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Clutch just failed...

5K views 69 replies 16 participants last post by  RiftRover 
#1 ·
So the clutch just failed in the classic. Pedal started sticking at the end of the commute this morning and then went to the floor when I tried to back out of the parking lot at lunch. No previous signs of an issue. Master cylinder still has fluid. Slave has some weird extra device prior to where the lines enter the slave. Is this normal? It's a 300tdi/R380. The line entering the slave also looks like it's crimped. But the sudden failure makes me think the arm failed... Any help appreciated, this is my daily driver right now!!
 

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#18 ·
I couldn't get it into first or I probably would have tried it... So after further inspection it appears I may have the stiff pedal. I thought the pedal was hitting the floor but it's stopping well short. Still seems like it's moving pretty far before that tho (like more than typical pedal play). Really don't want to pull the engine... :(
 
#19 ·
So it looks like whoever did the tdi conversion installed a removable transmission crossmember. So the question is, is it easier to remove the transmission or the engine to get to the clutch? I've removed the engine a couple of times in the defender and it's not bad, but since you can't remove the rad support in the rrc it might be harder. I also don't have a transmission jack so...
 
#22 ·
hmm, maybe. Pep boys isn't big down here, there's only one and I don't know if they do that. Might have to look into it. Part of me wants to pull the engine since I have no history with the truck and it probably needs the rear main seal done anyway. Just sucks cuz this was my daily driver right now and don't really have the time for any of it!
 
#27 ·
I had a slave cylinder go(pedal to the floor, no previous symptoms) and replaced it with a (notso)proline because the LR unit was a week out and like the OP, it was my DD. The bleed screw didn't fit the tapped hole tightly enough to work. A hose into the fluid bottle was useless as it just sucked air around the screw. It required a long furious clutch pedal pump(stupid) which finally cracked the clutch plate and no doubt weakened the fork which went the following year cause I didn't do enough research and replace it with the clutch. Moral of the story--if it's the slave, get an original LR part. When my fork went it didn't budge but a 1/4" or so till solid.
Good luck.
 
#28 ·
Bleed the slave before installing to the bellhousing. Hang it down straight from the flex line. You can then just open the bleed nipple and it will bleed by gravity. No fighting.

To Mike. You still need to look at the master then slave before deciding what is wrong. You do not want to pull the engine for nothing.
 
#29 ·
Dave, since this is in the classic, the pedal box is the disco manual version. The mechanisms are under the dash and not in the engine bay like the defender, so I haven’t looked there yet, but I will. The pedal spring is fine, because the pedal still returns, although it doesn’t feel like there is any hydraulic pressure on it. John, the pipe from the damper to the slave is a hard pipe (as shown on the allbrit.de diagram), so it will be hard to gravity bleed. Whoever did the conversion also ran a hard pipe all the way from the master to the damper too, so there is not a flex line in the system. Might be a good time to put one in…

Still skeptical that it’s a hydraulic issue due to the fact that there doesn’t appear to be any fluid loss. Definitely going to pursue that before pulling the engine tho..
 
#30 ·
No flex line makes me scared about the rest of the conversion.... That crimped line is something to suspect. Might be worth trying a quick bleed first. A real PITA without a flex line as you will need to open the hydrualics to pull the slave.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Took the slave off yesterday. The rod moves in and out about like I would expect it to. I've attached photos of the range of motion of the rod. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the rod seemed to have some additional movement after going all the way, like pushing against a spring. Any thoughts? Doesn't seem like it would move properly if the fork had failed. At this point I am going to replace the slave and bleed it and see what happens.
 

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#35 ·
I'm about 90% sure it's the master cylinder but now I have to figure how to get the pivot pin out of the clutch pedal. There is ZERO room under the dash. I can barely get my hand up there to feel the clip that holds the pin in place, much less release it. Anyone with a manual disco have any advice? I'm wondering if the whole pedal box assembly can be unbolted from the firewall to get access from the engine bay side?
 
#36 ·
Unbolt the box...6 nuts. And pull it out from the engine bay side, you will need t pivot it to get the pedal through the hole in the bulkhead.

But you don't need to do that to swap out the mc?
 
#37 ·
See post#29
 
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