4kq, slipping clutch :(

[Louis-Alain Richard]

>    This seems like low mileage for the clutch to fail.  Is there anything
> other than a worn pressure plate/clutch disc than can cause a slipping
> clutch?  No evidence of fluid leakage into the bellhousing that I can
> see...

I had a similar problem on my 1983 Quattro. It was a very worn disk, car had
less than yours, but it was 21 years old. The mechanic told me that older
clutch wear fast because they can't slide easily on the shaft anymore.

>   Car shifts fine, though the clutch pedal doesn't always return to the
> top of it's travel.

Must be the overcenter spring on the top of the clutch pedal. Replace it,
it's cheap but you'll need a dwarf to reach it :-).
> 
>    I just had the car in the air this past weekend- worked some stiffness
> out of the center diff lock, topped off the tranny fluid, and messed with
> the driveshaft (checking the support bearing and the u-joint; no issues.)
> 
> 
>    Assuming that I need a clutch, how immediate is this need?  Will the
> failure progress slowly, will I suddenly have no clutch at all?

I too wanted to wait for the job ($$$). But one morning, going up north to
ski, when I tried to overtake a car, I just had an encounter with my creator
when the car refused to accelerate anymore... the clutch was slipping too
much for the 3000 rpm torque peak. Next Monday, the car was on the hoist. It
is a critical safety item, and you'll never know when you'll have to tow it
because it refuses to move anymore. Do it now or don't ride it.

Louis-Alain
1983 Quattro
Montreal PQ