Check Engine Code 05 03

[brokenujoint]

Did you drop the starter when you did the pan? Some starters need to be shimmed for full engagement of the teeth. If you lost a shim, the teeth could be off a bit. Also, did they change out the flywheel? Another test you can do is pull the starter and hold it in a vice while powering it with a battery. Just make sure it's secure - they'll jump. But, don't crush it. See if it's coming from the orbital gearbox on the starter itself.
Can you start it in neutral without pressing the clutch? If you can, try it with the clutch engaged in neutral, then clutch disengaged in neutral, then disengaged in gear. See if it makes the sound go away or change at all.

THROWOUT BEARING. A couple things here.. ONE, they might not of aligned your clutch properly and your hearing the clutch plate hitting something. Its definetly your throwout bearing if you can manipulate the "whirling" sound with your clutch pedal. Definetly a crappy clutch job because a clutch kit has a new throwout bearing with it.. Im going through this exact thing with my clutch right now. Not as bad as yours but I'm getting that whirling sound from the throwout. I suggest you do the clutch job yourself this time around if the shop doesnt warranty their work. Only cost you about 160.00 for the parts. LUK.. and I'd get a new flywheel while your in there. 125 or so.

I had a transmission shop do a clutch job for me several yrs ago. It was off of archibald and foothill. They went out of business about 5 days after they worked it. They put some high performance ceramic clutch in it like its a dragster or something and destroyed my tranny. I had to have Hicks4x4 in pomona put a new/used tranny in and I did the clutch job at the same time. Talk about pissed off. I dont trust paid mechanics. Esp those who don't know jeeps. You say the shop has worked your jeep for a number of yrs now. Doesnt mean that the same mechanic did it for those yrs.

[inVERt'D]

brokenujoint: does the noise occur when the clutch is in or out? If in, it's the throwout bearing. If out, it's transmission the input shaft bearing. The latter is common in NV3550, and according to DC, is normal, and not a problem. I guess you probably have he AX-15, but FWIW, it's possible that the input bearing got dry if the Jeep sat a lot without fluid covering the bearing. I run an extra quart in my 4500 to prevent that (there's room in that one).

[inVERt'D]

Also, the engine will not start with-out pressing the clutch.

There's a place for a fuse in your fuse panel. Put a fuse in it, and it will start w/o the clutch. Did mine when I first got it. Don't remember which one it was.

[brokenujoint]

HOLD UP>> WAIT A MINUTE.. Let me see if I'm reading this right....

I have an ax15...I barely drive it... I mean like once every few months. Lately Ive been taking her out to get the weeds out so I can start camping etc... I hadnt really driven her for about 2 months, then I took her out on a hot hot day and I got major whirling sounds with the foot OFF the clutch pedal. If I gently touch the pedal the noise goes away. Are you saying that its my tranny and not my clutch? If so thats even worse!
The noise has gone done a little. Are you saying that if I just take her out more that the noise should cease after awhile? I was literally about to throw a new clutch in but if your rational is correct, I'll hold off and see whats up with this input bearing. Maybe I'll even change my fluid in the tranny.

[inVERt'D]

Chck out this sound. Now that I hear it on video it's mpre obvious that it's the starter. Although this thing doesn't sound normal in person, I've never heard it before.
http://youtu.be/gBo8rDy9NNk

The 2.5L does or can use shims (it's a GM motor, and GM loves its shims), but not the 4.0.

Not positive, but it sounds to me like your starter isn't engaging the ring gear enough. 6spdYJ could be right about the bendix. Also possible that it never got lined up right when it was bolted up or something. I'd first check to make sure it isn't loose. You don't have to be a mechanic to do that.

[inVERt'D]

HOLD UP>> WAIT A MINUTE.. Let me see if I'm reading this right....

I have an ax15...I barely drive it... I mean like once every few months. Lately Ive been taking her out to get the weeds out so I can start camping etc... I hadnt really driven her for about 2 months, then I took her out on a hot hot day and I got major whirling sounds with the foot OFF the clutch pedal. If I gently touch the pedal the noise goes away. Are you saying that its my tranny and not my clutch? If so thats even worse!
The noise has gone done a little. Are you saying that if I just take her out more that the noise should cease after awhile? I was literally about to throw a new clutch in but if your rational is correct, I'll hold off and see whats up with this input bearing. Maybe I'll even change my fluid in the tranny.

Not sure how much "gently" is, but assuming it stays quiet when you fully depress the clutch then yes, it does sound to be the input bearing. Test it in neutral so as not to cornfuze any other tranny bearings in the results.

The throwout bearing would get noisy when you just start to push the clutch in, and probably stay noisy. When the clutch is engaged, the throwout bearing isn't active.

The other bearing of interest would be the pilot bearing. It is activated when the clutch is all the way in. Otherwise, the pilot bearing will be turning WITH the input shaft, so no relative movement.

My 4500 sat in a crate for a long time before I put it in. I filled it up and let it sit; turned over the motor to work the fluid in--just babied it. Still had some input bearing noise, but nothing alarming. Guy I bought it from had prelubed it, but after months, it had gotten kinda dry. Guess I should have taken it apart and greased it before install. I put an extra quart of fluid in it, and when I got it mobile again I parked it facing downhill when I could. I'm not sure whether the bearings got quiet before or after I forgot about them, but one day I realized there was no discernible noise from them.

My 3550 was rebuilt just before I got the Jeep in Jan '06. Before long the input bearing got noisy, but as I mentioned, that's supposed to be normal for those. It wasn't real loud, but it bothered me at drive-thrus. Was noisy until the day I swapped it out in early '10. The trans had an defect in the internal shift mechanism that made it pop out of 1st (1st became useless). Other than that, the trans was great. The bearing noise was never more than an annoyance. Yours may be a different story, but I wouldn't panic just yet.

[brokenujoint]

not to sabotage this thread, but as for my input bearing noise, I'm gonna put some new tranny fluid in. I got stuck in a ice/water pit a few months ago and its been stirring in my head as to whether or not I might have some water in my tranny. If it looks like chocolate shake, then I'll know.. If it looks like silver fluid then I'm gonna cry.

[6spdYJ]

Input pilot bearing was my next guess. If the shop forgot to put it in it will let the input shaft randomly flail around - bad for the input bearing and shaft. Or if they somehow put a bushing in there cocked to one side it will put a tremendous pressure on the input bearing. Back to the magnet check first. Its fast and free.

[MrBash]

Thanks for all the information. It seems there may be more than one problem/solution to the clutch,TOB and starter. More work than my schedule permits. I'm taking the Jeep back to the shop on Monday to have them inspect their work since it started after they installed the clutch.