[s-cars] UrS6 Monday morning clutch woes

[Tom Green]

Let's don't get ahead of ourselves, Peter.  There is a lot more fun to  
be had before you decide to install a new clutch.  When you get a  
chance to
remove your coat and tie, open the hood and check the brake fluid  
reservoir to make sure you aren't losing fluid.  There is a clutch  
master cylinder
attached to the pedal and a slave cylinder that operates the clutch  
arm with hose and tubing connecting the two.  Look for any leaks at  
the slave on
the drivers side of the bellhousing and the connecting hose.  A helper  
to operate the clutch pedal while you observe may help.  The master  
cylinder
at the clutch pedal is next.  You can check it for any external leaks  
but it may fail internally also and not provide any pressure to  
operate the slave.
There is a bleed valve on the slave that you can crack open to see if  
the master can send pressure to the slave.  Flushing the junk out may  
help
restore system operation at least temporarily as well.  Pressure  
bleeding works best.  On the practical side, you may as well change  
the slave cylinder
unless it looks new and is not leaking.  The fluid may leak into the  
bellhousing and out the bottom.  If the new fluid and slave cylinder  
fix things, you
may stop there or go on to the clutch master cylinder.  Certainly if  
there is any hint of leaking, then change it.

You could have a mechanical failure in the clutch itself, but since it  
got you home, it is probably ok and you just need hydraulics to  
operate it.  The
FAQ section on the UrS4/6/S2/RS2 forum at quattroworld.com has some  
information for replacing the clutch and cylinders.  You are probably  
tall
enough to reach the slave from above to do that job.

Tom

On Monday  October 10, 2011, at 09:06 AM,   Peter Schulz <p.schulz at verizon.net 
 >  wrote:

> Sharing my morning...hope your's has gone better.
>
> Patient...1995.5 S6 Avant, 175k miles, MTM1+
>
> I left house this morning for some important meetings in the office.
>
> Drove onto the on ramp to the highway.
> Trouble started when accelerating onto the high way, went to put  
> transmission into 5th gear.
> Depressed clutch, shifter didnt want to move into 5th...or any gear.
>
> pumped clutch, finally got it into 4th, drove to exit.
> Got it out of 4th, turned off car, put into 1st started car in  
> gear....
> Combination of pumping clutch and rev matching got it home, swapped  
> cars (nice to have a spare or two when owning an older audi (see my  
> sig)
> Car is sitting in driveway, sitting in neutral...can't put  
> transmission into reverse.
>
> Figuring out what I'm going to do....thinking its a clutch job,  
> likely to do slave at same time..
> I'm capable of doing this, but without a lift,  and never having  
> done one, likely going to have the work done.
>
> Looking to stay with a stock level/grade clutch.
>
> Appreciate any BTDTs, BTDDT (Been there dont do that) , etc..
>
> Hope your Monday is going better.
>
> ps> it's my Birthday today, not sure what my car is trying to tell  
> me ;-)
>
>
> -Peter Schulz
> Chelmsford Ma, USA
> http://www.naaclub.org/
>
> 1995.5 S6 Avant Emerald/Ecru
> 1995.5 S6 Avant Silver/Platinum
> 1991 90Q 20v Q Red
> 1991 90Q 20v Indigo
> 1991 CQ silver  (eS2 recipient)