Land rover D90 clutch probs

Hi, after going through the forum i've noticed we've got quite a land rover community here.
well in my defender i'm repeatedly having problems with my clutch, as it seems to fail (first spongy, then unable to change gear)

I replaced the washers, first and the same issue came up. So i replaced both the master and slave pumps brand new..
Before even a year passed the same issue is back..

Well how often do you have to replace these washers in defenders? is this a normal thing?

welcome to the loony zone. how often are you topping up the fluid? have you got a wading plug fitted to the gearbox? if so you could have a leak on the slave and you wouldn't know. certainly shouldn't have to change them that often.LEE

well i've no idea about the wading plug, but i do check the clutch fluid level quite often,

there were no significant changes in fluid levels, what i use is Lockheed Dot 3

roughly how often do you have to attend to the clutch system?

thanks for your reply LEE

its a 2.5N/A military spec LT77, 90. No mods

when you say in your original post that it seems to fail, does bleeding it solve the problem?

if there arn't any leaks in the system they are pretty much bullet proof

I've not tried only bleeding it. As this occured 3 times so far,
First time i was stranded and found a slightly matching washer, a local mechanic replaced it so that i could get back home , roughly 100kms.
Within a month it failed so i replaced the slave pump.
then within days it started sending fluid down the pedal ( i ve seen a post on that)
So finally i replaced the master pump.. Last October.
Well now its gone again

could it be the fluid? well the pedal is quite stiff, as in all land rovers, other than this issue its quite relaible

Well the only thing i havent replaced is the hose between the steel pipe and the slave pump in the gearbox

when was the clutch plate last changed? could it be that just a case of your clutch has worn out, how high is the pedal normally when it bites.

i ve never changed it since i bought it, but then once when replaced the clutch fork i noticed that the plate was quite good, well that was an year ago. But there arent any symptoms of clutch wear. No slipping, well it does bite a bit high

is it wet

if it's biting high it's pretty well worn

i guess so, have to check that as well,

wat do you mean by wet ?

i was asking if the hose was wet, didn't update the browser so missed a post. why did you replace the clutch fork was it bent? when your clutch failed was it progressive or instant?

no the hose is not wet but looks quite old, infact i 've got a replacement for it,
as for the fork the rod had drilled its way through the fork, so replaced both at that time.

It was progressive, but anyway it would completely be gone by abt 10-12 gear changes

this still sounds like the wet side of the system, progressively failing sounds like fluid passing the seals. if it were the pressure plate it would be instant. go check the fluid level.

its quite abt 2cm from the lid, but the oil is discoloured i guess, appears to be grey

it's the seals in the master cylinder.

i guess these seals in the pumps are of low quality

i remember the slave being a Bearmach and the Master a Lucas TRW
couldnt get both of the same brand as i replaced the slave first