Date:         Thu, 27 Mar 2014 09:20:16 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: clutch chatter
In-Reply-To:  <53344AE3.2020807@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

   I think you probably wore out the clutch....pretty common symptom of a
worn clutch is that chattering.

 Your recent back country trip with rough road and off-road driving, in a
fully stocked and loaded Westie...that 'uses up' a clutch, especially in a
Vanagon 4sp with what I understand is not an especially low 1st gear.

  Have your mechanic do the complete job while he has it apart, and if you
plan on doing more back country driving it might be worthwhile to get a
heavy duty clutch for not much more in part$

   One of the things I like about my diesel 5sp transmission is the low 1st
gear.  It is really pretty low, low enough that I don't often have to 'slip
the clutch' to move slowly over rough  terrain....  I can creep along at a
few miles per hour without feathering the clutch and without the van
bucking or threatening to stall on even the steepest hill.

   When I did my clutch-job,  I was  close to broke, so I used the cheapest
smaller diesel clutch rather than a fancy heavy duty one, and I've never
had it slip or show any signs yet (~50k miles) of being worn...I just don't
have to 'clutch around' much, even with my inline 'lower torque'
motor..While waiting in stop and go traffic for those 3/4 mile long Border
Patrol inspection stops in the desert Southwest, I would just put my van in
1st gear and take my foot off the clutch and accelerator...We'd just idle
along at maybe one mile per hour...about the overall speed the inspection
line would be moving...

.I bet a WBX gas motor with a diesel 5sp would be super in rough road
situations with the WBX's lower rpm higher torque motor... If I were to own
one of those and had $125k to spend on a Volkswagen van, I might start with
the 5sp tranny...It's worth a lot in driveability..

On Thu, Mar 27, 2014 at 8:59 AM, mark drillock <mdrillock@cox.net> wrote:

> Removing the flywheel is a pretty standard part of a full clutch job
> because the clutch pilot bearing is behind it so the flywheel has to
> come off. Also there is a main engine seal behind the flywheel that
> should be changed at the same time. Since the flywheel is already
> removed it can be resurfaced at the clutch friction area and that is a
> pretty standard part of a clutch job as well.
>
> I would insist on a new cross shaft as that is surely done for at this
> point.
>
> Mark
>
> The pilot bearing isn't going to be your problem
>
> Dave Mcneely wrote:
>
>>
>> Is there a possibility of a bad (possibly warped) flywheel contributing
>> to this problem?  I would certainly not want to pay for a new clutch only
>> to find out that the problem was essentially irreparable or required a
>> flywheel to be pulled.
>>
>>
>>