Replacing Defender clutch master and slave cylinders - Land Rover Blog

The telltale sign that the clutch master cylinder (STC500100) had failed on my Defender was the wet patch under the clutch pedal in the footwell. The telltale for a failed R380 slave cylinder (FTC5072 - 300Tdi, FTC5202 - Td5) can be clutch fluid dripping from the bellhousing, although this can be hard to see if engine oil is also around.

The cylinders were replaced for TRW branded items and the flexible hose was changed at the same time. On the gearbox pushrod there was an extra slave cylinder dust cover, presumably left in their from a previous change. One tip I'll remember for next time is to plug the master cylinder outlet port when removing the pedal assembly from the bulkhead. You have to twist the pedal box and the pedal will only pass the slot in the bulkhead by being engaged. If you're not prepared for this then expect a shower of brake fluid to go over your engine bay! The pushrod on the master cylinder was particularly rusty. I wire brushed the pedal box and fitted the new master cylinder. The adjustment "free play" that the manual talks about is in the cylinder itself before resistance is felt - the adjustment nuts should be tightened on the shaft. If the clutch pedal height with the floor mats removed is 140mm then everything is adjusted correctly!

Seven years later, the clutch master cylinder failed again.