Heavy clutch pedal

[Cap]

With my build, I put in a new clutch pressure plate as I was mating the 2.25 diesel clutch (9.5") but needed the pressure plate with the additional 'spacer' on the fingers (not the 3 finger 9" plate), so order an AP one from UK.

The clutch works fine, however its pretty heavy, much more than my Disco 300tdi. I know that it will fatigue my foot/leg (yes it does require some force) over a longer drive. Question is, is this normal for a new pressure plate to be heavy until it settles, or is there something else amiss? The master and slave came from my parts 109 2a 9" setup (petrol motor), did the 9.5" setup require a different master/slave (eg larger internal diameter) compared to the 9"?

[JDNSW]

Master and slave are the same on all models. A new clutch will tend to need more pedal pressure, but this will reduce as the clutch wears. The larger clutch will require more pressure, but should not be that much more.

There are a couple of things you could check, but I do not expect they are contributing to the heavy clutch. One is to ensure that the pushrod length adjustment is correct for the slave cylinder - if this is wrong it will change the leverage a little, the other is to ensure the pedal pivot is well lubricated.

I seem to remember that some Defenders have a clutch assist spring, and since the pedal assembly is the same, it ought to be possible to fit this to the Series clutch.

[Aaron IIA]

Was your new pessure plate described as heavy duty?
When I fitted a diesel to my SIIa, I used a diaphragm pressure plate without the spacer. I made up a custom clutch rod joining tube to bring the bellcrank back to a better angle.

Aaron

[Homestar]

Could try one of these if the pedal assemblies are similar as John suggests.

[Cap]

The pressure plate wasnt ordered as heavy duty, but even so I would think most drivers would end up with a sore left foot and tired legs. Im pretty sure its not right so ill check the bits as John mentioned. There is no one else that I know that has a diesel Series, they are all petrol ones. I must be the 'black' sheep...