1966 vw 1500 throwout bearing problem.

[Donshotrods]

You guys really helped me out with the questions I had about my wheels fitting, and now I need more help on a problem I am having fitting a new throwout bearing into the spot where the old one went.


I am dealing with a 1966 regular bug here. And the transmission part number comes back as a true 1966 transmission.

I am enclosing pictures of my old throwout bearing that came out of the transmission, and it is not anywhere near the same as the replacement I just bought from J Bugs. Here are two pictures of my old throwout bearing:

And here is the replacement I bought:

The problem is, the pins that hold it to the clutch arm do not go deep enough into the holes so that they will fit properly around the backside of the clutch arm. The holes on either side of the old throwout bearing are really deep and the pins go way into each hole so that they wrap around the throwout arm. The new throwout bearing has very shallow holes so the pins barely go deep enough to fit properly.

So, my question really is, what the heck is that old bearing ? I cleaned it up to try to find a part number on it, but there is not one. And every clip I have purchased to hold the throwout in place is not of that same design, they have a loop at the end and will not stay in place. The holes on the throwout are just way too shallow for the pins to slide way in deep.

What am I doing wrong and what is that old throwout bearing from ?

Thanks for all your help, guys.

[Donshotrods]

What the heck is going on ??? I just found that the throwout bearing I removed from my transmission is for a Porsche 911 !!!!!!! Here is the ad with the exact throwout bearing and clips I had in my bug .

https://www.ebay.com/itm/295944088960?itmmeta=01HV...R-TCsLrZYw

Is this throwout bearing ok to use in this transmission with the VW pressure plate.

Man, I am really confused about this one !!

[wdfifteen]

That eBay part is not a 911/912 TO bearing. Late 356 and early 900 series transmission used a guide tube for the bearing to slide on and didn't need clips to hold it in place.

Yours looks like a VW bearing to me. So does the eBay bearing.

I can't help you with the problem with the new bearing. It definitely isn't for a Porsche. If the clips don't fit in far enough to hold it on, I don't know what good it is.

Early 911/912 release bearing on left. Earlier 356 bearing on the right. Both slid on guide tubes and did not use clips.

[mukluk]

Do yourself a favour and rebuild the old bearing: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=665572
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[zerotofifty]

A photo of the improper fit of the clips on the arm will be most helpful in diagnosing the problem.

the new clips you got are better than the old clips you got. upon install make sure the clips are crushed with pliers to secure them tightly. unsecured clips can fall out and that may result in clutch damage
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Give peace a chance. No American war with Russia!

[Donshotrods]

Thanks for the replies guys. I just read a thread on here about people regreasing the old Bosch bearings, and may do that, but I am also going to drill the holes for the clips slightly deeper so that the clips will end up with the correct spacing to finally clip onto the clutch arms.

I am still baffled as to why the old Bosch bearing fits like a glove and the new ones don't allow the keepers to seat deep enough to fit.

[Cusser]

1. The release bearing clips WITH the loop are better, in my opinion.

2. Here's a picture of the release bearing I have in my own 1970:

3. Here's a picture of the release bearing I used for decades in my 1970 before I installed the one above in 2018, when I installed a rebuilt MoFoCo transmission.

Post a picture of the clutch shaft where the release bearing goes - so we can see if the arms are parallel.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Donshotrods]

Here are the pictures you asked for. The arms seem very straight and even to me.

[Cusser]

[Donshotrods]

Bingo, Cusser, you hit on how to fix this problem perfectly. I went to the shop today and measured how deep the two holes are on either side of the old throwout bearing, and then I measured the new one. The old one went twice as deep, and allowed the pins to go way inside.

So, I took a 1/8 inch drill bit, put it in my drill press, clamped the throwout bearing in a small vice upright, and drilled both sides to match the old throwout bearing. It worked like a charm, and I then put the pins into the throwout bearing, installed it into the bell housing, and it fit perfectly.

Great minds must think alike because when I got home I read your post and you said exactly what I had done and it worked. Why those two holes are so shallow, I have no idea, but the pins work so much better going deeper.

Thanks to everyone who offered help on this one. Now I can start rebuilding the engine and get it installed.

[Cusser]

Don - you did good !!! So sad that a manufacturing site cannot copy and make such corresponding measurements.
Case 1: factory v. aftermarket shift rod coupler

Case 2: Depth into compressor of aftermarket replacement AC line (Nissan)

On a similar note: if I was installing a new master cylinder, I'd measure the depth of the recess and adjust the pushrod length accordingly. I'm a suspicious little Cuss !
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Donshotrods]

I agree. Parts for everything these days are crappy. A lot of times we have to do some work on them when we take them out of the package to make them fit and work. Too many overseas products .