1994 ABY clutch

[euans2]

on my home lastnight the car suddenly wouldnt go into gear. I dont think it's the clutch it's self

a. the cars still drives when in a gear!
b. when in gear the clutch still operates as it should, i.e when dipped the cars coasts and when released it engages
c. there was not a smell of burnt clutch and it wasn't slipping prior to the lose of gear change..

Anyone got any ideas what the problem could be ?

[Greg_S]

could be the linkage? not likely to be master cylinder from the sounds of it though

[euans2]

Sorry, should have said it will go into some gears but only if forced

[S2 Ant]

clutch possibly, it sounds similar to what happend to mine when it went.
Possibly one of the cylinders knackered.
Release bearing?

[Corey]

any noises similar to a turkey gobling? if so release bearing.
How does the clutch pedal feel? does it drop to the floor, is there any resistance to the pedal?

[euans2]

There was no noises and the clutch pedal had no change in the way it operates.

It's as if everything is fine but just wont go into gear. It will go into some gears but has to be forced in

[Corey]

I would have to agree that it may be linkage related.

[ericd]

There was no noises and the clutch pedal had no change in the way it operates.

It's as if everything is fine but just wont go into gear. It will go into some gears but has to be forced in

should be easy enough to check for a linkage problem (see several related clutch
threads), you could also try using mole grips or similar to try and move the selector shaft through the gears.

worth checking the usual suspect as mentioned by others, like the master pushrod assembly close to the pedal box, around the slave cylinder for leaks, also if you can do it try bleeding the clutch , all these are worthwhile quick options before going any further down this road.


do you know if the clutch is original ?, also does it go into reverse with no problems ?
you weren't by any chance doing a high rev 1st -> 2nd change when this happened

HTH


btw , only ones i've seen with similar failure mechanism has been the release bearing, that's why i'd recommend doing all the suggestions/checks first...

[Corey]

You'd know if the release bearing had failed from the noises, if it was related to the master/slave cylinder seals the pedal (when pressed) would go to the floor but would not return.

[Fat Audi 80]

It sounds a little like the master cylinder push rod is about to fail. They bend, bend then snap or bend too far to operate the clutch. It sounds as if yours is bent a bit allowing the clutch to operate on the move but not engage all gears readily.

Just my 2p's worth.

Hope you find out.

(I think you can check the master cylinder by taking off the under dash trims and getting upside down. I have not done this myself though....)

Cheers,

Steve

[raymor]

I had my clutch go just before Christmas.... in a similar sort of way.

The shift quality got progressively worse as I got into work and then wouldn't engage any gear when at standstill. The clutch pedal feel actually got lighter so suspected the slave cylinder - wrong

On driving the car back home one month later (unable to use the clutch) the plate started to smell a little burnt. It was only once the gearbox was out that I could see that the friction lining was not worn too badly, but was starting to show crispy bits

The pressure plate was knackered. Replaced with a Sachs clutch kit for £200 + 16hrs deep joy underneath the car. bad, but not too bad.

...next time will be quicker

Raymond

[euans2]

Thanx for all you he;p so far.

Looks like the car will be sitting in front of my mates hous for the next 2 weeks as my work is taking me away for a while.

When I get back I will be checking out every eventuality that has been mentioned so far.

Hopefully \i wont need to go as far as a full clutch change but if I have to then I have to

[missmouse]

My clutch went suddenly like that a couple of years ago. tried all the suggested ideas but finally had to take the box out (very heavy & lots of stuff to undo!) & found the diaphraghm spring in the pressure plate was broken. (funny you would think that would cause it to slip?) anyway, new clutch & car has been fine ever since.

simon

[euans2]

Next question

Can anyone tell me of any good garages in the Edinburgh area. The one I would generally use has shut down

[Crawford_S2]

pressure plate failure gets my vote too! Did this same thing on a modified golf mk2 i used to have, was like the clutch was dragging when the engine was running. New clutch and problem went.