Land Rover 90 - Clutch gone slack

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J

J_Swan

Active Member
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I have had a search on the forums but the only instance of this I could relate to was for a TD5 Disco.

On Saturday morning I noticed the clutch in my 1990 LR 90 had gone completely slack down to the last inch or less of the pedal. It bites literally instantly as letting the clutch out.

There's also oil/grease right beneath the clutch pedal, but I can't be sure this is directly related to the incident, as I have leaks in the footwell and it could have been brought in with some rain from Friday night.

The engine is a 300tdi from a disco, mounted to a Lt77 box. Could anyone suggest the first points of call for identifying the faults, and how to do these? Thanks in advance!
 
Have you checked the fluid level in the master cylinder? Could have a leak and be a little low and there is now air in the system. I would start with topping up and bleeding if that is the case to get you back on the road, then work through and find the leak. If there is oil beneath the pedal it is going to be the master cylinder.
 
dag019 said:
Have you checked the fluid level in the master cylinder? Could have a leak and be a little low and there is now air in the system. I would start with topping up and bleeding if that is the case to get you back on the road, then work through and find the leak. If there is oil beneath the pedal it is going to be the master cylinder.
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That's great info, thanks a lot. Will start with checking fluid level after work & update when done so.
 
If the level is just a little low you may get away without bleeding it if you top it up and pump the pedal a few times. If that doesn't do the trick if you wedge the pedal down overnight that will also let the air natually raise up and out and is a lot easier than a full system bleed. However both of those techniques will not work if the system is basically empty.

If it does turn out to be the master cylinder leaking and needing replacement it is worth doing the salve at the same time. Otherwise you are likely to have that one fail shortly after as the new cylinder will put more pressure onto old seals that have already failed in the master.
 
dag019 said:
If the level is just a little low you may get away without bleeding it if you top it up and pump the pedal a few times. If that doesn't do the trick if you wedge the pedal down overnight that will also let the air natually raise up and out and is a lot easier than a full system bleed. However both of those techniques will not work if the system is basically empty.

If it does turn out to be the master cylinder leaking and needing replacement it is worth doing the salve at the same time. Otherwise you are likely to have that one fail shortly after as the new cylinder will put more pressure onto old seals that have already failed in the master.
Click to expand...
Very detailed info, thanks a lot!
 
So after returning to my 90 at about 5 o'clock this evening and after reversing out the parking bay, I noticed oil on the ground where I'd been.

I managed to drive home and check my clutch fluid level. I've read you're supposed to have them full to the brim, and it was low if this is the case but I could still see the top of the clutch fluid level.

I've got under my truck and it seems although the oil is leaking from the wading hole. https://www.flickr.com/gp/152832446@N06/81xt73

If you look to the right of the wading hole though, it could be that the oil is leaking from the joint in the casing where the wading hole is (I'm not sure what this is called, sorry).

Can anyone offer any additional info on the problem, or suggest it may be something different based on this new info? If not, I'll go ahead with the bleed and replacement of clutch fluid. May also be worth mentioning that I'm having trouble finding the bleed nipple to do this!

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
Do you have a copy of the rave manual? if not I suggest you get one as it will explain how to bleed the clutch.

Or look on youtube at the landrover toolbox videos that show it.

I would recommend reverse bleeding it, or even using a pressure bleeder.

Cheers
 
neilly said:
Do you have a copy of the rave manual? if not I suggest you get one as it will explain how to bleed the clutch.

Or look on youtube at the landrover toolbox videos that show it.

I would recommend reverse bleeding it, or even using a pressure bleeder.

Cheers
Click to expand...
I've watched the YouTube vids, the problem is the 90 being my daily driver, and me being a novice I'm afraid I'll go wrong and be left with no transport!
 
J_Swan said:
I've watched the YouTube vids, the problem is the 90 being my daily driver, and me being a novice I'm afraid I'll go wrong and be left with no transport!
Click to expand...

Sounds like slave gone. The nipple is on the cylinder, look up the gap between the chassis and the gearbox, you will need to lie on your back.

If it has let go badly, bleeding will not help. You will need to change it and then bleed. I just gravity fill, but make sure the reservoir is full at all times while filling, it is very small.
 
Turboman said:
Sounds like slave gone. The nipple is on the cylinder, look up the gap between the chassis and the gearbox, you will need to lie on your back.

If it has let go badly, bleeding will not help. You will need to change it and then bleed. I just gravity fill, but make sure the reservoir is full at all times while filling, it is very small.
Click to expand...
Great, thanks for the advice. Am I right in thinking make sure full at all times while filling is a typo, meaning full while bleeding or have i missed something? Just want to make sure I'm certain in what I'm doing, not trying to be pedantic.
 
J_Swan said:
Great, thanks for the advice. Am I right in thinking make sure full at all times while filling is a typo, meaning full while bleeding or have i missed something? Just want to make sure I'm certain in what I'm doing, not trying to be pedantic.
Click to expand...

Keep topping up the reservoir while filling. The reservoir is small and if it goes empty more air will be sucked in.
 
Wear googles while lying on your back bleeding it.
Looks like you'll be replacing the slave cylinder though. Only two bolts hold it to the casing, but once they are loose carefully move the cylinder away and try to hold the push rod, as it's revealed, so that it stays behind clipped to the clutch fork. Don't just yank the cylinder off the casing as it could pull the rod with it.
 
Al2O3 said:
Wear googles while lying on your back bleeding it.
Looks like you'll be replacing the slave cylinder though. Only two bolts hold it to the casing, but once they are loose carefully move the cylinder away and try to hold the push rod, as it's revealed, so that it stays behind clipped to the clutch fork. Don't just yank the cylinder off the casing as it could pull the rod with it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. All these tips, along with other videos/info about definitely paint a clear picture of what to do.
 
J_Swan said:
Thanks for the reply, much appreciated. All these tips, along with other videos/info about definitely paint a clear picture of what to do.
Click to expand...
It's pretty straightforward, just a bit of a faff when your lying on your back under the engine.
There's a short flexi pipe connecting the cylinder to the solid pipe fixed to the bulkhead. Loosen the flexi joint at the cylinder while the cylinder is still attached to the flywheel housing. Just crack the nut/joint loose. Then remove the cylinder from the casing. You can then undo the cylinder from the pipe cos it's already loose.
It doesn't seem five minutes since I changed mine, but I suspect mine's on the way out too. It's probably been years though. :(
 
Al2O3 said:
It's pretty straightforward, just a bit of a faff when your lying on your back under the engine.
There's a short flexi pipe connecting the cylinder to the solid pipe fixed to the bulkhead. Loosen the flexi joint at the cylinder while the cylinder is still attached to the flywheel housing. Just crack the nut/joint loose. Then remove the cylinder from the casing. You can then undo the cylinder from the pipe cos it's already loose.
It doesn't seem five minutes since I changed mine, but I suspect mine's on the way out too. It's probably been years though. :(
Click to expand...
Great, cheers. It'll probably be the weekend before I get round to sorting this, as I work till the evening and want to be able to get it done in a full day.

If it's as straight forward as I'm hoping it is, you should get yours out the way! At first, I thought the spring on the clutch pedal had become worn. Looking back now that was an extremely optimistic problem to have for a 30 year old Land Rover :D
 
J_Swan said:
Great, cheers. It'll probably be the weekend before I get round to sorting this, as I work till the evening and want to be able to get it done in a full day.

If it's as straight forward as I'm hoping it is, you should get yours out the way! At first, I thought the spring on the clutch pedal had become worn. Looking back now that was an extremely optimistic problem to have for a 30 year old Land Rover :D
Click to expand...
I'll have to get my finger out and do something about it soon before it gets a bit chilly to lie on the drive. :rolleyes: Like you I'm slowly losing fluid :mad:
 
I can't for the life of me find my Haynes manual. Could someone please advise of the brake/clutch fluid needed for my 90, with disco 300tdi engine & lt77 box? Thanks.
 
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