Stiff Heavy Clutch Pedal.

[kevin50]

Hello Again, Sorry for asking again but got a couple of other problems.

Another problem with my first Defender is the clutch pedal is very stiff/ heavy to press down.

Now my wife will be driving it just as much as me but she finds it Very dificult the way it is now,

Any Ideas of why it is like this??

Also brakes dont seem that good, got to really press down on the pedal to slow down even harder to come to a halt, but had a look at front pads and they do seem to have plenty of meat on them, although I am not very mechanicly minded so might have been looking at them the wrong way. These are the main things I need to get sorted, especially as my wife will be using it, just really want it Mechanically Soun and Safe.

Any help on these will be Greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[western]

first WHAT MODEL ??? this info is important, so we can give the best advice.

try lubricating the pedal pivot points in engine bay, if that doesn't change anything, you can retrofit the pedal assembly from a 300tdi defender or fit a clutch servo from redbooster but that cost close to 300 quid

[kevin50]

first WHAT MODEL ??? this info is important, so we can give the best advice.

try lubricating the pedal pivot points in engine bay, if that doesn't change anything, you can retrofit the pedal assembly from a 300tdi defender or fit a clutch servo from redbooster but that cost close to 300 quid

1990 Defender 90 G Reg, Will give the lubricating a go, would a new clutch kit sort it out?

[Retroanaconda]

I don't think changing the clutch would solve it unless there is a problem in the bell-housing. Defenders quite often have heavy clutches compared to normal cars, it's one of those things. However you can make sure the problem is not being unnecessarily compounded by ensuring good lubrication of the pivot (undo the 6 screws holding the top onto the pedal box from the engine bay side and apply oil) and making sure that the hydraulics are up to scratch with no leaks.

The 300Tdi pedal can be retro-fitted which has a different spring setup which does reduce the pressure required to operate the pedal slightly - I recently did this to mine and it is a bit lighter I think but has a different feel which takes some getting used to. Failing that the Clutch Booster as mentioned above is an aftermarket product which will solve the problem entirely - albeit at a cost.

[kevin50]

I don't think changing the clutch would solve it unless there is a problem in the bell-housing. Defenders quite often have heavy clutches compared to normal cars, it's one of those things. However you can make sure the problem is not being unnecessarily compounded by ensuring good lubrication of the pivot (undo the 6 screws holding the top onto the pedal box from the engine bay side and apply oil) and making sure that the hydraulics are up to scratch with no leaks.

The 300Tdi pedal can be retro-fitted which has a different spring setup which does reduce the pressure required to operate the pedal slightly - I recently did this to mine and it is a bit lighter I think but has a different feel which takes some getting used to. Failing that the Clutch Booster as mentioned above is an aftermarket product which will solve the problem entirely - albeit at a cost.

Thanks Mate will give that a try, It does feel Really heavier then normal, Forgot to mention it is squeky too, everyone that has got in has comented on how heavy it is.

Will try and find a photo of excactly which screws to undo. Got to be on on here somwhere.

Thanks Again.

[Retroanaconda]

Here you are, top of clutch pedal box highlighted:

200Tdi engine bay but the clutch arrangement is the same in all 90/110/Defender.

Should just come off with the screws removed. There's a rubber gasket that goes on too underneath which you will see. If the clutch is squeaking that does point to an un-lubricated pivot.

[kevin50]

Here you are, top of clutch pedal box highlighted:

DSC06714.jpg

200Tdi engine bay but the clutch arrangement is the same in all 90/110/Defender.

Should just come off with the screws removed. There's a rubber gasket that goes on too underneath which you will see. If the clutch is squeaking that does point to an un-lubricated pivot.

Thats Excellent Mate.

Thank You Very Much, will give it a try tomorrow. Just normal WD 40?or is there somthing better/

[AMB]

Thats Excellent Mate.

Thank You Very Much, will give it a try tomorrow. Just normal WD 40?or is there somthing better/

WD40 OK for confirming diagnosis but I'd recommend something heavier unless you want to make this a regular occurrance

[fearofweapons]

So ( and not really wanting to spread Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt but....) my clutch pedal was very heavy. Lubing it did not improve matters. The fix was 'thrust' on me by the failure of the clutch fork on a busy roundabout on bank holiday Monday with an ambulance trying to get through!

Since replacing the clutch fork, with a heavy duty one, and a new clutch, operation has been significantly lighter.

The pedal had been getting heavier over a period of nearly two years and there is no guarantee that the heaviness was due to impending failure. However we do quite a small annual mileage in the 110 2.5TD so it might have been...

[kevin50]

Going into a local Landrover Specilist on Thursday they are going to have a look and check the whole vehicle over for me and give me a price if anything needs sorting.

Will update on Thursday night.

[mickeyw]

Any news on this Kevin?

I am currently planning to fit a remote servo to my 1986 110 V8.

[Adam001]

Just be sure it actually has a problem before replacing things. The people you mention who have concurred the problem, do they drive Defenders? If not do not necessarily rely on their opinions. Defender clutches are inherently heavy, if it is a problem for you then a servo is the only fix.

Brakes however are good on Defenders, regardless what anyone says, however only when in good condition. Here's a few tips...

• Rear Drum Brakes - can easily be poorly maintained and can fill with dirt and grease, (mine failed to work altogether at one point). A good upgrade is to swap to Disc Brakes (Just change the back axle)
• Calipers - they are 4 pot on the front, and with discs, 2 pot on the rear, very effective when maintained. However with so many pistons it's easy for 1 or more to sieze and for you to not realise. Recommend you remove the pads and check each piston is freely moving.
• Servo - not unknown to fail, perform the simple servo test (turn off engine, push on brakes repeatedly to exhaust servo, push down on the brakes with uniform pressure, hold, turn on engine - if the pedal drops the servo is working, if not, replace it or check the vac lines)
• Master cylinder - can leak past the piston seals back into the reserviour and will show no visible leaks, best way to test it is to push on the brake pedal for a few minutes and see if it creeps to the floor.
• Fluid - Check it's new, if it's dark in colour or murky, flush it out
• Air - Check for a spongy feeling pedal, if it is try bleeding it

Once you tease out the issues the brakes are good, quite often feel the need to upgrade brakes on cars, the defender is the only one I haven't (apart from rear discs!)

[drewbar]

Best best for you clutch pedal is perhaps to disconnect the master cylinder from the system and first ensure the pedal pivots are OK, if they are I would look toward the clutch being at fault perhaps. Many heat cycles through a clutch pressure plate will lead to a very stiff clutch, if the vehicle has seen a lot of off road use or towing use this will cause a lot more wear on the clutch.

For your brakes, ensure that all the pistons are free and moving as said above, a strip and clean of all the calipers may be a good relatively low cost place to start.