[alakasam44]

Hi, so I got my 4.2 1990 yj about a month ago. I was happy with it at first, and got about a thousand dollars worth of repairs initially that I knew would need doing. Anyways, fast forward to today, when I was driving it, and the clutch pedal went limp. No pressure whatsoever. So I took it to the mechanic, and they told me that it would cost $225 JUST for the slave cylinder. Just for the part. With labor, they said around $800!!!
They also said that they should probably replace all the clutch components while their at it, and if they did everything including the clutch kit and slave cylinder, it would cost around $1000!!!
My question is: is that reasonable??? It sounds like a lot to me, and I am 16, so I don't think I could handle that.
If that IS a reasonable price, do you think I could do it myself? I know I would have to drop the tranny, and it would take a while, but I'm willing to take in a project if I absolutely have to. To be honest I haven't even changed oil myself before... So what do you guys think? All answers are appreciated.

 

[entropy319]

I replaced the transmission in mine recently. It is challinging to say the least. That being said, If I can do it, a reasonably well-trained monkey can, too.

You'll need some tools you probably don't have, a tranny jack, a bunch of jackstands, a clutch alignment tool, and a bunch of stuff I'm probably forgetting. if you have access to a Harbor Freight, you can probably get what you need for less than $300.

Your Jeep is OLD (mine's a 91, I'm not judging), so you're going to find a bunch of broken stuff that you didn't know was broken. This is likely going to occupy more than one weekend, and unless you've got a pit to work in, your jeep is going to be on a lift or jackstands for the duration.

That labor charge seems a bit high (I'd call around if I was you), though the labor for transmission work is typically pretty expensive. Typically, any time you have to drop the tranny, you try to get as much done in there as you can while the transmission is out, so you'll want to replace the clutch as well.

Let us know what you decide to do. I'll help if I can.

 

[alakasam44]

Thanks! I'm just wondering though, how do you figure out how to do it??? It seems like I have never known how people figure out how to do these things? Do they just do it? Do they use a book? The Internet? I just don't get it.

 

[Yeahbuddy]

i did mine 2 weeks ago. i would say a tranny jack is a must and at least a electric tourque wrench and all kinds of sockets and other tools for hard to reach spots. it took me a full day and i did it by myself. defanitly challenging but once you get started things make sense. i made many mistakes that prob cost me time but it all went well i would say. just have to have patience with the thing lol

 

[entropy319]

The forums, youtube, and bunch of trial and error. There really is no easy way to learn this stuff. Start with youtube. This got me most of the way there: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohDi0npi90U

Be prepared for a lot of trial and error.