You are correct that play can be adjusted.  Last fall I made the mistake of
replacing both master and slave cylinders trying to get my clutch play
solved but to no avail.  My guess is that the holes in the master cylinder
piston yoke is well worn as is the pin that goes through it.  It is not a
fun postion to work in but can be done with a little patience.  I used a
small mirror to allow me to work by sight rather than complete feel.  You'll
need to remove the slave cylinder first which is easy and you don't have to
disconnect the hydraulic line.   You can then reach up and take the pin out
of the piston yoke.  You'll quickly know if that is the problem.   I
replaced the worn pin with a larger one and then adjusted the play with the
threads on the piston and came out with a perfect adjustment.  You can too.
Good luck.  And have fun trying to get everything back in while upside down.
You'll have to improvise a wire or something to hold it in place while you
work.  Give yourself an hour minimum.

Jim
91 Syncro AW
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark A. Williamson <mwilliamson@ABCH2O.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, May 24, 1999 5:41 AM
Subject: Clutch Play

> Hello All.
>
> Lately it has occurred to me that I need to push the clutch pedal much
> closer to the floor to disengage it.  Conversely, it seems like now it
> barely leaves the floor before engaging.  I have bled the clutch (and
brake)
> line after replacing the hydraulic fluid.  There are no obvious leaks in
the
> line anywhere (nor is there a need to top up the fluid reservoir).  I
> believe the "play" in the clutch can be adjusted, but it seems like the
> clutch master cylinder is just a little harder to get at than world peace.
>
> Does anyone have a good/bad tale to tell me regarding this type of
> adjustment?  If either the master or slave cylinder requires rebuilding,
is
> there a way to make that determination before the fact?
>
> TIA
> --
> Mark A. Williamson
> Denver, CO
> 88 Wolfsburg Weekender (135K)