TheSamba.com :: View topic - Clutch pedal replacement in 1/2 hour! (Pics)

Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:35 am

First off, all credit goes to iceracer for his post on how to remove the clutch pedal for clevis pin/welding repair WITHOUT having to remove the dash. Please read his original post

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=405743&highlight=clutch+pedal+dash

I had about an 1 1/4" of play in the clutch pedal before the clutch master cylinder was being engaged and it made for a clutch that wasn't fully disengaging. I have 292,000 miles on Lars and figured it was time check the pedal.

I found that the removal of the driver's seat gave me more room to reach up under the dash and with a small light is was a pretty easy procedure!

1. Pop the little clip which holds the pin (last pic) I just used a long flat screwdriver and pushed it off.
2. Use a needle nose pliers and remove the clutch pedal spring.
3. Slide the large pivot pin to the right (passenger) until the clutch pedal is free.
4. Maneuver the pedal off of the clutch master cylinder and drop.
5. Open a Fat Tire and enjoy.

Here are some pics of the old clevis pin and the welded up clutch pedal as well as the rebuild and install. The clevis pin, brass washers and cotter pin came to about $3 at my local ACE Hardware store.

I covered the clevis pin assembly in grease and re-assembled and now my clutch works great.

Good Luck!

Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:40 am

Sweet! I've been meaning to check mine out as it's doing some weird stuff lately. Thanks for the motivation!

Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:45 pm

Once you pull out the pedal, can you adjust the master cylinder throw?
My clevis is in similar condition, no doubt.

I already have the new clevis, but wondering if there is a way to adjust the play out of the pedal.

fyi, I have new master and slave cylinder in, and the pedal is the last culprit.

kww

Sat Apr 21, 2012 3:03 am

keithwwalker wrote: ... if there is a way to adjust the play out of the pedal
Quick answer: YES
The rod coming out of the power booster into the M/C has an adjustment on the end of it.
When I decided to finally replace the two as a unit, I adjusted that rod and I have a very nice, high and firm pedal
ONE IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't take all the play out, leave a little in... you need to leave some for expansion of the metal parts

Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:28 pm

Matthew, Thank you for giving me credit for my prior post. I appreciate that. You did a great job of posting with PICS, helps much. It is not a bad job to do and I would have to say, every van out there with high miles has this issue. I saw it more and more a few years back. Mine is fine since then. :D

Sat Apr 21, 2012 7:25 pm

To diagnose this problem do you mean your clutch pedal moved laterally (side to side)? Specifically how do you recognize the problem?

Sun Apr 22, 2012 4:43 am

Not lateral play but too much freeplay up and down. The pedal moves quite a bit before there is clutch pressure. And then the clutch grabs just off the floor when releasing while driving.

Sun Apr 22, 2012 8:46 am

Thanks will have to check it out. Probably easier to do with dash off I'd think. Simple preventative maintenance seemingly.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:41 pm

Thanks Guy's for your great write up's on this problem.

I've just been standing on my head under the dash to see if I could do the job, conclusion YES I can.

Just to clarify, does the clutch cylinder shaft slide right out without a piston or nasty bits hanging on the end and oil coming out??????

I've never seen a clutch cylinder out of the van.
Thanks
Mike

Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:17 pm

Go back to the beginning of this post. His directions nail it. Master Slave and brake fluid have nothing to do with this job. The hardest part is just getting your head and tools and hands where they need to be. I used a mirror to view things.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:54 pm

Thanks for your reply Iceracer,
Oop's what I meant was.....

After moving the big pin out enough to get the pedal free, you have to move the pedal up to extract the shaft/pin from the cylinder......is it just a plain naked shaft/pin attached to the clevis which comes out the cylinder?

I've been in there laying on my back, seat out, holding the pedal down with my head, spring off, easy to see the the end of the big pin end with cir-clp.

I just wanted to know how the cylinder shaft/pin worked and what it looked like.
I will be doing the job next week after Drydocking my schooner

Thanks
Mike

Wed Apr 25, 2012 4:50 am

Schoonerman. The pedal pin will slide out of the clutch master. It looks like a long pin/naked shaft similar to a beetle master cylinder pin from the 60's.

Wed Apr 25, 2012 5:04 am

keithwwalker wrote: Once you pull out the pedal, can you adjust the master cylinder throw?
My clevis is in similar condition, no doubt.

While renewing the clevis system is the proper fix, you can also slot the master cylinder mount (without removing the pedal assembly) to get more adjustment

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5245466&highlight=clutch#5245466

Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:17 am

While renewing the clevis system is the proper fix, you can also slot the master cylinder mount (without removing the pedal assembly) to get more adjustment :bay_blue: I like this idea , for a temporary fix. I tired for 1 hour on my back, seat out ,to get to the clutch rod out. Dam my hands are to big. Cant get to it, clevis not to bad yet, so I'll try this fix! Thanks! :D

Wed Apr 25, 2012 3:54 pm

joseph928 wrote: While renewing the clevis system is the proper fix, you can also slot the master cylinder mount (without removing the pedal assembly) to get more adjustment :bay_blue: I like this idea , for a temporary fix. I tired for 1 hour on my back, seat out ,to get to the clutch rod out. Dam my hands are to big. Cant get to it, clevis not to bad yet, so I'll try this fix! Thanks! :D

I like this idea. I just did my EV a couple of days ago, and found VW had slotted the holes already.....so adjustment took five minutes.

Thu May 03, 2012 6:50 pm

Today I attacked the clutch pedal removal, followed the instructions and it took me 35 minutes to remove.

I bought a new pin and rubber boot from Autohaus and took the clutch arm to a local welding shop, had it welded and a new hole drilled ($20)
It took me over an hour to get it back in as the large pin took a bit of aligning into the support, but with a little swearing and a gulp of beer it all came together and it feels great!!!!

Thanks Guy's for the two great HOWTO write ups
This is a prime example of what The Samba is all about

Mike

Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:37 pm

Thanks to all who went before for the great posts.

I have large hands so I was skeptical about getting this job done when I looked from below. Got my pedal out and welded and reamed the worn hole today. Just waiting on the new pin now.

If you pull the instrument cluster you can get a trouble light into the clutch mechanism from just above and to the left of the brake booster. That makes more room for your hands and a mirror from below.

I made a tool out of an old screw driver to hook the c-clip from the bottom. A piece of heavy wire or 1/8" rod would probably work as well. See photos. It may be necessary to turn the c-clip so you can hook it from below. You can get your finger on the c-clip if you pull the fuse block and snake your hand, through the wires, behind and below the booster. I might just super glue or hot melt glue the c-clip to the tool to install it.

As another member pointed out you can cut off the unused arm at the top of the pedal. It makes it easier to put it back together.

Here are the urls for couple of picts.

[http://w3.gorge.net/kraus/clutchrepair]
[http://w3.gorge.net/kraus/clutch_repair]

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89 syncro hardtop
91 carat
2012 Jetta TDI

Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:50 pm

Great post indeed.

Has anyone considered putting a bearing in the clutch pedal instead of having two metal pieces grinding away at each other?

Just thinking out loud.

Leo

Sun Nov 25, 2012 12:11 am

All finished with the clutch repair now and the freeplay is perfect. Not as bad a job as I thought it might be.

The tool and hot melt glue worked great for re-installing the C clip. Here are a couple more photos showing the tool and clip ready to go back in.

[http://w3.gorge.net/kraus/clutchrepaiclip]
[http://w3.gorge.net/kraus/clutchrepairclip2]

As to the addition of a bearing; if you could find a bearing small enough to fit in the arm without weakening it that would be great. I thought about installing a bronze bushing but decided I would just grease it well and add that to my maintenance schedule.

Thu Apr 17, 2014 8:16 pm

Once again, The Samba is saving my ass by providing Amazing info! Thanks for the write-up and pictures! It sure helped to pull my clutch pedal out! Only on little issue. While removing the Clip that holds the big Pin in place, it decided to go for a walk.

I looked all over the place and even though I heard it hit some metal when it release, it's nowhere to be found.

Does anyone of you know what size of Clip I should be looking for? While I haven't tried yet, i'm pretty sure that sliding a caliper to get a mesurement in that hole will be a lot of fun. Anyone with that info handy?

Oh, and while i'm at it. Here's a scary picture of how worn out my clutch pedal and clevis pin were. No wonder why I had to push the pedal all the way to the ground to barely engage the clutch!