Pushing clutch wont allow me to change gears

[mattscook27]

i have a 1961 vw beetle that i just recently got running. At first when i drove it i noticed it was hard to change gears but disregarded it. The other day was driving it and at first was able to get all 4 gears but as i kept driving it could only get reverse unless i spent a long time trying to go forward but only had first and second. eventually i lost all gears in the sense that my clutch doesn't seem to be working.i can start engine but pressing the clutch pedal doesnt allow me to change out of neutral(itll just grind). What could it be, it seems as my arm doesn't move that much when i press the pedal, or is it throw out bearings? doesnt make any sounds tho.

[vwjetboat]

clutch cable stretching/ breaking ... have you tried adjusting it more ? look at cable to see if its coming apart ?

[Eric&Barb]

Check clutch pedal play. Should be about 3/8" to 3/4", personally like to shoot for just under 5/8". Need to check that now and then, especially when you just installed a new cable or clutch parts recently. Waiting till you can not shift means you put a lot more wear on the syncros in the transaxle, and clutch disc. You can cause so much heat from the clutch not fully disengaging that you can have the clutch pressure plate spring/s loose their springiness, leaving you with a clutch that slips anytime you try to drive up even a slight hill. So better to adjust for proper clutch pedal play before it becomes a much bigger problem.

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[bluebus86]

the cable can stretch, and eventually break, the cables hook on the pedal shaft can also wear out, bend, and fail. often the symptom will be less and less clutch disengagement, until it completely fails. so check the cable and the hook on the pedal shaft that attached to the cable. either one of these failing will cause the symptom you discribe. when you put it back together with new parts, be sure to lube the cable and the hook to reduce wear.

good luck
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Stop introducing dirt into your oil when adjusting valves ... https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=683022

[mattscook27]

i did all that and put another spacer on that rubber tube(blanking on what its called) tightened it until the play was about .8 inch,(measured with measuring tape). fixed the problem, but was driving it and clutch cable broke haha. But thanks so much for helping with the first issue.

[bluebus86]

[Eric&Barb]

[glutamodo]

And there's the long-shot problem, the pilot bearing built into the "gland nut" that secrures the flywheel to the crankshaft, it can go bad, and "grip" the input shaft, so the transaxle never sees a full release even if the clutch is working properly. I say "long shot" here since gland nut pilot bearings seldom go bad (compared to crank-mounted pilot bearings on type 4, late vanagon and inline-mounted watercooled engines)

The actual movement of the clutch arm really isn't that much, here's what I see on my 62:

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Andy T.


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