05 Jetta TDI shake during 1st gear take off

Jccatch

Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
New York
TDI
05 Jetta TDI
I know this topic has been on here before. Just curious if it could be something I'm missing. Car shakes during first gear take off doesn't happen all the time but more times it happens then it not happening. Only happens in first gear not in reverse all motor mounts have been replaced including dog bone mount with OEM VW Mounts. Clutch was changed about 30k miles ago. Car shifts through all gears like butter. No slipping at all at any speed. I know threads say it could be a bad DMF. Could a DMF go bad in 30K. If it is the DMF would it be beneficial to do the SMF conversion. And what clutch would be best to put in. Might as well change everything while tranny apart if it is the DMF. Anyone have any ideas.
 

eddieleephd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2012
Location
Battle Ground, Wa
TDI
2002 jetta Wagon
Shakes as it grabs. As you are slowly coming off clutch
Sounds like warping of a mass plate, or a bent spline shaft, possibly even vacuum booster. Weird issues sometimes present when we change things.

First gear I would bet you use more torque on average which is why it doesn't present in reverse.

Could be the extent of the torque on the bushings.


What you describe, shakes as it grabs slowly coming off of the clutch also seems like there's something causing lubrication between the pressure plate and the flywheel, brake cleaner can clean it out and evaporate from the bell housing.



Enough torque can crumble a flywheel if it's defective, however, unlikely in 30k



I could see the slave being loose causing this.


Whole front end has been rebuilt in last 10k miles
Whole front end? steering rack and bushings, a-frame bushings, and the tie rods and ball joints? what parts were replaced exactly during this rebuild?


Another thing that likes to present at this torque level are loose drive axle bolts that hold the CV to the transmission, so check to make sure they're properly torqued with applicable tripple square, or torx bit depending on the heads.


I tend to see first gear issues as a high torque issue and one test for this is to put it in first and try to make the same thing happen when not releasing the clutch. In a parking lot let out slowly on the clutch without pressing the accelerator, then accelerate really aggressively and take your foot off the pedal without depressing the clutch and let it slow to idle speed again. This is testing for high torque issues that have nothing to do with the clutch system. If you can get it to shake when not using the clutch then you need to look more closely at the engine and dogbone mounts and cv axle's. If you can only make it happen with the clutch then it is specifically related to the clutch and components of the clutch.


One quick thing to check is that the slave cylinder isn't leaking inside the bell housing causing it to slip, especially if you have added any brake fluid recently.
 
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Jccatch

Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
New York
TDI
05 Jetta TDI
Front end rebuild included inner and outer tie rods. Ball joints. Steering knuckles with new bushings. All parts where moog.
 

Jccatch

Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
New York
TDI
05 Jetta TDI
If i depress clutch and slowly come off clutch without pressing down on accelerator the car starts to shake that's coming off clutch very very slow with no throttle
 

Powder Hound

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 25, 1999
Location
Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
I would suggest the inner CV joints, but that would cause steering wheel shimmy in any gear when accelerating. If it is only on takeoff, then I'm thinking clutch as well as everyone else.

Good luck,

PH
 

03TDICommuter

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2016
Location
So. Cal
TDI
01' NB, 5spd
I think your clutch disc has bad runout or you have contamination on the friction or pressure plate surface.

FWIW My first ever clutch job I did when I was younger (RWD car) I couldn't quite get the transmission all then way on to seat against the engine and I ran out of strength so I lowered the trans a bit to rest my arms but the input shaft was in the clutch disc. Shook when engaging the clutch just like yours due to the bent the clutch disc and got to do the whole clutch job again after getting another new disc.

edit: I reread your original post - that this happened after 30K miles, so it's not bent. I'm guessing contamination or something else that is causing varying friction across the clutch friction surfaces.
 
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k_pt

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Location
pt
TDI
VW MKIV TDI
That clutch change you say.

Was all the kit changed? DMF + disc + clutch + bearing + DMF bolts?

Do you get any noise while pressing the pedal, slowly, at idle?
 

eddieleephd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2012
Location
Battle Ground, Wa
TDI
2002 jetta Wagon
You can spray brake parts cleaner while clutch is depressed to wash of any fluids that may have gotten on it.
I would have someone depress the clutch and spray back and forth both sides, start the car move I a little and turn it off, spray again.
Not too much at once, it has to evaporate, between applications it needs to evaporate as well.
Then I would have a difficult time shutting it down before spraying a third time, use CAUTION with EYES if you try that.
 

Jccatch

Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
New York
TDI
05 Jetta TDI
Ok update to thread. Eddieleap I did exactly what you said. And boy did it work wonders. Car felt brand new again. That lasted for a few weeks and then again same issue popped up again with the shaking in first gear . I did the whole process again and car shifted like butter for a few weeks then back to shaking. Any ideas of what the hell could be getting in there and causing this
 

eddieleephd

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2012
Location
Battle Ground, Wa
TDI
2002 jetta Wagon
Sounds like your slave cylinder is leaking on the clutch and needs replaced. Then cleaned again
Or the rear main seal engine, front seal transmission side

Sent from my Armor_2 using Tapatalk
 

JB2500

New member
Joined
May 18, 2023
Location
UK
TDI
BXE
What was the outcome of this please?

I have the same symptoms on a BXE. In my case, I know that there was oil on the clutch friction plate: the engine crankshaft rear seal had leaked and a small amount of engine oil got onto the friction plate (both sides). However, I cleaned the plate until there was no sign, and that's worked for me before on other vehicles. In my case the shake is quite bad, but only happens at 800-1500 rpm, almost stationary road speed, and with the clutch pressed only very slightly. It's quite bad in first and reverse, and reduces for each higher gear.

I'm interested in your outcome because I have another possible factor: the (LUK) DMF previously had 7 teeth of play (which is a fail) after less than 10K miles, but when I did the crankshaft seal I found the DMF play was down to 1.5 teeth. Very odd, and I'm not totally convinced it fixed itself!

Anyway, I hope you got it sorted.

Cheers,
John [New to site]
 
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