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Manual - Clutch engagement - 2021 JLU

Spinodi

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I just got my Manual trans JLUR yesterday (worth the 6-week wait!) and I have a question about the clutch engagement position .... where does the clutch release / engage on your JLUR?

For clarity, when I say "release / engage" I mean when does the vehicle start to move. The clutch on my new vehicle engages very late in the clutch travel... that is, very high. It's a bit awkward and I haven't been very smooth in my first few drives :) I would much prefer that the clutch engage lower to the floor - doesn't have to be right off the floor, but definitely lower than 3/4 of the way up, as it is now.

I have been driving stick-shift my whole life. I actually LEARNED to drive on an old 3-on-the-column Ford truck, so I'm not new to driving a manual... this isn't a lack of experience issue.

So again, the questions are:
* Where does your clutch engage? Is this just a "feature" of the 2021 JLURs?
* Is this something I could go back to the dealer and have them work on?

Any info is appreciated.
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FLjeeper

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There are a bunch of threads on this topic. The short answer for me is the clutch sucks off the line but will start to even out after break in. Some stalled 3 or 4 times before they left the lot which is typically uncharacteristic for those that ordered a MT. I feel like mine is spring loaded when engaging but it was definitely worse when I first received it. Here is another thread that may shed some light on from other perspectives.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...rand-new-jlur-has-me-really-frustrated.74107/
 

Mikester86

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Happy I have the 8 speed auto, as it has been fantastic so far.

Unfortunate that it appears the engineers botched the clutch on the JL, making it so different that people cannot use it comfortably or get used to it.
 
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pangmaster

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Hi Chris, and congrats on your new Jeep! You are right, the clutch definitely takes some getting used to. The engagement you describe is pretty much how mine has been. But once you get used to it I think you'll enjoy it. Much more fun driving than the boring 8AT (which is an excellent transmission by all measures, just not the same experience). ;)

I've been driving mine now for about 3 years and haven't had any issues, and I still love rowing through the gears.
 

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Mine starts at mid travel when new, after the clutch recall/replacement it starts as soon as releasing the clutch.

the manual on JL sucks, so just get use to it. also the rev hang is horrible, like waiting forever for the rev to drop, or just slipping the clutch.

 

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Wow, you're in Marietta! I have a 21 JL with 1400 miles. My clutch is starting to get better. Seems to get better once a few miles are on it.
 

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Funny, very little adjustment period at our house... Both my wife and I can drive our new 21 Rubicon manual just fine. We have both stalled it a couple of times but nothing egregious about the clutch or trans and I have not experienced any "rev hang" but we haven't felt the need to run the engine to redline yet either... I think the manual performs great, love it, so happy we didn't get an automatic. I think it just takes a little getting used to and a little break in from what I have read. Enjoy
 

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Like others have said, there is a learning curve for the driver combined with a break -in period for the clutch. After that, it's fine and very fun to drive. Hang in there with it.
 

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Happy I have the 8 speed auto, as it has been fantastic so far.

Unfortunate that it appears the engineers botched the clutch on the JL, making it so different that people cannot use comfortably it or get used to it.
Wow. Only took the Auto guy 15 minutes to show up and add nothing constructive this time. I think that's a record.

Edit: Not a record. Apparently he did the same thing in the thread on this subject last week.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...rand-new-jlur-has-me-really-frustrated.74107/
 

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AlamedaJeep

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I just got my Manual trans JLUR yesterday (worth the 6-week wait!) and I have a question about the clutch engagement position .... where does the clutch release / engage on your JLUR?

For clarity, when I say "release / engage" I mean when does the vehicle start to move. The clutch on my new vehicle engages very late in the clutch travel... that is, very high. It's a bit awkward and I haven't been very smooth in my first few drives :) I would much prefer that the clutch engage lower to the floor - doesn't have to be right off the floor, but definitely lower than 3/4 of the way up, as it is now.

I have been driving stick-shift my whole life. I actually LEARNED to drive on an old 3-on-the-column Ford truck, so I'm not new to driving a manual... this isn't a lack of experience issue.

So again, the questions are:
* Where does your clutch engage? Is this just a "feature" of the 2021 JLURs?
* Is this something I could go back to the dealer and have them work on?

Any info is appreciated.

The clutch gets a lot of complaints here. I don’t really have a problem with it, although it does seem to take a little more finesse than previous clutches I’ve had.

If your’s is engaging at 3/4 of the way up that doesn’t sound right to me. You might be able to find another manual to test drive and compare it to if you’re lucky. Mine engages at what I consider to be a normal position - a couple inches or so above the floor.
 

Petey

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So again, the questions are:
* Where does your clutch engage? Is this just a "feature" of the 2021 JLURs?
* Is this something I could go back to the dealer and have them work on?

Any info is appreciated.
[/QUOTE]
It is a feature for the other years too ... same clutch so what do u, can u, expect.
the dealer might make it worse or nothing at all. unless theres something mechanically wrong.

Of note, my clutch felt best when it was brand new (we all have different tastes) it no longer engages as smoothly( i have less then 9k miles on the vehicle) its beginning to feel more like a clutch with 50 k miles or possibly more. I expected crap from jeep but this downright diarrhea.
So this is a different perspective why the clutch sucks .. frankly, i never experienced any make or model of vehicle where the clutch would get better with time or milage. So , the machined surface on a flywheel always wears unevenly and the pressure plate loses its friction material. The combination of the two makes harder to have a smooth engagement as it wears more..I don't see how this would even begin to make the clutch feel better.
 

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You can put me in these buckets:
* Clutch engagement is in the middle, maybe 60% of the way up.
* "Width" is maybe 20% from just gripping to definitely engaged.
* It's relatively easy to feel the point at a stoplight, and rarely an issue on either slow/smooth or aggressive/speedshift driving.
* Rev hang is rare. Rare enough that I'm a bit surprised when it does happen.

What's clearly "different" from my all-manual-driving experience, is that the JL has two "modes":

1. Crawl mode. You're sitting at a traffic light, obviously in 4H, and you've left one full car length in front of you. You're two cars back. One second before the light changes you clutch pedal, shift into first, and slowly release your foot. No accelerator pedal and the JL manages engine idle. After the pedal is released, clutch is engaged, you're free to use the accelerator without fear of jerking/stalling. (This is/was obviously possible in other vehicles, but it had to be a flat/downhill surface, and reaaaally slow pedal release; the JL let's you do this as long as you don't just pop it.)

2. "Traditional" mode. This is where you're feathering the accelerator "like every other manual I've ever driven" when you release the clutch pedal. This works but not if you only have one car length as the above scenario. This is the one that seems to cause trouble for new JL owners and, in my experience, it's not the clutch but the accelerator pedal.

I'll share and repeat and share again because, yes, I stalled half a dozen times per hour in the first week of ownership until I recalibrated the accelerator. The test: Can you hold 1500 rpm at idle? If you feather the accelerator, does it bang up to 2500 and then just keep rising? (If it's a week old, it's probably impossible to hold 1500 until the engine breaks in a bit, but it should still hold at whatever just-above-idle it manages.) It shouldn't just keep rising from feathering and, if it does, you'll be using the lightest possible force when you engage the clutch and (my interpretation of the TCM here) when you remove just the slightest pressure to avoid over-powering things, the accelerator input is going to immediately drop to zero and say, "Oh! They don't want to go that fast, less gas! (which happens to be 0mph, or nothing) and you stall.

The accelerator pedal has an electronic sensor and it seems many come from the factory set at [0,100,100,100,....,100], so you get On or Off. It needs recalibrated so you get [0,10,20,...,100]. And yes, it blows out with the ECM/PCM software flash.

Well, these are my anecdotae in any case. And yeap I've shared all this on other threads, but it was such a night and day difference on my 2021, I went from "Do I have to take this in or sell it back?" to "Thank Probst that worked, okay this is actually nice and at times amazing". I test drove a 2020 automatic and no way, so I was really scared there for a week.
 

OldGuyNewJeep

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You can put me in these buckets:
* Clutch engagement is in the middle, maybe 60% of the way up.
* "Width" is maybe 20% from just gripping to definitely engaged.
* It's relatively easy to feel the point at a stoplight, and rarely an issue on either slow/smooth or aggressive/speedshift driving.
* Rev hang is rare. Rare enough that I'm a bit surprised when it does happen.

What's clearly "different" from my all-manual-driving experience, is that the JL has two "modes":

1. Crawl mode. You're sitting at a traffic light, obviously in 4H, and you've left one full car length in front of you. You're two cars back. One second before the light changes you clutch pedal, shift into first, and slowly release your foot. No accelerator pedal and the JL manages engine idle. After the pedal is released, clutch is engaged, you're free to use the accelerator without fear of jerking/stalling. (This is/was obviously possible in other vehicles, but it had to be a flat/downhill surface, and reaaaally slow pedal release; the JL let's you do this as long as you don't just pop it.)

2. "Traditional" mode. This is where you're feathering the accelerator "like every other manual I've ever driven" when you release the clutch pedal. This works but not if you only have one car length as the above scenario. This is the one that seems to cause trouble for new JL owners and, in my experience, it's not the clutch but the accelerator pedal.

I'll share and repeat and share again because, yes, I stalled half a dozen times per hour in the first week of ownership until I recalibrated the accelerator. The test: Can you hold 1500 rpm at idle? If you feather the accelerator, does it bang up to 2500 and then just keep rising? (If it's a week old, it's probably impossible to hold 1500 until the engine breaks in a bit, but it should still hold at whatever just-above-idle it manages.) It shouldn't just keep rising from feathering and, if it does, you'll be using the lightest possible force when you engage the clutch and (my interpretation of the TCM here) when you remove just the slightest pressure to avoid over-powering things, the accelerator input is going to immediately drop to zero and say, "Oh! They don't want to go that fast, less gas! (which happens to be 0mph, or nothing) and you stall.

The accelerator pedal has an electronic sensor and it seems many come from the factory set at [0,100,100,100,....,100], so you get On or Off. It needs recalibrated so you get [0,10,20,...,100]. And yes, it blows out with the ECM/PCM software flash.

Well, these are my anecdotae in any case. And yeap I've shared all this on other threads, but it was such a night and day difference on my 2021, I went from "Do I have to take this in or sell it back?" to "Thank Probst that worked, okay this is actually nice and at times amazing". I test drove a 2020 automatic and no way, so I was really scared there for a week.
Interesting read. My clutch is not like yours and it behaves “like any other manual” - engages low to the floor and feels “normal.” Feathering the throttle is also normal.

I have a Rubicon, so the one difference I notice from vehicles I’ve owned in the past is the gearing. 1st is almost a granny gear, and crawling in stop/go traffic is easy to do without bucking. I can launch without touching the throttle, if I’m in no hurry (like in a traffic jam).

If I were you, I’d go to a mom and pop transmission place to have your cylinder bled. I’m no expert, but 60% until engagement seems very wrong for a new clutch (unless you’ve already worn the hell out of it, which could happen if you have air in the line).
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