Volume 5 - Adjusting the Clutch

Your clutch should have about 1/2" ~ 1" of play at the pedal. Grab the clutch pedal with your hand and push it in till you meet hard resistance, this is your free play. If it has more (or less) than 1/2" ~ 1" it's time for an adjustment. This procedure is easiest with two people but it can be done with one.

Required Items:

Floor Jack (the car's jack will work for this also)

Jack Stands

Trouble Light

Safety Goggles

Vice Grips

13mm wrench (older models)

Clutch Cable Adjustment Tool (preferred but not required)

Prepping the vehicle

I like to jack the car up and place it on jack stands, it's fairly low back there and any lift of the rear end will make the job much easier. If you are going to jack the car up with a floor jack, place the jack's contact plate under the flat part of the pan directly in front of the transmission and lift the car. This will lift both wheels off the ground together. Place the Jack stands under the torsion tubes (large circular bar going across the chassis directly in front of the transmission and lower the car on to the stands. Make sure the stands are squarely under the torsion housing. (Note: Never work under a vehicle that is suspended with a jack).

If the play in the pedal is excessive, the cable will need to be tightened. Conversely, loosen the cable if there is no play. The adjustment consists of moving the wing nut (or 13mm nut on earlier models) at the rear end of the clutch cable forward or backward to achieve the correct free play. Always wear goggles when under the car, dirt or rust in your eyes can require medical attention.

From the back of the car, slide under the engine with your head toward the front of the vehicle. On the drivers side of the transmission next to the engine you'll see an arm with a cable going through the top of it, this is the clutch arm. The last 3" inches of the cable is a threaded bolt. Clamp the vice grips on the unthreaded part of the bolt to keep the cable from turning. There might be allot of tension on the arm making it difficult to adjust, this is where the other person comes in. Have them press the clutch pedal and when the arm is pulled forward, wedge a 3" socket extension between the arm and the front of the engine, when they pull their foot off the pedal, the tension on the cable will be removed making it easier to adjust. Older VW's have 2 nuts at the end of the cable, one (the rearmost) is a locking nut. The newer VW's use a large wing nut that can be turned by hand or using the Clutch Adjustment Tool.

Note: Much of the time, the cable is rusted or covered with road grime making it difficult to adjust. A small brush and some WD-40 works wonders taking care of this problem.

Back off the locknut (if equipped). Adjust the wing nut or nut forward on the cable to remove free play. At this point you will have to slide back out from under the vehicle and check the pedal free play (an assistant is invaluable for this step). Once you have the free play correct, tighten the lock nut if equipped, remove the Vise Grips, lower the car off the jacks and you're ready to go.

Chris R.