Free Advice - worth every cent you pay for it...

[Mad Manny]

Last year I stated noticing it was becoming increasingly difficult, on occasion, to get Fearless into first.
It was worse when well warmed up & particularly bad when in Low Range 4x4íng.

I asked for advice on two 4x4 related WhatsApp groups;
On the one group I was told...
" it's the O Rings on the clutch master cylinder - buy a kit from C&B center in Roodepoort & replace them"
another person agreed, but suggested I buy the OEM kit.
Someone else suggested buying a whole unit for over R2k.

On a 4x4AG WhatsApp group, I was advised to buy the OEM Master Cylinder from Toyota for R1 600 - but it's a bitch of a job.
He had replaced his & it solved the problem...

I asked a mechanic, he said he doesn't know, but from pedal to clutch, there is no adjustment 'Because it's hydraulic!"...

I went to Halfway Toyota Honeydew & asked for an O' ring kit. They said there is no such thing.
I then asked for a new Master Cylinder & they refused to supply it saying they have never heard of anyone needing to replace it.
I persisted. The lady then called the Technical guy & he said they'll sell the part, but he can't guarantee it will solve my problem.
He said it could be the clutch. It could be the Slave Cylinder unit, or it could be the Master cylinder - but that one he was least sure of.
He kept pushing for the vehicle to be booked in.

I bought the part, cost around R1200...

[XJ Junkie]

Is that the only colour they had?

[icemanza]

Did it work?

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[Mad Manny]

A few weeks later, the problem was getting worse, you could spend a good few seconds trying to smash the gear lever into first.
This was always when standing in neutral & then trying to engage 1st.
My trick was to get it into 2nd then quick smash it into 1st.
But then it also starting getting difficult tio get it into 2nd.

Anyhoo, Michael Craig popped round & helped me & we fitted it. Easy job if you weigh 48kg & are 5ft4", not easy if you are bigger.
You work on your back at the top of the foot pedals on the inside & a little in the engine bay.
Thank God Michael came to help!

Anyway we bled the brakes & it was a bit better, but gradually I noticed it was only a little better & slowly deteriorated again.

So Tammy & I re-bled the brakes over December & it was marginally better after that.

Through January, February & most of March the problem persisted & finally in mid March, after idling for 5 minutes while a Housing Complex Security guard stuffed me around I found I struggled to engage 1st, it took a good 8 or 9 attempts, even getting it into 2nd was hard, but then the trick of smashing it from 2nd to first wouldn't work.
Anyway, I finally got it into first & drove through the gates - determined to resolve this once & for all.

I must stress than in normal driving, the clutch was fine & getting it into 1st when gearing down was no issue.
It was only when engaging 1st after standing in neutral for a minute or so that it gave me shit!

[Mad Manny]

Epilogue:

So I finally had an afternoon open last Sunday after returning from the Church of Tammy & decided I'm sorting this out.

I grabbed the spanners, donned my head light, switched it to it's brightest & adjusted the little shaft a few turns out.
Now when pressing the clutch the shaft would travel further & engage more.

Problem solved!

Free advice - worth every cent you pay for it...

[icemanza]

Well done. But would paying Toyota to fix it not have saved time and frustration.

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[Bugger]

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[icemanza]

IS it normal for the Fortuners clutch to take right near the floor?

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