[T3] Rattlesnake clatter...

[Jim Adney]

On 12 Mar 2012 at 18:14, J. Jonik wrote:

> Rattle---somewhat tinny...not heavy metalic...happens between shifts,
> goes away with just a little rev.  Car runs fine otherwise. 

The usual suspects are loose screws that hold the fan housing in 
place: You should be able to hear them with your stethoscope held 
against the fan housing. Or, loose heat shield pieces on an OE style 
muffler.

> But...car had a few minor momentary stalls lately (rolling, easy
> re-start)...again, while shifting or when car slowed down to below
> speed the gear should have been in.  So, something seems to be getting
> worse.

Probably unrelated

> While doing rust hole repair on driver side floor recently, I
> realized that the clutch pedal is not at the right  position.  Too
> much play.   Not drastic, but...does that mean that the clutch cable
> is stretching, or even fraying?  The adjustment nut underneath can't
> move out of it's seat, I don't think. 

It will move out of it's seat, but it's probably frozen to the end of 
the cable. It could be fraying, but more likely the pedal stop has 
slipped out of place and that's what has changed. 

> And...would a stretched, or slowly fraying, clutch cable cause that
> chattering noise? What metal is clattering against what metal? 

I doubt if the noise is a cable problem.

> Is such chattering a symptom of something to do with the throw-out
> bearing? 

With the car stopped and in neutral, can you create the noise by 
moving the engine rpms up and down until you find the spot where it 
happens? If so, this is not a clutch problem.  

> How to know this isn't a valve doing a Death Rattle?

I don't think so.

> Or, is this a case of LLLS (Lazy Left Leg Syndrome) where clutch pedal
> isn't pushed ALL the way down when shifting?   (MUST it be pushed all
> the way down anyway?...not "just enough to change gears"?) 

It's always better for the tranny to push the clutch down a little 
farther than absolutely necessary. Yes, you can get by with less, but 
you're wearing out the syncro rings by asking them to do more work. 
Better to give them a break; tranny repairs are expensive.

-- 
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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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