i have a freelander td4 52 plate has started struggling to get it into gear espescially in morning and when i have come out of reverse drives fine with no slipping pedal seems to stay down at times (master cylinder?)

id say slave cyl....or try and bleed the clutch before replacing,,,,but sounds more like a linkage problem,,,does weather affect cold linkage or shift bushings give alittle more info

i would say weather wasnt a problem because i can run about in it all day then the problem will appear again the cap on the master cyl says not to remove so how would i refill after bleeding like i say it runs fine with no slipping but the pedal seems to stay down when problem occurs

If your pedal is going down nearing the floor over time and you're having difficulty getting it in gear then you probably have a leak from your clutch slave cylinder. I had a similar problem about 2 years ago with my 1999 Freelander 2.0DI. The reason the clutch master cylinder says do not remove on the cap is because the system is a completely sealed assembly, so you can't top up the fluid. The master cyclinder and a cheap plastic slave cylinder are connected together by a preformed plastic pipe system. You have to remove the entire assembly and then replace the complete system from the master cylinder end (don't bolt the cylinder in position until you have the slave cylinder and the attached pipework in the approximate correct position, it makes it easier to feed the slave cylinder around the engine like the pipe you just removed).

If you are unsure about a leak from the clutch slave cylinder take a look under the car and see if the pushrod is entering the cylinder at an angle that is not in line with the assembly body. Try having an assistant to depress the clutch for you, it makes it easier to see if the pushrod operation is skewed. That was the cause of my system failing at a set of busy lights in the evening rush hour. The rubber seal on the pushrod gets derformed and the fluid leaks past it, slowly at first, but it gets worse over time.

I recall my replacement assembly cost around £80-£90.

Hope this helps.

when you say comlete system do you mean master cyl and slavecyl? i went on one website and they wanted £111 for master and £50 odd for slave so does this mean there available seperately? thanks for your last reply really throws more light on the problem]

roytomo said:

when you say comlete system do you mean master cyl and slavecyl? i went on one website and they wanted £111 for master and £50 odd for slave so does this mean there available seperately? thanks for your last reply really throws more light on the problem]

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siha same problem in jan the part is complete and iugot it from main dealer think it was £35 £40 may be a little more but no where near what you are saying

Hi! My 2003 TD4 had this problem......couldn't select first when pulling away and sometimes the pedal would stay down by the floor after changing gear. If I pulled the pedal back up with my foot it would work fine. For a bit anyway!!!!

The prob was the master cylinder. The master cylinder and slave are indeed seperate on a TD4 engine. Changing it was a doddle, unhook from the pedal, unscrew from the bulkhead and bobs yer uncle.

Genuine part was around £111 ish inc vat.

Hope that helps!!!!

ex

Oh! Meant to say master cylinder is a sealed for life unit therefore cannot bleed it. New units come with the fluid already in them so you just fit and drive! In a manner of speaking.

ex

Sounds like the shaft going into clutch housing starting to seize. Spray it with penetrating oil.

larakitten said:

Oh! Meant to say master cylinder is a sealed for life unit therefore cannot bleed it. New units come with the fluid already in them so you just fit and drive! In a manner of speaking.

ex

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thanks very much really helpful i thought it was 111 pound ish bit was told it was nowhere near that you have been the most helpful and thats from a chick ha ha looks like ill be investing in a master cyl

Hey no probs. Happened to me recently, thought I'd be emptying my purse into the hands of the stealers until I read me haynes manual and had a think about it..........

How'd you get on, did you try a master cylinder?

Had a similar problem back in July.
Replacement clutch plate (badly worn), slave cylinder replaced-complete with thrust baring. £200 the lot.
Had to return to garage for bleeding of slave cylinder. (Bleed nipple is external to gearbox)
td4 has separate master cylinder and slave .(slave fitted inside bell housing of gearbox)
L series has sealed complete unit and is all external to gear box.
Ref: Haynes Manual.