Clutch Dead!!!!........HELP!!!!

[bigbluemav]

Hi All

Calling all mechanical guru's, your assistance is required!!

Well today I went to LCMP for a quick day trip. Me and another bloke took another bloke from work up with his "new" Challenger to show him the wonders of 4WD'ing.

Most of the day was the easier tracks, but was still good fun until.....

We went for a play in the pig pen and all the mud runs were pretty low so we tried a few we hadn't done before and made it through fine. Until the last one. I went in and the nose dropped right into it, I kept driving until it was obvious that I was going no further. I snatched reverse (first mistake, I think) and reversed out.

All seemed fine at the time, but then the clutch started to slip, so we decided to call it a day. The clutch got progressively worse over the two hour drive, so much so that by the time I was 10 minutes from home, it was completely shagged and I had to get my wife to come and tow me home with her GU.

My questions are these:

Why did it progressively get worse?
Was it mud/water getting in to the bell housing??

I realise that I'm up for a new clutch, but it'll be interesting to see the old one out. I was thinking maybe the clutch slipping with the mud in it has glazed the clutch (and the flywheel) by melting the dirt. Is this right??

How do I avoid it happening again??

Any help greatly appreciated.


Regards

[Camshaft1]

Had the same thing happen to me once in my old shorty. Make sure the clutch fork boot is completly sealed as much as it can be. At the bottom of the bellhousing on GQ's there's a drain hole. You can drill that hole out and tap a thread into it where you can put a plug in. Or you could hook up an air line from your compressor to the bellhousing and at the flick of a switch you could pressurize the bellhousing for deep water and mud crossongs

[MYTTUF]

To stop it from happening again....

Drive around bog holes wher you can!

[HeathGQ]

sorry, but I have a strange sense of de-ja-vu. Did the same thing at Levuka when I first bought my GQ. I now go around mud holes. I recently went to crystalvale, and went into a hole that I thought was shallower. Same thing, the clutch became 'notchy'.

Clutch fork boot - seal it up. and stay out of the friggin pig pen.

[Woop]

Yes the clutch fork boots do perish and crack--this is probably where all the mud/water came in. If the engine or gearbox hasnt been removed before, check the sealing around the starter motor where it bolts to the front of the bellhousing is all ok. Engine oil should really be changed and gearbox oil checked....

Nick

[bigbluemav]

Thanks for all the help dudes...the serious and those that I stirred the memories of their own pasts.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to sort getting it fixed. I'll get a Daikin ST put in to be on the safe side.....

And from now on I'll only ever go through mud if I have to....not as a recreational pursuit.

Camshaft........I like your ideas!!!!


Regards

[Rainbow Warrior]

Try filling the bel howsing a few times with the garden hose and engine idling operate the clutch a few times I did this with my GQ clutch it started slipping after a 2hour drive back from a mud play, it worked ok after that, hosed it out a few more times, squeeked and made some noises, stuck against the flywheel if you didn't take it for a drive to dry out afterwards, but didn't slip again and I drove it for another 12 months till I swapped the motor. All still looked ok then too.