[Wombat Ranger]

Anyone have one so equipped? My 2019 owners manual lists no tow rating with the manual transmission. We put an OEM receiver on our 6spd manual Compass. Mostly for cargo rack purposes.

 

[RadRacer]

I did the same as you and added the receiver to my 2018 6spd manual. It'll tow, but be prepared to ride your clutch on take off and to not do any cruising above 65MPH.

 

[Wombat Ranger]

Thanks for the advise. We have trucks ranging up to class 5 for work & towing. Most we figure we might ever do with this little car is drag around a tilt deck snow machine trailer. Though I have used it to take my littke service trailer into town to fill my slip tank and welder with fuel.

Our biggest complaint with this car is no low range. In my opinion that is what really makes it a car, not so much a "Jeep." Even just a lower 1st gear would help a lot, but when used as a car, the C635 works well and returns fantastic mpg.

Any stick is better than an auto!!

 

[arudlang]

Any stick is better than an auto!!

I think the only reason they don't give the manual transmissions an official tow rating in the owner's manual is to avoid the liability of poorly-skilled drivers burning out their clutches.

My old man had a Plymouth Horizon sedan (rebadged Dodge Omni) with a 2.2 liter NA 4-banger and a standard 5 speed. He drilled a hole in the middle of the rear bumper to put a hitch ball on and would tow home half a cord of firewood (or more) each and every night after work in the summer for us kids to stack into the wood shed. The trailer was a miserable, heavy old homemade iron-framed 6x10 with an old rear axle out of a 70's era pickup truck, truck leaf spring suspension, and a full steel-mesh floor made from salvaged gravel sifting screens splatter-welded and bolted to the frame. Had to have weighed somewhere between 600-900 lbs pounds even when empty.

That sedan + iron trailer combo was the only way we got firewood for the winters for at least a decade or so. He racked up just shy of 450,000 miles on that car before the unibody was so rusted that it just couldn't be safely patched anymore to go down the road, but he never, ever replaced a clutch in that old car. I think the engine got a head gasket once early on, and he claims he found loose head bolts from the factory when he fixed that. The motor and transmission never had any other issues in all those miles... about 40 miles each way every day to his job as an excavator and then he would load up that trailer with firewood cut from the trees the company was always cutting to clear lake lots for people to build homes on, and the tough little 2.2 would make its way home.

It mostly comes down to the driver but Jeep can't trust that owner's are going to be good at properly utilizing the clutch so they cover their butts with no official tow rating.

 

[RadRacer]

I recently learned our manuals have a clutch delay valve. I plan on removing this soon to see if I get any better clutch actuation. Theoretically should help prolong the clutch life if you're worried about that.

 

[Wombat Ranger]

Yes, clutch delay/dampner devices are dumb. They're there to help people who are poorly skilled, at the expense of the clutch anyway.

I've been thinking about things like getting rid of that, and adding a Pedal Commander to make the engine respond like it should. Would make the car feel tighter. I put a short shift link in it a while back, that helped too.

 

[n4cr2k]

I have a 6sp manual and occasionally hitch up a small trailer. Handy in a pinch. Haven't had any issues.

 

[RadRacer]

Yes, clutch delay/dampner devices are dumb. They're there to help people who are poorly skilled, at the expense of the clutch anyway.

I've been thinking about things like getting rid of that, and adding a Pedal Commander to make the engine respond like it should. Would make the car feel tighter. I put a short shift link in it a while back, that helped too.

Short shift linkage? Darn, thought I'd be the 1st to do that . I am planning on removing the delay valve soon along with the linkage. Just getting a few different mods lined up and then taking a weekend to knock them all out

 

[Wombat Ranger]

I have a 6sp manual and occasionally hitch up a small trailer. Handy in a pinch. Haven't had any issues.

Factory tow package? Or did you add it yourself?

Short shift linkage? Darn, thought I'd be the 1st to do that . I am planning on removing the delay valve soon along with the linkage. Just getting a few different mods lined up and then taking a weekend to knock them all out

Ha. You can claim first I don't mind. I just used a little link that goes on the transmission itself. Was cheap and pretty easy. I think we made it to 2000 miles before "mods."

 

[RadRacer]

Factory tow package? Or did you add it yourself?



Ha. You can claim first I don't mind. I just used a little link that goes on the transmission itself. Was cheap and pretty easy. I think we made it to 2000 miles before "mods."

Did you happen to get yours from Modern Performance? I was looking at one made for the Dart that I THINK should work for us.

Also, I don't think manuals came with the tow package. I added it to mine.

 

[Wombat Ranger]

In the 2020 models, I found I could add the tow package option with the C635 transmission when "building" one online.

Yes the Deyme link from Modern Performance. As far as I can tell, anything for a C635 should fit what we have. Dart, Renegade, Fiat 500, etc all use this transmission.

 

[Geoffwaite]

I recently learned our manuals have a clutch delay valve. I plan on removing this soon to see if I get any better clutch actuation. Theoretically should help prolong the clutch life if you're worried about that.

What the heck is this cluch delay valve? And is it the reason I can't drive this car smoothly after 45 years of driving sick? How do I disable it?

 

[RadRacer]

What the heck is this cluch delay valve? And is it the reason I can't drive this car smoothly after 45 years of driving sick? How do I disable it?

Most likely, yes. It's a valve in the hydraulic line to the slave cylinder. It's supposed to help new manual drivers by not allowing you to dump the clutch. I'm sure it does help them some. But experienced drivers who expect to feel the clutch and have it react a certain way, it messes with that and can give a jerky release.

As for the delete, I haven't seen anything for certain yet. There's a kit for the Renegade that I think would work. But I've also read you can literally just remove the valve for free.

I plan to do this:

 

[Wombat Ranger]

And is it the reason I can't drive this car smoothly after 45 years of driving sick?

Yes

 

[n4cr2k]

Mine is the factory tow package.

 

[Wombat Ranger]

With stick shift? What year is it? Awd or Fwd?

 

[mikes]

I have a 2018 4WD, with MT6 and factory trailer tow package. The tow package also got you a full sized spare tire.

 

[Wombat Ranger]

Interesting. Pretty cool.

 

[n4cr2k]

I have a 2018 4WD, with MT6 and factory trailer tow package. The tow package also got you a full sized spare tire.

sames