Clutch freezes up

It has been sub-zero windchill here for weeks, and in the single digits most of the week. The clutch on my jeep gets extremely stiff and does not want to engage when it is this cold. Very stiff to push in, and then the pedal does not want to come all the way back - very stiff again.

What would cause this? There is not anything jamming it up in the linkage, is the grease on the pedal shaft just that frozen?

 

Your Jeep wants to go someplace warm thats all.

 

It's old, it probably wants to move to Florida, I refuse.

 

Thick grease?

 

I believe it was the Lucas red grease that I used on the clutch last. It is a little stickier, but I may have use my moly grease that is supposed to keep water out. I can't remember which grease gun I used.

 

It might want Arizona. You know that wet salty environment of Florida is not good for an old Jeeps health whereas the dry air of Arizona is great for it. Though it might just want to be a snowbird down there.

 

Well maybe not. It was 30º F here in Beautiful Uptown Florence (just a little 65 mile stroll southeast of Phoenix) at 7 am this morning, with 68% humidity and a slight 10 mph breeze to lower the chill factor to about 27 or so.
Makes my old bones not want to go out in it.

 

Do you think it might be something to do with the Pedal Shaft, Pedal Shaft Key, and pedal shaft washer.
and je

 

I wouldn't think so, works perfectly except when it is below freezing. It will eventually loosen up in the cold, but it takes for ever and doesn't feel real safe to drive that way.

 

I have had similar experiences, Not with a jeep but with a 1 1/2 ton truck. The throwout bearing carrier would get harder and harder to slide the colder it got, springs get weaker to in very low temperatures, the throwout bearing return spring will loose a little oompf when it gets extreemly cold also, Clutch was hard to push and did not want to firmly return untill engine and tranny were both warmed up some.

 

It might be the clutch cable if you have one. Mine just did this before changing over to the Advance Adapters chain retrofit.

Anyway, my cable didn't freeze but it stuck to the cable support because it laid across the muffler. The cable would not move and eventually broke. It acted very much like what you mentioned about the pedal not wanting to go down.

Since you mentioned it wouldn't come back, that may not be the cable but something binding around the bell crank.

That is about all I have.