Brown's clutch rebuild thread

[Brown]

That tree looks like fun

I must admit I went away and left it, and when I came back somebody had cut it up and moved it, probably the farmer from that farm in the background. I thought of going back and getting the chainsaw and doing it myself, but instead went for a drive to try out my new clutch adjustment, and looked at flood water. I'm working from home today but it's raining now so I won't go out and wash the car or look for electrical faults until it clears up.

 

[Brown]

Just by way of a coda to this thread, I've found that the bite point gets lower and lower until I can't change gear at all, especially on a long run, like when I go to Wales This has happened to me a couple of times now, necessitating further adjustment. However, I think at last I've got it right. I wound the nuts right to the end of the master cylinder push rod and now the bite point is higher, and has stayed high for around 200 miles including some long fast motorway runs. I can leave the house with the clutch in perfect adjustment and after a couple of hours on the motorway I come off and struggle to make reluctant, notchy gearchanges on the exit roundabout. How embarrassing. I'm hoping that maybe it will stay put now. Even so, I haven't quite had the courage to put the little lid back on the pedal box, or travel without my specially shaped piece of wood that holds the clutch pedal down, in case I need to tinker with it again. The moral of the story is if you do this job yourself be prepared to experiment with the adjustment, and adjust boldly. If I'd wound it right out the first time I could have saved myself a lot of trouble.

 

[raywin]

Just by way of a coda to this thread, I've found that the bite point gets lower and lower until I can't change gear at all, especially on a long run, like when I go to Wales This has happened to me a couple of times now, necessitating further adjustment. However, I think at last I've got it right. I wound the nuts right to the end of the master cylinder push rod and now the bite point is higher, and has stayed high for around 200 miles including some long fast motorway runs. I can leave the house with the clutch in perfect adjustment and after a couple of hours on the motorway I come off and struggle to make reluctant, notchy gearchanges on the exit roundabout. How embarrassing. I'm hoping that maybe it will stay put now. Even so, I haven't quite had the courage to put the little lid back on the pedal box, or travel without my specially shaped piece of wood that holds the clutch pedal down, in case I need to tinker with it again. The moral of the story is if you do this job yourself be prepared to experiment with the adjustment, and adjust boldly. If I'd wound it right out the first time I could have saved myself a lot of trouble.

Is it possible you may have a problem with your hydraulics (in the nicest possible way) seems strange that it is changing slowly like that.

 

[Brown]

Is it possible you may have a problem with your hydraulics (in the nicest possible way) seems strange that it is changing slowly like that.

I've blown as much fluid through as is humanly possible. It did occur to me that one of the new cylinders might be a bit duff, and fluid is somehow creeping past the seals. I'll see how it goes on this setting for now and consider the cylinders if it goes again. They're TRW brand, not Britpart, so one would hope they'll work straight out of the box.

 

[Al2O3]

I've blown as much fluid through as is humanly possible. It did occur to me that one of the new cylinders might be a bit duff, and fluid is somehow creeping past the seals. I'll see how it goes on this setting for now and consider the cylinders if it goes again. They're TRW brand, not Britpart, so one would hope they'll work straight out of the box.

I blew a few litres through mine too. It's a right PITA when they work themselves. feel for ya Brown. It's bloody annoying when it's something that should be fairly straightforward.

 

[Brown]

I did one on my friend's 2004 TD5 in January 2016 and everything worked straight away. Just put the new cylinders on, gave it a quick pressure bleed and it has served as his daily driver ever since with no adjustment at all. Mind you, Land Rovers make the back to bear the burden. He's lovely but mechanically maladroit, so by and large his Land Rover behaves itself. My mother used to say that the first thing I reached for was a hammer, and that she could tell when I was ill because my hands were clean. So I've always had cars and domestic appliances in a terminal state of malfunction.

 

[Al2O3]

I did one on my friend's 2004 TD5 in January 2016 and everything worked straight away. Just put the new cylinders on, gave it a quick pressure bleed and it has served as his daily driver ever since with no adjustment at all. Mind you, Land Rovers make the back to bear the burden. He's lovely but mechanically maladroit, so by and large his Land Rover behaves itself. My mother used to say that the first thing I reached for was a hammer, and that she could tell when I was ill because my hands were clean. So I've always had cars and domestic appliances in a terminal state of malfunction.

Great word, maladroit.

Mind you, Land Rovers make the back to bear the burden. He's lovely but mechanically maladroit, so by and large his Land Rover behaves itself. My mother used to say that the first thing I reached for was a hammer, and that she could tell when I was ill because my hands were clean. So I've always had cars and domestic appliances in a terminal state of malfunction.

That's an interesting statement. Is your theory that if you DIY or 'tinker' too much, things will always be going wrong? Confused, marra. You'll have to enlighten me.

 

[Brown]

Great word, maladroit.

That's an interesting statement. Is your theory that if you DIY or 'tinker' too much, things will always be going wrong? Confused, marra. You'll have to enlighten me.

A Catholic friend I used to have said 'God makes the back to bear the burden'. So if you suffer hardships and misfortunes it means that God has made you strong enough to bear them. Now I have no religious faith but I think in a similar way Land Rovers impose a level of mechanical difficulty commensurate with one's coping skills. Your engine wouldn't have needed rebuilding had you not had the time and the tools to do so, for example. It 'knows'! Similarly, I used to think that all our stuff was broken just because we were poor. Alas, far too simple. Things broke because they wanted me to mend them. Before I'd even had them apart in the first place. Of course, once you've started, it becomes addictive. Hardware items come to expect regular dismantling and adjustment and will no longer function without it.

 

[Al2O3]

A Catholic friend I used to have said 'God makes the back to bear the burden'. So if you suffer hardships and misfortunes it means that God has made you strong enough to bear them. Now I have no religious faith but I think in a similar way Land Rovers impose a level of mechanical difficulty commensurate with one's coping skills. Your engine wouldn't have needed rebuilding had you not had the time and the tools to do so, for example. It 'knows'! Similarly, I used to think that all our stuff was broken just because we were poor. Alas, far too simple. Things broke because they wanted me to mend them. Before I'd even had them apart in the first place. Of course, once you've started, it becomes addictive. Hardware items come to expect regular dismantling and adjustment and will no longer function without it.

Oo, heavy stuff, mate.
Following that theory, I could take a dislike to my engine.

 

[Brown]

Oo, heavy stuff, mate.
Following that theory, I could take a dislike to my engine.

Too late. You're already locked in a deadly symbiosis

 

[Al2O3]

Too late. You're already locked in a deadly symbiosis

You're absolutely right.

 

[suburban]

just curious, can you do the clutch from the other end, by lifting the engine out that is?

 

[raywin]

just curious, can you do the clutch from the other end, by lifting the engine out that is?

Did mine by taking the engine out, I wanted to replace the flywheel so I thought it would be the best way, also gives you chance to tidy up some hard to get at bits too.

 

[suburban]

Did mine by taking the engine out, I wanted to replace the flywheel so I thought it would be the best way, also gives you chance to tidy up some hard to get at bits too.

sounds like a plan to me, I hate all the bolts in the floor panels looking for ways to try out my new crane too

 

[raywin]

sounds like a plan to me, I hate all the bolts in the floor panels looking for ways to try out my new crane too

New Crane !!
What are you waiting for???

 

[Brown]

I did think about taking the engine out but you'd need to move it forward so there's a lot of dismantling to do. Plus the TD5 engine seems to have a lot of pipes and wires which have sprouted all over the place, compared to earlier models. Especially mine as it has air conditioning.

 

[suburban]

I just have the old series diesel engine, sounds like your bay is much more complicated

 

[Brown]

Off to York today:

Where we stopped near the castle

Then had a cup of coffee and a cake

Saw some amusing street names

Went and looked at the Minster

Saw interesting patterns of stone erosion

Had dinner, looked at the Viking exhibition which was better than I thought it would be (but a bit dark to take pictures) and came home again.

The Land Rover was very civilised there and back. No clutch creep, with the bite point consistently well above the floor, and no funny noises, squeaks and rattles. There was a smell of burning cakes around Nottingham on the way back but it may not have been us. Xylia has come back loaded with needlecraft materials and Harry Potter memorabilia. So altogether a successful trip.