1998 Jetta Clutch Question

[acrunabout]

Hey everyone, just another newbie here, so bear with me. I am having a problem with i think my clutch i'm not sure. Here is my prognosis: I used to have problems shifting in real cold temps, ( I'm in PA) and low 20's or below until I got going it would be hard to shift, but after running for a few it was alright. Now this morning when I went to go outside I couldn't hardly get it into any gear, and I went out and drove it for about 20 minutes and it did not get better. When I got home I had my neighbor look at it, a TDI owner, not a mechanic but noticed my clutch pedal was lower than the rest of my pedals and if he pulled it up and then pumped it, it would shift fine. He said maybe it was a clutch plate. Any suggestions, btw I have no luck with cars, just bought it a month ago, and already having problems. Thanks

 

[Peter Cheuk]

Sounds to me like the clutch master cylinder is worn and needs to be rebuilt/replaced. That's what the low pedal indicates to me. If you pump the clutch pedal and it works fine but doesn't if you don't pump it then for sure it's the clutch master cylinder. A simple rebuild could be just taking it all apart, inspecting it, replacing some seals, then putting it all back together again (yes, easier said than done!). A competent mechanic should be able to do this with his eyes closed, pretty much.

 

[acrunabout]

Thanks Peter, is this something any mechanic could do, or something I should find a Guru for. I talked to a guru in my area and he hadn't done any master cylinders just slaves. Right now it is fine, and works great, but I'm just afraid it wont last, maybe air in the lines and needs bleed?

 

[Danielg42]

Naw... if it pumped up and is working good now, there's probably no air in the lines.
Try pushing the pedal to the floor and holding it for like... 5 minutes or so (use a 2x4 against the door frame).
If the pedal stays down and has to be pumped up, there's probably a leak in the master or slave cylinder. If it pops back up to a normal operating level, your cylinders are probably fine.

 

[acrunabout]

Well I went and tested it. It does pop back into place, but what I do notice is that, normally when I release the clutch a little bit it starts to engage, now it has to be all the way out before it engages in the gear.