Lesson 1Common mistakes to avoid: misalignment, improper torque, contaminated friction surfaces, and inadequate engine supportDodge usual slips causing early clutch death or safety woes. Covers disc off-line, wrong torque, dirty friction faces, weak 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 flywheel for reuse or new. Cleaning ways, when skim ok, bolt torque order and values, measure end runout 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 shieldsPull bits blocking box access on Golf/GTI. Safe battery, airbox, intake pipe, cross bits, heat shields off, label 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, check torque on key fixings. Cross bit, axle, linkage, heat shield fit, plus final fluid top-up, 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 swaps. Disc thick, rivet show, pressure plate face, flywheel state, release bearing, pilot bearing, 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 supportRig all tools and special gear before cracking drive line. Torque guns, impact kit, box jack, clutch 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 order and way. Use align tool, hit torque for pressure plate and pilot bearing, check disc free spin 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 ready all join faces before new clutch. Degrease flywheel, eye 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 smart space for FWD VW clutch job. Right jack stand spots, wheel blocks, battery off, key PPE to dodge hurts and car harm.
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 fixings to mark.
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 pitfallsUnfix pull box from engine safe. Bell bolt spots, starter off, pin line, steady box drop no wire 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 stack no flywheel crank harm. Right order loosen pressure bolts, prop stack, 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 stress. Engine bar rig, drain box oil, pull drive shafts CV joins 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
