well, we had a great day at the kombi konvoy but it looks like we have had some damage. we took a wrong turn and ended up a steep hill and i think i've done my clutch in. it grabs and jerks, it stays in gear. i have adjusted the play in the cable at the wing nut as there was a bit of excess play in the peddle but this has not fixed it. The John Muir book tells me that if that doesnt work i have to replace the clutch plate, the engine has to pulled for that...sounds expensive, anybody have any experience or suggestions otherwise?

[Edited on 1/5/2005 by slowbay70]

how much does it cost to get a new clutch put in>

it cost 700 bux to get the clutch replaced in my 74 beetle and yes the engine had to come out.......

ouch!!

works a treat now tho
I drove it from Brisbane with the buggered clutch and didn't even know it

what was it doing to make you replace it

grabbing really badly and shuddered
I just thought since it hadn't been driven for a while I decided there was rust on the plate......I am not a mechanically minded bloke !

yep mine is doing the shuddering, oh well to my knowledge this is the orignial clutch so its 35yrs old, it was on the list of likely things that would need to be fixed just didnt want it to happen now, i just paid a bomb to fix all the ridiculous bits that needed to be done to pass rego and now this!! but its the love that makes me do it!!

I know exactly what you are talking about
Mine really cost bugger all to get up and running
But now he is not playing the game and not behaving well at all
He has just started blowing a little smoke ao who knows what that means

i had no mechanical costs last year just the heap that i spent on paint and body and just recently found small bubbles comming up after only 9mos, needless to say i'm a bit dissapointed as it wasnt a cheap job, but a kombi is a big job and i guess easy to miss a few bits, i was putting her back in to fix them up this thursday but it looks like plans will change

slow 70 check the clutch conduit....make sure there is a good bend i the center,its all about the feed angle of the clutch cable,remove the cable and let it dangle ay the back....find a couple of 3-4mm washers and place them on the conduit...internal dia is 10mm fit this at the clutch lever end...refit the cable and give it a go..another common prob is the metal conduit breaks the weld that attaches at the torsion housing..check this and fab a new brkt and weld in be carefull not to dag the inner of the conduit as this will wear the clutch cable. cheers dsk member

the welding bit is beyond my skills, and to tell you the truth i found it tricky enough to get my hand up there with a vice grip to hold the cable and turn the wing nut with my other hand, i did read about the sag in the cable how much should there be...but i am encouraged to hear you say that there may be other possibilities other than a new clutch...is there any difference in how the car would run with your suggestion of clutch cable issues versus the disc/plate, etc

for the the pressure plate to collapse you will feel a difference in press at the pedal end ie it becomes spongy when pushing it down..if the feel hasnt changed chances are the pressure is ok...other poss for clutch judder is a very oily rear main seal easly detected by the amont of oil stain on your drive way....did the pedal do anything strange just before the judder appeared ? clutches in 1600's are tough,check the conduit by having some one depress the clutch and placing your hand on the conduit...feeel for any movement. give me a call on 0402093311 if you need to be talked thru a bit more ..dsk f member

no pedal was fine and had been out of the hills for some time, just last little hill before home, had gone down to 2nd and then as going back to 3rd it shuddered, no leaks noted
this am though pedal seems tighter but spongey may also describe it
what is dsk f member mean

slow 70 if the pedal has tightened up one of two things may of happened...first the thrust bearing clip may have fallen off and the bearing has wedged itself between the presssure plate and release folk...or the clutch freeplay was too tight therefore wearing the clutch plate....poss overheat of the clutch plate.....did you say you adjusted the free travel?which way..DSK der split konnection

this am i tightened it as when i read muirs book he reckoned that if there was more than an ince of play at the clutch pedal to tighten if less than 1/2 inch to lossen, so i tightened..but since doing that there is a little new noise that stops if i place small amt of pressure on clutch pedal while driving, so i wreckon i over tightened. can a clutch over heat just by driving hills? does an over heat mean replacement?

this am i tightened it as when i read muirs book he reckoned that if there was more than an ince of play at the clutch pedal to tighten if less than 1/2 inch to lossen, so i tightened..but since doing that there is a little new noise that stops if i place small amt of pressure on clutch pedal while driving, so i wreckon i over tightened. can a clutch over heat just by driving hills? does an over heat mean replacement?

you have just answered it ..the thrust bearing has lost its locating clips..remove the engine and refit the clips..a good vw guy shouldnt charge more than $ 2-300 to do this job..must check the fork if its worn then add another couple hundred...the noise is the thrust bearing dsk member steve

well well, that would be nice, half price of 700$!! thanks alot, i owe ya a beer

well well, that would be nice, half price of 700$!! thanks alot, i owe ya a beer

is your bus originally from bronte x kip in honey brown

yep, do you know him? its no longer honey brown, it is now bahama blue, what made you think that?

i know him he is a DSK member and i've just finished building a 63 split for him.....i saw his van before he sold it..said it went up north and was getting painted so added it all up..DSK detective always good to hear how the reincarnations happen..great dlx micro just got some actual production figures will soon be able to tell you how many of your model were assembled month by month hope to see it some day..cheers DSK steve

tell him i said hello, if you want to see a pic of her look at bugeyedbabes post on "where are the nimin pics" the first pic, the bahama blue bay next to the blue/white splitty

just checked it out looks sweet..better than honey brown thats for sure...you guys had a great day by the looks congrats too u's all

yeah i wasnt a fan of the poo brown...kip loved it...glad the hear he got another one, he wasnt sure he wanted to sell it to me...

Matt, pulling the engine out isn't such a drama. I just pulled the one that was in my cabrio today in about an hour.

I'd be checking the bowden tube first and putting some washers on it as suggested. Can you change gear? Sounds like it could be the clutch lever thats gone on the gearbox (it goes at the splined pivot or one of the arms breaks off). I know because this happened on my splitty about 6 months ago. The clutch just felt all spongy and not very positive. If its shuddering but changing ok, then its the bowden, or you'e got oil on the clutch (a leaking rear main seal).

Cheers

Steve

good to hear from ya steve, yep changes gear fine just shudders, i hope you are right as wont be too expensive to fix. I was dissapointed that i couldnt fix it myself i really wanted to have a go, i drive it every day to work(10ks, not much traffic) so i didnt have time to fiddle about this time, but i would like to learn how to pull an engine....what do you need to do it...gee and hour isnt so bad...probably take me 6hrs!! Hows everything going do you have any new vw in your collection? the kombi is now at the shop and i will now the verdict tomorrow will let yall know what the diagnosis is!!

it was the clutch pressure plate, replaced it, runs like a dream, has improved the gear shift greatly, used to give a click between 1st-2nd and occasionally stuck abit going down for 2nd to 3rd but now smooth as, almost like not driving a kombi!!!