I Got A Dsm For Real!!

[HaveSomeJoe]

ok I got the car! It was actually a 1990 TSI AWD. It was a perfect situation. The woman i bought it from had no idea how rare or how much the car was worth so I think i got an excellent deal compared to the classified ads on here. I actually wanted the 1990 because I prefer the popup headlights over the other kind.

The good news:

Its got 140 thousand miles on it (which is less than my current 1994 nissan truck)
the engine runs well,
theres no shaft play in the turbo,
no boost leaks.
four new tires
new rear struts
all new brake pads and rotors
new waterpump
the body is in pretty good shape, with a one side-skirt "dangling" piece towards the front. The paint is also pretty good, theres no dents, and no big scratches.
I'm pretty sure this is a super deal it was 800 OBO, i talked her down to only $650 dollars!

The bad:
The manifold is cracked a little, so some exhaust leaks
the windshield is cracked, bad enough that i need a new one.
and finally, theres something wrong (that i could use help with) with the clutch
either its the slave cylinder, the master, or the pedal assembly.

*heres the problem, the clutch doesn't come all the way back when you push it down
and it doesn't start all the way up anyway, so it cant really disengage the
clutch very far so I couldn't drive the car back, i have to tow it back on a flatbed.
we tried bleeding the slave cylinder but there wasn't any improvement. so Im not sure.
after bleeding it, i had to manually pull it back from the floor and after about 3 inches of pulling it would back a spring pop sound and shoot back to the starting position, but when
I push back down theres still about 2 to 3 inches of free play that doesn't affect the position of the clutch. Ill try and explain what its like, the actual pedal pressure for moving the clutch is about 3 inches from the floor and down. any further back is just floppy loose free play. any ideas??

 

[TSG59_Steve]

Sorry I can't help you (I was going to suggest starting out by bleeding, next would be check the master and slave for leaks), but that's quite a steal. Good luck with figuring out the problem.

 

[EagleTalonTim]

That sounds like your clutch pedal needs to be replaced. Over time, where the pedal connects to the master cylinder under the dash, it will strip out and not fully disengage the clutch. I had that happen to me once and I just welded the nut to the arm that connects to the master cylinder, then welded shaft to nut so it would not move. It may not be the best thing to do, but I never had a problem since. You can check to see if that is your problem by letting the clutch all the way up, then putting your foot under the pedal and lifting up on it. If it comes up any, that is more than likely your problem.

 

[HaveSomeJoe]

well the pedal never comes all the way back on its own, when i first sat in the car and pushed it down, it was just sitting about 2 to 3 inches of the floor and i could push it down to the floor with what seemed like normal pressure. i could pull it back with my foot but it would just flop forwards to that 2 to 3 inch starting point. The lady said she had a crappy "backwoods" mechanic getting it road-ready and he supposedly was going to fix the problem next but he closed up shop and left. the master cylinder was full of fluid and there didnt appear to be any leaks, there was a little spot under the pedal where MAYBE it HAD leaked and then dried, but im not sure. also i should mention, there was a black 3 inch spring on the floor by the driver seat but i doubt thats the problem considering they said the mechanic had already tried something to fix it, and he obviously would have seen that spring, i think it was just an extra spring from something else. soo i don't know if this matches the description of the pedal stripping thing or not but the car is 60 miles away and im bringing it home tonight or tommorow.

 

[malern28us]

I would like to try to help. I have a 95 Eagle TSI and have had the same problem happen to me twice. The first time I thought it was crankwalk and took it to a shop. I later found out (100 bucks later) that it was slave cylinder on clutch. When it happened the second time, two years later, I went under the car and fixed it myself using a brake bleeder vacuum pump and a $35 slave cylinder from Buschurs. I think it took me one hour lying under my car in the parking lot of my apartment complex with no jack, jackstands, or lights other than a penlight.
Eric