The Rover-Landers of BC

- Why did you replace the slave cylinder? Was it verified as faulty?

- Have you visually confirmed that the slave is moving the clutch fork? (Probably need two people to do this)

- If yes to the above then maybe the problem is not with the hydraulics.

Typically when a hydraulic component fails it results in a leak of fluid. If yours was not leaking then I propose that it was likely functioning just fine.

If you have recently had the entire system apart then the problem could well lie within the clutch assembly itself. I suppose that even the gearbox is suspect if you had it apart.

Sorry, I'm not that familiar with the workings of a '91 Disco so if the clutch release fork does not exit the bell housing then maybe you cannot visually verify its operation.

NO WAIT!! Don't burn it - I'll take it of you don't want it anymore. :)

I have a very similar problem with my dodge which I notice is the same as yours but a 6 speed,

IME....these can be tricky to bleed. You need to get the timing between opening and closing the nipple and the person pushing the peddle just right. I once went through a liter of fluid trying to get it working on my Disco and gave up. An experience Rover mechanic then fixed it on the second stroke of the peddle....

Are you vacuum bleeding? If so, it is not that reliable, IME. Normal peddle bleeding or better yet pressure bleeding is the best route.

You "could" have a bad slave cylinder or master that is letting air in on the upstroke. It won't be a leak elsewhere or you would see brake fluid loss.

They should be standard metric flare fittings and should not be that hard to find. They are common on other vehicles.

Can you take the slave cylinder off and hold it by hand while you bleed it? That way you can have a hand on the slave cylinder piston rod to see if you're getting solid movement.

I just did mine for my 200tdi conversion into a Range Rover, and the unit was originally out of a Disco. By watching the rod movement, and at the same time holding the movement back with your hand, you can sense whether you're getting the clutch to disengage/engage solidly or not.

If it is moving solidly there may be something else wring with your throw-out arm or bearing. I know the throwout arm has a known weakness of wearing out on it's pivot point, so perhaps if that is worn, it is not the hydraulics that are the problem at all.

Dave

There is a possibility that you could push the piston right out of the cylinder and lose all the fluid, or perhaps bruise the piston and seal... I don't know if that particular slave cylinder has a retaining circlip to stop that from happening. If it does, there is little risk, but if it doesn't, I'd be extra careful to not allow the piston to push out of its bore. In my case, I had the engine out, so the piston/rod assembly was pushing against the fork and I could see the fork moving in the bell-housing. The total motion was around 2 cm.

I understand you can also over-bleed the clutch causing the entire assembly to be stuck against the retaining ring. I did this on my series a few years back and simply had to release the bleeder with the pedal pushed in, then close it again and it seemed to reset itself.

Dave