HELP! Clutch pedal stuck all the way in...

[gman]

Hi all - your technical help would (again) be muchly appreciated

Would you believe it - after a weekend trip of 350 kms the VR6 just broke down two blocks before reaching my place!

I was sitting in the car with the engine off dropping off a friend. For some reason I was fidgety and pushed the clutch in and out about 5 or 6 times whilst the engine was off.

The pedal area made a wierd (almost snapping) noise and then the clutch pedal just stuck all the way in.

The car starts (its in neutral) but the gears don't engage, so obviously the clutch is not activated.

I found a small black metal rectangle (about 2X3cms) on the footwell which looks like a die-cast piece that has snapped off from something as there are four small unpainted circles on one side.

Any ideas what the problem could be?

Luckily the car is legally parked.

I've got the Bentley VR6 service manual and there is a section on the Clutch assembly. Tomor morning when its light I might try to have a closer look and see if I can fix it myself but I thought someone out there might have an idea what has happened?

The trip was heavy on the clutch as I was returning to Sydney from the Central Coast this evening and the F3 was closed at Mt Kuringai due to the bushfires with all traffic diverting to the Pacific Highway.

So I was in heavy, slow stop-start traffic for a few hours.

[h100vw]

Usually the slave cylinder gives up on cable boxes. Have a look at the broken bits first though.

Gavin

[Golf Loon]

Sounds like a pedal box issue, or the rod on the hydraulic actator.

I wonder if you have snapped off the rectangular cup that holds the slave cylinder to the pedal?

[gman]

Hopefully it isn't anything serious.

I have the day off tomorrow (luckily), so I'll have a look in the morning.

I might take some digital pix and post them here if I can't figure out what's going on..

Thanks again for all your help and advice.

[gpk_gti]

I had a very similar problem with my mk4.the piece that fell off is part of the pedal im sure.get a light and shine on the front top side of pedal.you'll find its part of the pedal.I pulled my pedal off and mig welded it back on as the mk4 has a push type cable system.had to remove part of the firewall and slave cylinder but I cant remember if the mk3 is different.happened to my mates TT before he sold it and I laughed as I didnt believe it could happen but happened to me not long after(jinxed myself) its not a good design and welding is pretty *****ty.
If it is part of the pedal,weld it and save some dosh!!:)

[Golf Loon]

Yes i agree, weld it in situe or with minimal dismantling. Pedal box removal is a shocking job.

[gman]

yep - its part of the pedal that has broken

the end of the box that pushes in the rod to the master cylinder has simply broken off

i've pushed the plastic guiding piece back into the box
now going to try to use a small 'C' clamp to hold the end piece on when the clutch is depressed as i don't have welding equipment...

with luck that will work as a temp measure till i can get it spot welded.

off to the hardware store now to buy a clamp

if i'm doing the wrong thing please sms me on 0414-851-366!

i've attached some dig pix for your mechanical pleasure...

[gman]

oops forgot to also attach this pic of the bit of the pedal that has broken off
it is the end of the box that pushes the rod to the cylinder in
(the white guiding piece slots into the box and this broken off thing pushes it in when the clutch is pressed)

[gpk_gti]

HA, thats exactly what happened to mine! easy mig weld mate! where abouts are you??

[gman]

so the story is... i managed to get a G clamp around as a temporary fix.

i drove down to a local mechanic who told me that they can't weld it in situ as there is too much risk of the car catching fire

which i'm not sure i totally believe??

hey gpk_gti i'm live bondi - i go to gym in kensington after work during weekdays - maybe i could drop by if you could help me out to weld this baby? pls sms me 0414-851-366 (i don't have internet access at work)

[gpk_gti]

i got it done at a mate of mine (which is on hols over seas now)but I can find out today at my mech.ill pm you late this arvo.

[Golf Loon]

Welders and mechanics are not always the same people.
A skilled welder would do a better job on this task than lots of mechanics and be cheaper.
There is a welder in Alexandria, near Mitchell St who is good, dont have his no, but I found him in yellow pages.
Do the ring round, its a five minute job and should be cheap.

[gman]

good advice.

i've got a mate at work who has a mig welder - i might get him to have a look at it - hopefully we can do it without the car catching fire.

my boss suggested using wet rags to line the footwell when welding.

such a poor design!

[gpk_gti]

sorry GMAN,:( been one of those nightmare days.if you have a problem can you pm me with your number and ill get back to you.

[Golf Loon]

Lining the footwell with heaps of wet cloth is a good idea and will save you heaps of dismantling time. Its only a tiny bit of welding.

[gman]

thankfully am still mobile with the car so am not stressing out too much.

i read in the service manual the steps involved in dismantling the pedal assembly and removing the clutch pedal - it doesn't look too appealing.

i particularly don't want to have to mess with the master cylinder.

such a poor design from our friends at volkswagen!

[monkeysrus]

Crikey, what a pain. Im lucky none of this sort of stuff has happened to me. My clutch is about to die though. Must go shopping for one soon.

Which mechanic did you go to??

FYI I live in Bondi too. My Vr is the one parked on the footpath on Old Sth head.:)

If you ever need some local knowledge let me know.

[gpk_gti]

all the work on my vr6 and (now my mk4 GTi)was done at alexandria, h&p motors 96696747.your wallet will still be intact when the job is done.:)