Clutch problems

My 90 TD5 seems to be having some problems so Ive resorted to borrowing a friends so as not to leave it stranded somewhere!
The problem is with my clutch pedal. When I apply pressure it feels really light and springy and doesnt actually affect the gear box at all. Only at the very end of the pedals travel does it do anything. Even then it is extremly hard to get it into gear and reverse is impossible. Also when its fully pushed in and I set of, it is very sensitive and only seems to have a very short range. Any ideas? Ive booked it in for an MOT because it needs one now so that may sort it a t. Also will it fail an MOT with its passenger side mirror having loads of cracks in it?

Thanks guys, ANY thoughts welcome

hi the clutch problem could be to a wrn clutch or low fluid? check fuid first if thats ok then put the car in diff lock handbreak and foot on break! put it in gear and put it in 1st then take your foot off the cluch slowly if it seems to slip i would say the clutch!! whats the milage it done on this clutch?

Reckon I agree with Ant go for your clutch fluid level first, then try bleeding it if its got to low.

Is there clutch fluid ****ing down your pedal, or out the assy on the bulkhead or around your slave?

Had this last year, although the trickle of fluid down the pedal gave away the problem!

antonyj101 said:

hi the clutch problem could be to a wrn clutch or low fluid? check fuid first if thats ok then put the car in diff lock handbreak and foot on break! put it in gear and put it in 1st then take your foot off the cluch slowly if it seems to slip i would say the clutch!! whats the milage it done on this clutch?

Click to expand...

There is some fluid on the clutch pedal but I wouldnt say that is ****ing down with it. Its done 53,000 miles on the clock but I don't know wether this is on the original clutch as im the second owner.
I tried to do your experiment but I can't even get it into gear when I start it up and I don't want to force it in!
Looks like the garage may have to pick it up!
thanks guys

Well I would say, change your master cylinder... Its only going to get worse. I had that about this time last year, go to about the 27th and it was going no where without horrible noises.

Master can be done in about 1hr. Not a big job it can be done roadside if need be.

If you are going to change the clutch master cylinder i would do the slave at the same time as its sods law that the slave will fail a few weeks after doing the master. especialy for what it costs.

B.

How much are we looking at here in parts?

£25-30.

It does sound like the master cylinder. (Same thing happened to my sisters Mini about 2 months ago)

When I did mine, my gearbox had only just been redone a few thousand miles before and the slave was done, so didn't bother with it, but when your down there bleeding the system you might aswell stick a new on in for the sake of 2 bolts and £6.

It'll be the master cylinder. Don't bother with the slave. If possible get your old master cylinder resleeved with Stainless Steel. Sorry, but they don't last as it is the old SIII cylinder you have there. Again, don't bother with a kit, as that will last about 3 months and it isn't worth the hassle to do the job.

If your 90 has solid sides it is then classed as a van for MOT purposes, it then requires both external mirrors to be in good working order with no cracks that can lead to blind spots or distracting images ie, one or two cracks are normally ok but not a multitude of them.

I would do the slave unless you can be sure its in good nick. The master will be pushing full pressue in, and an old weakened slave will soon pop. Its worth it in the end, and your down there changing things neway, so go for it unless you know its in good order.

Sounds like a problem im also currently experiencing. I have a slight crack in my slave cylinder, but my local garage is unable to fit me in till the new year. They undertook a tempory fix for me and booked me in for repair in the new year - I was assured that as long as I kept the hydrolic fluid topped up it would be ok.

Well today it all decided to all go wrong. I was heading to work and changed down as I approched a roundabout. When I put it into second gear it did not engage and just made the most awful of noises, I tried a succesion of gears each resulting in the same result. I pulled over into a layby and called for assistant.

When I got back home i checked my hydrolic fluid and it was still ok - so I am really not sure what my problem is. I am having both my master and slave cylinder replaced if I can get it too the garage that is.

Well I will let you know what the out come of mine is as soon as its repaired.

Have a good New Year everyone.

sometimes, even if it's not leaking, the fluid is going past the seal in the master pump and hence nothing happens, the clutch plate doesn't move as nothing is pushing it.

so the moral of the story is, clutch master pump will fail every 20000km. a small leak in the footwell of clutch fluid down the clutch pedal is a sign that it will need to be replaced very soon.

i've gone thru 3 sets of master pumps. i change the entire pump on every alternate failure. so it's 1 repair kit and the next time it does the same, it's a brand new pump.

Happier New year

Well after reading this post I decided to have both cylinders changed by my local garage and the additional cost was so minimual it was well worth doing. Now I know that that thats one little promblem out of the way I can get on with doing up the rest of the car.

Thanks everyone for the advice you list on here - for people like me withonly a small understanding of how my land Rover works its invaluable.

Well its at the garage at the moment after we dragged it up there. We took the back route as it was rush hour. The rope was not ideal as it got very short after multiple snapage. The other problem was my dad was driving the car that was towing me and it was an automatic so a bit jerky. It handled well though.
Il keep you posted on what the problem was when it returns home

The problem with the Defender is that it uses a SIII master cylinder. Now that is not a problem in itself, for that mc in a SIII lasts for ever. But in a Defender there is something wrong with the angle of push or something, so the cylinder wears oval and leaks. There is no point fitting a seal kit as they last about 3 months at best. My Defender, at 150k miles is now on its third m/c and I also tried a kit once.

In our workshop we do not fit new m/c's at all. We get them sleeved with stainless steel which costs a bit more than a new one, but these will not fail in the future.

Oh, and the TD5 makes the problem worse by having very heavy pedal pressure which will wear out the cylinder quicker.

The little seal at the end can (read will) also go, which gives you the frightening effect of a self-releasing clutch. Very dodgy in a traffic jam, especially for the tin can in front This can be spotted by a sort of 'squonk' noise when you push in the clutch, that is the fluid circulating around the reservoir. It will not leak down the pedal, but the fluid in the reservoir will go black with little bits of rubber.

argh it was thee master cylinder. All good now, shame Im selling it soon.
Thanks for all your help guys