Spooky Clutch Pedal Issue?!?

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S

Sit

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Afternoon all,

It's been a ling day today but worth it because I collected my '04 TD4 Sport which I absolutely love!! We left at 4am this morning to drive the 220 odd miles upto Blackpool and the car we were met with was as described - absolutely immaculate I couldn't fault it!

The deal was done and we turned round and drove the 220 odd miles home and the felt wonderful, everything was tight and the ride firm and quiet as I expected.

On arrving home to reverse the car onto the drive I let my foot of the clutch pedal but it didn't return, it was stuck in the down position if you like. The car stalled and I had to tuck my toe out and pull the pedal back out. I popped it into first pulled forward and the same happened again.

I eventually maneuvered the car into position and switched it all off. Had a quick check in the footwell to check mat or something wasn't obstructing it and it was all clear.

Pushed the pedal in with my hand and it returned everytime and didn't stick once???

The car is '04 with 53k miles, manual, last serviced 4000 miles ago.

Can anyone help me out with any suggestions - hoping my love won't be overtaken by some serious ££££!!!

Thanks in advance

Simon
 
Just read some other posts by people experiencing similar problems - been out and checked the fluid reservoir which was completely dry, popped the lid off and level appeared fine.

Just called the guy I bought it from and he hasn't experienced it during his ownership.

Could this be something that occurred due to the long journey or was I just unlucky?

I guess that it must be one of the cylinders either master or slave - is it worth taking it to the stealers or try an Indy first?

Cheers

Si
 
Had this exact problem and it was the initial sign of the problem yet to come. It seemed to be ok for awhile after that, but it eventually turned out to be the clutch release bearing. (Couldn't select any gears) My TD4 ended up being towed to the garage by my old BMW 318 E46! (The car which my TD4 was meant to replace!)

If anyone misuses the clutch (especially when off road), it really doesn't take long to kill the clutch release bearing in the TD4, as I found out myself when I was new to driving off road. I ended up having a full clutch replacement job. (minus the flywheel) Cost me around £600 at a local garage.
 
Last edited:
It's a common fault on T4s. The master cylinder sticks when it's on its way out, the return spring is pretty weak. Fit a new master cylinder yourself about £100 or take it to an Indy.
 
I am considering doing the master cylinder as suggested but my concern is I could be prolonging a more expensive problem.

In replacing the cylinder how will I know whether I will encounter more expensive problems later on?

Si
 
When I had this problem, I had the master cylinder replaced also, and it didn't make any difference. The car went back to the garage a few days later.
 
That's what I was fearful of Rich, what was the result of the second trip to the garage out of interest?

Si
 
Sit said:
That's what I was fearful of Rich, what was the result of the second trip to the garage out of interest?

Si
Click to expand...

I dug out my receipts for you. Hopefully your bill won't resemble mine! I reckon the job can be done for less.

First trip to the indy garage:

Job: "Replace clutch master cylinder and check for noise."
Part (excl. VAT): Clutch Master Cylinder (£130.00)
Labour (excl. VAT): £42.00 (1 Hour)
Advisory note:
Noisy when clutch pedal is pushed down (suspect slave cylinder)

Total cost inc. VAT: £202.10

Second trip to the indy garage:

Job: "Replace clutch and slave cylinder."
Parts (excl. VAT):
Clutch kit (£140.00)
Clutch slave cylinder (£89.50)
Gearbox Oil 75/90 (£11.50)
Gearbox Oil MTF 94 (£9.00)
Labour (excl. VAT): £294.00 (7 Hours)

Total cost inc. VAT: £639.20

It turned out that the clutch itself still had some life in it. But of course, it made sense to replace it anyway. Only thing I didn't have done was the flywheel.

Rich
 
Wow!! Certainly cost you a fair penny!! My worry is diagnosing what is actually wrong and changing something for the sake of changing it. Having only had the car a day I absolutely love it and want to get it sorted but concerned I might shell out fr cylinder replacement only to do the works like yourself at a later date.

Would it be more beneficial or me to take it to the stealer or is this giving them an opportunity to print money?!?

Si
 
Sit said:
Wow!! Certainly cost you a fair penny!! My worry is diagnosing what is actually wrong and changing something for the sake of changing it. Having only had the car a day I absolutely love it and want to get it sorted but concerned I might shell out fr cylinder replacement only to do the works like yourself at a later date.

Would it be more beneficial or me to take it to the stealer or is this giving them an opportunity to print money?!?

Si
Click to expand...

Like I say its a common failure. With the greatest of respect to Rich he probably had a different fault all along as he had noise also. It would be madness to do anything other than change the master cylinder first.
 
Chaser - thanks for that had a quick look on EBay and there seem to be a couple of dealers offering the part for £100 posted.

Is this procedure covered in the Haynes manual or is there a how to guide anywhere? I am more than happy to replace it just need a few step by step instructions.

The failing of this cylinder - is it something visible, I mean could you look at it/remove it and say yes this one has packed up?

Si
 
Chaser said:
Like I say its a common failure. With the greatest of respect to Rich he probably had a different fault all along as he had noise also. It would be madness to do anything other than change the master cylinder first.
Click to expand...

The noise wasn't apparent to start with though. The first symptom was the clutch pedal randomly sticking to the floor while driving along. I pulled over after shouting out "WTF". I manually pulled the pedal back to the correct position and it seemed fine for awhile after that. The next problem was that gear changes suddenly became more difficult and it eventually started making a whirring noise. Not long after, it was impossible to change gear while the engine was running. So yeah, it didn't all happen at the same time. Hundreds of miles were covered in between between the time of the first symptom, and actually having the work carried out on the car.
 
The fault is internal, you can't really tell from the outside of the cylinder. Sometimes there may be some fluid loss near the push rod.
I don't have a Haynes manual but it is almost certainly covered in there. It's a fairly simple task apart from splitting the self sealing connector which can be a bit stubborn.
 
Have had the slave cylinder replaced twice on my TD4 manual (due to overzealous offroading ) both times the symptoms were exactly as you describe, pedal going to the floor & having to be lifted with my toe, it only did this a few times before failing altogether :(. I hope it does turn out to be the master cylinder, for your wallets sake, slave cylinder replacement on a TD4 costs anything from £400 to £800 depending on if you go to the stealers or not :eek:. Has your Freeby been used for towing in it's previous life ?, I would imagine a few hill starts with one of those rolling road blocks hanging off the tow bar wouldn't be good for the clutch.
Good luck ;)
 
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