Clutch Won't Return - Please Help Folks

[emaxon]

Tim,

Tuesday, March 06, 2001, 9:39:39 PM, you wrote:


TCM>     Since Winter, My Clutch will not return to the full up position.  The pedal operates the clutch fine, but will not come up from the engage position when lifted.  I am able to pull it up with
TCM> my hand, but when I push it back down, it only comes up inches from the floor.  Brake Fluid is good and so is the Goo2000.  What am I looking at here?  Is it common?  

TCM> Tim Meritzis
TCM> 1990 Audi Coupe quattro 20v

Definately a leaky master or slave clyinder.  I have replaced one w/o the
other only twice (once on a 4000q, once on a 5000q.)  I won't do it again.
Both times, the other began to leak w/in a week.

You shouldn't be out more than $150 for the pair if sourced through
some of the more "whoesale" oriented suppliers mentioned on the list.

However, you WILL need a PRESSURE bleeder of some sort to bleed the clutch
hydraulic system after replacing any part of the clutch hydraulic
system.  Believe me, I am
more stubborn and cheap than you can possibly imagine, and I had ZERO
luck trying to bleed the system with the aid of any combination of
gravity, vaccuum, and profanity.

Okay... here's a $25 pressure bleeder:

$10 - Plastic pump type "garden sprayer" canister from Menards (comes w/ appropriate
      size, albeit black, tubing-- you might want to buy some clear
      tubing, or already have some you use for bleeding brakes)
$2  - Pinch clamp for fluid hose-- a MUST for controlling flow.
$2  - Admission to U-Pull yard where you'll yank any VW or Audi brake fluid resevoir cap
     w/ small (approx 5/8" dia)level sender hole.  You'll have to
     break the sender out, destroying it for it's intended purpose, so
     you can't borrow one.
$8  - "One Man Bleed Kit" for Mitivac - comes w/ a fancy suction cup
    you'll use to make your adapter-- I haven't seen this piece
    anywhere else, but you might find one elsewhere--- It's an approx.
    1.5" dia cut w/ a HOLLOW tube molded into the center, where you'll
    stick your fluid feed hose.

$1 - Rigid plastic disc (the stiffer the better) that's as close as
possible to the ID and OD of the resevoir cap gasket.  You'll use this as the actual sealing
surface of the suction cup.  I used a milk jug cap w/ a hole cut in
the center, but you'd be better off w/ a stiffer, larger dia. disc.

$1 - Small SS hose clamp to secure the hose to the suction cup's nipple.

Okay-- Fill the pump w/ about 1qt of fresh DOT4, give the can just a
few pumps, bleed the line and clamp it off.  Attach the suction cup to
the tube securing it /w the hose clamp.  Make a sandwich of resevoir cap, suction-cup,
plastic disc, gasket--  screw it onto your already-topped-off
resevoir, and bleed away.   You shouldn't even need to touch the
pedal--- just leave it all the way up.

Ahh... another trick that will make one of the most irritating parts
of this job easier-- replacing the pin that secures the slave cylinder.
  Use a scrap piece of plastic tubing stuck onto
the end of your drift to hold the pin in place while you start it back
into its hole.


Good luck,

Eric.

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