an item often 'missed' and very often 'missing.'

that little metal ring that holds the felt seal in place..
on about 2/3rd's of the waterboxer clutches I've had apart..
that metal ring is not there.

I think it's likely that the ring gets removed to resurface the flywheel..
then gets lost or forgotten about.

not an easy part to get either..that little metal ring.

On 4/16/2014 6:27 PM, JRodgers wrote:
> Dave,
>
> You didn't mention it, but with that many miles on the clutch the fly
> wheel would surely have needed refacing. Did you have the flywheel face
> machined back smooth? If so, did the pilot shaft flywheel bushing that
> mounts inside the flywheel get put back in - or if missing was a new one
> installed??  This bushing is extremely important because it is what
> holds the pilot bearing felt washer in place. Without it - the washer
> will crumble away and the garbage and debris from the clutch will
> destroy the pilot bearing. It is an item often missed,
>
>
> John
>
> On 4/16/2014 10:23 PM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>> Thanks to everyone who provided information and advice concerning the
>> clutch chatter I was experiencing with my 1991 Volkswagen Vanagon GL
>> Campmobile with manual transmission and 2.1 liter waterboxer.
>>
>> Thanks to Darrell Cook, whose shop in Norman, Oklahoma is listed in
>> the Road Haus shop list, I now have a new, smooth as butter clutch.
>> I got the needed parts from Bus Depot.  The problem was that the main
>> shaft seal on the transmission had failed, bathing the clutch with
>> 90W gear oil.  The pilot bearing had also partially seized, perhaps
>> because the felt seal had disintegrated, allowing crud into the
>> bearing.  The van, with 174k miles, had the original clutch, at least
>> the clutch plate and the pressure plate had VW/Audi marks on them,
>> and Darrell said they were original.  Even so, there was some
>> material left on the clutch plate, which was chattering mainly due to
>> the oil on it.  The original fork (yoke, whatever) was still
>> perfectly sound, as Darrell said it likely would be, as his
>> experience is that this part wears little on the later model
>> Vanagons.  While there, Darrell also installed a new flywheel seal
>> and o-ring, which had seen better days, with some seapage, though not t
> he cause of the clutch being oiled.
>>
>> Thanks again to everyone.
>>
>> mcneely
>>
>