Clutch on the floor

M

Mart

Member
Hi All.

My A2 is out of action.

A few weeks ago in the cold weather I noticed that the springyness in the pedal had suddenly dropped to only about an inch or 2, so the pedal was much nearer to the floor when it wasn't pressed and to change gear I'd have to press it right to the floor. Later in the day (possibly due to it getting warmer) the normal pedal level returned. The car was alright for the next few days but this problem has since returned, but worse.

Now the pedal is almost on the floor again and I can't engage any gears at all while the engine is running. If I switch the car off I can, with a little difficulty engage 1st gear (not tried the others) and then when I start the car it will want to creep along even with the clutch pedal fully depressed - I still can't engage other gears after this.

Because it exihibited these symptoms recently but seemed to recover it makes me wander that it is not simply a worn clutch plate.

The car has done 105k so maybe due a new clutch anyway, but what do these symptoms indicate?

Regards

Mart
 
Last edited:
Clutch problem,

Hi mart, had a new clutch fitted a couple of months ago, whilst at the garage i asked to see the old clutch unit (just out of interest)my mechanic showed me the unit and there were some plate spring steel strps which help in engaging/disengaging the clutch at the centre diameter point, these were very badly worn/scored (almost through), i had done 78000 miles
so on this basis i think your clutch has gone completly through as above, my mechanic said this is a common problem on all modern clutches, if it is of any help ;my clutchpart cost £150.00, fitting another £100.00 so £250.00 all in, which i did'nt think was to bad, best of luck, hope this is of some help,cheers ALAN.
 
when I replaced my clutch, it had no meat left on the plate, absolutely nothing left, completely worn. But the symptom was not the same as yours. It was typical worn clutch in the way that the biting point was very high and if I changed gear when the rpm was in the high torque range, clutch would slip even when my left foot was completely off the pedal.

So I'm afraid yours doesn't sound like a worn clutch plate to me. When the engine is not running, you should be able to engage any gear.
 
Agree with Humps - sounds more like a hydraulic fault (leaking slave or master cylinder).

Cheers,

Mike
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I'll focus my attention in the hydraulic area then.

Is there anything that can be done by a half competent DIYer to check the slave and master cylinders.

Would it be worth changing the clutch fluid for new (it's probably never been changed) to see if that cures the problem?

Cheers again :)
 
The clutch fluid is shared with the brake system, so if that's been changed then the clutch system should have been bled too.

There's little to do to test the operation of the system, other than what you're already doing: using the clutch as normal but noting that it's operating strangely.

Really, a leak is the only answer, either internal or external. If it's external, check for leaks and also check the fluid level in the brake reservoir, as the fluid has to go somewhere!!

If it's an internal leak then there's going to be nothing to see, so replacement is the only option. Most of the pipes are metal tubing, so only the junctions to the flexible sections are going to be suspect and to be honest, I've never come across pipe failure.

Far more problematic are the slave and master cylinders and to be frank, even these are pretty reliable. New cylinders are around £65 each and although fitting is fiddly, if you have patience a decent tool kit and a pressure bleeder, you should be able to do the work yourself.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Cheers Mike.

I'll get the fluid changed first then, it is overdue anyway so may be the culprit.

Thanks again
 
I can't see the fluid being the underlying cause, unless there's a big level drop and there's an air lock in the clutch side of things.

Whoever changes the fluid, make sure they thoroughly purge the clutch system and that they know how to do it - it's not as easy as you might think.

Fingers crossed it works for you!

Cheers,

Mike
 
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