clutch wont disengage - help troubleshoot

[RyanCanadaTSI]

Car is a 90 Talon TSI AWD.

When i depress the clutch it feels spongy and soft and doesnt disengage the clutch (ie cannot put the car in any gear). In order to get it from my house to my dads garage i needed to shut off car, place in gear and start it. Even when the clutch was all the way to the floor as soon as it started the car would jump forward like it was trying to engage.

Upon further inspection slave and master both look good. No leaking inside or outside the car. Also, when i pull back the slave cylinder i can move the clutch release fork back and forth like its loose, not sure if this is normal.

When i searched the only thread that came close to answering my question was this one
[RESOLVED] Clutch Doesnt Disengage... I can't find answers before pulling tranny

Please shed some light on my situation, i hope i dont have to pull the tranny.

Thanks in advance

P.S. dont have privaeges to post in drivetrain tech. Had to post here in Newbie.

 

[talondave]

Do you still have the stock rubber line? If so check for the line ballooning out when you press in the clutch! If the line is good you must have some air in your lines!

 

[AWDGrayBird]

You should not be able to move the clutch fork but forward, back unless it came unclipped from the TOB also it might have came off the pivot ball or something broke like your fork or TOB. You are going to need to pull it.... I am 100% sure to make sure you fix it right.

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

I know we're not supposed to reply with "do a search", but there are actually several threads on here that deal with your problem. Search for "clutch disengagement"

Also, check out these links from TRE:
TRE TECH TIPS
Frequently Asked Questions

Scroll down to "clutch adjustment" on this page at RRE:
RRE's Clutch And Flywheel Tech Info

Watch the "proper clutch adjustment" and "pivot ball shimming" videos at Jack's page:
Transmission Videos

 

[RyanCanadaTSI]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys

I know we're not supposed to reply with "do a search", but there are actually several threads on here that deal with your problem. Search for "clutch disengagement"

Also, check out these links from TRE:
TRE TECH TIPS
Frequently Asked Questions

Scroll down to "clutch adjustment" on this page at RRE:
RRE's Clutch And Flywheel Tech Info

Watch the "proper clutch adjustment" and "pivot ball shimming" videos at Jack's page:
Transmission Videos

I spent alot of time searching but I couldnt find a specific answer to my question. The two main questions i had (but didnt really ask them properly - my appolgies), were:

1) if you pull back the slave cylinder, how much play should there be in the clutch release fork?

2) what would cause the clutch to be engaged immediately upon start-up with the clutch depressed? - it appears you beleive it could be simply an adjustment issue. I hope your right - that would be the easiest fix.

Thanks to all for the responses. If anyone has anything else to add I welcome the comments.

The problem with searching sometimes is that conclusions to the threads are often not updated by the orginal poster. So people who search dont get the luxury of knowing what eventually fixed the problem.

 

[sschambers]

Check and re-check all lines and master/slave clyinders.

If I remember right, there is a tad bit of play in the fork (just a TAD).

Make sure you're using brake fluid and not something else when filling the master cylinder up .

Try bleeding the clutch. Don't just jack up the front of the car, get all 4 wheels in the air when bleeding the clutch. I've had the best luck this way and it's even recommended to do this in the manual. Get ALL of the air bubbles out of the lines. It's also easiest to have 3 people. 1 to work the pedal, 1 filling the master cylinder and 1 popping the bleeder valve.

If this doesn't work, try adjusting the master cylinder rod. Make sure you leave a little play at the top of the pedal (like 1/4" I think?) because if not, the master cylinder will 'pump itself' up and your pedal will be hard as a rock, and this isn't good for the thrust bearing.

If that doesn't work, you may have a bigger problem on your hands.

Bad fork/ball
Shattered T/O bearing
Bad pressure plate

Questions to ask yourself:
How long has this been happeneing?
Did it gradually start doing this or just all of a sudden?
Is this a new clutch/flywheel assembly? - If so, was the flywheel cut to proper stepping height?
Slave cylinder bolts tight?
Are there any noises when pressing the clutch in? (Try doing this with the car off).

Hope this helps.

Steve

 

[turboAWDfanatic]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys



I spent alot of time searching but I couldnt find a specific answer to my question. The two main questions i had (but didnt really ask them properly - my appolgies), were:

1) if you pull back the slave cylinder, how much play should there be in the clutch release fork?

2) what would cause the clutch to be engaged immediately upon start-up with the clutch depressed? - it appears you beleive it could be simply an adjustment issue. I hope your right - that would be the easiest fix.

Thanks to all for the responses. If anyone has anything else to add I welcome the comments.

The problem with searching sometimes is that conclusions to the threads are often not updated by the orginal poster. So people who search dont get the luxury of knowing what eventually fixed the problem.

1) A lot (if you mean side-to-side). Very little if you mean up-down.
2) Several things. Low hydraulic fluid, air in fluid, bad fork/ball, bad TOB, worn clutch pedal, bad clutch line...

If you read the links I gave you, and watch Jack's videos, your questions will be answered. It's not necessary for OP's to follow up on the solution for you to glean from all the suggestions that people gave the OP.

Trust me, I only asked one or two questions in the first two years I was on this forum. The rest of my questions had already been answered 100 times over before I even arrived on the scene.

Here's some more links that explain how the clutch system works:
Taboo Speed Shop - Perfect clutch setup
Taboo Speed Shop - Clutch release mechanism explained

Good luck!