do i have a tranny problem

September 8, 2006 7:28 AM

is it my clutch? or my tranny? or somthing else? i drive a 2002 vw gti stick shift. since yesterday, when i give it some gas it revs up for a few seconds before it kicks in and the car actually goes with it. this never happened before. it matters not if i am shifting or in gear , it happens when i give it gas in either case. i seached and read a post about something similar when it was cold and it taking some time to catch gears, but i dont think this is similar, it kicks in after about 1-3 seconds (for now, i guess), and its still summery warm here... help me out, god i wish i was a mechanic instead of a sysadmin.
posted by fumbducker to Travel & Transportation (15 answers total)

I *just* had this problem in my 02 GTI as well. It's your clutch - it's done. Mine did *exactly* the same thing when my clutch went a month ago. Get it replaced NOW (or at least looked at by a professional) before it seizes completely and you have to pay the tow bill as well.
posted by cgg at 7:34 AM on September 8, 2006

It's possible your clutch might be out of adjustment, but yeah, you probably just need a new one.
posted by electroboy at 7:38 AM on September 8, 2006

Response by poster: i thought so; how much did it run you, if you dont mind?
posted by fumbducker at 7:38 AM on September 8, 2006

BTW, I don't have an exact link, but htere are some tests to check if it's your clutch or not (and tons of other great info) if you search VWVortex. I'm pretty sure you'll fail them, tho. :( Your car is revving because your clutch is slipping and when your car "catches up", thats when your clutch finally does catch.

On preview, I paid $1900 + tax (in Vancouver) to get the whole kit (clutch, flywheel, etc) installed. It was about $1200 parts, the rest labour. I probably paid too much, but I didn't want to get my car towed anywhere else at that point.
posted by cgg at 7:40 AM on September 8, 2006

(That was at the dealership, as well - you could almost certainly get it done cheaper elsewhere)
posted by cgg at 7:42 AM on September 8, 2006

Yeah, sounds like a clutch to me. I've not had this problem myself, but it sounds like how some cars drive -- the clutch is looser than others. However, on first reading your post, I was imagining that it's just taking longer for the gears to catch while you're slowly taking your foot off the clutch, while giving it gas. You don't mean that the gears are pausing before engaging, after you're already off the clutch, do you?

If it's the latter -- I dunno, that sounds more like a transmission problem. But cgg sounds like more of an expert.
posted by penchant at 7:43 AM on September 8, 2006

LOL - not an expert by any means, not even close. i just had this happen so it's very fresh in my mind. The GTI doesn't drive like this naturally, when it happens, it's really obvious something is wrong. Regardless of what it is, you do need to get it to a mechanic.
posted by cgg at 7:48 AM on September 8, 2006

Easy way to test if it's the clutch. From a stop, put the car in 4th gear and try to drive away. If it stalls, it's not the clutch. If it sits there and the engine spins but doesn't catch, it's the clutch. The torque of the engine will not be enough to turn over the car in 4th gear if the clutch grabs, so it'll stall... if the clutch doesn't engage, then it'll just spin in place and the car won't stall.

It does sound like your clutch is shot though.
posted by fet at 7:52 AM on September 8, 2006

Clutch. $$$.
posted by unSane at 8:03 AM on September 8, 2006

Response by poster: i called the local vw service guy (not the dealership) and will be paying him a visit tomorrow morning. its kinda weird, it does also happen when im already in gear, for instance if i am travelling down the highway in 5th, or 4th, whatever, and give it some extra gas to speed up it revs up first then kicks in, i feel the oomph and it revs back down. so its not only when i am shifting, i am already in gear which led me to think its not actually the clutch. i was hoping it just needed some transmission fluid.... but im bracing for a clutch replacement. thanks everyone.
posted by fumbducker at 8:16 AM on September 8, 2006

Mine did that as well. I'm hoping for your sake it is something simple, tho...

Just out of curiosity, how many miles have been put on the car? Is it a 1.8T or VR6?
posted by cgg at 8:29 AM on September 8, 2006

Classic symptoms of a slipping clutch.
posted by ninjew at 10:26 AM on September 8, 2006

Transmission fluid (in the classical sense) is for automatics. Manual gearboxes have oil/lube in them, but not in the 'be sure to check your transmission fluid' sense.

As most others have posted, you are experiencing a slipping (or wildly out of adjustment and therefore slipping) clutch. They can even slip when already in gear and additional power is applied.
posted by daveleck at 11:03 AM on September 8, 2006

Response by poster: its a 1.8t, about 82,000 miles. damn slippy clutch.
posted by fumbducker at 11:39 AM on September 8, 2006

Thats not too bad, then. My 1.8T went at 120k kms (~74,500 miles). The dealership guys I take my car too said even that wasn't bad, they'd fruquently seen them go naturally (ie without any excessively hard driving) at considerably lower milages, as well. My VW-geek friends also tell me the the high torque 1.8T engine causes a little more clutch wear than on other non-turbo cars, as well.

If it is the clutch - enjoy the first few hundred clicks with the new one. It'll feel so much better, and will be so much more fun to drive!
posted by cgg at 12:19 PM on September 8, 2006