Clutch gives up?????

Disco 300tdi 1996 vintage, 172k miles.
Travelling at 30mph last night suddenly felt the disco jerk and the feeling was that something wrong with the drive train, also at same time clutch pedal dropped a couple of inches. Kept driving as normal, coming to a hill with traffic lights at the top of the hill, hoping that I could get to the top and through the lights. Failed lights on red had to operate clutch which went straight to the floor but still in drive. Stopped tried to engage gears no luck, managed to reverse across flow of traffic and park in bus stop. Called breakdown and taken home piggy back style.
Any ideas apart from clutch failure which I don't think has happened, wondering if fork has given up the ghost or thrust bearing, any thoughts.
Off to the repair garage tomorrow, wallet feeling scared already.
The breakdown service supplied by Liverpool Insurance (Brittania Rescue) tremendous, did not wait 15 minutes and being winched onto flat back, coming to collect disco tomorrow morning.
Couldn't believe that the driver could drive and park disco seeing that I could not engage gear.

Does sound like the clutch fork/mount/fulcrum point has given way.
Not unknown I believe.

Recovery driver probabaly put it in gear then started the engine, and as he coasted to a stop knocked it out of gear then stopped engine.

When my clutch fork went I drove her home across London, quite simple to do, selected low range and started her, mostly low speed anyway but a couple of times changed up to high range on the move,
Pulled the gearbox and fitted a heavy duty fork and clutch,
You can obviously start her in high range and drive much the same but I was in heavy traffic so was easiest in low,

Europa486 said:

When my clutch fork went I drove her home across London, quite simple to do, selected low range and started her, mostly low speed anyway but a couple of times changed up to high range on the move,
Pulled the gearbox and fitted a heavy duty fork and clutch,
You can obviously start her in high range and drive much the same but I was in heavy traffic so was easiest in low,

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Used to do it all the time with trucks with blown clutches, sadly nowadays it is not the clutch that fails, it is the release bearing that blows apart, the truck senses a fault and wont let you drive it, so it is a several hundred quid recovery.
Thsi if of course the truck makers fault, as they insist on changing gears many more times than a human would, the human would block change to suit the conditions, ie pull away in third then to 6th/8th/10/11 then 12th, the truck may auto pull away in third, but 9 times out of 10 will use very bloody gear!

Have rec'd a message from garage that the slave cylinder collapsed into bits, waiting new cylinder, no idea of cost so far.

If that’s all that’s wrong you are doing well, at least the gearbox can stay in,

Worst news, fork gave up the ghost so complete clutch, wallet said "OUCH". Ordered clutch kit from foundry 4, Friday morning delivered Saturday unfortunately the garage in the middle of no where (Gower) closed, so parcel force has deposited kit in an unknown place. Hope to find out tomorrow. There was a reason why I purchased the kit myself. Talk about that after job completed.

If it was to keep the cost down then they are likely to push up there hourly labor rates to compensate,
If it was to put a good quality clutch kit in your motor like ( Valio or Borg beck) then that was a sensible move IMO

Valeo considerably cheaper, it seemed that vat was being attached again.

At last disco returned after fitting clutch and slave cylinder. Wallet extremely bruised the clutch kit was £90, fitting including vat £540. Had made my mind up previously, that if an expensive job was in the offing then disco be sent to the razor blade factory. Unfortunately was on holiday, enquired about scrapping only to be faced with a substantial price to remove to scrappy. In the end it worked out for a couple of hundred pound better to repair and keep for winter (hope for snow). The clutch is a great deal easier than previous.
The night that the clutch gave up the ghost, had been to look at a Freelander 2. Cost of freelander was £6k, was very interested, but being second hand and of a considerable vintage was there a hidden cost waiting to bite me. Hopefully nothing serious waiting in the wings with the disco.

welshspringer said:

At last disco returned after fitting clutch and slave cylinder. Wallet extremely bruised the clutch kit was £90, fitting including vat £540. Had made my mind up previously, that if an expensive job was in the offing then disco be sent to the razor blade factory. Unfortunately was on holiday, enquired about scrapping only to be faced with a substantial price to remove to scrappy. In the end it worked out for a couple of hundred pound better to repair and keep for winter (hope for snow). The clutch is a great deal easier than previous.
The night that the clutch gave up the ghost, had been to look at a Freelander 2. Cost of freelander was £6k, was very interested, but being second hand and of a considerable vintage was there a hidden cost waiting to bite me. Hopefully nothing serious waiting in the wings with the disco.

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Run it until something big (engine/gbox) breaks then maybe get rid, to much uncertainty about at the minute to be spending money on new/2nd hand cars.
Thing is being nearly 25 yrs old it will never be worth any less than what it is now, and if you factor depreciation and possible interest on hp/finance in, then the replacement car starts to look bloody expensive.

Have not been on the forum for some time, lock down and isolation and the fact that travelling is frowned on so I have got to know every corner in the house and on first name terns with every spider. Did find some work needing to be done to the disco, some welding on the main chassis, beats me how corrosion get s into some places which have been waxoyled etc. The car is now waiting for snow if no snow I'll have to carry lifejackets in the car not in the boat.
Hope the vaccine will be a winner, my age puts me into the first wave of people eligible for it, HOPING if OK will report on here.
Have been considering a D3 now that thay are getting to the price level of throw away if needs be. Have discussed it with the welder and he says "IYou won't do a lot of miles because the car will be in for repairs " they do appeal to me, not fussed on the D5, not that there are many in this part of Wales.
Has anyone got any views on a freelander 2. My imaggination is getting busy, looking to change from D1 after 14 years. Must be old age crisis.

Forgot to mention the back door decided to stay shut, preparing to dismantle the inner to get at the lock and I tkought Give the door latch a good rattle. After a few rattles the lock releases and door opens. I do believe land rover locks were invented by a sadistic sod. Hve given the lock a good lathrting with chain grease perhaps it will cure the fault but knowing land rover (all types) that will be a NO!

I read a lot of good reports on the Freelander 2. Yes the haldex comes up occasionally but they seem generally very reliable and seem not to rust. I looked at the Disco Sport but like a lot of modern vehicles, short drives kill the dpf.
I read too much and have got scared of the modern vehicle. I've a Tdi and a Td5 as toys, both very nice examples, they will have to do me.

At last due for 2nd shot tomorrow, longest trip for disco to supermarket, less than 1000 miles since last July.
Lock down finished in Wales, disco running ok, looking for open road, hopefully do some fishing. Still hankering after a disco 3/4. A neighbour has 3 plus a range rover disco hybrid, he reckons £2k per annum for disco maintenance per car.