Skip to main content
Gerry | Vanagon
Checking account...
← vanagon.com home · Continue the discussion in the forum
Subject:Re: Clutch Chatter
From:The Bus Depot
Date:Thu, 14 Jan 1999 10:04:14 -0500

> BTW: Did they also replace the pilot bearing in the
> crankshaft????  This is a commonly missed item.
> You could also possibly have a bad motor mount(s)
> aggravating the problem.

This thread ran a while back, regarding clutch chatter and whether the brand
of replacement clutch caused it.  Some people reported having the problem as
soon as they replaced their clutch, and since most of the Vanagon clutches
sold are Sachs, some then blamed the Sachs clutches.  Others installed new
Sachs clutches and had no problems at all, while at least one other
installed a Luk clutch and had the same problem.  Still others had a chatter
appear as the clutch aged, even though they had not installed a new clutch
at al. The bottom line?  Lots of things can cause a clutch chatter. My
suspicion is that most if not all of the vehicles in question had other
problems, such as a bad motor mount or air in the hydraulic lines, and a new
clutch surface just exaggerated the existing problem.  I would recommend
checking the motor mounts carefully, bleeding the system thoroughly (and
replacing the fluid if it is still original), and replacing the pilot shaft
bearing when doing a clutch job.

- Ron Salmon
 The Bus Depot
 http://www.busdepot.com