Location of clutch slave cylinder

Diesel Addict

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Mar 7, 2006
Location
Reno/Sparks, NV
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI (manual)
I'm getting ready to do a brake fluid flush on all my cars this weekend including the Jetta. I've done it on the Benzes many times, but this will be my first time doing it on the Jetta and I couldn't locate the clutch slave cylinder the last time I was under the car. Does anyone know where it is?
 

Diesel Addict

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Location
Reno/Sparks, NV
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI (manual)
Thanks guys, I found it with no problem after I read your posts. Initially my problem was that I was looking for it from underneath and you won't find it that way on this car. VW sure didn't give us much room to access that bleed nipple. I completed the brake fluid flush today using my Motive power bleeder. I bled the clutch last and as I was doing that my power bleeder ran out of fluid and the fluid level in the reservoir dropped approximately to the level of the clutch hose. I was worried I might have sucked in some air but I don't think it went that far and today I got some more fluid and repeated the bleeding procedure (of the clutch slave cylinder) and only clean fluid came out with no bubbles. But then when I was ready to test drive the car the clutch seemed to have less resistance than before, but it corrected itself after several presses. Did I trap some air in the system? If so, how did it correct itself? I'm just wondering why the clutch initially felt weak.
 

Diesel Addict

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Location
Reno/Sparks, NV
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI (manual)
I did some searching on this issue and here's a part of an interesting post that toward the end mirrors what I experienced, even though it's a Volvo. I guess as long as the soft clutch doesn't return, I won't worry about it.

Volvo seems to have one additional peculiarity that I haven't found on any other clutch hydraulic system that I've ever worked on or heard about: if you use a pressure bleeder at anything less than about 20 psi -- or a vacuum bleeder at any pressure -- the master cylinder allows air into the lines. It's as though there's a spring-loaded air bleed valve within the master cylinder that's stays open at any lesser pressure, forcing more air into the system than fluid, and resulting in the collapsed pedal that gave me all the trouble that I described earlier. It was very strange, but the cause and the solution are both repeatable: use low-pressure or vacuum and you'll get no clutch pedal; use higher pressure, and you'll have a pedal. Even after flushing at higher pressure, the pedal is never where it should be (or as firm as it should be) until after about a block of driving, but at least I've found the secret to bleeding this thing. I hope this tip saves you some time!

from http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=134549
I started at 15 psi and went as low as about 12.5 as the system was being bled. 20 psi is the absolute maximum that Motive recommends and I didn't feel comfortable going even that high. As I was closing the clutch bleed nipple the fluid was still coming out a bit so I don't think I sucked in any air through the nipple.
 
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