Flywheel fly apart

[RustyCaddy]

Well, i had noticed a slight vibration in the clutch pedal the last couple of days

started down the road today and had a serious vibration when putting the clutch in, turned back for home and got into the drive way.  When i tried to get it into the garage the clutch was spinning, growling and no movement at all.  Then the engine shut down like the clutch had been dumped.  Very bad.

Pushed her in and took off the transmission.  The flywheel had broken all its right off and was sitting in the tranny housing
One bolt had a good bend and looked to have banged the transmission housing...i think that might have been when the flywheel broke off the pressure plate but the whole assembly must have been loose before the flywheel broke off.  The clutch lost all its grab in a mile or less.

Has this happened to anyone else out there.  The engine is turning fine but could it have bent something?

And i see the resealed tranny fluid has a nice silver sheen,  but i think that has been ongoing.

Boy, did i ever screw up this time.

What would you do? completely new clutch, switch out the transmission now (have 2000 miles on a 4 to 5 speed swap).

What are the chances the engine internals got bent up somehow.

Other than that the face of the flywheel, pressure plate and driven plate look pretty good

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

[Rabbit on Roids]

put it back together with good parts and call it good.

[maxfax]

I think we need some pics of the carnage!   But otherwise I agree with ROR..  Just inspect that trans really well for cracks...

[RustyCaddy]

i will try to get some pictures but it doesn't really look to bad...if i had been on the highway insted of the driveway it might have been more spectacular.  The tranny has a big bolt head shaped scrape on the inner housing near the starter but that is all (i should check that starter for damage too).

sounds like the plan is to get the parts checked out to see if any are salvageable, put it back together and go from there.

While i am at it the rear main seal has a drip.  i think Bentley says it can't be swapped with the engine in the bay but it looks like it would be pretty easy.  The TDI seal has that cool integrated carrier and the cup for the seal lip.

How could i possibly screw it up

All is for the best in this world.

[maxfax]

With the trans out it can be swapped just like any other once piece rear seal..

Best of luck!

[fatmobile]

Glad you made it home with the car.
 That rear seal can be replaced seperately, about $5.
 don't set it flush with the front of the seal carrier, that's not a machined surface.
 take a look at the one you take out, it probably won't be flush.
 I use an old pressure plate (cut the center out of one) to press mine in so they will be square with the crank.
 The seal doesn't ride far from the edge that the pressure plate bolts to.


 Haven't read it anywhere but that disc the pushrod works against,..
 can't hurt to make sure it centered.
 I run something metal, about the diameter of a bic pen, around the disc, between it and the pressure plate.

Great time to change the pushrod tube seal and bushing,
 if you haven't had the trany off before and already done it, kinda sounds like this isn't the first time with a Rabbit trany.

[gldgti]

Great time to change the pushrod tube seal and bushing,
 if you haven't had the trany off before and already done it, kinda sounds like this isn't the first time with a Rabbit trany.

A noob question from an old hand - how do we change that bushing? I have never actually done it! (And maybe the OP needs to know too? ;-)