Stiff clutch - smooth changes impossible

Hey there all

After picking up our '00 110 TD5 a couple of weeks ago, I was hoping that the clutch might free up after doing some long miles in it. The vehicle had been garaged for months at the time I bought it. It's still very stiff.

The clutch pedal depresses relatively easily, but after you engage (say) first gear at the lights and start to release the pedal - it binds on the upstroke. It kind of has an "eek..eek..eek..eek' rubbery feel to it as it comes up - like the pedal bearing (I presume there is one as I'm still waiting to take delivery of a service manual) isn't lubricated. It's almost impossible to release in one easy fluid movement.

Is this (if you can understand my description of the problem) normal? It makes smooth changing almost impossible - and nearly every time I change gear the lack of pedal feel makes me release the clutch too quickly - so that a "clunk" comes out of the driveline somewhere. I'm hoping that it's something I can lubricate or replace easily. Are these usually symptoms of a stoofed clutch master or slave? Do the pedal bearings bind?

Cheers and thanks for any help
Chris

I had a similar problem on mine ('89 90). The clutch lever pivot arm was as dry as a... well never mind what it was as dry as. A squirt with WD40 sorted it out.

aye. thats always the first remedy in cases like this. a good dose of wd40 on all working joints/pivots etc... first.
if no difference, then check out other possible problems.

Thanks men.

Yup - I'll start with the silly stuff and then move on to the creative fixes later. Just wasn't sure that it wasn't another "completely normal" Land Rover feature.

Chars
Chris

when i took ownership of my 02 defender td5, the eek sound was because of the clutch pump. so i applied the repair kit to it and it's fixed. no fuss no russ. try oiling the release spring on the pedal first. usually the lack of control of the clutch is due to the clutch pump. even if there are no leaks, sometimes the clutch fluid is going thru the seal hence the lack of control.