Transmission or clutch going?

[gregoron]

My 2000 VW Jetta GL 5 speed manual with 111k miles is getting harder to shift gears.

First, my clutch is squeeking from the clutch housing itself whenever I depress it. It's harder to step on when the engine is not running.

Second, my first gear is hard to engage and I'd sometimes grind it when shifting from a standstill.

Does this mean my clutch or tyranny is going, or are both going bad?

 

[salv]

slave cylinder. throwout bearing.

 

[NHGUY]

Sounds like the pressure plate is going.

 

[rjundi]

My experience with squeaking like that was the throw out bearing is failing.

You basically have to remove the clutch to replace an inexpensive part. So you likely should consider replacing the entire clutch.

 

[bigjl]

The squeak is not relevant to the difficulty in selecting gear.

Change the clutch, I assume the "throw out bearing" is a different name for clutch release bearing? So that will be part of the clutch kit and easy to do during a itch change.

It is more likely the pressure plate is past its best aswell.

Not sure if that year of Jetta had a cable or hydraulic clutch but I think it was hydraulic, I had a Seat Toledo '99 with the 1.9 Tdi lump and 5speed gearbox (110bhp) which was underneath a Golf/Jetta/Bora/Octavia and the gearbox is a fairly strong unit.

If you have trouble getting first, try putting it into 2nd or 3rd prior to selecting first see if that helps.

But all your symptoms point to needing a new clutch.

This doesn't sound hydraulic, unless there is improvement when you pump the clutch.

Think yourself lucky your car doesn't have the "kidney bean" problem.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: gregoron
My 2000 VW Jetta GL 5 speed manual with 111k miles is getting harder to shift gears.

First, my clutch is squeeking from the clutch housing itself whenever I depress it. It's harder to step on when the engine is not running.

Second, my first gear is hard to engage and I'd sometimes grind it when shifting from a standstill.

Does this mean my clutch or tyranny is going, or are both going bad?


Two quick & easy things to do to improve your mk4 manual transmission experience:

1. Change the fluid. 17mm hex will remove the fill & drain plugs (remove the fill plug first!), you'll get about 1.5 liters out. Refill with OEM G060 fluid or whatever GL4 you like (Red Line MTL, Amsoil MTG, etc...), you'll need a bit less than 2 liters. With the car level (or slightly pitched down in the rear) fill until it runs out of the fill hole. FWIW, I did mine with the front up on Rhino Ramps and it worked fine. A slight overfill is much better than a slight underfill.

2. Realign your shifter linkages. Dieselgeek has excellent instructions and a very easy to follow YouTube video. Takes all of 5 minutes and does often makes a world of difference.

Bonus fix for free: flush your brake fluid (DOT 4) if it hasn't been done in the past 2 years. 11mm six-point wrench for the bleeder nipples and be sure you get all 5 including the clutch slave cylinder.

 

[default]

Pop the clutch master cap off, black [censored] in the bottom? Time for a new hydraulic system.

 

[gregoron]

Thanks for the replies. I just changed gear oil last year but noticed that there's some weeping near the drain plug. May need to tighten that and topoff. Yes, it is a hydraulic clutch that shares brake oil fluid. I would need to change brake fluids too as it has been more than 2 yrs. I did reallign the shift linkages and that seemed to improve shifting a little.

I'm just hoping that it isn't the trans yet. I guess I can live with a manly clutch for now.

 

[Quest]

@OP: rest easy, ma friend.

A/T gearboxes, no matter how well they built and maintained, they will eventually go bad (slip and cannot engage, etc.) due to friction disc wear. The only exception to the rule is CVT varieties which runs differently( band might snap but that's mechanical).

M/T gearbox, unless they suffered from impact-related stress to the gears and bearings within, otherwise, given the proper gear oil used, they will "whine" more as they age, and may become more difficult to shift into gear (double-clutching is the way) as brass synchro rings becomes worn.

M/T gearboxes will still run regardless of wear, they don't fail drastically on you like typical A/T box does.

Q.

 

[TallPaul]

I would not change the fluid as you may lose the fluid when they drop the transmission to inspect/service the clutch and slave cylinder. I would suspect clutch/slave is issue, not transmission.

 

[GearheadTool]

Originally Posted By: gregoron
My 2000 VW Jetta GL 5 speed manual with 111k miles is getting harder to shift gears.

First, my clutch is squeeking from the clutch housing itself whenever I depress it. It's harder to step on when the engine is not running.

Second, my first gear is hard to engage and I'd sometimes grind it when shifting from a standstill.

Does this mean my clutch or tyranny is going, or are both going bad?


I had to have the clutch changed on my 1986 Jetta Deluxe. $637.

Ran perfectly after that, until broadsided by a 19919 Chevrolet Caprice Classic.

Clutch.

 

[mattd]

Time for clutch service with T/O bearing. I'd change slave cylinder and master for slave cylinder and flush the line.

 

[TallPaul]

Ask for the best quality parts so it will last. If you drop the transmission at the miles you have, do clutch, pressure plate, pilot bearing, slave, release beaing, and have the flywheel resurfaced if it needs it (it may not, in which case they should just go over it with fine sandpaper).

 

[gregoron]

Question on gear oil now. On my last gear oil change last year, I used OEM G60 and since then I noticed some weeping near but not from the drain plug. Should I have used a thicker oil? Would the notchiness or failure to engage some gears be reduced by thicker gear oil?

 

[TallPaul]

Not sure about the weeping. Thicker oil may help the notchiness. More likely is that an oil with better or different firction characteristics may help the notchiness. I like the Redline brand of fluid. Look your vehicle up at the redlineoil site and it will tell you all the fluids, scroll to the manual transmission recommendation and that is the one to use. If it is ATF you may consider something thicker, but not a lot thicker..

 

[demarpaint]

The TOB is probably the source of the noise. The harder shifting is the clutch itself, which is probably not full releasing. Does it grind going into reverse? Either way its time for a full clutch job, no point in dropping the transmission to change the TOB and leave the other parts. Do the whole job, once. Once the transmission is out check for the source of the weeping, repair it, and refill the unit with the mfg spec'd fluid.

 

[bigjl]

Just one thing when it comes to heavy clutches on VW cars.

A mate I went to school and Uni with had a Scirocco with the 1.8i engine and 5 speed box.

It was different in that it had a cable rather than hydraulic as in the OP's case.

But he had this heavy clutch for a year or so until one day he pushed the pedal down and it tore the locating points out the firewall.

This was not actually as rare as you might think.

He had been struggling with the clutch in a similar way to the OP, he would sometimes have to put it in first with the clutch down prior to starting to even get it in first.

Heavy clutches are not new in the VeeDub scene IMOH.

If you don't replace the clutch soon you are unlikely to rip the firewall but you may cause gradual and permanent damage to the gearbox.

Clutch could be failing to disengage properly or dragging.

 

[gregoron]

Thanks. I'm thinking that my clutch TOB and/or the spring plate is the culprit. I also haven't changed the brake fluid for more than the 2 year change interval. I say the spring plate because when the engine is not running it is harder and noisier when I step on the clutch than when it is running. The TOB may also be lacking in lubrication by now. I wish there was some way I can lubricate the TOB from the starter mount.