PSA throw out bearings

[galen211]

If you ever have to replace a throw out bearing in an R380 make sure to use the HD version. I didn't even know it existed until after I had done mine.

At any rate the genuine plastic TBO will fail/melt/destroy itself. And who knows what it will take with it. In my case it snapped the lever mechanism where it bolts to the bell housing. I now need a disco R380 bell housing.

[jakeb44]

Yikes..

Here's an option for a bell housing.
http://nelrc.iftopic.com/t1137-97-d1-5-speed

[galen211]

Thanks. Sent him an email.

[galen211]

Upon closer inspection and using the googles the bell housing isn't broken. It's just the TBO guide/slide. Amazingly that piece can be had for $35 in the UK.

[Frank84]

Now you have me worried! Unfortunately, getting access in there isn't such an easy task :(

[galen211]

Now I'm back to needing a bell housing. While it didn't break, where the lever guide bolts to the bell housing it did start to wear away the flat mating surface. The guide encircles the input shaft and I'm afraid if it won't stay straight it will just happen again.

And I discovered the bearing guide on a V8 is different and $230 versus the TDi at $35!

[siiirhd88]

There is currently a V8 bellhousing on ebay, located in Georgia.

[galen211]

There is currently a V8 bellhousing on ebay, located in Georgia.

I bought it 10 minutes before I read this. :)

[galen211]

Finally all back together now. While I was at I got one of AB's rear UJ conversions with a new driveshaft and UJ at the diff. There was a lot of backlash in the drivetrain before and that is all gone now. Drives fantastic now.

Only issue I'm having now is that pushing the clutch all the way to the floor will no let me put it into gear, I have to let the clutch off the floor at bit before it will engage the gears. As far as I know there is no adjustment in the Disco clutch system so I'm not sure how to sort that out.

[Frank84]

Galen - so you are saying that you have to let the clutch pedal UP a bit to get the gears to engage and if the pedal is fully depressed they grind or don't go? Did you open the hydraulics up at all when you did this recent work?

[galen211]

Yep, I have to let the pedal up just a bit.

I did have everything disconnected. Brand new master and slave cylinder just about a month before all this happened. I took a nice long drive the other day and the pedal was working normally, yesterday I had to let it up again. Maybe I need to go another round of bleeding, but I wasn't getting any air from it after 2 tries.

[Disco96JSWB]

That's an interesting one . . .

In my A-H Sprite, there's an adjustment at the pedal box. If the pushrod at the slave cylinder extends too far the engine slows down noticeably. To prevent wear against the crankshaft thrust bearings, the pushrod at the master cylinder is adjusted to prevent the throwout bearing from traveling that far.

Since I no longer have the 5-speed D1 I can't check whether the clutch pedal stop or either the master cylinder or slave cylinder pushrods are adjustable in any way. But it seems like the throwout bearing is moving so far that the input shaft is being turned at the point that the pedal is fully depressed.

If everything else about the repair works perfectly, and if there are no adjustments that can be made, shortening the slave cylinder pushrod might solve the problem. (?)

[galen211]

No adjustments are possible in either the master or slave. Yesterday and today it behaved as it should. I'm hoping the trans just needed to get re-lubricated and working properly again.

Doesn't matter much to me since it's going up for sale.

[Tom109]

No pushrod adjustments? Strange.

For sale? Aren't you less than a year into this D1? Find something nicer?

[galen211]

I've owned this truck for over 4 years now! ?

[Tom109]

Galen - that's crazy - that means I was searching for a RRC for four years...!

[Frank84]

Maybe just bump stop at the end of the pedal travel would do it then to prevent you from pushing it too far. Or just getting rid of the truck would solve that and a host of other current and future issues...

[galen211]

It's really a shame because I think the truck is running fantastic now, it appears I've worked through all the issues it had, even addressed almost every leak that was underneath with this last work, but it is what it is. I'm afraid to know what it's even worth...

[galen211]

I continue to have issues with the clutch and don't know what to do. The reverse gears does not work unless I shut off the engine, but sometimes it works just fine. The forward gears work, but I have to let the pedal off the floor about 1/4"-1/2" to engage the clutch, some days it works just fine......

I have bled the clutch numerous times and this last time I did an internet search and discovered that Disco clutch bleeding is a common problem and the advice was to elevate the front end which did help.

It seems that the clutch still isn't properly bled, but I've never experienced a system that needs such difficult bleeding.

[Tom109]

Did you try to pressure bleed it?

Is there anything else, like setting pedal height and free-play on a Series clutch?

[galen211]

Pressure bleed like a tool? We used a power bleeder and that never got any pressure like the old fashioned pedal pumper method.

No adjustment in the system at all.

Something has to be buggered in the bell housing. I don't know what else to think. Wish there was a way to look up in there without dismantling.

[galen211]

In talking to Trevor is turns out there is a way to adjust the system. The Rave doesn't mention it nor does the R380 rebuild manual but there are shims underneath the slave cylinder. If you remove/add you adjust the travel length of the slave piston. The Rave just tells you to put them back in.

So this is the next thing I'm going to try.

[Frank84]

Good to know on the shims!

[galen211]

I finally found the issue to my transmission issue.

In the beginning there were two issues.

1. When I got the new master cylinder from England the strap that holds the reservoir on was broken. I didn't think much of it so I applied a zip tie and used it. As it turns out the reservoir has an o-ring on the bottom and it seals to the metal body of the cylinder. So it wasn't leaking any obvious fluid, but it was letting the pressure slowly bleed over the course of several days. I took the bracket off the old master and used that on the new one, bled it (also finding out that the front end needs to be elevated to get a good bleed) and that has been good for almost a month now.

2. After doing this the trans was still clunky shifting and impossible to get into reverse. When I had put everything back together I added Lucas Oil Treatment thinking it would keep things quiet. I'v used it in the TC and it's recommended for transmissions too. Well, it is thick and I started to wonder if this could be affecting anything. So. I drained the trans and put back in 100% ATF. It has worked perfect ever since. I NEVER would have imagined that an oil additive could affect the synchros, but somehow it was. It has been driving great for over a week now with no issues.

Next week I am meeting a potential buyer. :(

[galen211]

I am now Roverless. :(

[mlp141]

None? The Series???

[galen211]

None? The Series???

I haven't owned that in 3 years! Trevor has it now. Should have never sold it, but you live and learn.....

[crazyfish]

I think you need a nice 109 for that family of yours.

[mlp141]

I haven't owned that in 3 years! Trevor has it now. Should have never sold it, but you live and learn..... Then change your sig! =^)

[galen211]

Then change your sig! =^)
I can't bring myself to do it. I would have to admit my mistake!

[galen211]

I think you need a nice 109 for that family of yours.

I do, but wants and needs rarely intersect. :(

[mlp141]

Just write (sold) next to them. That way we know you had good taste. But don't be one of those people who list every vehicle they've ever owned. That's annoying.

______________________________________

1962 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 (sold)
1986 Ford Ranger 4x4 (sold)
1987 Ford Escort EXP (sold)
1985 Toyota Celica GT (sold)
1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass (sold)
1989 Ford Escort GT (sold)

(And these are the cars I owned in my teens ...)

[galen211]

I still remember that escort GT you rocked in college.

[mlp141]

I still remember that escort GT you rocked in college. It was America's "hot hatch." Well Luke warm when compared to the Cosworth Escort of Europe. But it's no VW Fox.