RE: clutch pedal hanging loose-1-2 inches play?

[EICHSTEV@aol.com]

Michael Williams said:
>  hey all, a wierd thing with the UrQ, this has been there since i bought 
>  the car.  here is this free play in the clutch, but its not like the 
>  normal free play where you press the pedal for an inch before something 
>  starts happening, this is where the actual pedal is hanging about an inch 
>  or so from the top of its travel...
>
>  Has anyone had this problem before?  the clutch works just fine, very 
>  nice and smooth...

BTDT.  At 170k miles I would just about guarantee the bushing in the clutch
pedal where the push rod to the clutch MC is gone.  Mine was horrible at 150k,
so bad that the PO had made a little rod extension so the clutch could be
disengaged without the pedal hitting the carpet.  I had to replace the clutch
pedal as well as the clutch MC rod with clevis which was also badly worn.

This seems to be a very common problem on 4kqs and GTs, perhaps 5ktqs also
(any Audi with a hydraulic clutch actually).  Most people don't notice the
problem until the clutch pedal starts hitting the floor or the squealing of
metal on metal bothers them too much when the clutch is disengaged.

Oh yeah, good luck finding a good used pedal and of course new ones are pretty
pricey from the dealer.   You may be able to repair the pedal by machining an
oversize hole (the hole gets worn into an oval) and making a new bushing.

HTH!

Steve Eiche