Ok, so I have had an intermittent problem with my clutch for about a month now, but it has gotten progressively worse. It started one day when I started the car and went to putting it into 1st gear was rather rough. I had to use some force, but it did engage. The rest of the gears were also tough to get into. I park the car at me next destination, then restart it and drive home as if nothing happened (no symptoms of any problem at all). The same thing has been happening , but more frequently. Now I am at the point that I have NO GEARS unless I throw it into first while the car is off, then start it - and it jumps forward a bit, but thats the only way it is drivable. If I drive it this way, the rest of my gears are even more tough to engage. Now, during these nearly impossible shifts, my clutch pedal is extremely tough to depress and I feel a slight vibration in it. My first suspects were my throw out bearing/ pressure plate. But now if i sit in the car, running in gear, I hear a slight transmission whine/spinning sound. My tranny fluid is full of MT-90 synthetic and is clean. Clutch fluid is topped off and clean as well. I am going to replace the clutch, but would I need a possible rebuild on my tranny as well? I am going to have a shop do it, but I was just looking for a heads up because I am assuming this is going to cost me around $2k. Please ask questions as I may have overlooked something.

 

Also, after pondering which clutch to get, I'm nominating the OEM 5th gen parts. But it has been years since I have had a clutch replaced, so maybe there's something newer/better out there? I already had experiences with OEM 4th gen as as well as ACT stage 1.

 

I thought I was having tranny problems with mine a few years back, but it was the clutch(thank god). you won't know until you get it checked out. Make sure you go to a trustworthy mechanic and don't go in saying tranny problems. If you do they might charge you for tranny work that they didn't do.

 

I have a reputable/honest family owned shop literally around the corner from my house. I've given him business in the past and they don't mess around. I'm just hoping I can get away with just replacing the clutch.

 

If it's an intermittent problem, yes, it could be a spring coming loose from the clutch disc or something else localized to the clutch proper, but the first thing I would check/replace is the master. They can fail intermittently and have those symptoms.

OEM 5th gen will work just fine, no need to get anything more than that unless you want to.

 

It sounds like the slave cylinder could be going out too. Once it warms up, does it get better?

 

it sure does... check the fluid and try to bleed the system first.. i just recently did a clutch on a jetta and it has similar symptoms..

 

+1

I had the same exact sympom I couldnt go unless i put it in gear first. When i did my engine swap and took out the clutch one of the springs came out of the pressure plate.

But as said previously i would inspect your master and slave before you start dropping your trans and replace your clutch. Make sure your pin is pushing your withdrawal lever all the way and retracting

 

Do NOT post ***** to get to 15.

That is not how this site works.

 

 

Look at his recent posts............ Its nothing but smiley faces and frowns. Honestly this should be a automatic ban.........

 

Indeed.

 

Mine was a TOB with pretty much the same thing u describe. It was digging into my fork and one whole ear was ground off the TOB... =o

My clutch was pretty much done also. Not damaged in any way but it was wore down, thin and needed replaced. That prolly didnt help matters.

Also i had the whine/spinning sound as well.

 

what shop you bring it to, also let me know whats going on, mines a little stiff to shift sometimes, but nothing to raise concerns.

 

Well not the issue is no longer intermittent. It is full time and I can only get the car into gear if the ignition is turned off. As I start the car (in gear) with the clutch pedal depressed, the car will jump forward with an abnormally stiff pedal. even once it is started and I take off in 1st gear, any other gear changes are extremely difficult and I feel like I'm hurting my transmission when I actually get it into 2nd or 3rd. Fluid levels are fine. No leaks. How would I know if the master is suspect without replacing it? Should I have someone depress my pedal as I monitor the fork's travel?

 

You could do that, yes.

 

...and if the fork does not fully push into the transmission then it could be the throw out bearing and/or master correct? Also, this test should be done while the vehicle is started right?

 

If the fork doesn't depress enough, first thing I'd do is bleed the whole system and try to adjust the pedal. Failing that, it could be something like a bent clutch fork, bad TOB, spring caught in between the pressure plate and cluch disc, etc.

 

Well, I havent taken anything apart yet. My fork's movement is up to par, fluid level is fine. I noticed a floppy shifter, so I replaced a broken spring above the cat hoping that might correct the situation since it allows the shift linkage to travel into the transmission in a more aligned manner.

Statred her up, shifted into reverse fine to back out of the garage, pulled into the street, got it into first no problem. Pedal felt like a champ! I drove until the point to shift into second, and then the pedal feel was quite stiff and would not let me shift into 2nd. I listened carefully as I tried to shift and heard a whirring whiny noise. Problem still persists.

 

Sounds like presssure plate or Throw out bearing issue. Youmentioned you used to get a slight vibration. Could have been teh TOB getting stiffer and stiffer.

Try depressing teh pedal with the car sitting in neutral at idle.

Do the revbs change?? That is a good indication that something is binding up.

Either way if the car runs fine once in gear the the tranny internals are probably fine and if you have significant miles on the clutch it's probaby time.

And then while things are apart you can look into any possible issues with teh master and slave cylinder and possibly clutch fork.

 

It doesnt run fine. IF I can get it into gear, as soon as I shift to the next gear, the pedal stiffens up to about twice the normal pressure and thats when I feel the slight vibration in the pedal itself, but only until its more than halfway down. I am goin out right now to check the neutral/rev situation.

 

Ok, no fluctuation at all in revs while depressing the clutch in neutral. I decided to take it around the block and it drove ok, just ok. Gears were a bit sticky to get into, but I was able to shift throughout the gears without the pedal stiffening up. Maybe its a warmer temp issue?

 

just take it apart and replace the clutch before you start grinding gears..

 

It was already grinding gears, but the next day that I drove, the grinding was not as prominent, just a lil tricky to get into gears. I'm going to remove the transmission and see what the clutch looks like, then go from there.