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Subject:suddenly clutch just gone?
From:chris
Date:Tue, 16 May 2006 09:08:35 -0700

for some reason these things never seem to happen when ive driven the
van myself the day previous... and I wish it did, so I didn't have to
wonder if these things are related to *how* the others drive it.

anyway, so I get up this morning, load up the dogs and get ready for a
nice wake-up at the beach when I realize the clutch pedal just *whoomp*
drops right to the floor with zero resistance.

admittedly I don't know a lot about how they work and thought at first
it was some sort of cable given how much it dropped and how quickly, but
im looking through the bently and don't actually see a cable, just all
hydraulics.

checked the brake fluid resivour, and it was nearly a little DOT3 bottle
low (from the MAX mark, just a bit below the MIN mark really.)

So I top that off, but its not getting anywhere. (nor did I think it
was, even with as little as I know about the system.)

What can I check next?

Mine is an 81 aircooled if that makes a diff.
I had the whole tranny replaced just last year, but didnt have the
clutch done at the time as the PO claimed to have had done it not too
long ago as is. (against the advice of the local mech that did the trans
work.)

is this how a clutch goes out? Just out of the blue you hop it and the
pedal drops to the floor? or IS there some cable somewhere and im just
missing any reference to it in my Bently?

I hate it when the list of things that need to be addressed start
growing larger than the list of things that are working well at the
moment. grrrrr.

any help, suggestions, or misc tomfoolery is always welcome.

thanks.

--
Chris
'81 (AC) Vanagon Westfalia 'Rocky'
nor*cal

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