20th Gti clutch master cylinder, i need help!!!!! :(

[Black20thh]

so im driving home on the 91 today, from Orange County, i had met up with a guy who wanted to buy my car, he test drove it, i drove it, everything was fine as usual. i have a 20th gti, with 117k miles on it, it ran perfect before, i dont beat it at all..but anyway, i drove about 15 miles or so, and im in 6th gear cruising, i saw traffic ahead so i coasted in neutral, when i step on the clutch, it gets stuck to the floor!! didnt bounce back, and no pressure at all!

luckily i was able to get out of the freeway with the momentum i had going. and its weird because my car has been fine before, i usually checked the reservoir and it never seemed low.

i park in a bussiness plaza and pop the hood, looked like a line ripped and the fluid leaked out, so i thought it was an easy fix, replace the line, bleed the system, and put new fluid in.

but i saw a automotive repair shop in the bussiness plaza so i thought, hey it wont hurt to ask, i ask the guy, he puts fluid in the reservoir, he made me pump the clutch, and still it stuck to the floor!

so he tells me its possibly the master cylinder, and it would run me about $290 with labor and parts

the guy was nice enough to let me leave the car there overnight, it was either that or get it towed from the lot.
so my car will be there overnight, and it sucks because its my DD

Has this ever happened to any of you guys?? is it really that much to fix? is it just the line?
any input would be helpful, i want to get it fixed and im just really worried

thanks in advance.

[Justin_Eshelman]

You shouldn't need a new one. It just needs to be bleed properly. It isn't as simple as filling it with more fluid and pumping the clutch.

[Black20thh]

So you think just bleeding it and taking care of the line should do it?
Its like a plastic/rubber line right above the tranny.

[87vr6]

Hopefully. But there is a chance since you twice (at least) pushed the pedal to the floor that some internal seals were damaged during that process. You need a Motive Power Bleeder to do this job correctly, without any doubts.

[chocolatecamil]

I had the same issue buddy:



Thought it was the Slave Cylinder but it turned out to be the Master so I went ahead and got it replaced. It's better to just get it out of the way than just experimenting with the bleeding especially if the car is high mileage.

[87vr6]

the Master so I went ahead and got it replaced. It's better to just get it out of the way than just experimenting with the bleeding especially if the car is high mileage.

No. Spending 70 bucks (at a shop) and bleeding the system properly is worth way more than spending 500+ replacing a master that may or may not need to be replaced.

My 2000 jetta has 135k when it was totalled and both the slave and master were original.

Like I said above, he should bleed (properly) first, and then see what happens then. After that if the master or slave needs to be replaced, so be it, but neither are a cheap job on an 3/2/G car thanks to the O2M...

[Black20thh]

okay so im going to ask if they can just try the bleeding first. and im hoping its just that. i know the guy is trying to make a sale, and i understand that, but i dont want to get raped for $300 if its a $70 fix. i dont see why i need the whole cylinder if i can clearly see the line ripped and where it leaked?

but i could be wrong. oh and thanks for the responses so far guys.

[Black20thh]

oh BTW guys, so the brake fluid and the clutch fluid share or i gues you can say is also the brake fluid right?
therefore in the same reservoir..
and i remember pressing down on the brake while the car was being pushed and it felt fine? does this have anything to do with it?

[JJ2K1]

The brake lines were never compromised so they are fine. You said you saw the fluid on top of the transmission so that tells me that the line from the clutch master to slave was the culprit. You need to tow your car home so i does not get messed with by people who are seeking a crime of opportunity. Order the replacement hose, swap it out, ask around locally who has a motive power bleeder, and bleed the system yourself. There is a DIY on the vortex on how to properly bleed your system. I just hope for your sake, since you were looking to sell your car, that the slave cylinder is not compromised. That would required dropping your transmission to fix.

[Black20thh]

Just my damn luck.....
Got a call about 30 mins ago from the dude at the shop.
He said its the slave cylinder and it would cost 650 + tax to fix it!


First he said 290 amd its the master, now he said he put it on a rack, took a good look and its definately the slave cylinder :/

[Justin_Eshelman]

Maybe he just doesn't know how to properly bleed it so he's assuming it's the slave cylinder?

[ihaverickets]

Hey man, with what you're describing it seems like it's the master cylinder that is the problem. I tried bleeding my clutch but since the master cylinder was all seized up nothing was coming through. Here's my thread and there is a link within it to another thread where someone had a similar issue...

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-clutch-issues

Whoever you have do the job make sure that you tell them about the clutch sensor. It's a one time shot install, if you depress the plunger before the part is installed you just wasted $xx.

[Black20thh]

Its a little confusing, i dont know if its really that or if the guy jusst wants to insanely overcharge me.
What "i" think it is, is that line carrying the fluid cracked, leaked a lot of the fluid, then maube air got.in it which caused the slave cylinder to fail, not that its the slave cylinder but since it hydraulic, no fluid is in it, therefore it cannot work properly..i think?
So maybe a GOOD bleed and replace the line?

Because if it was either the slave or master cylinder, wouldnt the car have sypmtoms before it actually fully gave out?? like, a lot of travel in the pedal, noise?, sometimes i guess it can be stiff? .I.could be wrong, i dont know but that seems logical.

And i can guarrantee you guys that the car was in perfect shape that day ealier, it always has been. Never gave me any problems, clutch had plenty of life, it was smooth, everything was in superb condition. No grinds at all, it shifted perfectly and incredibly smooth, so much ease to shift, honestly, it was perfect.
So its strange....still in need of help..before i get raped for my hard-earned cash


And again, thanks guys. Taking all comments into consideration.

[ihaverickets]

If I was in your situation I would get the car towed back home, reconnect that line and try to bleed the system. This will tell you a lot about the issue at hand. If no fluid comes out then it's probably an issue with the master cylinder. But since you say everything felt fine the day before then hopefully it just needs a good bleed. Find a friend with AAA, they can tow your **** wherever you need. I ended up paying $450 for to have my master cylinder replaced just to give you an idea of how much this might cost you. Anything $600+ is not worth it imho.

[Black20thh]

If I was in your situation I would get the car towed back home, reconnect that line and try to bleed the system. This will tell you a lot about the issue at hand. If no fluid comes out then it's probably an issue with the master cylinder. But since you say everything felt fine the day before then hopefully it just needs a good bleed. Find a friend with AAA, they can tow your **** wherever you need. I ended up paying $450 for to have my master cylinder replaced just to give you an idea of how much this might cost you. Anything $600+ is not worth it imho.

yea thats what i am going to do. the mechanic we have gone to before is actually a really close friend of my brother-in-law and hes going to get one of his buddies to tow for $50 later on today.
i had called him and talked to him about it the day it happened.

i just happened to get stuck out there so, there was no way i could have taken it to him in the first place. but thats what i am going to do now.

its worth the shot, at least i will have the car literally a block away (at his shop). and not in another city..with people i dont know. i dont mind paying the money, im always like that with my cars, but if there is one thing i hate, is when people try to take advantage of others...

And yea man im teling you, it literally happened in an instant, even a minute before that last clutch engagement (clutch step) or whatever u wanna call it, i swear a minute before that the clutch felt normal, and good like always, happened in the blink of an eye...so weird :/

its a headache but i will see what happens next. when the car gets picked up, i will snap some pics. input is still welcomed though. and greatly appreciated.

[california mk2]

600+ is wayy to much man. 3-400 is about right, that's around what I paid
When mine went out I had symptoms before hand
My clutch had way to much play and got worse everyday til it went out.

[Black20thh]

Damn Germans....

so just to keep u guys updated.....

i picked up the car, took it to my mechanic, and we tried everything....and indeed, it was the slave cylinder. so i paid $300 labor + $130 for the part. (oem)

so he gets cracking on it, dropped the tranny opened it up and tells me my clutch is wearing out..but he said i have about a year of life left in it, so i told him lets just get the car running, since i will be selling or trading the car anyway.....it gets better....

so he puts it back. gave it a good bleeding. i come to pick it up and drive it....and its so hard to put it into all the gears!
it almost feels forced, and the worst thing is, it will NOT go into reverse AT ALL! impossible.


at this point im just pissed. at him, the damn car and everyone within 20 feet of me...
im so discouraged, i loved my car. and now i officially hate VW's.....i just needed the money. but anyway...

taking it to VW today to try to diagnose it...hope they dont rape my wallet though.

[JJ2K1]

What a crime to drop the transmission and only replace the clutch slave cylinder.

[Black20thh]

What a crime to drop the transmission and only replace the clutch slave cylinder.

if i had the extra $400, believe me, i would do it. i have bills too man.

[Justin_Eshelman]

Damn Germans....

so he puts it back. gave it a good bleeding. i come to pick it up and drive it....and its so hard to put it into all the gears!
it almost feels forced, and the worst thing is, it will NOT go into reverse AT ALL! impossible.


at this point im just pissed. at him
taking it to VW today to try to diagnose it...hope they dont rape my wallet though.

Your shift linkage just needs to be adjusted. It's pretty simple and you don't even really need any tools. You can take it back to him and he should do it for free.

[flat6turboGT1]

Your shift linkage just needs to be adjusted. It's pretty simple and you don't even really need any tools. You can take it back to him and he should do it for free.

^This^ The shop SHOULD have done that as part of what you paid them for. They probably were just saving time and cutting corners.

I wouldn't even bother giving them more work if that's how they handle things though. I'd just look up the alignment DIY and do it yourself. It's pretty simple.

Good luck with it

[Black20thh]

thanks i will try that tonight.

i was kinda messing with it. with the springs on the linkage cables right?

i somewhat adjusted it, maybe i need to do it more precise, is there another adjustment or "trick" i should try? how about the pedal?

drives just fine, it isnt slippin at all, or pop out, its just hard to get the gears in

its so frustrating. it was butter smooth! i want that again...

[87vr6]

There are no "tricks" to try when adjusting the shift cables, there is only an easy, correct method.

http://www.forgemotorsport.com/content.asp?inc=media

Scroll most of the way down, look for the one labeled quickshifter VAG 6-speed.. There are directions with pictures in there of how to adjust your cables.