Clutch For 1.6 - Difference Between <'89 And >'89?

[Juz 0]

i'm going to have a stab at replacing the clutch in my 1.6 gti as it feels quite heavy and is very difficult to operate when pulling away and when trying to park on a hill! i guess this means it's worn (i've never owned a car long enough before to get to such a stage without selling or crashing it first )

 

i've read the guides on here and checked i have all the right tools for dropping the 'box out etc, and i've bought an alignment tool and pursuaded my dad to help me when it all goes wrong

 

now i need to actually order the replacement clutch. i've had cars with uprated racing clutches before and didn't like them especially how narrow the bite was on them, and i do mostly fast road driving so am just going to go for a standard valeo/luk replacement.

 

however i see that there are pre and post '89 options - could anybody tell me what the physical differences are because i cannot find any mention of different gearboxes etc used before or after this point? why would they change the clutch used? there are some new/nearly-new <'89 clutches for sale on here and ebay for 1/3rd the price of a >'89 clutch from gsf so if for some reason i could use one of those it would be preferable

 

also, as i've never been in this position of driving with a worn/slipping clutch before - can it cause any damage or wear to any other components that aren't replaced in a clutch kit by continuing driving around with the worn clutch?

 

thanks in advance as if it wasn't already abundantly clear i'm a complete spanner noob :]

[205007 12]

firstly dont buy a nearly new clutch its not a good idea unless you 100% trust the person selling it

 

as far as i know the actual friction plate/clutch does not change on be1-be3 model year only the cable/pedal/gearbox but i may be wrong

 

the symptoms you describe dont always mean a worn clutch, if i were you i would try adjusting the cable first and possibly even change it before doing the actual hard bit

 

can you stall the car in gear with the handbrake on? thats a good test to do

 

the only other component to worry about is the flywheel when driving with a badly worn clutch it may need replacing/skimming but it is rare

[steve@cornwall 100]

firstly dont buy a nearly new clutch its not a good idea unless you 100% trust the person selling it

 

as far as i know the actual friction plate/clutch does not change on be1-be3 model year only the cable/pedal/gearbox but i may be wrong

 

the symptoms you describe dont always mean a worn clutch, if i were you i would try adjusting the cable first and possibly even change it before doing the actual hard bit

 

can you stall the car in gear with the handbrake on? thats a good test to do

 

the only other component to worry about is the flywheel when driving with a badly worn clutch it may need replacing/skimming but it is rare

 

The onl difference etween be1 and be3 clutch kits is the thrust bearing. I used this one in my be3 equipped gti, just re-used the old thrust bearing.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...type=osi_widget

[Juz 0]

thanks for the pointers chaps... will have a look into adjusting the cable tomorrow first of all. and if that doesn't help i will buy new, but good to know i can use a be1 and reuse the be3 thrust bearing - excellent news \o/

[Phil H 16]

this is the earlier sort...the release bearing slides over the pivot fork in the clutch housing.

 

early clutch on ebay

 

 

The later type clip on looks like this...(disregard the application, just the general type)

 

later type