Defender Stuck clutch pedal

[Gulliver911]

OK totally stuck.

All of a sudden, the clutch pedal is real hard, impossible to depress.

Impossible to engage any gear....

Before I get stuck in, any advise on this one, any obvious cause ?

The car is an old 110 from 1990

[BLUETHUNDER]

It sounds like the cable has pulled through the fork in the bell housing.

[Gulliver911]

I was hoping I could fix it without having to take the clutch out, is that the case ?

[BLUETHUNDER]

I'm afraid its a box out job.

[230TE]

It's actually a hydraulic not a cable clutch, but I suspect it will still be a box out job. The clutch fork on the Defender is a cheap nasty steel pressing which pivots on a ball. Over time the ball wears through the pivot point on the clutch fork and eventually punches its way through it, hence no clutch action. The reason your clutch pedal has gone solid is that the slave cylinder has reached the end of its travel, trying to compensate for the collapsed fork.

When I fit a new fork I weld a strip of 5mm steel across the back of the pivot point to strengthen it.

[BLUETHUNDER]

Isnt the ball on the end of a cable?.

[230TE]

No, it is a hydraulic system. Found this article which illustrates the problem:

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=5010

[BLUETHUNDER]

230TE said:

No, it is a hydraulic system. Found this article which illustrates the problem:

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=5010

Cheers for the link.Only ever done one clutch.And that was on my old Chimaera..I had the same symptoms as the original poster.And thats what it turned out to be.The ball had punched through the fork.It was cable operated.Changed the fork and up graded the clutch to a heavy duty 110 one.

[Hooli]

230TE said:

It's actually a hydraulic not a cable clutch, but I suspect it will still be a box out job. The clutch fork on the Defender is a cheap nasty steel pressing which pivots on a ball. Over time the ball wears through the pivot point on the clutch fork and eventually punches its way through it, hence no clutch action. The reason your clutch pedal has gone solid is that the slave cylinder has reached the end of its travel, trying to compensate for the collapsed fork.

When I fit a new fork I weld a strip of 5mm steel across the back of the pivot point to strengthen it.

yup been there & done that. im told in defenders you can slide the box back far enough to change the clutch fork without dropping it right out and do the work through the floor.