Clutch hydraulic system

[Lazy-Ferret]

Since I have had this Terrano, the Clutch pedal has had a habit of not always coming back up to the top. Not a problem, it worked ok, so I would just nudge it with the tip of my toe and it would pop back up.

I did a fair bit of searching on the web, and while it seamed to be a common problem, there did not seem to be any definitive answers to what caused it. Some people blamed the master, some the slave cylinder, others the actual pedal, or the pipe. One put it down to the pressure plate of the clutch, and the thrust bearing, and the best... someone blamed it on a pipe that ran to the back of the car (what a weirdo, a clutch pipe that runs to the back of the car:naughty) Everyone knows the clutch assembly has no reason to go to the back of the car...:augie

First thing I did was to take the pedal assembly out, and make new bearings for it, as this seemed the easiest and simplest place to start. I put it back in, and thought I had fixed the issue.

Over the next couple of weeks though, it came back, and then started to get worse resulting in having no Clutch if I forgot to pop the pedal back up. The next stage was the pedal would sink over night, and I would have to lift it up by hand in the morning. I checked the system over, but it all seemed OK, so I decided that maybe there was some air in it.

Being a typical "Techie", Manuals are for wimps, I bled the system using the bleed screws at the master and slave cylinder, and was happy it all started to work again.... for 2 days. After that, the pedal would sink to the floor every night, and the fluid was going down in the reservoir as well now.

Ok, it's now time to RTFM, and have a proper look.

Now in all my years of driving I have had many hydraulic clutches, and bleeding them is not rocket science.. but when the manual says to "bleed the clutch from behind the rear wheels..." I did start to think that someone was on a wind up. I get under the car, and discover that this time there is brake fluid all over the slave cylinder and the flexible pipe, and.... a very long pipe that runs from the clutch slave cylinder hose to the back of the car. What? Why? I trace it to the end, and there right above the rear axle it ends, with a block containing a bleed nipple.... (Ok so that guy was not a weirdo after all, must make a point of reading his posts more carefully in the future)

Anyway, I got a new slave cylinder, and flexible pipe, then after they brought me round from telling me the price, I went home and fitted them in the pouring rain. Touch wood, it all seems OK now...



I think I even found the original problem on mine as well. The flexible pipe had some bubbles in the outer cover, and it looks like the inner pipe has split where the crimp is, and the fluid was leaking into the outer cover causing it to bubble up, and then the fluid was drawn back in when the pedal returned to it's proper place. Once one of the bubbles in the outer cover finally split, things became more obvious, but you could only really see them once the pipe was off, and wiped over to clean it up. Fingers crossed it now seems to be working OK.

So, what is the long pipe for??? I wondered if it was some sort of hydraulic damper, but surely the pipe would need to have a coil or two in for that, and I notice the pipe that runs from the master to the flexible bit does have 3 or so coils in it anyway, so that would be the damper.... anyone know?

 

[makeitfit]

Let this be a lesson to you You just need to ask your friends on here who'd have told you that in a few minutes :lol
Long pipe is a damper and bin it as it'll corrode anyway. The flexi pipe is known to fail and there's even some nice braided ones you can get as a replacement.
Cylinder was probably fine :augie
Next time you get stuck, pop in here first it'll save all that tedious RTFMing

 

[Lazy-Ferret]

I did do a wade through old posts on here, but never saw a single mention of the flexible hose. The problem with searching on forums, is you need to know what the problem is, in order to search for it.

If the "damper pipe" does start to corrode, then I take it you just put a bolt in the hole where it leaves the flexible pipe, to blank it off? What difference does it make once you have disconnected it?

The Slave cylinder is all cleaned, and greased, and put in a box in the garage marked Terrano spares... First of many no doubt...

Still the good news was, while I was wet and dirty, I flushed the brake fluid through the brake system as well, and adjusted the handbrake so it now works. It would still roll on steep hills. Stops on it's nose now, as the guy behind discovered the first time I drove it today... DOH

 

[melissachels]

I did do a wade through old posts on here, but never saw a single mention of the flexible hose. The problem with searching on forums, is you need to know what the problem is, in order to search for it.

If the "damper pipe" does start to corrode, then I take it you just put a bolt in the hole where it leaves the flexible pipe, to blank it off? What difference does it make once you have disconnected it?

The Slave cylinder is all cleaned, and greased, and put in a box in the garage marked Terrano spares... First of many no doubt...

Still the good news was, while I was wet and dirty, I flushed the brake fluid through the brake system as well, and adjusted the handbrake so it now works. It would still roll on steep hills. Stops on it's nose now, as the guy behind discovered the first time I drove it today... DOH

Soz i should of posted bout the flexy as that was the issue with mine! tho only figured that out after changing the master & slave & blocking of the dampner! :doh the only problem i have is it doesn't fully return but doesn't affect biting point but mine is a clutch cable not hydraulic

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

Soz i should of posted bout the flexy as that was the issue with mine! tho only figured that out after changing the master & slave & blocking of the dampner! :doh the only problem i have is it doesn't fully return but doesn't affect biting point but mine is a clutch cable not hydraulic

sorry i'm a bit lost! how can you change the master and slave cylinder on a clutch that is cable operated? :nenau

 

[melissachels]

sorry i'm a bit lost! how can you change the master and slave cylinder on a clutch that is cable operated? :nenau

ok just spoke 2 mr n he says it is hydrolic :doh but some how he did manage 2 adjust the bite point hence y i thought it was cable!:doh:doh tho he's no idea how he managed it :doh

 

[96terrano]

i lost clutch pressure once, dad dine somthing and its working ever since:clap

 

[solarman216]

Have not seen a T2 yet with a CABLE CLUTCH, Rick

 

[96terrano]

Have not seen a T2 yet with a CABLE CLUTCH, Rick

don't think many vehicles have them now, shame as they are more simple

 

[glen]

Mine was same the clutch dropped for years

Mine was same the clutch dropped for years then one day I had a leak near back arch it was clutch fluid, its a damper just a lenth of pipe I cut it back near to the front caped the clutch pipe re filled, bled has never dropped since.

Glen

 

[rustic]

i lost clutch pressure once, dad dine somthing and its working ever since:clap

It seems you have a communication problem here, what did he do?
When I do anything to my families cars I always tell them, it gives them reasurance that the cause and the cure agree. They usually nod a few times showing their total interest with the occasional yawn.

So your Dad has his uses then, previous posts seem to show otherwise.:doh

Rustic