Clutch Issue

[PhilWardy]

New to the forum (have introduced myself in the appropriate section)
I have a problem with the clutch on my 2003 Fiat Ducato Swift Kontiki 660. The background to the MH with regard to this is as follows. Mileage is currently 55,000 and when I picked it up in Feb 2000 with 49,000 on the clock, on the trip back over the M62 the clutch started to slip on the long uphill sections concluding with (luckily as we came off the motorway) with me loosing the hydraulics at the pedal (clutch pedal staying on the floor). After half an hour, the pedal came back to normal and we drove the last 15 miles normally. Got a new clutch (LUK) fitted under warranty including driveshaft seals - the returned old clutch plate/bearing wasn't particularly worn. The receipts that came with the MH said that a new clutch was fitted at only 46000 and I confirmed this by tracking down the last owner. All was good for about a year when the same thing happened again occasionally – slipping clutch progressively getting worse and when changing gear I had to hook my toe under the pedal to bring it back up. This happened going up the M6 to the Lakes but on a subsequent 600 mile round trip to Norfolk never occurred. After reading several forum posts, had the slave cylinder replaced and all seemed well (but bear in mind the problem was unpredictable and didn’t always happen). Fast forward to earlier this week and the exact problem is back! (very eventful driving in the dark along Lake District B roads). I have no oil leaks from the clutch bell housing that suggest any oil seal leaks on the clutch and no leaks/fluid loss on the clutch hydraulic line.

I know there are many threads on this but no conclusive solution that I can find. Went to my local garage (commercial) on my return this morning and he says it can only be master cylinder or hose (logically as everything else has been replaced) but would appreciate your thoughts.

We are away in 4 weeks to the top of Scotland and so desperate to get it sorted.

Any help much appreciated and thanks in advance,

 

[Figaro]

There have been a few threads on here recently about ducato clutches with intemitant problems.
I've just had my 2003 2.8 JTD clutch replaced at 84k, mine was slipping intermitantly.
I decided to change it in preference to being stranded at the side of the road.
Some report where the pedal stays down that the heater blower directed into the footwell will overheat (the hydraulics I think) and when left for half an hour to cool down sees the clutch pedal return to normal

 

[Phill D]

Wow that’s really bad luck,

If the clutch has been changed twice and the slave cylinder changed there is only thd master cylinder left to look at. Unless the pipe works has a leak

There are reports of the heater affecting the pedal is mainly on the automatic transmission pre select gearboxes.

 

[Figaro]

Another problem I read of was the hydraulic fluid in the clutch lines turning to glup as it hadn't been changed.
The clutch shares the reservoir with the brakes and apparently bleeding the brakes doesn't bleed the clutch.
There must be a separate bleed nipple on the clutch but it must frequently get overlooked.
Might be worth investigating ?

 

[PhilWardy]

Interesting to read about the heater/linkage as the heater was on high (which it isn't later in the year when the MH is usually used) - the fluid should be ok as it would have been bled through when the slave cylinder was replaced. I'll check the linkage