HELP clutch issue

Whats up guys,

I recently had a South Bend Stage 2 Endurance clutch installed on my car. Ever since i got it however Ive been having issues getting into First gear and Reverse. At first i thought it was odd or possibly the clutch not fully broken in.. or just me. The shifter and clutch is new. Fast forward, the shop bled the clutch multiple times.. they also checked the shifter etc and still same issue. it has been 2K miles since install and today when i tried to move it, it did not want to go into any gear. I pumped the clutch and nothing. After about 30 seconds or so it allowed me to get into gear. The shop and I are leading to Master Cylinder.. The issue is not consistent. Its so annoying that i dont even want to drive the car anymore. Getting into first and reverse is a pain and sometimes when i try to get out of reverse it is also sometimes difficult.. :mad0259: Before the clutch install i did not have any of these issues. Sometimes it goes into all the gears smoothly.. but other times first and reverse is the pain. Today was the first day it locked me out of all the gears.

Update: Trans was taking apart and the worst has occurred. I need a new 1st gear, as well as synchros for 1st 2nd and reverse, as well as a 1-2 slider.... Clutch was sent back to SB for testing to ensure it is functioning properly.

Update: South Bend reported nothing wrong with the clutch, they broke it down and inspected everything. Hopefully once i changed out the required trans parts are replaced, the problem goes away. I find it weird that the issue began occurring after the clutch which i assumed was the issue but its not.

Update: Got the car back and smooth sailing

Sounds like you might just need to adjust the side to side shift linkage a little bit, but the shop should've been able to figure that one out so idk, maybe that's not it.

The situation is very weird. i actually took it yesterday to get checked again. They Bled it, checked the shifter etc and stated all look good. Only thing left is the Master... Sometimes its butter smooth and other times very annoying. My fear is changing the Master and still have the issue.

South bend has problem with there clutches. Did your clutch kit come with slave cylinder shim? If not I would suggest you need the shims installed. I had the same issue except when its hot and I seat in traffic I can not get in first gear or reverse.

Idk if the shims were installed or not I’ll ask. However, I would think it is something involving the hydraulic system as it’s on or off. Not all the time. If it was that I would assume it would do it all the time. That’s what’s leading me to believe it’s the master.

Edit: Spoke to the tech and he stated no, only the MK7 cars need the shim for the SC. I have a MKV GTI TSI

Slowgti08 said:

Idk if the shims were installed or not I’ll ask. However, I would think it is something involving the hydraulic system as it’s on or off. Not all the time. If it was that I would assume it would do it all the time. That’s what’s leading me to believe it’s the master.

Edit: Spoke to the tech and he stated no, only the MK7 cars need the shim for the SC. I have a MKV GTI TSI

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Weird that not what I read. A lot of MK6 gti owners had there shims install due to aftermarket clutches not grabbing which once the clutch disc wears down its hard to get in first and reverse also some complainant once they installed there clutch they had problem with first and reverse. Yours maybe a hydraulic issue but I never heard or read of a master cylinder going bad on these car.

From what the tech told he stated if it was to constantly do it all the time it would be something mechanical such as the clutch or trans. However, since its on and off it is believed to be something hydraulic. The Master is the only thing left to check. Ill have it replaced within a few weeks. Hopefully it fixes the problem.

Update : Getting the Master Cylinder replaced possibly tomorrow. Hopefully that fixes the issue. I noticed as of late that when the car is cold it does not go into any gear. Once warm/hot it sometimes gives me a issue going into first or reverse. I’ll keep this thread posted.

Had the Master Cylinder replaced.. and NO issues so far!! KMD tuning also added their clutch line and it makes SUCH a big difference! Shout out to them for the great work as always.

Update: same issues started again ..

Still have the issue getting into reverse and first

When I had my clutch replace it would work fine for couple days then the issue will arise hard to get in first and reverse. I am still thinking you need the shims for the slave cylinder. Since I install the shims I had no problem ever since. Shops dont like to drop the trans again and just throwing in parts you dont need.

So from what i noticed lately. The issue is usually during a cold start ( vehicle left overnight ). Usually doesn't want to go into gear for about 30 seconds to one minute. After that it'll go into gear and is smooth sailing after that for the rest of my drive.

FWIW, my Clutchmasters FX350 does the same. I just shift easy and slow until she warms up.

AaronC said:

FWIW, my Clutchmasters FX350 does the same. I just shift easy and slow until she warms up.

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REALLY? is it considered normal? and has it been doing it since install? At first, it goes into gear rough, then after like nothing. its truly weird.

I had that problem BEFORE I got my southbound stage II endurance, since then its been fine except every now and then it'll pop out of 1st gear when I launch hard. The reason mine wasn't going into gear (or coming out of gear sometimes which was scary) was because my clutch slave cylinder was leaking like crazy. Keep an eye on your brake fluid reservoir and see if it changes at all. Also, keep in mind that the OEM hydraulic system wasn't made to handle an aftermarket clutch which sometimes requires higher fluid pressure. There are a couple of companies that make aftermarket slave and master cylinders that are a little more capable. When I replaced my slave cylinder I figured I'd just replace the clutch too since I was stage II and knew I would need one at some point in the future anyway. Mine is still and OEM slave cylinder, but its a new one, and I haven't run into many problems with it so far, and I'm not particularly gently with it a lot of the time.