Clutch Catastrophe

I'm driving home from lunch yesterday when my clutch wouldn't engage. The pedal went down and a violent chatter was heard and the gear shift refused to move.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Close eyes and open them slowly. Step one. Get home.

You can drive a VW without a clutch, but it takes a certain amount of artful listening and feeling. The engine speed has to line up with the transmission rotation while the car is moving, and getting the car moving is the most difficult part.

So I carefully drove home, backed into the garage, and removed the engine. The pressure plate ring is not supposed to look like this, nor is it supposed to be removed from the pressure plate.





Good thing I have a spare Clutch/pressure plate/throw out bearing. Maybe it's time to put on the new exhaust while I'm at it.