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I just bought a 2002 Audi A4 Avant, 1.8 turbo, quattro with the five speed manual…and 211000 miles.
Previous owner said he just replaced the clutch and now it barely engages first gear but all the other gears operate seamlessly. He also said that he had the flywheel resurfaced before he replaced the clutch.
When you put it in first and let out on the clutch it will bog down and send shutters down the drivetrain.
I have to gently let out the clutch and give it moderate amounts of gas to get it going smoothly.
Obviously this is dangerous in traffic.
Once it engages you can give it all the gas in the world and drives perfectly.
When you downshift into first while at speed it engages immediately and engine braking is flawless.
I don’t get the sensation that the clutch is slipping it just seems like it’s not engaging.
Reverse also works perfectly with no issues.
I drove the car 350 miles home at 80 mph with no issues except when starting in first from a dead stop.
Previous owner seemed to be somewhat of a decent shadetree mechanic not unlike myself but he was stumped by this problem.(I got the car for $1500 so I can afford to spend a little to get it right)
For example, he successfully changed out the timing belt/water pump.
It has been suggested elsewhere that maybe he screwed up the linkage adjustments or something.
What do you think the problem is?
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Seeing the clutch does engage when moving and hard to
engage stopped. Sounds like a synchro issue for first.
also check the linkages for tightness or worn bushings.
You could try and bleed the slave cylinder/master also check
it for leaks.http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-transmission-problems
I agree with College Man. But before you condemn the synchroniser for 1st gear I would look at the linkage. How much play is in the shift lever from neutral? If you can get under the car see how much play is in the shift linkage. This includes the bushing on the bottom of the shifter itself too. It doesn’t take much play from a worn bushing or bushings to not allow it to engage gears properly. Once the car is moving a lot of miss alignment issues are hidden by the synchronisers.
Usually its second gear synchronises that wear out faster than the others.
If the linkage is all pretty tight and no serious issues jump out consider changing the gear box oil. Its easily the most over looked maintenance on any powertrain. Stock that gear box uses a 75/90 GL-4 oil. With the higher milage I would definatly switch it to a Synthetic. You can get it from VW/Audi for a hefty price and most parts stores for far less. Every mechanic has their opinions but I’m personally a fan of Redline MT-90 GL-4. I’ve put it in several VW/Audi gear boxes including my own and it works great. Do not use a GL5 rated oil in that gear box or you will sentence it to a long and painful death. You will need a couple of special sockets and a funnel with a long tube on it to fill it. On FWD cars with the 1.8T you can fill the gear box through the top easily enough using the fill hole as a reference, but on Quattro cars your stuck with putting it in through the side.
If neither of those ideas change anything consider having a look at the clutch.
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