Thread: Clutch master change - 90 minutes incl. bleed :)

Hey all...

Decided to change the clutch master in the Defender today. I'd been dreading a protracted all-day affair but instead was pleasantly surprised to have pulled if off, apart and back together again - bled - in an hour and a half..... by my lonesome I might add, and without a power bleed kit.

Definitely took the route where you remove the pedal box. Much quicker. Also removed the overflow tank to make room.

After the mechanicals were done, I filled and bled the clutch in the traditional way - by pumping a few times and holding the pedal to the floor, cracking the bleed screw until bubbles dissappeared - retightened the nipple and released the clutch. Did this about 15 times and the clutch feel was fantastic. The secret to doing it without a partner was finding a stick of perfect length - to be able to push the pedal to the floor and jam the other end under the back of the steering wheel. This way, I could pump a few in quick succession, jam the stick in, race around the side and crack the nipple - let bleed - retighten and then remove the stick. Kept an eye on the fluid level and eventually flushed the entire system at least once.

The old fluid was black. Yuk. Might mean that the slave needs doing next. The Defender Td5 is particularly easy to get to the slave cylinder from the engine bay - no rasped knuckles.

Drives like a dream again. Has stopped early take-up to the point where I don't have driveline clunk any more. I'm happy!

Usually I do not take it off - just fold it right back, with a bungee strap to make sure it stays there. Glad to see someone else agrees with me about taking the whole pedal assembly off.

Last time I did my slave cylinder I bled it using suction at the slave cylinder - gadget to do it cost about $10, and made it real easy by yourself, much easier than pressure bleeding but same result.
John