[dksob81]

This might be a little long winded.......I have a 2012 Beetle Turbo. The clutch went out (completely burned up, only have clutch material on one side of the disc). Replaced the clutch, slave cylinder, along with a new dual mass flywheel. Bled the system and after driving it approximately 1 mile, come to a stop and then it will not go in to gear. I can pump the clutch a few times & then it will be fine for another 3/4 mile or so. Bled the clutch more, & more & more = Same result.
Replaced the master cylinder & bled the system - same thing. I just, today, replaced the hydraulic line & the bleeder block - no change at all.

I have bled this thing probably 2 dozen times (manually, gravity bleeding & even following the OE instructions with pressure bleeding the system multiple times)....To no avail. I have no idea what to do next. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[billymade]

The six speed clutches have a classic hydraulic bleeding issue; i found the Phoenix System V5 reverse bleeder to actually work.

Phoenix Systems (2104-B) V-5 Reverse Brake Bleeder,

phoenix systems v5 - Google Search

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[dksob81]

The six speed clutches have a classic hydraulic bleeding issue; i found the Phoenix System V5 reverse bleeder to actually work.

Phoenix Systems (2104-B) V-5 Reverse Brake Bleeder,

phoenix systems v5 - Google Search

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am going to pick up the V12 now & give that a try. I will let you know. Thanks!!!

 

[dksob81]

The six speed clutches have a classic hydraulic bleeding issue; i found the Phoenix System V5 reverse bleeder to actually work.

Phoenix Systems (2104-B) V-5 Reverse Brake Bleeder,

phoenix systems v5 - Google Search

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I used the phoenix systems V12 bleeder 4 times on this dang car & still cannot get a good pedal. It will be fine, but it I leave the car running for 15 minutes the clutch will be crap again.

 

[billymade]

The reverse bleeder was a fix for my bleeding issue on my 02M with my 2002 New Beetle Turbo S; all the air was removed and had a perfect, normal hard pedal. When, i installed the new throw out bearing; the air in the clutch system; caused the pedal to go to the floor and not retract but just stay down.

Can you describe, how the clutch is acting; after the bleeding process?

What brand was the clutch, throw out bearing and flywheel?


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[dksob81]

The reverse bleeder was a fix for my bleeding issue on my 02M; all the air was removed and had a perfect, normal hard pedal.

Can you describe, how the clutch is acting; after the bleeding process?

What brand was the clutch, throw out bearing and flywheel?


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After bleeding the clutch is fine, but within 1 mile you will not be able to stop & put it in 1st without pumping the clutch pedal (5-10x). This time I bled it, the clutch felt great was able to shift through gears (didn't actually drive it though), i let the vehicle idle for about 15-20 minutes while I did some other things & sure enough got back in the car & I cannot put it in 1st or second gear - did not try others.

The clutch & Slave are Duralast, the Flywheel is Valeo.

 

[billymade]

Well, things typically narrow down to a hydraulic issue, the the clutch itself or the shifter needing to be adjusted correctly.

If you have the parts list with the brands, part numbers, for the clutch, flywheel, t/out bearing, hydraulic cylinders etc; that would be helpful and we can double check the installed parts are correct fit for the car. It is common for auto parts stores; to give you the wrong parts for the six speed manual transmissions.

I have found the Luk oem clutches, flywheel, throw out bearing and related parts, to work the best and have no functional issues. In my case the original clutch/flywheel/throw out bearing, was identical and had vw, Luk logos imprinted on them.

I had issues withe a single mass flywheel conversion clutch kit from Southbend and even with a correctly bled clutch system; it never shifted right and i had all kind if issues getting into gears.

Finally, after struggling with these issues, i just went back to a oem Luk Rep Set clutch and flywheel kit; it fixed everything and all the problems were resolved.

Lastly, who did the install of the clutch; a diy job by you or a pro shop?

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[Smileybug]

I would be skeptical of the Duralast parts. Valeo is solid though.

 

[dksob81]

I put the old slave cylinder back in & it took care of the problem, been 4 days & no issues with the clutch!!

 

[billymade]

Interesting, so it sounds like the Duralast, slave cylinder was defective; did the old slave bleed easier and the pedal act or feel differently? If this is the fix, thst is nice; this slave swap, did’t require pulling the trans again.


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[dksob81]

Interesting, so it sounds like the Duralast, slave cylinder was defective; did the old slave bleed easier and the pedal act or feel differently? If this is the fix, thst is nice; this slave swap, did’t require pulling the trans again.


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Yes. the clutch bled good after reinstalling the original slave cylinder. The pedal feels fine & shifts good now. The transmission did have to be pulled to replace the slave cylinder

 

[billymade]

Oh, yeah, i forgot the six speed slave is inside the bell housing; did the Duralast slave, show any signs of leaking fluid?

We have heard of the slaves sometimes leaking and they can get damaged, when installing, some try pre-bleeding not recommended before install causing damage to the internal seal (Luk had a tech bulletin on this problem).


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[dksob81]

Oh, yeah, i forgot the six speed slave is inside the bell housing; did the Duralast slave, show any signs of leaking fluid?

We have heard of the slaves sometimes leaking and they can get damaged, when installing, some try pre-bleeding not recommended before install causing damage to the internal seal (Luk had a tech bulletin on this problem).


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No leaks whatsoever. That's what I was hoping to see when I pulled the transmission.

 

[billymade]

I don’t know who supplies the parts for the Duralast clutch kit; while people have complained about slave cylinders failing before or after install (poor quality parts or installer error?).

I have always stuck with oem Luk slave cylinders, followed the vw factory manual and Luke tech bulletin installation procedures with solid results. I bled the clutch system with with the phoenix systems reverse bleeder and always did this after the clutch was installed, trans installed, not before.


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[dksob81]

I don’t know who supplies the parts for the Duralast clutch kit; while people have complained about slave cylinders failing before or after install (poor quality parts or installer error?).

I have always stuck with oem Luk slave cylinders, followed the vw factory manual and Luke tech bulletin installation procedures with solid results. I bled the clutch system with with the phoenix systems reverse bleeder and always did this after the clutch was installed, trans installed, not before.


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Unfortunately, LUK is not readily available through any of my suppliers

 

[billymade]

Internal Slave Cylinders Technical Bulletin Number LB163

Internal Slave Cylinders Technical Bulletin Number LB163 - Google Search

Internal Slave Cylinders Technical Bulletin Number LB163 - Google Search

Note: quote from tech bulletin: "Slave cylinders located inside the bellhousing require special handling to guarantee proper operation: Do not change the position of the release bearing. Moving the bearing from its position may result in damage to the seal and void the warranty." (emphases mine)

LuK Slave Cylinder LSC320


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[billymade]

Places like, advance auto, rock auto, autohausarizona, fcpeuro, amazon, etc carry them, if you need one later (lets hope the old one holds up)! :

luk lsc320 slave cylinder - Google Search

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