throw out bearing??

[poorpake]

Hello I hope this is the correct place to post this. First time posting... long time reader.

1985 Vanagon
2.2 L subaru Legacy powerplant (rebuild from CCR)

I purchased and installed Small Car conversion kit purchased from their web page. The system has about 30,000 mi on it at this point. Running very well with just a few idle, vacuum hoses issues to chase down.
Recently;
I am hearing the classic high pitched squeal noise of a bearing (throw out or slave??) when i begin to let the clutch out in 1st gear. The noise goes away once the clutch pedal is is released and the van is moving down the road. Engine and road noise might drown out the noise shifting to 2nd- 3rd- etc.

Sometimes there is no noise and the clutch pedal feels normal through its travel while engaging the flywheel.
When the noise is present, it feels like the clutch engages much sooner in the travel of the pedal.

1) throw out bearing or slave? Is it maybe pilot bearing?
2) @ 30,000 mi it seems early to have a bearing problem. Has anyone seen this in other conversions?
3) Can i get away with swapping out the bearings or do the whole clutch job?
4) advice or questions

b

['88MoneyPit]

Could be a throw out bearing and hopefully not a messed up pressure plate. We have a buggy whose throw out fork broke when I went to shift last summer. Bearing exploded and bent the pressure plate. Check your throw out bearing fork for typical VW style wear. If the Clutch and PP are ok, you dont have to replace.

S

[cvbill]

Just had this happen on my '89 Syncro. Noise and pedal travel/ engagement issue just as you describe. Found that the pilot bearing totally shot, rollers and inner race gone, only outer race in flywheel left. Didn't see any debris in bell housing either. Only found the problem when using the temp pilot shaft to center the clutch plate. Replaced throw out bearing, clutch plate, pilot bearing. All VW parts. I am running a 2.2 Subaru setup as supplied by Kennedy Engineered Products.
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Ideology trumps Reality - no exceptions

[Syncro Jael]

[alaskadan]

Not sure how old your kit is. I have a 2.5 with SC kit that is a year and a half old. Did your kit require putting the spacer in the master cylinder?

[poorpake]

No spacer for my kit. SC didnt have that available at the time.
They did offer to send me a spacer... not %100 sure what it does. When the system was brand new i thought the clutch engaged quite late in its travel. So maybe that is addressed w/ the spacer??

So anyway i will pull it, inspect and likely replace all.

Thanks for the help.

b

[kalispell365]

THIS is the proper fix:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1723610

Fred is a great guy, and his product is excellent.
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1983 Diesel Vanagon Westfalia chassis with Subaru 2.2l

[poorpake]

Kalispell365
i have not seen this fix. Is there something about the clutch, pedal, small car housing that causes the TOB to fail?
This looks like a good product. Will likely purchase. Just want to know the specifics of my current set up.

b

[kalispell365]

Here is a large thread about this problem. The clutch slave/ throwout bearing is being overextended because of the difference in fluid volume between the stock Vanagon clutch master and the later VW golf/ Jetta/ Beetle internal slave used on your Smallcar setup. The pedal modification by Fred changes the stroke length and will remedy this permanently.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4...;start=160
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1983 Diesel Vanagon Westfalia chassis with Subaru 2.2l