Stiff Clutch

Hello guys,

Since my Defender hasn't had any problems in a long while, i think it figured it's about time it messed with my holidays a bit.

I drove it all week (1999 110sw Td5) and had no problems until this morning. Two things came along, a little bit delayed from one another. Firstly, the clutch hardened. I noticed that my Defender had a bit of a soft clutch, compared to 90s for instance but not it feels a bit harder and it doesn't go all the way up, but it does lock the gears in place as it should. Not sure if it's any different, also considering that it's got Salisbury axles, but now it's like ... when you press on the brake pedal without the car running and it gets really stiff? Just like that

Secondly, it humms. More than usual, and only in the 5th gear. Sounds a bit like a rogue injector but i can't be too sure. Any ideas if the two are related? Has anyone else had a sudden clutch hardening :5bwilly_nilly:and knows what it might be from?

Cheers,
R.T.

could be a faulty slave on ur clutch, its all i can think of

odd. The clutch got back to normal for a while, one random morning. And this morning, it's stiff again - same symptoms. Tried to drive it and not only was it hard, the damn thing, when i pressed it, just stayed down. Any clues?

Stiff clutch you say? just get a firm grip and give it a good tug...

Problem solved. It turns out it just needs to run. We got a new car to use in the city so the Defender has been driven around less. The clutch system got some dirt in, which settled and clogged everything around there, just before the pump. Our mechanic took it out, cleaned it, works like a charm. One more thing we've learned about the Defenders...

Cheers,
R.

Later edit: as for the sound ... it's still there every now and again. That'll need a proper check-up as they're not related i found.