Mk3 td 1.9 Gearbox / Clutch Problem possibly ??

[tsam19]

Greeting all its been a while

My VW mk3 Golf 1.9 TD 1994 (engine code aaz) 124k miles has some strange faults that have appeared out of nowhere !!

Its difficult to get into 3 or 4th gear sometimes , there's a bit of a whinning / screaming noise when driving but dissapears when you press the clutch in.

When the car is driving at say 40 mph for example & the accelerator pedal is pushed down to speed up, it has started to over rev but no acceleration, it does this at various speeds ??

Also its started to leak oil really bad between the main block & gearbox ??
The smell of oil has made its way into the car even with the fans off.

I will investigate further in the daylight.

Anyone else had these symptoms, that could help ??

Thanks in advance

[Golf Loon]

Sounds like the clutch is going mate, whilst the box is off, change the rear main seal and that should fix your oil leak too.

[hokenmk3]

The same thing happened to my petrol mk3. The shaft bearing in the centre of the gearbox was buggered. You will need to change the bearing, and probably replace the clutch at the same time. It will have leaked gearbox oil into the clutch so try not to drive it much until it is fixed or you might warp your flywheel. Flywheels are expensive. Replace the clutch cable at the same time too because they have a limited lifespan and you may as well do it at the same time to make sure you get the full life out of a new clutch. The VW brand clutch is bettermade, just as heavyduty and usually less expensive than the aftermarket options. Order online!

[tsam19]

Ive been told its the Diff Rivets in the gearbox on a couple of other VW sites too & it seems to be a common fault with Golfs ?

Are all Mk3 golf gearboxes that weak ?

Im looking for a donor gearbox , but before fitting should I uprate to the DIFF BOLT KIT 1st ?

Also how easy is it to remove & replace a gearbox ?

Thanks.

[gldgti]

i believe i replied with a gearbox removal procedure in your toher thread.

dont ignore the tell-tale signs - if black (engine) oil is leaking from the bellhousing, then you have engine oil in the clutch assembly which will certainly wreck the clutch and make it slip.

replacing the crank main seal will likely solve the problem, along with a new clutch assembly.

[Golf Loon]

I have a couple of TDI gearboxes hoarded away if it comes to that.
We can also repair yours unless it has a hole in the case.