Hi All

Anyone have any suggestions as to what might be going on with my Octy 2001 1.9 Diesel?

When the weather starts to get cold/damp, I have trouble getting the car into gear in the morning. There seems to be quite a lot of free play on the pedal and it feels like the pedal needs to go further down than it actually can in order to disengage the clutch. With my foot to the floor, I really struggle to get the car into reverse. Once I finally manage, it is then even more difficult to get the car out of gear and then into 1st. I have to pull the clutch pedal back up with my foot. Sometimes I have to let the car free roll down the road before I can get it into gear. Once I manage that, it feels like the biting point is only millimetres from the floor and gear changes are really jerky. After a little driving timele, the problem eases around town.

This was the case all of last winter. Once the weather started to improve, the problem seemed to go away. Now that its getting cold again, the problem has recurred.

I haven't had any work done on my car apart from routine maintenance and rear brake pads replaced.

Any ideas?

Thanks

I'd start by inspecting the hydraulic line for signs of it swelling.

If it's not then try bleeding the clutch hydraulics. There's no obvious reason why this should work, but it's cheaper and easier than starting to mess around with replacing the hydraulic cylinders or the clutch plates.

Thanks, I'll take a look. Not sure if I will know if the line is swollen?

Is bleeding the clutch hydraulics a job for a garage, or could a 'happy to give it a go' amateur do it? If so, what equipment would I need? I have a Haynes Manual......

Thanks again.

The clutch hydraulic pipe on the TDI is metal so I doubt it would swell. It is rather annoying routed right around the back of the engine bay behind a metal heat shield, so I would start by checking the slave cylinder end.

There is a bleed nipple on the slave cylinder (and also there are a pair on the master too - I think one relates to the clutch and the other the brake system, but don't quote me on that!).

When I changed my slave cylinder, I can't remember is I used a pressure kit or not. However these are worth the investment for when bleeding the brakes. Otherwise the only equipment is a jar to catch the fluid in, a short length of pipe (to attach to the nipple), and a small spanner.