Volkswagen Repair: 98 jetta clutch, brake master cylinder, bleeding brakes


Question
hi there, my clutch is pretty high - i've heard that some cables are able to be adjusted.  How can i tell if i have one of those manual adjust cables, and how would i be able to adjust it to have a little more bite.  i know i'm going to need a new clutch soon, but if i can postpone that a couple months would be great.

Answer
At the very front of the transmission there is a "fork" that is stationary, and holds the cable, but I have only seen this type of cable setup on the older A2's.  I thought all of the A3's had a slave cylinder, and used hydraulics to operate the clutch.  At any rate, it may still be possible to delay your replacement a little longer by bleeding the brake fluid out of the clutch system.  There may be some air bubbles in it that compress, and therefore raise the level of the pedal.  I will have to look up the procedure though, because it gets all of its fluid through the brake master cylinder, and I've pressure bled a lot of brake systems, but haven't had to do a clutch yet... I don't think they are completely separate like a Honda, or an old MG.  Give me an opportunity to look up some information at work, Phil, and I'll post a follow up to you.  Thanks for your patience.
Hey Phil;
I did get to check out the slave cylinder issue, and test it myself on a car, before I got back to you.  The slave cylinder gets it's fluid from the brake system master cylinder through a little pipe that connects the 2.  There is a bleeder screw on the slave cylinder, either 11mm hex head, or 8mm hex head.  Have some one in the car push down on the clutch pedal as you open it, just like bleeding brakes.  Exactly like bleeding brakes.  Say, "Go," or "Push," and that very instant open the bleeder, they have to hold it on the floor long enough for you to close the screw again, and then do it again, and again. Until the pedal is solid feeling when depressed.  Monitor the level of the fluid in the brake master cylinder, and keep filling it up as necessary.  This should get you by a little longer on your clutch, Phil.  Sorry about the delay on an accurate response, but I wanted to make certain, before I said what to do.  The last thing I intended to do was waste your time.  This procedure works.  Good luck.