Well, I have my first major problem with my Discovery.

The clutch pedal had been feeling funny for quite some time, and here in the last several weeks, the clutch had been feeling worse and worse, engaging and staying half way down, staying all the way down, etc.

Well, since I don't drive it very often, I only got to looking around to it last night. The clutch pedal was completely on the floor and will either stay up or down. I checked the reservoir, and it was empty. I refilled it with the finest of clutch fluid, and pumped the crap out of the pedal. I got almost no improvement, which doesn't surprise me.

I know these clutches need bled in a particular way, but I'm wondering if I ought to bother trying with the way it feels. Plus wondering where in the hell all the fluid in the MC went, I only checked it like a month ago and it was fine.

Should I even try to bother bleeding this thing, or just replace the Master and deal with bleeding it then?

 

Considering the age I'd replace the MC, SC and flex line.

 

You're probably right. I might make it easy on myself, and just do it and the clutch plate at the same time. I can't wait for spring.

 

Well, I decided to try and bleed the clutch anyway to see if I could pinpoint what was going on.

I think I was successful at getting all the air out of the system, but the clutch pedal still feels like it's not connected to anything.

After speaking with a couple of very knowledgeable friends of mine, I'm pretty sure it's just the master cylinder since I get no fluid out of the open bleeder when I pump the clutch pedal.

Luckily, the master cylinder looks like cake to remove, so I'm going to take it out and have a look inside. And new masters are only about $100 on ebay.

 

The reason I said replace all three things is that at that age a new MC or SC will overload the other and you'll be replacing it soon, so might as well do it at the same time.
The flex hose, as it ages, tends to swell inside (reducing the ID) and when you depress the clutch some of the fluid movement is used up expand the ID of the flex line rather than operating the slave cylinder.

 

I got the MC apart, and the seals look to be in good shape. I would guess it's been replaced or rebuilt some time in the past. I got back underneath to take a look and I noticed where I fail to before, what looks to be brake fluid leaking out of the transmission inspection cover. So it's probably going to be my slave cylinder that's shot.

It looks a pain in the **** to change too.

 

Picked up a slave cylinder just a little bit ago. Thankfully, it only set me back $65.

 

Whew, got the new slave cylinder installed, and going to reinstall the master cylinder here in a few minutes, once I thaw out a little bit and get some feeling back in my toes and fingers.

I keep motivating myself saying that some poor bastard had to do the very same thing during the Camel Trophy and that I'm no different from him.

 

Thank God in Heaven, I have a drivable Land Rover again.

I got 10 feet into my test drive and the liquid rain falling from the sky hit the windscreen and froze. Splended.

I'm surprised I managed to bleed it myself. I really had to high step in order to do it by alone. The pedal is a touch stiff, but it feels worlds better than it ever has. It shifts smoother too.

 

I am totally going to have to remember that, the next time I need to work on mine when it's freaking hot, or raining, or snowing. At least I have a level surface, floor jack, and complete tool chest.