Oh dear - what have I done? - time for a new clutch??

First proper green lane yesterday and I lost the clutch two or three times. Got very hot and had to let it cool before I could continue.
After the downhill section, it was fine... but
Have I killed it or is it fatally wounded?
Car has 60K miles so probably original factory clutch.
Advice as always appreciated.

You might have damaged the clutch or it might need adjusting.

I do have one other thing for you to consider. In off-road driving you should not really use the clutch or brake. Let the low gearing and engine braking do the work for you. It takes some confidence to take your feet off the pedals and let the car do the work, particularly on the Jimny where the lowest gear is still a little fast. Find a safe slope and practice going up and down without the clutch/brake.

Going down, creep it over the crest of the slope in 1st gear 4WD low and take both feet off the pedals. It will gain a fair bit of speed but it will descend on its own.

Going up do similar but clearly put some revs on. If it gets to the point where you want to slip the clutch then consider it as a "failed hill climb". Hold on brakes, select reverse and let the car take you back down as in the descent above keeping your foot off the brakes.

Very unnerving at first but lets the 4WD do what its supposed to.

Martin

Thanks Martin, I think the mistake I made was not to put it in low box early on. When I did it was still a bit fast for some sections, but I did trust it where I could. Some of the rocks were pretty harsh, with the incline and my lack of experience I had to stop and assess a lot, requiring a lot of restarts.

On the clutch, there is a lot of travel before it bites, but it has not been a problem other than that. How will I know if there is more damage - will it repeat more readily ie in normal driving or only in similar conditions?

When the time does come to replace it - what is the best kit to use - I will probably not be modifying the car other than GB AT3s.

Cheers

When you come to replace it, buy an exedy kit (clutch, cover and bearing).
Thats the one i have and it handles the 1.6 engine, rocklobster and 29" tyres fine. the el-cheepo one from local parts supplier in previously lasted about 12 months

Martin has a good point about using the 4wd to ascend/descend. Its one of the basics about offroading. I would tackle most of grizedale in lowbox and 3rd/4th gear. If its still too fast and causing damage, you want to think about gearing changes, which can be complex.

Its ok to put it in low box when starting a lane, even if that means you are using 5th gear at some points. Dont do that on tarmac tho as its not good for the transfer box. You can shift to/from 4x4 to 4x2 (high box) whilst on the move, just dip the clutch so its not under load. its surprising where you can get with just 2wd tho!

If the pedal is high you may get some more life out of it by fiddling with the plastic adjuster nut on the bellhousing under the car. More slack=lower biting point.

Again, thanks.
So I know when the time comes, I need an Exedy kit (form BigJumny of course), and a cable as I might as well.

From experience though, having cooked it until it doesn't work at all, how long can I expect it to last? - or is that one of those "how long is a piece of string" questions?

I won't be doing it myself, so if it's going to the garage or a thorough service and oils change, should I be getting it done, or wait until it goes?

Thanks again.