What is wrong with my clutch?

shindigger · Post by **shindigger** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:53 pm

I recently went to the trouble of replacing my clutch, plate, t.o. bearing, and pilot bearing on my 82 5 spd diesel vanagon in hopes of remedying what i believed to be a slipping clutch. Symptoms included not wanting to start from a dead stop in other than the lowest gear, and not wanting to go at all from a stop on a hill. It also gave the classic burning clutch smell, and seemed to grab at the accelerator at certain speeds. After i replaced the whole shebang, and gave her a test drive. ive found no improvement. Have bled the slave cylinder; clutch pedal seems fine, and flywheel seemed fine too. Old clutch looked ok too, but after removing it figured should go ahead with the new one. Any ideas/ suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

coke · Post by **coke** » Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:22 pm

Did you notice any oil or grease near/on the clutch? Did you verify the clutch actuator rod is working through its full range of motion?

It sounds like a rear seal might be gone leaking engine on the clutch.

shindigger · Post by **shindigger** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:07 pm

The clutch assembly/flywheel were free of grease and oil. I checked the clutch lever/release bearing movement on the tranny before i installed it. Also checked range of motion of the clutch lever when i was bleeding the clutch; seemed to be fine. Is there a calibration/measurement method for that, or just observation? thanks.

libbybapa · Post by **libbybapa** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 12:22 pm

If the clutch is not bled properly it behaves as though the pedal is not depressed or not depressed fully when in fact it is. That does not sound like your issue. Your issue sounds like the opposite. It sounds like the clutch slips when the pedal is fully released which would not have anything to do with whether or not the clutch was bled. Some more/clearer description of the symptoms would be helpful. Does the engine rev without the vehicle moving when in gear and attempting to take off from a stop on a hill?

Did you swap in the 5 speed? 5-speeds were not offered until the '83 model year.

Andrew

shindigger · Post by **shindigger** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:50 am

Hey now-- well, it seems like a case of misdiagnosis on my part. i assumed that the clutch was slipping with the lack of power and burning clutch smell, but after further investigation (after installing a new clutch, of course) it seems like the smell was likely due to revving the engine so high to get the van rolling; and seems like the whole problem lay more likely in the fuel supply; still trying to figure why ive got not alot of power in the low end. head and engine are new/rebuilt, so compression shouldnt be an issue. Would problems with the IP give me lack of low end power, and occasional surging? i'm such a dork. anyway, thanks for the advice thus far