Clutch not grabbing like it should.

[Racer X]

So, after the clutch debacle I just went through, the new one is in, new rev B TOB and all. Two things aren't kosher, though....

(1) The pedal engages waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay at the top of the travel. I'm thinking the adjuster in the pedal **** the bed. Is there any way to manually advance the adjuster at all? If not, can I replace just the adjuster mechanism, or should I be looking for a new pedal cluster?

(2) This could possibly be related to the pedal issue, but the clutch doesn't grab for ****. Seriously. After a let it bed in for a few hundred miles, I decided to get on it chasing down this GTi, and the 3rd to 4th shift slipped to all ****. I mean, it was like I had my old worn *** clutch in there. That bad.

And the burnout I tried earlier tonight? Only thing I roasted was the clutch disk. Not even a chirp. Just the uneasy feeling that you're wheels aren't moving, but your flywheel sure is! And I know about the diff pin; the MTX is being replaced shortly, due to a fluid malfunction.

Don't ask. And no, I didn't do it.

So who thinks what? I can work on my own ride; I have been since I was 16. Just that a shove in the right direction would be a great help, and save me from a lot of :banghd:

Thanks.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

After the clutch was replaced, did yo pull up on the clutch pedal to set the tensioner? You should have heard a good amount of "clicks" as it set tension.

 

[SASHO91]

yeah try to pull it up....
i know that i though mine was slipping, but when tony fixed it, by adusting the quadrent, it was working fine.... but i recently replaced the quadrent, and now it is grabbing slightly higher, then it did before tony fixed it... but it still grabs good. i say good because, i was driving around for about a month with it "sliping", so i think that it wore it out more than normal..... and the only reason i replaced the quadrent was because i thought that it was old, and the teeth were gone, but when i put the new one in, i cant get the thing to set down low any more, but yet it still grabs fine, and no slip? so i dont know about mine, any clue whats up with mine?? as for yours RACERX, i think you should try to reset the quadrent, if that dosent work, then i would suggest looking at the clutch-line-holder-thingy on the trans, right on top of the tranny.... i looked at mine when i was working on it, and it wasnt even on.... so go figure....
i just hijacked this thread huh?

 

[Racer X]

Negative on the clicks. I pulled up on the pedal to adjust, however, I did not hear any clicks.

 

[AREA 91]

1. Put a block of wood under the petal.
2. Go under the hood and pull the clutch cable all the way out.
3. Remove the wood, and push down on the petal a few times.

Everything should be happy now.

 

[SASHO91]

help!!

 

[GR8SHO]

So, after the clutch debacle I just went through, the new one is in, new rev B TOB and all. Two things aren't kosher, though....

And the burnout I tried earlier tonight? Only thing I roasted was the clutch disk. Not even a chirp. Just the uneasy feeling that you're wheels aren't moving, but your flywheel sure is! And I know about the diff pin; the MTX is being replaced shortly, due to a fluid malfunction.

Don't ask. And no, I didn't do it.

So who thinks what? I can work on my own ride; I have been since I was 16. Just that a shove in the right direction would be a great help, and save me from a lot of :banghd:

Thanks.

I hope this isn't what you have, but BTDT myself, so let me offer what it could be.

First, it sounds like you went the OEM clutch route replacement. Please confirm this and a few other things. Did you resurface the flywheel, and equally important, did you have the rear main seal replaced while you were in there?

Here's why I ask. I had a similar situation. I even did all the items I suggested above. At the time, I had a bad vibration in the car at speed. Somehow oil worked its way into the transmission bellhousing. Driving the car in rain will get water into that area since its open. The water mixes with the oil that leaked in there because the vibration caused the new seal to fail. The mixture is caused by emulsification of the two things and produces a gray slimey substance. This interacts with the interface between the disk, pressure plate and flywheel. The car makes its peak horsepower in 3rd and 4th gear. When you stomp on the throttle in those gears, especially around 5K RPMs, the clutch breaks loose and spins freely. When you examine the surface areas, you will probably see a blueish haze from the burning effect caused by the slipping.

Like I said, this COULD be your problem but not necessarily. If the other suggestions don't work, then you'll have to open her back up to take a look. If this does turn out to be your problem, you'll want to work on insuring there are no bad vibrations or such that would cause an oil leak on the rear side of the engine.

 

[Racer X]

Update time!

I replaced the tranny finally, and while I was in there, did the rear main and the carrier also.

Removing the pressure plate was especially easy; since the person who installed the clutch didn't use loctite on the bolts, and they were beginning to back out.
Put it all back together, and the pedal still engages wicked high. It turns out that my clutch cable is pretty stretched, so I'll be needing to replace that, as well as the adjuster, since it's a bit flaky also. In the meantime, I manually adjusted the adjuster, and the clutch grabs a lot better now.

 

[Dan H]

How did you manually adjust the quadrant?