National clutches fail within 4000 miles

[Rp61973]

Seconded, Kevin at the MG Rover Repair Centre is a star. He has replaced my strut top bearings, track rod ends, clutch , exhaust flexi, and now my rear suspension.

His work is first rate and his prices are very reasonable indeed.

[Mike Noc]

Originally Posted by RobSun

What has failed, is it the clutch itself or the hydraulic side? I ask this because you will find a large number of posts regarding this issue on this site.

I had an LUK clutch go on my ZT-T, the master failed after 13 months and 3000 miles, and again on the slave a further 11 months later. Not covered by warranty, over 12 months, and not fitted by Andy Willy but Trikey who I do not blame at all. Replacement clutches are notorious now for failures like this and it doesn't seem to matter whose you buy. Even the Tazu have failed prematurely. Big Russ has told me that customers of his have had this happen and in some cases repeatedly, so he advisors anyone wanting a 75/ZT to always go for an auto and avoid the manuals.

I think you have hit the nail on the head Rob - the clutch hydraulics have been woeful from the start.

I should add that back in the day I worked in the coach game and fitting clutches was regularly part of the job.

Last time round I fitted a National clutch with a LUK slave, and the reason I chose the National clutch was that it was cheap as chips and I thought pretty much anything would outlast the slave cylinder. This has proved to be the case as the fluid level in the master cylinder is dropping again.

The last time the slave cylinder failed the clutch friction disc was well within the wear limits according to RAVE, so I fitted it in my Freelander when the slave cylinder failed.

Here is the clutch history in full. Although I have driven the car from new, for the first 120k odd miles it was a company car, so I don't have a record of what was done by the Main Dealers.

85k miles clutch hydraulic failure. Rectified by Main Dealer Haslemere Rover.
118k miles clutch hydraulic failure. Rectified by Main Dealer Swain and Jones Farnham.
130k miles clutch hydraulic failure covered under warranty by Main Dealer Swain and Jones Farnham.
286k miles I replaced the master cylinder seals.
299k miles I fitted the National clutch, LUK slave and fitted a used master cylinder.
404k miles losing clutch fluid. Will try a cheap in situ fix first before strippng it out - more about that if it works.

So in my experience, and if properly fitted, a National clutch isn't the weakest link in the chain. Having said that if you are paying for the work then fit the highest quality parts you can find - often cheaper in the long run.

Oh and my next Rover 75 will be an Auto.







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