major clutch issue, stuck in italy.. PLEASE HELP SOMEONE.

[farmhouse]

hello there fellow t25ers . . i have a 1.9 diesel and have been travelling extensively over the last few months when all of a sudden...

my clutch has failed on me.. . or is it the gearbox??

all of a sudden i couldn't select any gears.. and when i could the clutch wouldn't work and i lurched forward and stalled into a petrol station..

in there i realised that i can select gears with the engine not running . . but as soon as i start it i am unable to select any gears... the clutch pedal doesn't feel any different . . it just doesn't do its job anymore . .

if i put it in gear with the engine off and start the car with the clutch pedal down . . it's like starting the car without the clutch pedal down . .
or
there is a fluid coming from underneath which increases with the engine running . . i presume it is oil . .

if anybody knows anything about this with such limited info then i would be glad to hear it . .

also.. . because i have funds that are running low . . and am in a foreign country . . what is the worst scenario for say a new clutch? . . or how much work would be required to even diagnose the problem . . will the engine need to be removed etc?? . . i have no idea . .

i'm going to call breakdown recovery tomorrow and then no doubt be dumped at some garage that are going to rub their hands...

thanks in advance for any help.. will be much appreciated.

[kevtherev]

So have you checked the clutch fluid level?

It also sounds like a slave cylinder or master cylinder failure.. no drama there.. they made them for italy too.
All you need to do is find out which it is.
So... press the clutch pedal and get someone to look at the slave cylinder, does it move the arm?

[farmhouse]

kev thanks for the reply . .

no drama you think? . .really? . . you're getting my hopes up...

but excuse the ignorance here.. i have no idea where the slave cylinder is or what i would be looking at.. what arm would move etc . .

however, i can certainly pass on this information to the mechanic who will turn up to move the van.. who can then diagnose it better than i . .


clutch fluid levels you say?? . . i had no idea . . where?? . . in the engine? . . damn i have so much to learn. i feel stupid.

[kit]

The reservoir is under the instrument pod on the dashboard, pull off the outer trim and carefully lift up the pod, you will see the reservoir it also serves the brakes, check to see if you have lost any fluid from there.

[farmhouse]

well i got under the van this morning . . and tried to find the slave cylinder (or anything that might move when the clutch pedal is down) . .

i couldn't find anything that resembled what google images shows as a slave cylinder . . i looked around where the pedal is (without removing any panels) and under the vehicle towards the rear where the gear box and selector is . . . . this is where the fluid is dripping from . .

when the clutch pedal is down the fluid pours out from there . . a translucent yellowy fluid . . which i presume is the clutch fluid . .


where is the slave cylinder located?? . . what else does anyone know about these symptoms?

thanks for the help guys.

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

I think if you follow the leak you'll find the slave cylinder! It's on the top of gearbox - otherside from the gear selector and has a tube going to it which can itself leak, and is connected to the slave cylinder which sits on a bracket supported by the gearbox. It pushes down on the clutch arm. I would ascertain exactly what's leaking, but it does seem to be a slave cylinder. It's quite an easy job really - definitely shouldn't take more than an hour to refit, bleed and refill.. This is what you're looking for:

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/shop?page=s ... e+cylinder" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good luck - hope you get it sorted. Doesn't sound like the end of the world to be honest.

Ewen

[farmhouse]

ewen.. thanks so much for the good words . . and the picture..

so i was looking in the right place .. but now i can go back and look a bit closer and follow that leak . .

also good info knowing that it 'shouldn't' take more than an hour to refit etc . . that is crucial information to know in a foreign country ...

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

I should say really that what I said about timing is *assuming* it's the slave cylinder. If it's a bit of clutch pipe that need replacing before that it might take longer - particularly if the fuel tank needs to be dropped. It would be good to know exactly where you find the leak, but from what you said it sounds like it's far enough back to be the actual cylinder.

Good luck

Ewen

[farmhouse]

yeh i understood that you meant 'if it is the slave cylinder' . . thanks for the clarification..

the leak is coming from a bit forward of the selector i think . . just in front of the gearbox.. or directly above the front of it .. if that makes sense . .

anyway . . thanks for your consideration ewen.

[ewenmaclean]

Hello again,

any chance of a picture do you reckon? Sounds like it could be the pipe that joins onto the slave cylinder - only way to tell really is to dry it all off and press the clutch again - you may need to refill with dot 4 a bit.

Ewen

[malmoy]

Mine did the same thing last week. We all came home and the van is with a VW agent waiting for the part to arrive from Brickwerks. If it is the cylinder it is a simple job and I'm sure the garage can source the part locally. If you do order it from the UK then I would recommend a courier if you are in a rush. Best of luck, Mal.

[HarryMann]

I would suggest few jobs take less than an hour, start to finish, if we're talking tool out to tools back,, esp. if you haven't done it before (& it sounds like you haven't, let alone have the tools)

To clarify, what is being said, is at the earliest opportunity you should determine if the feed pipe to the clutch slave cylinder is leaking or the cylinder itself. If you find the cylinder (on a bracket/plate on the nearside toppish of gearbox), then wwatching your eyes, remove the rubber gaiter that the oprating pushrods protrudes through (downwards). If brake/clucth fluid comes out, that'll likely be it, the cylinder...

[ewenmaclean]

Hello,

that's a good point about the length of job re tools etc, but I had understood from the first post that it was being taken to a garage and installed professionally - I may have got that wrong in which case indeed account for more time - my apologies. There is a really good wiki page about it here by the way:

https://club8090.co.uk/wiki/Ge ... e-cylinder" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

with some links to previous forum posts. Brickwerks also have replacements for the flexible pipe if it turns out this is the problem:

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/shop?page=s ... lutch+pipe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

if it's the later plastic type, or

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/shop?page=s ... lutch+pipe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

for earlier rubber type..

[Hacksawbob]

If the hard copper clutch pipe is original you have a very slim chance of disconnecting the flexible pipe from the hard pipe without something snapping. If the problem is with the slave it may be an easy fix, if its anything else it will probably result in replacing at least some of the clutch pipe if not all, this was my experience.

[farmhouse]

hey guys!! . . thanks for all the good advice and co-operation, it's all really appreciated, sorry i havn't managed to get back to any of these replies for a while.. let me update you on the story so far..

last time i was on here i was stuck in a place near lake garda in north italy, biding my time and swimming in the lake .. . not the biggest problem in the world.. but i had to do some thing about my clutch problem . . ewen gave me a lot hope on that front, and enabled me with some good knowledge that i could take to the garage when i eventually called the breakdown recovery people . .

so i did that, presuming the problem to be the slave cylinder.. as we discussed . . .
when i made the call i asked to be taken to an independent garage of some sort, a smaller place that might have some knowledge of older cars...

i was taken to the vw dealership headquarters in the next town... brand new golf gti's and scirocco's etc lining the car park and show rooms . . no one spoke english.. i had landed in hell . . .

for the next two hours i waited in the grandiose reception area like a tramp in a mansion, victim to whatever they would decide, but i gathered that they would just fix it up and i'd be on my way . . . how wrong i was . .

they eventually came out and told me their diagnosis.. that they needed to replace the slave cylinder, and the connecting hose.. that the slave cylinder would take 2 days to arrive and would cost 114 euros . . and that they could not find the hose . . and also that they could not guarantee that any of it would be successful once they had tried to repair it . . .

my chin hit the floor.. i looked at them and said (this was all through google translate btw) that the salve cylinder does not cost that much . . they said it did.. i showed them the part on brickwerks as ewen had to me . . and to my astonishment the mechanic standing there said that this was not the part i needed because that part was for a t3 and i had a t2 . . i couldn't believe it, i was dealing with apparent morons . . i also asked if they could not fabricate the hose part and they said no, it had to be specific from vw . . . they quoted me about 250euros just for the slave cylinder replacement .. .. i told them to give the van back and that i would consider it after more research (obviously with no intention of ever entering the building again) . . none of this cost me a thing by the way (except a little stress and annoyance) .. .

they pushed the van across the road and into a public car park where i made another call to the breakdown people...

i told them what had happened and that i was about 3 hours from my family in livorno (where i was heading before the breakdown) . . and asked if it was possible for me to be taken there, where i could carry out the repairs more successfully and have more time... they said it was unlikely because it was too far but that they would find out and get back to me . .

many phone calls and 2 days later it was agreed upon that they would take me to livorno (which actually turned out to be more like 5 hours)... and according to the driver cost the insurance people about 1000 euros . . it was such a bonus. .

i'm now with my family relaxing in an air conditioned environment and awaiting the verdict of the local garage (and good friends of my family) tomorrow morning . . . it all sounds very promising, i have a lot of help here, and all the time in the world.. the mechanic sounds like he knows exactly what he's talking about and says that it's not much of a big job/problem etc. . if it is as we all presume . .

again thank you all so much for the help . . i'll let everyone know how it goes . . and obviously i might be back for some help if it comes to that..