Lesson 1Common mistakes to avoid: misalignment, improper torque, contaminated friction surfaces, and inadequate engine supportDodge usual slip-ups causing early clutch death or dangers. Covers disc off-line, wrong torque, dirty friction faces, and slack engine or box support habits.
Recognizing disc and hub misalignmentConsequences of incorrect torque valuesPreventing oil and grease contaminationAvoiding damage from poor supportPost-repair checks for noise and judderLesson 2Flywheel service: resurfacing instructions, torque sequence and final runout checkReady the flywheel for reuse or new. Learn clean methods, when skim's okay, bolt torque order and values, and measure end wobble to VW specs.
Cleaning flywheel and crank flangeResurfacing limits for dual-mass unitsFlywheel bolt torque and angle sequenceUsing threadlocker where specifiedMeasuring and interpreting flywheel runoutLesson 3Removing ancillary components: airbox, intake piping, battery, cross-members and heat shieldsShift bits blocking box access on Golf/GTI. Safe pull of battery, airbox, intake pipes, cross bits, heat covers, labelling fixings for easy put-back.
Battery, tray, and ECU bracket removalAirbox and intake piping removal stepsHeat shield and undertray removalFront crossmember and brace removalLabeling fasteners and clip locationsLesson 4Reassembly of removed components and torque checks: crossmember, axles, linkages, and heat shield reinstallationPut back all pulled bits and check torque on key fixings. Covers crossmember, axle, linkage, heat shield fit, plus final fluid top-up and underbody eye before road go.
Reinstalling subframe and crossmembersRefitting axles and torquing axle nutsReattaching shifter cables and bracketsReinstalling shields, trays, and intakeRefilling gearbox oil and leak checksLesson 5Inspection protocol for removed parts: disc thickness, rivet wear, pressure plate mount face, flywheel surface and bearing checksEye all pulled clutch bits to pick what needs new. Disc thick, rivet show, pressure face, flywheel state, throw bearing, pilot, fork wear spots.
Measuring disc thickness and rivet depthChecking pressure plate face and springsAssessing flywheel surface and hot spotsInspecting release and pilot bearingsExamining fork, pivot, and guide tubeLesson 6Tools and special equipment setup: impact wrenches, torque wrench, transmission jack, clutch alignment tool, engine supportSet tools and gear before cracking the drive. Torque guns, bashers, box jack, align tool, engine props for Golf/GTI setup.
Selecting metric hand tools and socketsUsing impact tools without damageTorque wrench ranges and calibrationSetting up transmission jack safelyEngine support bar and sling optionsLesson 7Installing new clutch components: fitment order, use of alignment tool, torque specifications for pressure plate and pilot bearingFit new clutch kit right way round. Use align tool, hit torque for pressure plate and pilot, check disc free on input splines.
Confirming correct replacement partsOrienting disc and pressure plate marksUsing clutch alignment tool accuratelyTorquing pressure plate bolts in stagesInstalling pilot and release bearingsLesson 8Preparing mating surfaces: flywheel cleaning, checking pilot bore, cleaning bellhousing and clutch splinesClean join faces before new clutch. Degrease flywheel, check crank pilot hole, clean bellhousing inside, brush disc splines.
Degreasing flywheel and pressure plateInspecting and cleaning crank pilot boreCleaning bellhousing dust and oilBrushing and lubricating clutch splinesProtecting friction surfaces from greaseLesson 9Preparation and safety: workspace layout, jack and stands points, wheel chocks, battery disconnect and PPESet safe workspace for FWD VW clutch. Right jack/stand spots, wheel blocks, battery off, PPE to dodge hurts and car damage.
Plan workspace layout and lightingCorrect jack and jack-stand positionsWheel chock placement and parking brake useBattery disconnect and airbag precautionsRequired PPE and safe lifting habitsLesson 10Reinstalling transmission: aligning input shaft, tightening sequence, replacing seals and fasteners to specRefit box to engine no force. Line input shaft to disc, seat bell on pins, tighten order, new seals and bits to spec.
Aligning transmission and engine dowelsGuiding input shaft through clutch discDrawing bellhousing flush without pryingTorque sequence for bellhousing boltsReplacing seals and stretch bolts to specLesson 11Transmission unbolt and removal: bellhousing bolts, starter removal, careful gearbox lowering and common pitfallsUnbolt and lift box off engine safe. Bell bolt spots, starter out, pin line, slow drop dodging wire and sensor harm.
Identifying bellhousing bolt locationsStarter motor removal and wiring careSeparating bellhousing from dowel pinsLowering gearbox on transmission jackAvoiding strain on harnesses and hosesLesson 12Clutch assembly removal: loosening pressure plate bolts, safe support of flywheel/pressure plate, and disposal of old partsPull clutch no flywheel or crank harm. Right order loosen pressure bolts, prop assembly, handle old bits for check or bin.
Marking clutch orientation before removalLoosening pressure plate bolts evenlySafely supporting pressure plate and discRemoving and handling dual-mass flywheelBagging and labeling old parts for reviewLesson 13Supporting engine and separating transmission: engine support methods, drain gearbox oil, remove driveshafts/CV joints and linkagesProp engine firm, split box no mount strain. Bar setup, drain box oil, pull driveshafts, CVs, mounts, shift links on 2.0 TDI FWD.
Positioning and securing engine support barDraining gearbox oil and disposing safelyRemoving driveshafts and CV jointsDisconnecting shifter cables and bracketsUnbolting transmission mounts and braces
