1st gear shimmy - Time for a new clutch pad?

I have had some trouble the past few weeks. While sitting rolling up
to a red light a few weeks back I heard a pop - a click - and a spring
noise. It sounded like pinball parts falling around my ankles. I cut
the engine, and rolled my Bug into a service station to have a look.
But there was nothing around my feet, and nothing out in the road. So
I got back in and tried to drive away only to find ... the gears were
no longer "clearly defined". :-) I had a bad shifter bushing. By
bad I mean - NON EXISTENT.

So I replaced my bushing the other night, and adjusted the clutch.
Having read about the procedure and looked at lots of pictures it all
went pretty easily. 1st gear and especially second gear, have never
felt better!! BUT -- I still have a slight "shimmy" when I come out
of a dead stop in first. This was occurring before I replaced the
bushing, and is still occurring now.

I have tried adjusting the clutch wingnut back up and down, and it
doesn't have much of an effect. I am guessing that what I am
experiencing here is a slipping worn clutch pad. If my timing is
good, the shimmy is not so bad and I am in second gear pretty
quickly. On a cold morning when my reflexes aren't so good - I nearly
give myself brain damage (and I am banned from giving rides to infants
for fear of shaken baby syndrome). Sometimes I shake so badly that I
pop the oil-bath air cleaner off the top of the engine!

Before I drop the engine to check the pad - is there anything else
obvious that I should be looking at?

Thanks,
-Steve Ballantyne
68' Bug

On Oct 23, 5:45*pm, "
> wrote:
> I have had some trouble the past few weeks. *While sitting rolling up
> to a red light a few weeks back I heard a pop - a click - and a spring
> noise. *It sounded like pinball parts falling around my ankles. *I cut
> the engine, and rolled my Bug into a service station to have a look.
> But there was nothing around my feet, and nothing out in the road. *So
> I got back in and tried to drive away only to find ... the gears were
> no longer "clearly defined". *:-) *I had a bad shifter bushing. *By
> bad I mean - NON EXISTENT.
>
> So I replaced my bushing the other night, and adjusted the clutch.
> Having read about the procedure and looked at lots of pictures it all
> went pretty easily. *1st gear and especially second gear, have never
> felt better!! *BUT -- I still have a slight "shimmy" when I come out
> of a dead stop in first. *This was occurring before I replaced the
> bushing, and is still occurring now.
>
> I have tried adjusting the clutch wingnut back up and down, and it
> doesn't have much of an effect. *I am guessing that what I am
> experiencing here is a slipping worn clutch pad. *If my timing is
> good, the shimmy is not so bad and I am in second gear pretty
> quickly. *On a cold morning when my reflexes aren't so good - I nearly
> give myself brain damage (and I am banned from giving rides to infants
> for fear of shaken baby syndrome). *Sometimes I shake so badly that I
> pop the oil-bath air cleaner off the top of the engine!
>
> Before I drop the engine to check the pad - is there anything else
> obvious that I should be looking at?
>
> Thanks,
> -Steve Ballantyne
> 68' Bug

On Oct 23, 5:45*pm, "
> wrote:
> I have had some trouble the past few weeks. *While sitting rolling up
> to a red light a few weeks back I heard a pop - a click - and a spring
> noise. *It sounded like pinball parts falling around my ankles. *I cut
> the engine, and rolled my Bug into a service station to have a look.
> But there was nothing around my feet, and nothing out in the road. *So
> I got back in and tried to drive away only to find ... the gears were
> no longer "clearly defined". *:-) *I had a bad shifter bushing. *By
> bad I mean - NON EXISTENT.
>
> So I replaced my bushing the other night, and adjusted the clutch.
> Having read about the procedure and looked at lots of pictures it all
> went pretty easily. *1st gear and especially second gear, have never
> felt better!! *BUT -- I still have a slight "shimmy" when I come out
> of a dead stop in first. *This was occurring before I replaced the
> bushing, and is still occurring now.
>
> I have tried adjusting the clutch wingnut back up and down, and it
> doesn't have much of an effect. *I am guessing that what I am
> experiencing here is a slipping worn clutch pad. *If my timing is
> good, the shimmy is not so bad and I am in second gear pretty
> quickly. *On a cold morning when my reflexes aren't so good - I nearly
> give myself brain damage (and I am banned from giving rides to infants
> for fear of shaken baby syndrome). *Sometimes I shake so badly that I
> pop the oil-bath air cleaner off the top of the engine!
>
> Before I drop the engine to check the pad - is there anything else
> obvious that I should be looking at?
>
> Thanks,
> -Steve Ballantyne
> 68' Bug

You might want to have your flywheel checked out or if it looks blued
then have it surfaced.

On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:45:32 +0200,
> wrote:

> I have had some trouble the past few weeks. While sitting rolling up
> to a red light a few weeks back I heard a pop - a click - and a spring
> noise. It sounded like pinball parts falling around my ankles. I cut
> the engine, and rolled my Bug into a service station to have a look.
> But there was nothing around my feet, and nothing out in the road. So
> I got back in and tried to drive away only to find ... the gears were
> no longer "clearly defined". :-) I had a bad shifter bushing. By
> bad I mean - NON EXISTENT.
>
> So I replaced my bushing the other night, and adjusted the clutch.
> Having read about the procedure and looked at lots of pictures it all
> went pretty easily. 1st gear and especially second gear, have never
> felt better!! BUT -- I still have a slight "shimmy" when I come out
> of a dead stop in first. This was occurring before I replaced the
> bushing, and is still occurring now.
>
> I have tried adjusting the clutch wingnut back up and down, and it
> doesn't have much of an effect. I am guessing that what I am
> experiencing here is a slipping worn clutch pad. If my timing is
> good, the shimmy is not so bad and I am in second gear pretty
> quickly. On a cold morning when my reflexes aren't so good - I nearly
> give myself brain damage (and I am banned from giving rides to infants
> for fear of shaken baby syndrome). Sometimes I shake so badly that I
> pop the oil-bath air cleaner off the top of the engine!
>
> Before I drop the engine to check the pad - is there anything else
> obvious that I should be looking at?
>
> Thanks,
> -Steve Ballantyne
> 68' Bug

First, check rear tranny mounts.
Second, check front tranny mount.
Third, check for enough sag in clutch cable bowden tube.

If none of the above applies you will have to remove the engine.
Then it could be pressure plate springs not applying pressure equally, one
of the levers misaligned(Unless you have the later pressure plate).
Oil on disk from leaking rear seal or badly "Blued" flywheel, which then
needs to be replaced, machining will not rectify.

There is a trick to avoid the shimmies, when pulling away in first gear,
do so at the lowest rpm you can manage and slip the clutch as little as
possible.
Before I finally stored and the sold Felatio I fought the shimmies for
more than a year, the low rpm and practice makes a big difference.

J.

--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

Sometimes the clutch TUBE inside of the tunnel breaks away causing issues
similar to yours.
Sometimes it might be too much freeplay in the engine bearings.

"P.J.Berg" > wrote in message
news
> On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:45:32 +0200,
> > wrote:
>
>> I have had some trouble the past few weeks. While sitting rolling up
>> to a red light a few weeks back I heard a pop - a click - and a spring
>> noise. It sounded like pinball parts falling around my ankles. I cut
>> the engine, and rolled my Bug into a service station to have a look.
>> But there was nothing around my feet, and nothing out in the road. So
>> I got back in and tried to drive away only to find ... the gears were
>> no longer "clearly defined". :-) I had a bad shifter bushing. By
>> bad I mean - NON EXISTENT.
>>
>> So I replaced my bushing the other night, and adjusted the clutch.
>> Having read about the procedure and looked at lots of pictures it all
>> went pretty easily. 1st gear and especially second gear, have never
>> felt better!! BUT -- I still have a slight "shimmy" when I come out
>> of a dead stop in first. This was occurring before I replaced the
>> bushing, and is still occurring now.
>>
>> I have tried adjusting the clutch wingnut back up and down, and it
>> doesn't have much of an effect. I am guessing that what I am
>> experiencing here is a slipping worn clutch pad. If my timing is
>> good, the shimmy is not so bad and I am in second gear pretty
>> quickly. On a cold morning when my reflexes aren't so good - I nearly
>> give myself brain damage (and I am banned from giving rides to infants
>> for fear of shaken baby syndrome). Sometimes I shake so badly that I
>> pop the oil-bath air cleaner off the top of the engine!
>>
>> Before I drop the engine to check the pad - is there anything else
>> obvious that I should be looking at?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> -Steve Ballantyne
>> 68' Bug
>
> First, check rear tranny mounts.
> Second, check front tranny mount.
> Third, check for enough sag in clutch cable bowden tube.
>
> If none of the above applies you will have to remove the engine.
> Then it could be pressure plate springs not applying pressure equally, one
> of the levers misaligned(Unless you have the later pressure plate).
> Oil on disk from leaking rear seal or badly "Blued" flywheel, which then
> needs to be replaced, machining will not rectify.
>
> There is a trick to avoid the shimmies, when pulling away in first gear,
> do so at the lowest rpm you can manage and slip the clutch as little as
> possible.
> Before I finally stored and the sold Felatio I fought the shimmies for
> more than a year, the low rpm and practice makes a big difference.
>
> J.

> I have tried adjusting the clutch wingnut back up and down, and it
> doesn't have much of an effect. I am guessing that what I am
> experiencing here is a slipping worn clutch pad. If my timing is

I've had this happen in the past, usually what fixes it for me is to
put a few more washers between the end of the clutch cable tube and
the bracket where it meets the transaxle. The tube needs to 'sag', if
there isn't enough sag in there it will cause the clutch to grab and
you'll get that driveline shimmy you are describing. Your problem
could also be broken or rotted engine mounts, but you can usually see
if the rubber is all cracked. If they're bad, change all three since
you have to drop the engine to do the rear ones and if you're gonna
tear it that far apart its better to do the 3rd one up front, too.

Good luck with it.

Chris

On Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:53:08 +0200, dave AKA vwdoc1
> wrote:

> Sometimes the clutch TUBE inside of the tunnel breaks away causing issues
> similar to yours.
> Sometimes it might be too much freeplay in the engine bearings.
>
> "P.J.Berg" > wrote in message
> news
>> On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:45:32 +0200,
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> I have had some trouble the past few weeks. While sitting rolling up
>>> to a red light a few weeks back I heard a pop - a click - and a spring
>>> noise. It sounded like pinball parts falling around my ankles. I cut
>>> the engine, and rolled my Bug into a service station to have a look.
>>> But there was nothing around my feet, and nothing out in the road. So
>>> I got back in and tried to drive away only to find ... the gears were
>>> no longer "clearly defined". :-) I had a bad shifter bushing. By
>>> bad I mean - NON EXISTENT.
>>>
>>> So I replaced my bushing the other night, and adjusted the clutch.
>>> Having read about the procedure and looked at lots of pictures it all
>>> went pretty easily. 1st gear and especially second gear, have never
>>> felt better!! BUT -- I still have a slight "shimmy" when I come out
>>> of a dead stop in first. This was occurring before I replaced the
>>> bushing, and is still occurring now.
>>>
>>> I have tried adjusting the clutch wingnut back up and down, and it
>>> doesn't have much of an effect. I am guessing that what I am
>>> experiencing here is a slipping worn clutch pad. If my timing is
>>> good, the shimmy is not so bad and I am in second gear pretty
>>> quickly. On a cold morning when my reflexes aren't so good - I nearly
>>> give myself brain damage (and I am banned from giving rides to infants
>>> for fear of shaken baby syndrome). Sometimes I shake so badly that I
>>> pop the oil-bath air cleaner off the top of the engine!
>>>
>>> Before I drop the engine to check the pad - is there anything else
>>> obvious that I should be looking at?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> -Steve Ballantyne
>>> 68' Bug
>>
>> First, check rear tranny mounts.
>> Second, check front tranny mount.
>> Third, check for enough sag in clutch cable bowden tube.
>>
>> If none of the above applies you will have to remove the engine.
>> Then it could be pressure plate springs not applying pressure equally,
>> one
>> of the levers misaligned(Unless you have the later pressure plate).
>> Oil on disk from leaking rear seal or badly "Blued" flywheel, which then
>> needs to be replaced, machining will not rectify.
>>
>> There is a trick to avoid the shimmies, when pulling away in first gear,
>> do so at the lowest rpm you can manage and slip the clutch as little as
>> possible.
>> Before I finally stored and the sold Felatio I fought the shimmies for
>> more than a year, the low rpm and practice makes a big difference.
>>
>> J.
>
>
Another thing I forgot, the release bearing could have become dislodged
and misaligned.

J.



--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

This gives me a lot to check out. I'm hoping to slide under the car
this weekend and start by checking the mounts, and my clutch cable. I
hadn't really thought of any of these issues being a factor. It looks
like I am in for a weekend of rain. Which really sucks since I am
without a warm garage to work in these days. :-(

As for timing your clutching along with the RPM's of the car ... I am
getting pretty good at it. :-) But I will be happy to get rid of
this problem.

Thanks again for the tips guys,
-Steve Ballantyne
68' Bug