[OBJLU]

Bleeding these systems is a bugger. The least ineffective method I've found is to remove the slave, hold it in a position so the hose is higher than the plunger, and slowly compress it (pump it) about 10 times. It's difficult to do and if you don't press straight-in, you can break the piston (you can guess how I know that).

That should get you going, though you may need to do it again in a few weeks as the air is really tough to fully purge

This worked for me too finally got the air out of the system this way

 

[ALRUI]

Bleeding these systems is a bugger. The least ineffective method I've found is to remove the slave, hold it in a position so the hose is higher than the plunger, and slowly compress it (pump it) about 10 times. It's difficult to do and if you don't press straight-in, you can break the piston (you can guess how I know that).

That should get you going, though you may need to do it again in a few weeks as the air is really tough to fully purge

Anyone using a vacuum bleeder?

 

[OBJLU]

Anyone using a vacuum bleeder?

I bled it that way 3x, once by my installer, pulling the slave was the only way

 

[bllprk]

Centerforce Clutch - Self Install Review

Jeep Details:
Jeep Sport 2018 3.6L 6Speed Manual Transmission. 2 inch lift. 35" tires. M186 / M220 5.13 Gears. Rubicon Transfer Case. Open Front / LSD Rear. Crawl Ratio of 104:1 65,000 miles

Background:
I go off-roading as much as I can. I try the hard stuff. But remember, I drive a Sport on 35's.

Stock Clutch: I didn't mind it. I like the light clutch pedal. I did burn it up a few times off roading. I went to a crawl ratio of 104:1 to help avoid that. Maybe it would very slightly slip at 5k rpm on heavy acceleration. I replaced the stock clutch because I didn't want it slipping and exploding on a trip to Moab. I was also excited to get the heavy flywheel. I did NOT love the stock flywheel. This jeep was so easy to stall. The other note is the clutch was very on or off in terms of engagement. It didn't really feather.

Install:
Centerforce ® II, Clutch and Flywheel Kit Item #: KCFT157077. I installed this myself. Total install time was about 11 hours and that included changing the rear main seal. I also had to remove and re-install skid plates. Install was straight forward. Pain points included the top fasteners on the bell housing and the bracket. I did separate the transfer case. I did not disconnect the shifter linkage. I had tons of room to put the transmission to the side. I installed this on the floor of my garage.

With respect to mounting the flywheel: use one of the old flywheel bolts and cut the head off. Use that to hold the flywheel in place (and while trying to align the holes). I also purchased 2 long bolts and cut the heads off to align the bell housing to the engine. With respect to bleeding the clutch, follow Centerforces instructions exactly. It was a very straightforward install. I have only installed one other clutch in a TJ.

Performance:
My first comment is that the clutch feels like a clutch. It engages smoothly, pedal force is a bit higher (to push down the pedal) than stock, but it feels like a traditional single disc clutch.

This clutch feels right. Right now I am trying to teach my son a manual transmission. On the factory clutch, he could never feel it engaging. Even with the 5.13's he still struggled with stalling. He loves this new one because he can tell when it's starting to grab.

I have 600 miles on it now. I did some simple off-roading obstacles at a friend's house. First thing to note wasn't I didn't stall a single time. I have one video of the engine running very low RPM due to me being on the brake, and while it was lugging, it kept going. The other thing I noticed was I could actually control speed with the clutch itself. I could let it slip a bit, and it performed beautifully. While rock crawling, with my crawl ratio and the Centerforce clutch, I don't need the accelerator at all. I know not to slip the clutch while driving. But, it's nice to know that on the hardest obstacles, I have an additional tool to get up it. Jeeping with the Mopar twin disc clutch, I had forgotten you could do this with a clutch.

I will be disabling the ESS at some point. I just want to save the wear and tear on the starter due to the heavier flywheel.

I did run into some questions about bleeding the hydraulics. Centerforce was on the phone with me almost immediately to help me work through the issue. The support was top notch.

So, in conclusion, I am happy to have the risk of a Jeep fire removed. In addition, I gained some amazing off-road capability. Very happy to have a solid flywheel and a single disc clutch!

Video of me not stalling...

 

[cinnur]

I was able to get an early Centerforce clutch before there was a recall solution announced by FCA. As there is now two or three official recall steps, it might not be possible anymore.

I just put the Centerforce clutch into my 2019 JL Sport a few weeks ago, I had the work done by a local shop.

Anyway, I tried to get reimbursement for the clutch and work and I was denied. The reason stated that they currently don't have a fix but recommend I save all documentation.

They did ask me why I did not go through a Jeep dealer for this work, and I wrote back the local Jeep dealer recommended the shop I went for this work rather than themselves.

 

[taotaomona77]

I just purchased the Centerforce KCFT 157077 and noticed that no pilot bearing is included. The weekend of course, so getting technical support is not available right now. I’m affected by this recall and my clutch went out… so I’m just trying to get some feedback from y’all about what I may be missing here for this model clutch. Pilot bearing? Needed not needed??

 

[KG5PST]

There is no pilot bearing.

 

[KG5PST]

There is no pilot bearing.

In fact, the transmission has no provision for a pilot bearing.

 

[taotaomona77]

There is no pilot bearing.

Unfortunately, because of incorrect information on the website I ordered from, I was led to believe one was included with this kit. This whole clutch recall issue is really testing my ability to remain calm and not go psycho! LoL! So now I have to figure out if the shop installing it can get something or I have to wait another week on parts to be delivered. Ty for the response.

 

[KG5PST]

Unfortunately, because of incorrect information on the website I ordered from, I was led to believe one was included with this kit. This whole clutch recall issue is really testing my ability to remain calm and not go psycho! LoL! So now I have to figure out if the shop installing it can get something or I have to wait another week on parts to be delivered. Ty for the response.

The transmission is not designed to use a pilot bearing. You would need to tear the transmission apart and replace the input shaft and then have a machine shop mill out an opening in the flywheel for one to pass through.

 

[Actman]

Unfortunately, because of incorrect information on the website I ordered from, I was led to believe one was included with this kit. This whole clutch recall issue is really testing my ability to remain calm and not go psycho! LoL! So now I have to figure out if the shop installing it can get something or I have to wait another week on parts to be delivered. Ty for the response.

No pilot bearing is required. The input shaft is self-supported by the transmission.

 

[taotaomona77]

No pilot bearing is required. The input shaft is self-supported by the transmission.

Thank you! Just dropped $$$ on the clutch and more $$$ soon to come in install… just needed the verification!

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