Freelander 1 Clutch pedal feels lighter

TD4 2006, around 70K.

Got into my FL yesterday and took it on a short drive and I noticed that the clutch pedal feels noticeably lighter than usual.

I checked fluid level and it is fine. No obvious sign of any leaks.

Is there anything specific I should be looking for?

The whole clutch system was renewed about 3 years ago.

If it all works as it should then the only thing I can think of is some air which has moved the bite point to an angle easier to press the pedal. But if bite point has not moved then I would just consider yourself lucky to have a 'light footed' TD4 - they are rare !

It is getting harder to engage gears so it's going in to my local garage on Tuesday.
I don't have the time or inclination to work on it at the moment in the cold weather.
Same garage that did the clutch replacement.

The FL went in to my local garage today. Just been told that they can find nothing obviously wrong with it.
They suggested that it probably needs a complete new clutch system possibly including the mass flywheel.

All this was renewed 5 years ago, not 3 years as I believed. The car has done 30k since then and I do no towing and no off road.

Price quoted for new clutch plus labour is £1293.

I am going to think about it as I am reluctant to pay that much.
I would attempt the job myself if it was within my means after swotting up but I need a car to get to and from work as there is no public transport at some of the times I finish work so can't have it out of action for more than a few days, would have to do the work parked on the road too, as my garage is full of junk.

Sounds like some air has got into the system. If the clutch stuff is fairly new, how about a new master cylinder? You can change these in the time it takes the kettle to boil.

I like your garage’s logic: Clutch gear is only 5 years old, and we can find nothing wrong with it. You need a new one.

They claimed they looked at the possibility of air in the system and bleeding found nothing. They confirmed there was no trace of leaks.

Anyone know roughly what it might cost me if I did the job myself if I can find the time to do it?

They did give me a speech about the clutch system being inadequate for the size and weight of the FL.
I might try that mod where you trim some of the plastic shroud away from a push rod if it applies to a TD4.
Might make enough difference if I can get a little bit more movement.

The clutch should last 75 to 100K miles. 30 K is well under what I'd expect to see for a decent quality replacement.

When I take a look under the car myself (when the rain allows), I shall grease the moving parts.
Is there a certain type of grease I should use or just normal grease?

dog-man said:

When I take a look under the car myself (when the rain allows), I shall grease the moving parts.
Is there a certain type of grease I should use or just normal grease?

Click to expand...

It’s a concentric slave, internal to the gearbox - there are no moving parts that you can get to.

Find the quick-release coupling just before the clutch pipe enters the gearbox, uncouple it and see how the pedal feels.
Stiff - you need a new clutch kit
Still squishy - you need a new master cylinder.

dog-man said:

They claimed they looked at the possibility of air in the system and bleeding found nothing. They confirmed there was no trace of leaks.

Anyone know roughly what it might cost me if I did the job myself if I can find the time to do it?

They did give me a speech about the clutch system being inadequate for the size and weight of the FL.
I might try that mod where you trim some of the plastic shroud away from a push rod if it applies to a TD4.
Might make enough difference if I can get a little bit more movement.

Click to expand...

As Nodge said a clutch will last a lot longer than 30,000 miles, trimming the plastic shroud helps if you have a low bite
point. It also helps bleed the clutch properly with the extra travel.
Do you know if the master cylinder was changed with the clutch.

My understanding is that everything was replaced, hence the bill of around £1400