major issues with clutch pedal.

To anyone that could possibly help.

I have got into my 04 td4 freelander this evening after work to find my clutch pedal has no resistance at all, its just a spring action. Having trouble selecting gear notably first. I have checked the master cylinder and its topped up. I had my rear brake pipes renewed last week for mot, whether that has had an impact, not sure. Biting point is pretty much to the floor where as before it was a few centermetres from it.

Anyone with advice would be much appreciated.

Regards

Lloyd.

Good news first
Your brake repairs will not effect the clutch as they don`t share a reservoir.

Bad news.
The clutch master cylinder mat have failed.Not to expensive and a simple fix.

Badder news.
The clutch concentric slave has failed(it does sound as though you have been losing fluid.
This will be more expensive,as the gearbox has to come off.
While your at it,you may as well replace the clutch and dual mass flywheel unless it is nearly new.
LUK are a good brand.
I did mine last year parts and labour about £800.

Pick a good garage who are familiar with TD4s.
Good luck.

yep sounds like your clutch master cylinder has failed, just done mine last week £75 ebay oem part, takes about an hour to replace, easy job, quick release connection between the master and slave pipework

john t said:

yep sounds like your clutch master cylinder has failed, just done mine last week £75 ebay oem part, takes about an hour to replace, easy job, quick release connection between the master and slave pipework

Click to expand...

Hi john.

Thanks for the reply. Did you have the same symptoms then? Is it a diy job, on the drive? How do i tell if its the master cylinder or clutch slave?


Cheers.

put it like this, if its the slave you are looking at a major job, as the gearbox would have to come out and its a pain of a job to do or lots of dosh at a garage,£1000 at a guess,
the master fails usually gradually getting worse as the seals weaken, and is unable to apply enough pressure to the slave which is like a hydraulic doughnut which is mounted inside the gearbox bell housing these can fail but not in the same way they start to squeel as they are incontact with the clutch pressure plate

to replace the master is simple job and not expensive in comparison £75 for a new master, and an hr to do the job, you uncouple the master and slave pipework above the gearbox at the quick release connection, you unclip the rod end in the foot well, twist the master and pull it out, replace in reverse order,

If you are having to top up the master cylinder,the fluid is going somewhere.
If it drips from the bell housing its the slave.
If you top up the reservoir and get a decent clutch pedal for a while but have to keep topping it up,its the slave.

As said sounds like master is shot or on its way out.
You could try bleeding it as a temp fix.
Also check the linkage between the clutch peddle and master cylinder is attached to the clutch peddle properly......sometimes it can shift to one side where it attaches to the peddle reducing the throw on the master cylinder making it hard to engage gears without trying to push the peddle into the carpet......mine used to do it and it was solved with a circlip and nylon washer to hold it in place.

I had similar symptoms. By looking at the clutch pedal operating rod that connects to the pedal I could see traces of leaking fluid on the shaft and running down the bulkhead inside the car.
Replaced the master cylinder, bit fiddly, especially connecting the rod to the pedal, and the "quick" release push fitting half way down the fluid line wasn't particularly quick.....

On the subject of clutch pedals, does anyone know what the electrical sensor on the clutch pedal is for?

Chris

Sensor on clutch is usually part of cruise control on most vehicles. I ain't at home so I can't check on rave for ya.

Thanks all for the replys.

Quick update, looking at in in the daylight.

I have checked the clutch master cylinder for fluid and there wasn't much there, from what I can remember I bled it over a year ago, and left it topped.up.

The mechanism for the pedal itself is ok and it has not slipped and operates correctly.

It does seem a little damp not on the carpet but the mechanism but it could just be grease or oil for assistance. Would there be alot of fluid leaking if the master cylinder was defective?

You would expect a bit of seepage if it is shot....although I would be assume if the seals are shot you will have air getting into the system over time contaminating the clutch fluid which will effect the efficiency hence I would try bleeding the system first as a temp fix.

Refill and bleed the system. If there is a flexi hose in the line, clamp it off and then press the clutch pedal. If it sinks to the floor then it's the master cylinder.
LuK are an excellent oe brand, however, the LR clutches they sell are made by Valeo, who are OE supplier to LR

john t said:

yep sounds like your clutch master cylinder has failed, just done mine last week £75 ebay oem part, takes about an hour to replace, easy job, quick release connection between the master and slave pipework

Click to expand...

where did you get 1hr from obviously the wife bought a friday night-monday morning bag of crap, everything seized on it, must have been in salt water for years, box of matches next job, tried leaving keys in it , nobody nicks freelanders

steve569 said:

where did you get 1hr from obviously the wife bought a friday night-monday morning bag of crap, everything seized on it, must have been in salt water for years

Click to expand...

There's nothing made of a metal in the TD4 clutch hydraulic assembly. No bolts or screws to undo. The MC clips into the bulkhead and the pipe uses a quick release connector. It's an hours work at most to change the TD4 MC.

Sounds like master cylinder to me especially as it is damp in the foot well. I've always been told that's a positive sign of failed master cylinder.

You can pick up a master cylinder for £ 55 on ebay and the only difficult part of changing it is the "quick release" clip that connects to the slave piping. I would think still under an hour even if you stop for a bun and a cuppa half way through. It's a closed system as far as I remember so no need for topping up/ bleeding either.

Long story short though. If the master has failed then you may well find the slave goes shortly after.