Need help, wife stranded: Can you diagnose a problem ...

[jskrepnek]

Hi,

Van died on my wife's way home from work. Still sketchy on details, but trying to decide if I should just get it towed to Vancouver (we're in Keremeos).

According to my wife, "something" happened at highway speeds, she managed to get it into neutral (I'm guessing she heard grinding), then coasted to a safe spot. Van runs in neutral, but she can't enter any other gears. She said that, "the clutch isn't happy".

Sounds very transmission related to me. I don't really know.

Clutch master/slave done recently.

Timing belt done very recently. Could it be related?

Thanks for any help - I'm inclined to take a problem like this to Van. but my wife thinks it is worth trying locally. Don't really trust local options though. Thoughts?

Thanks again for any suggestions ...

-- Joel

[jessef]

I'm in Osoyoos right now.

I'm heading back on Friday and can take a look if you like.

5spd L300 ?

[jskrepnek]

5 spd L300. 92. Yep.

I'll keep that in mind - we've got two markets this weekend, so hopefully it can be fixed before Friday :).

-- Joel

I'm in Osoyoos right now.

I'm heading back on Friday and can take a look if you like.

5spd L300 ?

[jessef]

If you're wife's description is good, then you are looking at a clutch issue.

Either the line burst and there is a major leak which you can check at the reservoir or somethig deeper.

Did it make a howling sound before with the clutch depressed ?

Syncromesh gears meaning you can drive it without a clutch (one of the reasons I love the 5spd). Try starting in first and then checking if it revs and pulls like it should.

[jskrepnek]

I'll check the reservoir.

There was no warning sounds whatsoever (before this happened). We did have some issues with the transfer case this winter - it locked in 4L - and since the repair (manually moving it to 2H), we've not used 4x4 at all. But whatever locked the van in 4L was never technically fixed.

She was driving in 5th. Went to gear down coming out of Osoyoos and couldn't find another gear. It sounds terrible ("the kind of sound it should never make", she says) when the clutch comes off in gear. She says it's a fight to get it in any gear - and reverse seems easier.

Thinking about driving without the clutch. I'll try that.

-- Joel

If you're wife's description is good, then you are looking at a clutch issue.

Either the line burst and there is a major leak which you can check at the reservoir or somethig deeper.

Did it make a howling sound before with the clutch depressed ?

Syncromesh gears meaning you can drive it without a clutch (one of the reasons I love the 5spd). Try starting in first and then checking if it revs and pulls like it should.

[thedjjack]

It is dark again, but I think it is an external slave cylinder (pulls or pushes the throwout arm that engages the clutch or disengages the clutch.

Climb under the van look for the think the hydraulics push. put a big adjustable on it an push or pull it. See if that makes the clutch work. If so you have a hydraulic problem with the system. Bad master, slave, connection, or line. Try bleeding the system (it may work for a while until air gets back in. Find the problem and replace.

If it does not make a difference it could be an internal problem with the clutch...throw out bearing, fingers etc.... If it is the clutch and it did go driving in 5th my hopes are a hydraulic problem.

cheers, good luck

[yojimbo]

I assume there is a flexible line in the system? one gotcha is that these fail internally blocking themselves off, while still looking ok from the outside.

[dennis_lambert]

If you can push the pedal to the floor with no resistance then its most likely a hydraulic issue.
If this is working ok in my opinion I would think its clutch or (hopefully not) the transmission.Is there any chance it has partially slipped back into 4L?maybe try to manually push it back to 2L.
I have a funny feeling its related to your transfer case.
Good luck.

[mararmeisto]

I was going to ask what was the problem with your wife (based on the title of the thread), but after reading the posts it would seem to be a van-related issue...

Any headway?

[jskrepnek]

:) ... anything I say here will get me into trouble if my wife stumbles on it.

I got towed to CVI today. Looks like there's a fluid leak, and the master/slave cylinders need to be replaced. It's weird, because we had those very things replaced before our trip this winter. Haven't done 20k since.

Can anyone suggest causes for such an early failure of the master/slave cylinders? I don't really want to be doing this again in the fall if it's related to our driving habits, etc.

Thanks,

-- Joel

I was going to ask what was the problem with your wife (based on the title of the thread), but after reading the posts it would seem to be a van-related issue...

Any headway?

[dennis_lambert]

Contamination of the hydraulic fluid or incompatible fluid can usually be contributed to early failure.What type of fluid was used?DOT 3 or 4 is recomended for the Delica.
You might want to capture the oil in a glass canning jar let it settle and anaylize it.It might give you clues on the failure.If there is black crap floating around the fluid may have attacked the o rings.Vise versa (Long Shot) if the manufacturer of the master cylinder you replaced placed incompadable o rings/seals to DOT 3 or 4 fluid.......
Keep us posted on the outcome.
Good luck.

[jessef]

Or could have been a faulty rebuilt cyl.

Happens.

[jskrepnek]

Turns out it was the clutch itself. Master/slave is OK. Don't totally understand the situation, but at least I know the cylinders didn't go before their time.

-- Joel

Or could have been a faulty rebuilt cyl.

Happens.

[yojimbo]

It happens, if the thrust bearing goes pop, it's game over.