Defender clutch pedal low bite

[Copey89]

Hey, I have a 1988 Landrover Defender 110 fitted with a 200tdi engine from a 1994 disco, the clutch pedal has gone very low and the bite is basically on the floor, to the point where it sometimes clunks going in to gear, checked the fluid and it was completely empty, topped it up and tried to bleed the system but nothing was coming out of the bleed nipple, is that sounding like it could be either the slave or master cylinder causing the problem? If either one could be the likely issue I will replace both of them

Thanks for any advise

[Tanuki]

if you've had a total-fluid-loss it could be either the master (there'll be fluid soaking into the carpet/sound-deadening felt in the footwell) or the slave (fluid drips out of the wading-plug hole on the bellhousing).

Either way, the sensible thing is to replace both master and slave cyls: once one fails the other is not long behind it.

They're not expensive - the biggest 'cost' is the time/effort to do the work.

And remember to put the slave back in with the bleed-nipple at the top... plenty of people have refitted the slave with the nipple-at-the-bottom because 'it gives easier access for bleeding' without realising that air rises so the air-bubbles in the fluid will be at the top of the slave-cylinder so you can never hope to get them out if the nipple's fitted at the bottom!

[western]

once both cylinders have been replaced, reset the clutch pedal height as shown in the workshop manual, you'll find the extract in this forum by searching for it.

[Copey89]

ace, thought that may be the case, will check and see where anyh fluid has been lost, thanks for the help guys