TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:01 am

I have a 69 Type 2 that is giving me hella problems. I rebuilt the engine almost 6 months ago and replaced all the clutch components. The engine is doing fine but the clutch isn’t right. The through out arms have broken off twice and the clutch just hasn’t felt right. The pressure plate is new and I did the whole half turn all they way around and what not till it was tightened right. Its just getting really frustrating but I’ve learned to drive with out a clutch pretty well now. Any help is great. Thanks so much.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:49 am

Are you using the correct collared pressure plate?

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:13 am

I am using what they gave me when I went to our foreign car parts store here. They haven't done me wrong yet.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:22 am

I went through something similar once. I think I broke only one lever arm. That was after I pulled the motor and replaced the throwout bearing clips, or something. Point intended is that you are doing the right thing. You can get the bugs ironed out and have a reliable bus again.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:22 am

What i should have asked is do you have a 69 trans-axle?The motor don't care as long as it's got a 200mm flywheel.Was it the same style as you replaced?

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:45 am

As far as I know it is a 69 trans-axle. I looked at them when I installed them and everything looked the same. I don't know if I could have some how gotten a bad one or it looked the same but wasn't.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:51 am

That looks like the one I installed.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:56 am

That looks right,did you replace the through-out bearing,is it possible that you got the disc in backwards?

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:00 am

Everything went in right. Everything worked for a while but than it kept getting lose like the throw-out arms were getting weak and bending. They are the 3 piece where the arms are welded to the rod.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:04 am

bsairhead wrote: s it possible that you got the disc in backwards?

not possible.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:10 am

When clutch fork broke the first timde, did you replace it or weld the old one? I have never been able to weld the old ones and have them last. Then there is the issue of adjustment. If the clutch pedal has that 3/4 in. of free play at the top it is not necessary to push the pedal to the floor to shift. That causes more stress than necessary on that part. I hope this makes sense.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:12 am

I've always just replaced it. It seemed better than trying to fix it.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:15 am

When you say throw-out arms do you mean on the pressure plate or the clutch fork?If you mean the pressure plate it's the older style and not what you pictured.What you pictured is the correct replacement plate and should work.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:29 am

Clutch fork. Sorry to not be clear.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:42 am

Hill.Jonathan wrote: I went to our foreign car parts store here.

If possible, shop at VW only parts houses. VW people usually know what's up with VW's. They don't divi up their knowledge between VW and a million other vehicles.
Have you checked your service manual to see if you have the right combination of parts? Mainly with a T.O. bearing guide sleeve or not to match the correct T.O. bearing and fork? Early trans and clutch systems are different than late ones. So you might have something not original to your year.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:00 pm

I had a similar problem in my ’70. I replaced several TO bearings and the lever twice. It would work great for a short while after replacing parts then do the same thing over again. I finally discovered that the problem was that a single arm of the pressure plate was messed up (it was very hard to see). It was throwing things off just enough that they would die quickly. On the plus side, I got very good at pulling the motor, and driving without the clutch. Take a long hard look at the fingers on that pressure plate.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:31 pm

Germansupplyscott says its impossible to install the clutch disc backwards,i have read from others that i also respect that it can be done.I have no idea that it is the OP's problem,but is it possible?

Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:42 pm

i bought it new. Could it have been messed up when I got it. It never felt right after I installed the new one. Is the German one better (looks like this: ) over the previous one I showed?

Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:58 pm

That does not look like the one I had, or like any I have seen for a bus. Mine looked like this...

You may have the wrong part.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:00 pm

What I have in there is the very first one I posted. I just did some looking and was wondering.