Audi 80 clutch pedal

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Tue 22 Jun 2004 21:14
Audi 80 clutch pedal - Cheeky
Greetings. I have an aged 1991 Audi 80 2.0 which I use as a second car. It's done 180,000 but still plenty of life left. My one recent problem relates to the clutch pedal. The pedal will no longer rise to the top of its travel to put it in line with the brake pedal etc. When this happens, gear selection (particularly first and reverse) can be difficult if not impossible. If I nudge the pedal from underneath, it springs back up to where it should be and all's well.
Any views on the problem - cable adjustment for example. The clutch itself does not feel as though it is slipping or unduly worn.

Thanks.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2004 00:27
Audi 80 clutch pedal - IanT
Not familiar with the Audi 80, but assuming it has got a clutch cable (not hydraulic operation) then the problem has to be:

1. The pedal is sticking.
2. The automatic clutch adjuster is sticking.
3. The cable is sticking.
4. The pivot arm at the clutch end of the cable is sticking.
5. The clutch is sticking.

I can't believe any more serious fault could be cured just by nudging the brake pedal. And I don't really believe that 4 or 5 could be cured by nudging the pedal.

So I think you have get your head down amongst the pedals and see which of 1, 2 or 3 it is.

-- I am assuming the pedal springs back into position (like you said) and you are not lifting it into position with your foot, and it then works normally for a time until it sticks again --

Ian
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2004 00:33
Audi 80 clutch pedal - vibes
I have a 1995 Avant. A year or so ago, the throttle pedal just sheared off, fortunately not in traffic - just lay there in the footwell - no warning.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2004 15:03
Audi 80 clutch pedal - John F
I had a GL5 Passat [it used Audi mechanicals] which snapped it's clutch cable every 40,000 or so. [driving across Cotswolds to nearest Audi garage sans clutch not easy!]

It was caused by metal fatigue as the cable in British RHD cars is routed sharply round a pulley just beyond the pedal. Only once did I detect a few metal fibres snapping, causing friction to the action, before the whole cable gave way. If this is your problem the remaining fibres may have snapped by the time you read this!
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2004 15:18
Audi 80 clutch pedal - Cheeky
Thanks for your thoughts. Popped into my local garage today, and was advised the pedal was OK. Could be a problem relating to master cylinder or slave cylinder. Funnily enough though, the problem today is not nearly as obvious as it was yesterday...
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 23 Jun 2004 16:07
Audi 80 clutch pedal - Peter D
Is there a return spring on the slave cylinder, I suspect there shoulb be and its gone. thus it does not back the pressure bearing off so next time you use the clutch there is not enough travel to totally disengage the clutch thus the 1st and reverse difficulty Regards Peter
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties

From economical vans to those that have the largest payloads, we have a shortlist for everyone - click to find out which will suit your needs.

Undecided on which van to buy? Our Top 10 shortlists can help...