Rough Clutch Pedal After Mudding

[MostlyAPavementPounder]

Well I just bought a 2021 Gladiator Mojave, and being in Houston, decided to take it to one of the off-road parks in the area for its (and my) first off-roading experience.

It turned into a bit of a mudding trip and if course we got stuck and had to get pulled out. I certainly learned a lot though!

Immediately after the fact, my brakes were pretty weak, which I took care of with a power washer and a can of brake cleaner.

A day later though my clutch pedal started operating more roughly than before. Specifically, when depressing the clutch, there is a lot of vibration through the pedal. This vibration gets worse with higher rpm.

No issues with the clutch when fully depressed or fully engaged. Does anyone know what the issue could be and a fix to restore smooth clutch operation?

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[dakota.morgan91]

Have you ever felt clutch chatter? Thats what it sounds like to me...

 

[MostlyAPavementPounder]

So looking on the JL and other Wrangler forums, if sounded like the clutch has an opening in the bottom to vent. To a non-automotive engineer this seems like the worst possible design for an off-roader, but we are where we are.
Given I got stuck for a while and definitely shifted forward/reverse with the clutch, it sounded like I probably got the clutch are flooded with muddy water, and when it dried, it affected the usability.

So I looked underneath my Gladiator and sure enough, found the vent slot with two rubber plugs. Took the plugs out and doused the inside with a garden hose while a second person modulated the clutch. Went to drive around and no more roughness! I was surprised it worked, so for anyone in a similar situation of the clutch acting up after off-roading/mudding, spraying inside the clutch vent slot for a good while seems like the best first step to solve it.

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