clutch pedal feels heavy

[pablo0874]

evening all ive been driving my terrano today i lknow its been cold and even snowing today in north wales but the clutch pedal seems very heavy to press in and when i take my foot off it seems to take its time to return to the top very slowly is this normal i thought maybe its cos its cold i dont know has anyone had this before i know its some kind of hydraulic isnt it any suggestions would be very helpfull guys cheers

 

[ssteve]

master cyl seals on the way out

ssteve

 

[rustic]

evening all ive been driving my terrano today i lknow its been cold and even snowing today in north wales but the clutch pedal seems very heavy to press in and when i take my foot off it seems to take its time to return to the top very slowly is this normal i thought maybe its cos its cold i dont know has anyone had this before i know its some kind of hydraulic isnt it any suggestions would be very helpfull guys cheers

I've never experienced this. Is it possible that the fluid has absorbed so much water that it has started to freeze?
You could take out a small sample and stick it in the freezer and see if it thickens up. I guess you would need to try a sample of new DOT 4 fluid as a comparison.

Not many people change the clutch fluid :nenau
Just a thought.

Also check the bracket on the clutch pedal as well these have been known to fracture and require welding.

 

[jims-terrano]

for what it's worth my clutch went a couple of months ago. When I got it back it was really light so it must have got really heavy over time.

Still worth changing the fluid though, not worth testing just keep bleeding and topping it up untill you feel you've probably got rid of the old stuff.

Jim

 

[solarman216]

The water in fluid is a very good point, also known to happen is collapsing of the slave cyl hose, had one here a while ago could not push pedal down at all, Rick

 

[solarman216]

for what it's worth my clutch went a couple of months ago. When I got it back it was really light so it must have got really heavy over time.

Still worth changing the fluid though, not worth testing just keep bleeding and topping it up untill you feel you've probably got rid of the old stuff.

Jim

Just a note here, Terranos have a Diaphragm clutch spring, what this does is when the clutch is new (thick center plate) the tigns that the thrust bearing pushes against are almost flat so advantage of leverage over spring, as center plate wears tigns push out at angle so more effort needed to overcome the leverage, fair guide to clutch wear, all other things being equal that is, Rick

 

[pablo0874]

so would i be right in saying you bleed just like brakes with a connector on the nipple and a couple of presses on pedal etc as renewing new fluid? just another question unrelated to this but i dont want to start a new thread if anyone knows i was looking through the forum and come across a thread about a ckp sensor causing someones terrano to cut out and and imediately start again on the key , well mine does this frequently just about a hour ago i was out driving while trying to figure out why my clutch felt so tough i had been driving about 3 miles then pulled over and the car just cuts dead no warning lights come on nothing ,turn the key over starts up again and drives normal it often does this but must add the rev counter also is iregular and goes on and off as well is this something to do with the aforementioned ckp sensor ?
i know some will probably say about the codes ive done that and that brought up code 11 fuel injection pump position sensor any ideas am i on the right track you think with ckp sensor

 

[solarman216]

Yes as a start change your fluid, pump it through just as you would your brakes, don't know about the ckp sensor though have not got that on mine, Rick

 

[pablo0874]

thanks for that will do so tomoroow let you know how it affects the thing many thanks

 

[davenclaire]

did this get solved ?

did this one ever get solved my clutch is heavy with only just over 100k or so it doesnt slip tried the put it in gear hand brake on and drive off test just a heavy pedal, gonna check the slave cylinder hose today am thinking of putting a new slave cylinder on just to eliminate it i had the clutch fluid changed on a recent service

 

[rayf3262]

just another question unrelated to this but i dont want to start a new thread if anyone knows i was looking through the forum and come across a thread about a ckp sensor causing someones terrano to cut out and and imediately start again on the key , well mine does this frequently just about a hour ago i was out driving while trying to figure out why my clutch felt so tough i had been driving about 3 miles then pulled over and the car just cuts dead no warning lights come on nothing ,turn the key over starts up again and drives normal it often does this but must add the rev counter also is iregular and goes on and off as well is this something to do with the aforementioned ckp sensor ?
i know some will probably say about the codes ive done that and that brought up code 11 fuel injection pump position sensor any ideas am i on the right track you think with ckp sensor

The main characteristic of a failing CKP sensor is failure is caused by the magnet in this sensor loosing permeability, this condition is exacerbated when the engine/sensor is good and hot. That's why it's often good from cold and then starts misbehaving later.
The erratic rev. counter is also a good pointer to this failure too.
Used sensors are often no better than the faulty one you have, it's a bit of a lottery. So you may have to buy new.
As Timbo has said, you should see > 1.5V AC when cranking, at the sensor. But make sure you check cold & HOT.

 

[brynjdavies]

I had a slave cylinder hose blocking with it's own rubber causing a very heavy pedal, didn't find it until after I changed the pressure and driven plate as it was no better after the change.
Bryn

 

[rustic]

There has been a lot of mentions of clutches recently, I recently posted how to change the fluid on your own.
The Clutch fluid is often neglected, if it ain't broke don't fix it, but it should be changed more regularly.

Sometimes vehicles go without a clutch fluid change until something breaks, like a slave cylinder, or a hose, or master cylinder.

Although an Ambassador I had, the slave cylinder leaked at 13 months old, just out of warrenty, it was contaminated with sand.. British Leyland engineering at it's best... :doh

 

[briggie]

somewhere in my cellar i have a slave cylinder for a 1992 volvo 940 se turbo if its any good to someone

 

[davenclaire]

why oh why did i

its always the simple jobs that take the longest so i went to bled the clutch after i inspected the air bleed nipple at the rear of the car. never been touched in years and the new clutch fluid was dirty so im thinking my mechanic only bled out threw the master cylinder and old fluid has washed back up into the resovoir or he didnt change it as he said he did .

so a good inspection of the system simple job while im waiting for the wife to come out and pump the pedal for me i decide to grease the slave cylinder pin where it contacts the clutch fork due to rusty dust and at the same time squirt a little bit of oil into the seal i like oiling things i do. checked the hose which has at some time been changed.

so bleed the system several times and yep no pressure :doh try try again and no luck after several cups of tea i think lets block off the air bled pipe as it seems a pointless addition look in the tool box no bolts and washers that fit so reconnect it and try again.

still no luck no pressue cant select any gear with the engine running.

:doh:doh now it hits me when i greased the slave cylinder pin i pushed it in to get my finger between it and the clutch fork so i remove the slave cylinder and prime it several times pushing the pin in and out a few times refitted and hey presto pressure restored

the clutch is a little lighter and slips into gear better so lesson learnt iv looked up on here and will be getting a new slave cylinder and hose without the air bleed hole in it part number on here on another post blue print ADN 153904

now i can have me dinner :thumb2