MK3 Clutch change - How difficult?

Muncher

Muncher

Muncher

Soldato
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
7,169
Location
Ipswich
The clutch on my trusty MK3 golf is starting to slip so I assume it will be on its way out fairly soon, it's done very nearly 220,000 miles and I don't know when the clutch was last changed!

I've got a few questions, having never changed a clutch before...

Which bits need replacing? The haynes manual lists the release mechanism, the pressure plate, and the driven plate...

How diffcult a job is it to do given I've never done a clutch before? Done in a morning? I've got enough tools but not a lift or anything to take the gearbox out if that is needed?
 
Well I did it on saturday afternoon and about 6 hours on sunday.

It's the first time I've done a clutch change or removed a gearbox, here's what I found....

  • It's more difficult than it looks!
  • The haynes manual misses out a lot of useful bits of info so should be taken as a vague pointer at best
  • It's not simply a case of lowering the box out as it won't drop clearly as too much is in the way, it can come out but not easily
  • I really wouldn't want to do it without an engine hoist, getting it out would be bad but getting it back in would be extremely tough
  • You need more than one pair of hands (I had two people helping)
  • The spline bolts on the driveshafts are rubbish and two got rounded off requiring removal with a dremel.
  • Centering the clutch wasn't as tricky as I thought, in fact the whole clutch change bit is easy, it's just undoing all the bolts and moving the gearbox which takes time.
  • The job would be much easier on the VX as I think it would drop out easier and certainly be quite easy with the subframe and rear clam off, however it may be more time consuming...
  • Flywheels weigh a ton so I can see why in some applications you'd want a lightened one.
 
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