Flywheel replacement on a Golf

Hello all, new to the thread...
Recently bought a 03 Golf 5sp with 191k miles. When I checked it out, the clutch seemed great (original). And it still works fine! However, when I was driving home with the car (went 5hr north to get it), I noticed some noises that I hadn't noticed in the test drive.
There's some type of irregular chatter or rattling whenever the car is in neutral (whether I'm parked or about to turn off the car), and I realized today that the sound lessened when I would press the clutch in. This is leading me to conclude what it might be, the flywheel. Really wish I would have noticed it when I was test driving it around, blame my untrained ear. TB was replaced at 150k, so I think that can rule out any idlers or something coming from that area gone amok.
The chatter isn't horrible sounding, and you'd probably not notice it if you weren't listening for noises. Who knows if the previous owner even noticed it tbh. However, I'm reading that if it is the flywheel, then you want to have this switched out ASAP.
What I wanted to ask posting this, is how difficult is replacing this flywheel going to be? You have any good guides to help out with this process? Do you recommend to replace or check anything else while I have the transmission out? I'm probably going to go with the LuK kit that comes with clutch and flywheel attached, people seem pretty happy with it. Yes, I know that I can switch to a SMF, but want to keep it as OEM ride as possible, and I'm going to make as few mods as possible to this car (MAYBE Malone stage 1). Thanks!

I don't know where the guide is off hand, but it's not hard to do, about a day project. That noise is the dual mass flywheel failing, definitely change that out ASAP. As for what else to change, change the pivot ball for the clutch fork, and inspect the clutch fork for wear or cracking. If it's good then you can reuse it.

Clutch chatter like that can also mean that the former owner already put an SMF clutch in there. I had to replace mine on my golf years ago I put in a Sacks g60 and I never liked the noise sitting at a red light with the clutch out. I changed it to a Sacks quiet clutch a couple of years ago and I like that much better.

I just did the clutch on my daughters beetle and put the LUK repset in , which is the first time I’ve stayed with a DMF, it’s very smooth and quiet.

No issues going stock replacement... I have installed quite a few for people that won't ever mod their cars (also installed on in my personal wagon since it'll go up for sale). SMF performance in cars that will be modded.

There are definitely some "how-to" threads out there, but I've always referred to the Bentley manual. Nice step by step so I don't forget anything. Some will say to remove the axle "cup", but it's not necessary if you push the engine forward a bit (factory widow maker jack works well for that).

Get a hardware "kit" from somewhere like idparts that has all the one time use stuff you will need. I don't mess with the rear main unless there are signs of it leaking.

Failing or showing signs of wear? Either way, it is something that will need to be addressed sooner opposed to later. I replaced the DMF in my Jetta at 291k miles. It had been making similar noises for 100k miles. When I got the flywheel out, I never saw anything wrong and the "back and forth" design movement seemed to be about the same as the replacement flywheel.

I did the replacement in about a day by myself. That was my first one. I've did a couple replacements with SMF from Idparts since then. The owners of the cars have not complained of any issues with the SMF. I did do a DMF in my Vanagon with the ALH engine........ much quieter than the used G-60 SMF.

as mentioned could be a smf conversion.. if you push the pedal to the floor while in neutral/idling and the chatter goes away this could be an indication its a light weight noisy(but not bad) SMF. Try to have a look at it before you dive into it too much. I would not rush into the job until you figure this out, it could be overkill.

trans drop and clutch replacement can be 4-5 hours if you get into it and want to get it done, but expect 8-9 hours total labour if doing it yourself.

I spent two days doing the clutch in my Golf, but I work slowly and spent the vast majority of that time wrestling the transmission in and out. I put in a LuK RepSet, which has been great ever since.



While the transmission is out you should think about the cheap stuff that's easy to get to:


* Clutch fork
* Clutch fork pivot
* Slave cylinder
* Rear main seal!
* Transmission fluid (G070 or Synchromesh)
* Oil pan


Be prepared to do any and all of the above... you do not want to have to do this job again.

This is not an SMF conversion, as the previous owner (one owner) didn't tell me it was, and this is the original clutch. Thanks for the responses so far guys/gals, keep them coming.

For the work and money involved, I would just do the whole kit.
Something like this
or this

Also input shaft seal...I have been doing them with the rear main seal...

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Thanks everyone for all the responses so far. Just have one more question regarding this to be almost certain it’s the DMF. Does the DMF noise manifest itself/become noisier when you’ve been driving for a while?

Pretty hard to diagnose. Look thru the timing mark access hole, perhaps you can see it. If you just rev it hard in the driveway, it might give a tell tale.
Hopefully someone who's had that fail will chime in.

BobnOH said:

Pretty hard to diagnose. Look thru the timing mark access hole, perhaps you can see it. If you just rev it hard in the driveway, it might give a tell tale.
Hopefully someone who's had that fail will chime in.

Click to expand...

Timing mark access hole? So you're saying look at the timing belt to make sure it's operating properly?

No, there is a hole to view the timing mark on the flywheel, it's like a 1" plug. You maybe can see enough of the flywheel to see if it's separating.

On the top of the gearbox, there's an access hole where you can look down at the flywheel. There's a black rubber plug in the hole.

The flywheel in my Jetta was clunking and clanking at idle for about 2 years before I finally replaced it. I installed the LUK RepSet. So far, I like it.

jlav0330 said:

Thanks everyone for all the responses so far. Just have one more question regarding this to be almost certain it’s the DMF. Does the DMF noise manifest itself/become noisier when you’ve been driving for a while?

Click to expand...

My original DMF did not make noise for many years.
It started slipping around April 2018, about 260K miles.
Noise wasn't bad.

I got the basic DMF clutch kit and misc other parts from ID-Parts.
The replacement one seemed to operate better then when I bought the car new or I forgot how good it was then.

Here's a thought, rather than the flywheel it could be your gearbox.
I have an SMF, there is some chatter in neutral, push in the clutch and
the noise goes away. I know it's not my clutch/flywheel, but rather the
synchros in the gearbox. On the 02M (6spd) with an SMF clutch conversion
this leads to metal fatigue and failure of its cast steel synchros.

The 02J 5spd has brass synchros which do not suffer the same fatigue failure, but they are softer.
With that kind of mileage I can practically guarantee that you'll
have at least 2nd gear synchro wear/play. Even with an elderly DMF you could be hearing that.

My point is that even with a full blown clutch replacement you could still
have the clatter/chatter. On my 02J I have a fluidampr in conjunction with the SMF, which almost eliminates any noise.

When I had my Peloquin installed on a 120k tranny, the tech advised me that while he
had it open that my 2nd spd synchros, while still in spec, were showing
signs of wear and recommended replacement. His comment was that
every 02J he opened up showed signs of 2nd spd synchro wear.

FWIW

The fluidampr makes a world of difference...my favorite single piece

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After the SMF clutch went in my MkVI, and the synchro clatter became
apparent, I HAD to go for a Fluidampr. It was well documented on these
forums that it was a serious problem. The steel synchros would self destruct.

I got lucky with my MkIV, found a used one in the classifieds.
Not strictly necessary for the brass synchros, but for half price, lol,
it's not like they wear out, I went for it.

Quiets the gearbox down to verging on the imperceptible, and smoothes
the power band. Pricey, but effective, a nice tweak if you're keeping your
car for the long run.

Rrusse11 said:

After the SMF clutch went in my MkVI, and the synchro clatter became
apparent, I HAD to go for a Fluidampr. It was well documented on these
forums that it was a serious problem. The steel synchros would self destruct.

I got lucky with my MkIV, found a used one in the classifieds.
Not strictly necessary for the brass synchros, but for half price, lol,
it's not like they wear out, I went for it.

Quiets the gearbox down to verging on the imperceptible, and smoothes
the power band. Pricey, but effective, a nice tweak if you're keeping your
car for the long run.

Click to expand...

What weight SMF were you running? I'm running a 21lb South bend setup and it's amazingly quiet. I lost a rivet in the diff and it blew a hole in the case so I'm assembling 2 transmissions into 1 with a Peloquin LSD. Everything in there looked really nice at 225k miles (about 50k on the SBC/SMF). My gears are going into the donor case.

Gforce,

My MkVI got totalled after running that with an SBC 2 End for ~25k.
IIRC it had a bout a 22# SMF. NB, this was pre "silent" clutch that SBC
is now running. My bet is there sprung clutch disc is in response to vibrational problems.


My current ride is a MKIV, I'm much happier with the older simpler model
BTW, with the same clutch setup. 22#SMF and NO silent clutch, I got an
older lightly used one & a 17/22 on the classifieds here.

Like I said above, a Fluidampr is not really necessary with the 02J, and
the "new &improved" SBC offerings now probably make it redundant.
But having additional harmonic balancing on our little diesels is always
a good thing in my experience.

Rrusse11 said:

Gforce,

My MkVI got totalled after running that with an SBC 2 End for ~25k.
IIRC it had a bout a 22# SMF. NB, this was pre "silent" clutch that SBC
is now running. My bet is there sprung clutch disc is in response to vibrational problems.

My current ride is a MKIV, I'm much happier with the older simpler model
BTW, with the same clutch setup. 22#SMF and NO silent clutch, I got an
older lightly used one & a 17/22 on the classifieds here.

Like I said above, a Fluidampr is not really necessary with the 02J, and
the "new &improved" SBC offerings now probably make it redundant.
But having additional harmonic balancing on our little diesels is always
a good thing in my experience.

Click to expand...

Ahh - the newer 6sp cars can't tolerate the SMF, even with a fluidampr (helps, but doesn't prevent the syncro damage). I've had the "SBC Stage 2 Endurance Clutch Kit w/SMF" in my mkiv for 7 years. Didn't get driven a lot when I bought my 13 TDI passat 6M and then went back to daily duty 4 years later when I sold that back (partially because the manual trans wouldn't hold up to mods). Of course about 6 month later a rivet in the diff let go Syncros still look good and it is as smooth as my stock 03 Jetta with even lighter clutch pedal.

"Syncros still look good and it is as smooth as my stock 03 Jetta with even lighter clutch pedal."

I'm totally sold on the SBC2 End, you gotta' love that Kevlar clutch disc.
The only problem I've had is driving it too lightly and it gets glazed and
chatters.

The state of your synchros I'm sure has all to do with driving style. I suspect
most bang first to second, I never do "hard launches" off the line.
If I'm pushing it, I get rolling into 2nd and then hit it.
Folks may love their 02M 6spd swaps, but as you point out, the gearbox
really won't take much in the way of mods. Fine if you're happy with a
DMF, I was not. With a CR170 turbo on my MkVI, it couldn't take the
torque. In my not so humble opinion, the MkIV is a better platform to
mod.

You're going to love the Peloquin! One of the best things I've done to mine.
You gotta' be a driver to appreciate it though. And do a front top strut
brace bar, transforms the front end, I'll assume you've already got a
skid plate, that braces the lower suspension.

My $.02

Hmm, don’t think it’s the synchros in the gearbox. Again, this is an original, stock DMF in the car right now. And it rattles irregularly in neutral, and the problem gets worse when driving a lot. Another thing I never mentioned, is there’s pulsation in the clutch pedal. I can feel a pulsing back and forth when I rest my foot on it. Watching videos of people on YouTube who’ve had this issue, it’s consistent with the sounds I hear in my car.

jlav0330 said:

Hmm, don’t think it’s the synchros in the gearbox. Again, this is an original, stock DMF in the car right now. And it rattles irregularly in neutral, and the problem gets worse when driving a lot. Another thing I never mentioned, is there’s pulsation in the clutch pedal. I can feel a pulsing back and forth when I rest my foot on it. Watching videos of people on YouTube who’ve had this issue, it’s consistent with the sounds I hear in my car.

Click to expand...

Could well be your DMF, especially if it's original. Lots of options available, either way, single or double mass. If you're planning any
mods I'd recommend a SMF, and get more than you think you need. Stock turbo and tune, DMF is fine.

Idparts.com has a number of options, and all kinds of opinions here, lol.
The clutch does get used a lot.

BobnOH said:

For the work and money involved, I would just do the whole kit.
Something like this
or this

Click to expand...

I installed the IDParts kit from the first link and have been super happy with it. No rattle and a very clean easy action.

I also had the pulsing clutch pedal, when the DMF started going bad.

Blacktree said:

I also had the pulsing clutch pedal, when the DMF started going bad.

Click to expand...

Yes I've pretty much gone forward with accepting that it's the DMF. Gonna order a Bentley manual soon so I can have a good guide to do all of this. Pain in the ass that I gotta order a triple square bit set just to work on this car lol

jlav0330 said:

Pain in the ass that I gotta order a triple square bit set just to work on this car lol

Click to expand...

They are in many if not all cars & trucks today.
Over the years I bought a number of one time use tools.

"Over the years I bought a number of one time use tools" wonneber

Even if you only use it the once, still cheaper than paying someone else IMO. Think Harborfreight.