Clutch parts

[JonMs]

Well it has finally happened..........after 115k miles and some abuse towing a caravan up steep hills, my clutch has started to slip if I floor-it in fifth on the motorway. Luckily, i have been following the many clutch discussions on here, particularly EastPete's fabulous thread on DIY clutch replacement, so i'm going to do the job myself.
I plan to do the job over some days. I have an engine crane and will be removing the subframe and gearbox completely.
I am currently at the stage of sourcing all the parts I need before I make a start. My first order will be to DMGRS to get a clutch kit and this is where I would be grateful for some advice.
I'm going for a B&B clutch kit,

slave cylinder - metal ? Luk? (or what about a Delphi one from ebay?)

Master cylinder - If I replace it I'll use an original AP plastic LHD and swap the pipe over but should i bother to replace it if the existing one works fine?

Do I need to replace the guide tube as a matter of course (it's quite expensive)?

I know I'll need a replacement exhaust gasket.

What about drive shaft circlips?

Will I need to replace the output shaft oil seals as a matter of course?

Are there any bolts that I should replace (Haynes recommends new subframe bolts and various others, it that over-the-top?)?

I plan on using two lengths of M12 threaded bar to guide the box back on. how long do they need to be approx?

Any other advice gratefully received!

[EastPete]

Hi Jon

Good luck with the clutch work. To quickly answer your various questions:

- B&B clutch kit is a good choice, but regarding the slave I think none of the options are perfect. The metal slave has a good seal, but the release bearing can run a bit dry and become noisy after a few miles. LUK has good reports from some quarters, but reports of early failures from others. I think if I was doing a clutch again, I might try the genuine Delphi (about 120 pounds), as this is probably the closest to the original spec with plastic pipes (which should reduce diesel noise transmission into the cabin). It is a bit of an unknown, as no-one on here seems to have fitted a Delphi slave, to my knowledge.

- If your master is fine (and original), I would be tempted to leave it, but flush it through to the quick release connector with fresh fluid before hooking up your new slave, and possibly remove the one-way valve for cleaning (as covered by Frenchmike on here). If you do replace the master, go for a genuine Rover replacement (actually made by LUK, but to a higher spec than their after-market replacement, according to Xpart).

- I would change the guide tube after that mileage (cost about 30 pounds). Get a new oil seal that goes behind it (cost about one pound).
- There is only a circlip on the NS driveshaft- I changed mine - they do not cost much.
- If there are no signs of oil leaks from the diff, leave the driveshaft oil seals in place, but be careful when removing/replacing the drive shafts not to damage them (keep the shafts straight, grease the seal with brake grease when replacing the shaft etc.)
- Subframe bolts can be re-used if they are straight and the threads undamaged. I replaced mine because two of them were bent from previous Olympic standard bodgery !
- The subframe bolts can be used as guides for the gearbox re-fitting - they are the same thread. Alternatively, M12 dowels about 9 inches long will suffice.

I hope this helps- once again, good luck and please keep us informed on progress with this job (I like a good saga, as you may have noticed).

Cheers

Pete

[JonMs]

Thank you Pete for your advice. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be a saga though! I have ordered the Delphi slave cylinder (wish me luck!).

Jon

[EastPete]

Originally Posted by JonMs

Thank you Pete for your advice. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be a saga though! I have ordered the Delphi slave cylinder (wish me luck!).

Jon

I hope you do not live to regret the choice of slave - I think a lot of clutch issues are down to poor fitting technique, and Delphi are a respected make, so you should be OK. I assume the Delphi slave comes pre-filled like the original, but there would be no harm in bleeding the system through to be sure after you have connected everything up

Pete

[kbonney88]

I fitted a Delphi Slave earlier in the year to one of our 75's.. it came pre-filled and touch wood has been fine so far..

Kev

[JonMs]

Thanks Kev, that's what I wanted to hear!

[kbonney88]

Well fingers crossed Jon..

[JonMs]

So far so good........my Delphi slave cylinder has arrived and as far as I can tell it is the same as the original. It's marked with "AP". It does however, have metal pipes rather than plastic. It looks easy enough to change these for the existing plastic ones. Worth doing?

[EastPete]

Originally Posted by JonMs

So far so good........my Delphi slave cylinder has arrived and as far as I can tell it is the same as the original. It's marked with "AP". It does however, have metal pipes rather than plastic. It looks easy enough to change these for the existing plastic ones. Worth doing?

Tricky one this - it might be tempting to swap the pipes in the hope of providing better insulation from engine noise. However, if you swap them, you will probably invalidate any warranty on the slave, and there is a risk of introducing a leak at one of the joints (which will be inside the gearbox bellhousing and difficult to fix). So, I think I would leave the metal pipes in place. Let us know how you get on with the fitting and the end result.

Cheers

Pete

[trikey]

Use Borg & Beck or LUK, and make sure its fitted properly.