GQ clutch playing up on occasions

[yellalux]

Hi guys,

Did a bit of a search on here but couldnt find any threads that matched my problems totally, so thought I'd throw it out there to see what others think.

I have a 1990 GQ 4.2 diesel, turbo fitted just under 2 year ago, and just over 265000km on the clock. When I first start it up and begin to drive most of the time the clutch works fine, but every so often it feels like it isnt going to take up and then all of a sudden it does and the car lurches off. Once going there's no problems half the time. I can be driving around town for half hour, get back home and have had no drama. The other half of the time, after coming to a stop I get resistance when trying to get back into 1st or when trying to get into first. Now sometimes it is only a little bit of resistance and I can push the gear stick and get it into gear. Other times it just wont go into any gear at all unless I really slam it in which I know cant be good for it. 99% of the time I only get the gear selection problem after driving around for a while when everything has warmed up, but then on random occasions it happens as soon as vehicle is started.

I replaced the master cylinder when I first got it because it had a leak, and replaced the slave cylinder around a year ago with new fluid at the same time. Only incident I can think of that happened just before I started noticing the problem was that I got stuck in a muddy waterhole (wasnt bogged, actually got chassis beached on top of a large rock so there wasnt enough pressure on the wheels to drive out) but I didnt think the car was actually that deep into the water (water level was approx. level with the bottom of drivers side door and about 8 inches up passenger door).

Clutch takes up at the top of the pedal stroke, so I assumed it should be releasing enough to be able to get in gear, and clutch doesnt slip when planted in any gear or jump out of gear when I stomp it on and off. Anyone got any ideas on what the problem could be?

Hoping to get it fixed over xmas break when I head to coast and have access to cheap labour and have had enough of putting up with it. Any help would be great.

Cheers guys

[Wozza244]

Exactly same symptoms of mine when it shat the bed.

There was broken springs in the centre of the clutch plate and it was laminated and worn very bad.

The only solution to your problem is pulling it out, buying an Exedy Safari Tuff Clutch kit and get the flywheel machined.

You should get out of it for around $600 +-

[yellalux]

Cheers Wozza244. I suspected the clutch was on the way out but just wanted to make sure something else was the culprit before I took the gearbox out. Thanks for the help.

[Wozza244]

Not a worry mate.
Make sure you get the flywheel machined, or you may be pulling it all out and doing it again.

[yellalux]

Will do mate. Thanks for the heads up.

[suggy126]

I also had a similar problem with mine, but it would sometimes slip too, turned out the booster had split it's seal and sucked fluid into itself (caused by a leaking master cylinder), when it warmed up it stuffed up, but even then only sometimes.
Asuming yours has the booster at least

[Rambo]

Hey mate, Before U pull box out try bleeding it really well, had same sort of problem, air was stuck in there sum where!

[A.R.T Racing]

I was just about to start a new thread about my clutch problem but will add on to this one instead.

Took the 5L GQ to Double Island yesterday. Have had problems getting the clutch to work, then a mate came over and bleed it again and got it working.

Now when the car is cold and been sitting for say an hour so no problems, but when driving it while hot the freeplay gets less and less until i had to keep giving it more adjustment in the pedal to get freeplay. Then it would go back to too much freeplay and i would have to adjust it again to get a pedal, drive down the beach a bit more and it changes again.

I read the comments above and maybe its a split seal in the master cylinder but would it then be losing fluid? I'm not losing fluid anywhere.

Any help appreciated i need to get it sorted out.

Thanks

[Wozza244]

I was just about to start a new thread about my clutch problem but will add on to this one instead.

Took the 5L GQ to Double Island yesterday. Have had problems getting the clutch to work, then a mate came over and bleed it again and got it working.

Now when the car is cold and been sitting for say an hour so no problems, but when driving it while hot the freeplay gets less and less until i had to keep giving it more adjustment in the pedal to get freeplay. Then it would go back to too much freeplay and i would have to adjust it again to get a pedal, drive down the beach a bit more and it changes again.

I read the comments above and maybe its a split seal in the master cylinder but would it then be losing fluid? I'm not losing fluid anywhere.

Any help appreciated i need to get it sorted out.

Thanks

If your not losing fluid its more than likely a clutch or pressure plate issue, with your freeplay the easiest way is to get some one to look underneath at the slave cylinder while you depress the clutch and if its moving normally when hot/cold etc then you know thats working ok and then more than likely a pull out job.
Id say you have a worn clutch plate.

[A.R.T Racing]

Thanks for reply.

The Clutch Plate is all basically brand new driven before saturday for 1/2hr if lucky. NPC built the clutch, machined flywheel etc.

It loses freeplay in the slave cylinder, it jambs up really tight certainly can't move it with my hand which you can easily do when its working okay with freeplay in pedal.

Could it be vacuum assistance causing trouble or maybe still air in the line, we did have alot of trouble getting it bleed so that we had a the slave cylinder moving enough to depress clutch.

[garth]

sound like a bleed issue, as the engine warms up the air lock volume increases and pushes the clutch in or decreases free-play until it slips. They are hard to bleed as there is a high loop behind the engine that holds air.
The best way i have found to bleed is to pressure bleed from slave nipple and dump at the bleed loop nipple by fuel filter and at the master filler.

good luck