Brake Pedal Issues

R2point0

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2004
Location
Poolesville, MD
TDI
Passat, 2015, Silver; Passat, 1997, Blue
Clutch Pedal Issues

[sorry about the whole "brake" thing"

Sooo, I'm pulling away and depress the clutch...and it stays there. I manage to push it into an adjacent parking lot, dive under the dash with the screwdriver from the spare wheel tool kit, and found that the spot welds holding the "socket" for the clutch push rod had let go, causing the plastic insert to pop out. :confused:

By this time my wife and kids had shown up, so we went to the local sears to get some vise-grips. I bent the tab back, and then spent the next hour trying to get the insert into the socket and the rod into the insert - it was one or the other, but not both. I finally snapped the insert onto the rod and asked R3.0 to push on it, and whatever you do DON'T LET GO! I opened the bleeder on the clutch slave (is there anything a vice grip can't do?), the rod depressed, close the bleeder. I took the rod end from my helper and inserted it into the socket. ("Dad, what will happen if I let go?" "Just don't, OK?"). Actuate the clutch a few times and voila, she is fixed. Kind of.

Now for the questions:

1) How hard is a clutch pedal replacement?
2) Do I really need to re-weld the socket? I was thinking of just spreading the opening a little and getting some JB weld in there.
3) The clutch seems to be sticking at full depression - when I release it, it doesn't want to return immediately. Any suggestions?

Thanks
R2.0
 
Last edited:

TonyJetta

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 15, 2005
Location
Tucson, Az
TDI
'15 Jetta TDI SE / '06 Jetta TDI DSG Pkg0 / '96 Passat TDI
R2point0 said:
1) How hard is a clutch pedal replacement?
2) Do I really need to re-weld the socket? I was thinking of just spreading the opening a little and getting some JB weld in there.
3) The clutch seems to be sticking at full depression - when I release it, it doesn't want to return immediately. Any suggestions?

Thanks
R2.0
2) How permanent do you want the solution? Do you want to do this over again sometime?

Personally, I HATE do-overs! Fix it once and be done with it!

Tony
 

R2point0

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2004
Location
Poolesville, MD
TDI
Passat, 2015, Silver; Passat, 1997, Blue
TonyJetta said:
2) How permanent do you want the solution? Do you want to do this over again sometime?

Personally, I HATE do-overs! Fix it once and be done with it!

Tony
I could do it right now with no garage, no welder, and no backup transport while it is in the shop. But the original lasted over 200k miles - if a patch up lasts for 1/4 that time, I'm OK with that. I just want to know if a JB Weld fix will hold at all.
 
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