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Diagnosis: Clutch.

Damn, wish the cheaper clutch cable had gone...

Wish I had known one of the early signs of it being on the way out was the release bearing whining. I had heard this going on, but discounted it as 'normal'...

Karl.

hayesey wrote:it's only because reverse is a straight cut gear (hence the racket it makes when reversing) where as others are cone shaped. nothing to worry about.

Nothing to worry about, apart from the mocking laughter from the back seat as I attempt to park up with a car full of friends I do prefer to be a little more suave about my gear selection

Karl_CLCoupe wrote:Diagnosis: Clutch.

Karl.

Karl £200 seems steep for the clutch fitted..gt one was £56 so £146 to fit the thing?

I've asked around, and that seems to be roughly what others have paid. I didn't really have a say in the matter, as my step-dad booked it in there.

Karl.

200 is a fair price really, think of the labour involved thats the main cost. the clutch kit is only about 50 odd quid.

A proper gt clutch kit is nealy a 100 quid, often better to invest in a 200mm one off a 16v mk4.

That's quite a lot for labour in that case. My mechanic quoted me £90 labour to change my clutch - he's cheaper than most places, but £150 sounds a bit excessive to me..

I agree with Dan - it's definately not an unreasonable price, as anyone who's pulled a 'box off a Mk3 will know - it's not a 5 minute job!

hardhitter wrote:200 is a fair price really, think of the labour involved thats the main cost. the clutch kit is only about 50 odd quid.

A proper gt clutch kit is nealy a 100 quid, often better to invest in a 200mm one off a 16v mk4.

I stand corrected...although my GT clutch was £56 (valeo)

Yeah very few makers bother / dare to put synchro on reverse - think about it, synchro'ing it makes it possible for you to shift straight from 5th to R if you're crazy enough (or have a "6th gear" position reverse --- or, 2nd to R I guess) ...... carnage guaranteed under the bonnet and on the road.

In the field of Mk3 pedal box failures, take your G40 heel & toe list and add a 75k-ish mile 1.0 to the list. Mine went. Car was still drivable, gently, but it was pretty obvious something was f**ked. The spronging feeling / noise when it went, for example, and how the clutch and brake pedal were all messed up. Not to mention the grinding/clicking noise and feel through the pedals when turning the wheel (it then rubs on a rough part of the steering column).
I didn't dare try doing anything with it without getting it fixed - limped home at 20mph mostly in 2nd, crash-changing and moving off on the starter where neccessary and bringing it to a halt on the handbrake, so some pedal capability was saved for getting it to the garage. Cheap and quick to get re-welded, but makes you crap yourself. Odd little weakness in an otherwise tough car, that. That and the drivers seat bracket (also needed re-doing when seat went wobbly --- neither were rust, just metal fatigue!)

Karl I'd say first of all just pop the bonnet and find where the cable connects on to the clutch release handle (dizzy side of the engine, if you've never played with the gearbox ). If it's a big sqaure-ish metal lump and a bolt head, then it's auto adjust; if there's a smaller metal lump and two nuts on a long bolt thread, then it's manual.

Doesn't sound like some minor clutch cable thing though, if its come on sudden - they do drift, but it takes weeks to go from the first twinge to being chronic. That's more like something giving way and needs checked out.

Tahrey1043 wrote:Yeah very few makers bother / dare to put synchro on reverse - think about it, synchro'ing it makes it possible for you to shift straight from 5th to R if you're crazy enough (or have a "6th gear" position reverse --- or, 2nd to R I guess) ...... carnage guaranteed under the bonnet and on the road.

5th to reverse ain't possible on a Mk3 Polo though, they're at opposite ends of the gate. Synchros also make things more complex etc. and as people will generally be stopped when engaging reverse there isn't really a need for a synchro.

Sudden failure doesn't discount the clutch cable either, they're just as prone to sudden failure as anything else. Mine on my CL went from being fine one day to being screwed. Clutches and release bearings usually give some warning in the form of noises etc. first, or in the case of the clutch a lot of slipping.

The clutch peddle on my wife's mk3 1l CL is very heavy and sometimes really difficult to get into gear. With it being so stiff you get very little feedback from the clutch/bite point, but the clutch it's self seems fine, it isn't slipping.

anyone got any ideas?