matt852

I read about someone here who got mud in the clutch housing by shifting while they were in a mud puddle.

I was playing around in the country and there was a half mile stretch of road that was mudded up the water was probably only 3 inches deep. I was shifting while running to go fast through the big muddle puddle.

Is it really true that you aren't suppose to shift while you are submerged?

matt852

What about shifting the transfer case should that be avoided also in deep mud?

u-joint

Never depressed the clutch when your Jeep is in water, good way to ruin the clutch.

If, on the other hand, you can time your shift right to avoid needing the clutch your should be good.

Red

Okay, 3 inchs deep is not submerged. Getting debris in your clutch housing while shifting in water requires you to be in deep enough water that your clutch housing is in the water. Now, there is no guarantee that you will harm your clutch if you shift while submerged, but there is a pretty good possibility, so you try not to do it. When in a water crossing (here I mean anything over the axles) you should be in 4 lo, so there is no need to shift the transfer case and in case you stall out, then you can start it again without using the clutch. But no, shifting the t-case while it is submerged will not harm it, though I don't see why you would have to do that. If you do have to shift while submerged, speed shift (no clutch), then there will be no damage - unless of course the concept of rev-matching is completely foreign, in which case there could be significant damage. But, since you should maintain speed during a water crossing, you shouldn't have to shift anyway. Just for a quick explination as to why shifting while submerged is bad - the clutch housing is not water tight, in fact it has a reasonably large hole in it where water gets in when it is submerged. Water won't splash up into it. When the clutch housing fills with water and you depress the clutch, water will go between the clutch plate and the flywheel. This water is dirty and that means rocks and muc get in between as well. When you engage the clutch again, you will trab the debrins between the clutch and flywheel tearing it up.

Alec

Just for practice, I shifted without the clutch about half a dozen times today. I do it occasionally just because, but today made a concerted effort. Any up or down shifts between 2, 3, and 4 without the clutch are pretty easy to do.

KYJEEP

Any tips other than practice I have always struggle with this in any vehicle owned, yet to try it in the jeep, but can see where it would be really usefull.

Alec

Upshifting:
Let off the throttle (or stay on barely to keep rpms from dropping while pulling out of gear).
Gently push the shifter into neutral
wait for the rpms to drop
apply gentle pressure into the new gear
eventually it should slot into the new gear

Downshifting:
Let off the throttle (or maintain slight pressure)
Go the neutral
gently apply throttle to bring up rpms, go a bit over where you need to be
let off throttle
apply gentle pressure and slot into gear.

Again, I've found that this works for up and down shifts between 2-3 and 3-4 very well. It seems that in and out of first is pushing it, as are the highway gears (5, 6).

RevyJKU08

Get in the habit of 4LO through mud and water will solve the issue of depressing the clutch if you are stuck & submerged in water/mud!

binarypie

I'm a newbie but there was another thread on this topic and here is what I came away with.

In deep water or mud you should really be in the gear you think you can make it through in.

If you get stuck. Ideally you'd already be in 4lo but who knows.
- turn the Jeep off.
- change gear (1st or reverse) without the clutch
- turn Jeep back on without the clutch

rich1340

correct. It's not so much the shifting but the clutching that you don't wanna do. you can suck up nastyness and have to be towed home. If you stall you can shift and start without the clutch.