New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration??

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (DrMSH)

What brand of flywheel? It may not be balanced right. That or the mechanic didn't bolt it up good.

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (DrMSH)

Only one correct way.
They can bolt it up so the dowel pins in the flywheel do not line up with the little openings in the PP, and the flywheel will sit crooked on the PP. The dowel pins will bend the lip of the PP as they torque the bolts down, and the flywheel won't sit quite straight and even on the PP/clutch assembly.
Even if the shop is a Bosch Authorized shop, and they specialize in VWs
Blagoi's Auto Repair (2 shops here in Columbus, Ohio) did exactly that to a new clutch I paid them to install. Back when I didn't work on it
Because I never discovered the problem until I replaced the tranny about a year later, they never did anything about it. I have the parts still, and I have pics.
Anyway, it is possible for it to function, and be put on incorrectly. I don't know if the flywheel would be crooked enough for you to see if you turn the engine over and watch through the timing light hole in the tranny, but you could try.
Good luck!
Broke

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (Broke)

Broke: thanks for the reply,, what do I tell the mechanic? I don't want to recite what you typed since I have no idea what I'm talking about,, but I'm not sure I can just tell him to check it because there's vibration, you know... I dunno,, maybe I'm just rambling,, this is so frustrating. I paid a lot of money for this job..

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (john green)

Just ask the mechanic if the dowel pins on the flywheel lined up with the PP OK.
The way it is built, there are (I'm trying to recall from fuzzy memory here!) 2 dowel pins spaced apart on the flywheel on the inside...oh! Here is a pic I stole from VWzealot from another thread...you can see the 2 pins and how they are spaced on this lightened flywheel.

If the pic doesn't work, check out this thread. On the pressure plate, there are cut-outs on the lip for these pins to line up with. It only fits on one way...with both pins in the PP holes...but you can rotate the flywheel a little, make one pin fit into one hole, but then the other pin doesn't, so it'll go on enough to get the bolts started, but then when it is torqued down, it breaks the PP.
My pics of my parts are at home, at lunch, if I remember to do it, I'll upload them to my site, and post again in this thread with the pics.
Anyway, ask if he is sure the 2 flywheel dowel pins lined up with the PP OK.
Was a new release plate and retaining spring used with the new clutch?
Good luck!
Broke

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (Broke)

Broke: I am so glad you're online,, yeah, I remember seeing the two dowel pinsas part of the clutch kit that i bought for the replacement.. I'm assuming the release plate is the same thing as the thrust plate..? if so then yes, it's new,, and the retaining sprong, I'm not sure about,, I saw 4 spring-looking this on the big heavy disk(which was new).. what happens if I ask the mechanic if the dowels lined up and he just says yes.. is there a next step, or would I just have live with it.. I'm so sorry to trouble you,, but you seem to have a good grip on this, to say the least http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (eastcoastdubs)

The 4 spring things you saw (probably 2 blue, and 2 yellow? ) were inside the clutch disk itself. The thrust plate is the same as the release plate...so that is good that it is new, and it is likely the retaining spring for that is new as well. The retaining spring looks like a piece of wire bent into a 'C' shape, and it fits just inside the thrust plate, and holds it inside the PP assembly.
If the mechanic states the parts were lined up OK, then there isn't much you can do to check for yourself, but to pull the tranny and look. There might be a light chance you could see the flywheel wobble while looking through the timing hole in the tranny case, but if the engine was running, I'm not sure you'd see it going that fast, and you'd have to think of some way to turn the engine over quickly enough so that you could watch the flywheel, but not so fast as it is when it is running.
Perhaps a air gun on the crank gear turning it over would let you do the trick. You'll need a helper no matter what. If not an air gun, perhaps the starter would turn the engine over fast enought o watch the flywheel. Pull the coil wire from the dizzy, and crank it over, watching the flywheel, see if it looks crooked.
Oh, does the vibration happen all the time? Like, if you are in neutral, and you rev it, does it vibrate? Or does it only do it under acceleration? If it does it in neutral when revving it, push the clutch in and see if it changes anything.
It isn't shuddering when you let the clutch out is it? I'm wondering if with the new parts, lightened flywheel, and your not being used to it has anything to do with the vibrations...perhaps you are used to 'clutching' one way, and this lightened flywheel and new parts require a different 'clutching' action...I never noticed that much of a change when I did mine, but everyone is different
I don't think that is what it is, or you'd get used to it pretty quickly. And if there are vibrations after the clutch is all the way out, that blows that theory out of the water anyway!
Oh, check to be sure the clutch cable is adjusted correctly...at the tranny, where the cable hooks to the arm, lift the arm up...you should be able to lift it by hand about 1/2 and inch or maybe less...then it should stop solid. You need that 0.5" or so of play for a proper adjustment. Anything more than 0.5" means you might not be releasing the clutch completely when you press the pedal, making for hard shifts, and anything less than 0.5" means that the clutch isn't engaging completely when you release the pedal...like you are sort of riding the clutch...which could lead to shudder under acceleration. Make sure you have the 0.5" of play at the tranny arm...adjust the cable to correct if you have to.
A new clutch will wear in in a few hundred miles, and the cable may need re-adjusted at that time. Maybe you are just slipping the clutch ever so slightly, making the vibration....wouldn't that be an easy fix?!?
Good luck!
Oh, thanks for the compliments guys! Wish me luck on my brake project coming up!
Broke

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (duff_man2000)

Just so the original poster isn't confused....we are talking about just 2 parts, and 3 names
The big heavy plate, with the finger-looking tines on it, that fits into the flywheel....that is the pressure plate. I've always heard of it just as the pressure plate, but it appears it is also called a release plate.
The little round thin plate, it fits into the middle of the pressure plate...the pushrod contacts it...I call it the release plate, it is also known as the thrust plate.
Broke

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (Broke)

ok,, the retaining spring is new then,, I bought a new one of those myself,, I'll try looking through the plug hole and see if I see a wobble,, the vibration is only there when I'm accelerating and a little bit when I'd coasting,, but if the car's out of gear then there's no vibration at all,, I'll also do the cable trick when I try to look at the flywheel this morning,,, the cable itself isn't that old, btw.. I was hoping that this thing was just my idea of getting used to a new clutch and lighter flywheel, but I really can't see that after driving it for a while yesterday.. I'll update as soon as I got something, one wya or another,, Broke, do you have AIM?

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (DrMSH)

Good thread. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

Re: New clutch & lightened flywheel: vibration?? (155VERT83)

155VERT83: thanks.. I try..
kickster: well, so far,, this is what I've noticed,, there is indeed a difference in acceleration,, albeit it's not noticeable unless you're really pushing it,, it defnitely helped me at the low rpm level,, which was a warm welcome since I have the ruro intake cam and nothing else,, but going up a hill I noticed no difference, really,, so far my advice would be not to bother unless you're gonna have the cluch replaced or something.. and btw,, my flywheel from RPI cost me $125 + $50 core.. are you in an 8V or something?