"Draggy" GTTDI 130 Clutch

[nial]

Hi all,


I have a Golf PD130 (with 6 sp. box) which has a draggy clutch (i.e. difficulty in engaging gear). It seems to get worse when warm and is getting progressively harder to engage gear in general when the vehicle is stationary. Pumping the clutch doesn't seem to make any difference. The car is 2002 and has 120k on it, and the previous owner had it since new. It has never been driven hard and the DMF is not noisy.

I have had a search on this forum and others but most clutch faults on the mk4 seem to relate to problems with slipping clutches or unrelated master cylinder faults with different symptoms
.My thoughts are that the clutch would slip if worn rather than drag. So I thought I would ask first here to see what the consensus is and also to find out if this is a common problem, before diving in and ripping the box off to investigate further. One other contributor on another forum suggested that maybe the pressure regulator valve which is in-line between the master and slave cylinders. Anyone aware of this as a failure for the symptoms described? Any input or advice gratefully received.Many thanks

[deprice99]

Hi,
I ran clutch centre for 7 years so this is what I would do.
When stationary with the engine running pump the clutch like mad and try to get it in gear if it doesnt go in to gear, turn the engine off, put it in gear and start the car with your foot on the clutch. If the car doesnt try to drive off and the 'bite point' is in the right place then i wouldnt say its a hydraulic issue.
120k isnt a bad innings for a clutch, if you decide to replace it always replace the flywheel too and i would only buy a LUK or SACHS. LUK do the clutch and flywheel as a kit but doesnt always come with the thrust bearing that you also need to replace.
From memory I cant remember what type of clutch actuation you have on a 2002, some have a concentric cylinder with the thust bearing built into it (more money but needs replacing) You can tell by looking on the top of the gearbox, if you can see the slave cylinder then you dont have a concentric cylinder.
Hope this helps, need anything else let me know.
David

[nial]

Hi David,

Many thanks for the reply - it is appreciated, but in the end I had to bite the bullet and drop the box out as I was under pressure to finish it. I am still none the wiser, as the clutch that came out of it looked good and still had significant lining on it. Also the pressure plate has very minimal wear and the springs seemed to be in good nick. The DMF was rock solid, and I elected not to replace it even though I did get a replacement. I replaced the clutch plate, pressure plate, and concentric slave.The clutch is much better now but still not 100%. Time will tell if the decision not to replace the DMF was wise...

Thanks again fr your input.

[deprice99]

Hi,
The DMF is what takes the 'drag' out of the clutch, conventional clutches had springs in the centre which gave the clutch a bit of give to let you change gear. DMF clutches are usually a solid plate, all those springs are in the DMF. The clutch lining is there to prevent the slipping, so if the clutch looks fine, it probably isnt the problem! There are tolerences of movement, but I always would advise replacing them, but it shouldnt be solid, you should be able to 'twist' it about 20-40mm either way, any more or less the flywheel is shot. I have had flywheels seize up, or get minimal movement and when this happens it will drag, sometimes you can see it on the straps of the clutch cover as it bends the straps.
Hope you sort it out!