Thread: Perhaps Some Delayed Good News .... Perhaps

Hello All,

I have just returned to my computer after disconnecting the clutch pedal box and related ancillaries. After I took off the old clutch master cylinder that Snowy came with, I fitted on the new clutch master cylinder to the pedal box. I took the opportunity to wire brush the area on the firewall/bulkhead under where the pedal box sits and then sprayed the area with some rust preventative paint.

I found out that:

• Either the old master cylinder did not come with a circlip fitted to hold in the push rod (Read el-Cheapo unit) or the circlip had parted company with the master cylinder at some point in the past.
• the bore of the old master cylinder was corroded and left quite a lot to be desired
• The plunger had actually stuck in the bore
• The new push rod is a different length to the old push rod.
• There is not the same amount of thread on the new shorter push rod.
• 'Someone had been here before" the bottom right-hand bolt on the pedal box was more of a dowel than a bolt. The thread of the captive nut on the pedal box must have been stripped. So someone had taken the bolt and washer from inside the cabin and forced it onto the to pedal box from the engine bay side. Subsequently there was not enough thread to fit a nut to the bolt from inside the cabin.

Some battery chargers can be deceptive: I also learnt something new about one of my battery trickle chargers. I have two examples of the same brand and model. They feature a battery charge gauge with nice pretty lines and a digital reading the amount of charge in the battery they are hooked up to. This looks all very flash.

However, since the charger hooked up to Snowy's battery was connected to a powerboard I assumed the battery was being charged. Yep - you know what happens when one 'assumes'. Apparently the said battery charger will display nice pretty stripes of different charge levels and produce a digital reading of the amount of charge even when the power switch for the plug in the powerboard is not turned on. The pretty features of the battery charger in the power switch off position is showing how the pretty battery gauges are slowly flattening the battery its leads are hooked up to.

Hopefully with the power switch being now turned on and allowing an overnight charge (sigh) I will be able to take Snowy for a spin in the paddock - tomorrow. Hence the title of this post .... sigh.

A clutch hydraulics Experiment: I did conduct an experiment though. I figured that because I have a pressure bleeder I was not inconveniencing anyone else if i took time to test a hypothesis. I was only consuming my own time.

The Hypothesis: That there still may be something wrong with the clutch master cylinder even though when hooked up to a pressure bleeder there are no leaks or air bubbles in the system.

Preliminary Findings: After the removal of the old clutch master cylinder - I found out that:

• if the plunger is stuck in a certain position it forms a fluid circuit between reservoir feed hole - the stuck plunger - and then the fluid proceeds merrily on its way to the slave cylinder. It will even allow air to be bled out of the hydraulic system.
• However, due to the plunger being stuck there is no hydraulic force going to the mechanical system and the clutch will not engage or disengage.
• The clutch pedal will just sink to the floor under light pressure from one's hand.

Secondary Sources: Unlike Mike from Britannica Land Rovers, I could not disassemble the old clutch master cylinder to check to see if the relief valve was stuffed. Mike's video (accessed 23/09/23 from Land Rover hydraulic clutch failure. No leaks. What could it be? - YouTube) However, Mike's video did show exactly the same symptoms of what Snowy was doing beforehand. All it took was finger-tip pressure being applied to the clutch pedal to have it travel all the way to the floor. All this happened without and fluid loss.

After I put a long screwdriver into the old master cylinder bore and tapping it around, I was able to move the plunger. I then blocked either the outlet to the clutch slave cylinder or kept the cap on the reservoir while I hooked in the gun on my air compressor. The applied air pressure forced the plunger to move to the end of the bore. However, when I released the air pressure and tapped the plunger back down the bore the compressed air trick did not work again.

Partial Conclusion's findings: with the plunger in the bore stuck and it forming its own mini hydraulic circuit the brake fluid inside the system remains latent. No amount of my pumping the clutch pedal will trigger Pascal's law to come into effect. The clutch master cylinder is indeed stuffed... oops... unserviceable.

However, something that remains to be seen is whether or not there something else wrong in Snowy's clutch system - other than the master cylinder related issue?

Delayed Test Results: The main test result will be confirmed tomorrow - Yes - the master cylinder was the sole problem. I can confirm this after the damn battery has been fully charged and I can take Snowy for a drive... tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

The benefits of conducting the experiment: If I have solved the issue via a replacement clutch master cylinder it means that I am not up for the cost of a clutch kit just yet. I already have a new clutch slave cylinder and flexible clutch pipe. I will fit these after the opportunity to buy one of Mike's heavy duty clutch forks and another supplier's new clutch kit.

The ultimate goal and some related diversions It will be great if the immediate lack of movement problem is solved by replacing the master cylinder because I will be able to drive a Land Rover again. Also, one step closer to my goal of getting Snowy road worthy and back on the road again. God only knows how long ago it was when Snowy was last street legal. There are no old registration stickers displayed on Snowy. The old Rego sticker or the number plates used be a quick indicator of when a vehicle was last registered. Snowy did not come with old number plates either. So, I do not have an old Rego sticker or be able to look up a number plate's details.

Is it possible to do a VIN check for Queensland via the Department of Transport and Main Roads to identify when the last time that Snowy was road legal?

Just like an old radio serial... 'please tune in tomorrow for the results to be confirmed'. Cue the suspenseful outro .... plink ... plink ... plink

Yes - I could have written all the above in just one or two simple sentences...

However, where would be the fun in that ....

Plink ... plink .. plink

Kind regards
Lionel

Originally Posted by DazzaTD5

That explains it all.

Honestly though I read through your other post (you know, the other post on the same problem) it made ... some sense

---
slightly different topic, but it prompted me non the less...

I dated for a long time a lady who was a Psychologist, I could not sit there and watch a movie with her without her hitting the pause button to ****in analyse each part of the movie.

Analyse: verb - examine (something) methodically and in detail, typically in order to explain and interpret it. <=== drove me to... Defenders (go figure)

Hello Dazza,

Perhaps you were trying to Defend yourself against being constantly psychoanalysed by the psychologist.

Okay, that was not some of my best work!

Kind regards
Lionel