Manual Transmission - Issues shifting into 1st & Reverse (Compilation thread)

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Wow I’m checking in after a long absence.
I thought you were the biggest ACT cheerleader on the planet.
What happened?
16k miles on my CFII and it is still perfect.

I was. After two years I started experiencing what everyone else in this thread is experiencing.

I’m fortunate inasmuch as mine hasn’t progressed beyond “this is annoying,” but based on these 50 pages my time will come…

I don’t blame ACT. Dirk was great two years ago helping my shop get the install right. I just don’t think the JL is setup to move these bigger, heavier components around. Cue CF and a novel hydraulic setup.

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[mudpup]

I was. After two years I started experiencing what everyone else in this thread is experiencing.

I’m fortunate inasmuch as mine hasn’t progressed beyond “this is annoying,” but based on these 50 pages my time will come…

I don’t blame ACT. Dirk was great two years ago helping my shop get the install right. I just don’t think the JL is setup to move these bigger, heavier components around. Cue CF and a novel hydraulic setup.

I would get the recall done before getting another aftermarket installed.
What is there to lose?
I never gave it much thought but even though some of us swapped out the factory clutch on our own, if we weren’t reimbursed they should still cover a replacement under the recall.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I would get the recall done before getting another aftermarket installed.
What is there to lose?
I never gave it much thought but even though some of us swapped out the factory clutch on our own, if we weren’t reimbursed they should still cover a replacement under the recall.

I don't want the 19a software update, nor do I really want to pay to have it peeled off (local shop in CT does that).

I am addicted to the "normal" clutch feel and heavy flywheel (inertia is awesome, and I can't go back).

My son bought a manual a couple of years ago. At the time I was totally used to my stock setup, then I drove his car and had big time clutch envy. (It was actually quite difficult to go back and forth because his clutch pedal took significantly more effort than the Jeep, as it should - stock JL setup is ridiculously light).

My Jeep is 7 years old and only has 66,000 miles. It's mint. New ones are stupidly expensive in comparison to what I paid. I'll keep it forever and want it the way I want it, I guess.

All of that said, I just got back from the store and the thing drove perfectly. Weather is a major factor- today it's 70F and no humidity. Frustrating!

 

[mudpup]

I don't want the 19a software update, nor do I really want to pay to have it peeled off (local shop in CT does that).

I am addicted to the "normal" clutch feel and heavy flywheel (inertia is awesome, and I can't go back).

My son bought a manual a couple of years ago. At the time I was totally used to my stock setup, then I drove his car and had big time clutch envy. (It was actually quite difficult to go back and forth because his clutch pedal took significantly more effort than the Jeep, as it should - stock JL setup is ridiculously light).

My Jeep is 7 years old and only has 66,000 miles. It's mint. New ones are stupidly expensive in comparison to what I paid. I'll keep it forever and want it the way I want it, I guess.

All of that said, I just got back from the store and the thing drove perfectly. Weather is a major factor- today it's 70F and no humidity. Frustrating!

I hear you and hope my CF keeps good.
Not sure I’d invest close to $3k again if it falls apart.
If that happens I would get the recall done and trade it in.

 

[DaMan]

So has anyone actually had issues with their stock clutch post recall and/or on a 2024+ Jeep? (besides the JScan/bigger tire size issue which has a resolution)

Reading this thread seems like a lot of people jumped down the echo chamber of preemptively upgrading their clutch and are suffering the consequences.

 

[BHank0688]

So has anyone actually had issues with their stock clutch post recall and/or on a 2024+ Jeep? (besides the JScan/bigger tire size issue which has a resolution)

Reading this thread seems like a lot of people jumped down the echo chamber of preemptively upgrading their clutch and are suffering the consequences.

I had issues with my 18 and went aftermarket before the so called fix was available from Jeep. I still wouldn’t let them put the recall software in mine for now.

 

[DaMan]

I had issues with my 18 and went aftermarket before the so called fix was available from Jeep. I still wouldn’t let them put the recall software in mine for now.

Did Jeep compensate you for the clutch? I saw people on here had success with having them cover a new clutch during the peak of 19A recall drama. How's the ACT treating you?

 

[gek]

So has anyone actually had issues with their stock clutch post recall and/or on a 2024+ Jeep? (besides the JScan/bigger tire size issue which has a resolution)

Reading this thread seems like a lot of people jumped down the echo chamber of preemptively upgrading their clutch and are suffering the consequences.

@SadRobot said she saw some people having similar issues after the recall was done in a recall Facebook group iirc.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

@SadRobot said she saw some people having similar issues after the recall was done in a recall Facebook group iirc.

Yes. At least one account of that in this thread, too… but I’m not going to scan 50 pages to find it.

 

[BHank0688]

Did Jeep compensate you for the clutch? I saw people on here had success with having them cover a new clutch during the peak of 19A recall drama. How's the ACT treating you?

Well doing the install myself I didn’t look into getting compensated for it. So far I really like my ACT. No lockout issues. I do have some creaking/ squeaking sound from the bellhousing when pressing / depressing the clutch pedal but, only after Jeep warms up. I can also feel it in the pedal, again after it’s warmed up. That started maybe 3k miles after the act was installed. It does also creep when putting into gear. I’ve explained it in the past on here. I need to just write up my experience so far so I can copy and paste it lol. I’d also have a hard time going back to a stock setup vs how the heavy flywheel setup feels and drives. Made a huge difference when pulling our teardrop camper.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Reading this thread seems like a lot of people jumped down the echo chamber of preemptively upgrading their clutch and are suffering the consequences.

Speaking only for myself, that wasn’t the case. I’ve probably got 50 posts from years ago stating how a-ok I was with stock. I also wasn’t particularly afraid of blowing up and thought (still do, if I’m honest) that there was some driver culpability with the failed pressure plates.

The real turning point for me was driving my son’s car and realizing how much I was compromising with the Jeep’s setup.

I took the plunge as an early ACT adopter, and boy was I happy with the results (after some installation headaches that Dirk helped my shop resolve). And I had no issues for almost two years.

Even now, my Jeep is perfectly drivable. There are just days where it decides to give me trouble with 1st at stoplights and it annoys the crap out of me. Light turns green and then, “Goddamn it! I know, I know! I’m trying to go!” (The “trick” seems to be to gently apply constant pressure and it will slide right in after thinking about it for a full second. That second feels like an eternity, and more often than not I panic and start trying to jam it to 4th and then 1st which sometimes works and sometimes makes it worse. I refuse to sit at a light in gear with the clutch pedal to the floor. Too many decades driving stick to change my preference.)

 

[SadRobot]

Well doing the install myself I didn’t look into getting compensated for it. So far I really like my ACT. No lockout issues. I do have some creaking/ squeaking sound from the bellhousing when pressing / depressing the clutch pedal but, only after Jeep warms up. I can also feel it in the pedal, again after it’s warmed up. That started maybe 3k miles after the act was installed. It does also creep when putting into gear. I’ve explained it in the past on here. I need to just write up my experience so far so I can copy and paste it lol. I’d also have a hard time going back to a stock setup vs how the heavy flywheel setup feels and drives. Made a huge difference when pulling our teardrop camper.

My creaking was the ball that the fork pivots on. It had some strange wear pattern on it. Since sanding that down and regreasing my creak never came back.

 

[BHank0688]

My creaking was the ball that the fork pivots on. It had some strange wear pattern on it. Since sanding that down and regreasing my creak never came back.

I’m having a hard time believing that is what is causing mine. If that was the case though, and I knew for sure, I wouldn’t even think about it anymore until the clutch needed changed from being wore out. I think you posted a video of yours a while back making the sound and I thought we might have different issues / sounds going on.

 

[SadRobot]

I’m having a hard time believing that is what is causing mine. If that was the case though, and I knew for sure, I wouldn’t even think about it anymore until the clutch needed changed from being wore out. I think you posted a video of yours a while back making the sound and I thought we might have different issues / sounds going on.

Mine had sounded like a frog had crawled up into the bellhousing and died and then all of his little frog family and friends had come together to join in song as a tribute to him every time I shifted gears.

So if yours does not sound like that our issues could indeed be different.

 

[BHank0688]

Mine had sounded like a frog had crawled up into the bellhousing and died and then all of his little frog family and friends had come together to join in song as a tribute to him every time I shifted gears.

So if yours does not sound like that our issues could indeed be different.

And was this all the time ? Car running or not? Sounds like it is indeed different than mine. (I feel like we’ve both been over this before in this thread) lol … but I don’t remember and also don’t want go to back through and find it. I need to make a notebook of all this stuff so I can easily find / remember it all. (I’m not much of a technology guy.

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