Another failed thrust bearing victim :(

[Hoon]

Crank walk is caused by improperly installed thrust bearings, not the clutch. I have been running my dkm MS twin disk for over 37,000 of my total 86,000 miles with zero issues.

Sorry Jake but I'm not with you on this one.

The force to overcome the pressure plate is against the thrust bearing, one small 180 degree washer, essentially, holding 2500+ lbs of force. The heavier the pressure plate the more stress on the bearing. This is reinforced by the much lower failure rate of cars running stock clutches.

I also don't know how you would install them wrong. The clearance is so tight I don't see a way that the assembly would fit together if they aren't in the right spot. We're talking a couple thousandths of an inch. After they wear they can fall out of place, but this is an effect and not a cause.

 

[Stija]

2500lb pressure plate may not translate to 2500lb actual pressure on the crank when you depress the clutch pedal.

 

[GTI Jake]

If you get crank walk again you’ve got literally the worst luck in the world. You’re more likely to hit the Mega Millions. I’m speaking from personal experience that your clutch was not damaged by crankwalk. With that said I have no idea what condition it’s in from your driving style, mileage or installation/removal by whoevers working on your car.

HOON, I take no offense if you disagree, but I’m not convinced aftermarket clutches have anything to do with it.

I’ve never torn a Gen 3 TSI down to mess with the thrust bearings and honesty hope I never do. However the issue lies in the installation or the design or both. It happens to all years, modded or stock, high and low mileage.

Our local dealership claims to have warrantied bone stock 2019s for crankwalk, as well as every other year dating back to 2015

 

[Stija]

I know, I’m just saying that just cuz a clutch pp is rated at 2500lb clamping force that does NOT mean it takes 2500lb pressure on crank when you depress the pedal. Point being, not so sure that is the source of crank walk.

 

[euroadb]

I know, I’m just saying that just cuz a clutch pp is rated at 2500lb clamping force that does NOT mean it takes 2500lb pressure on crank when you depress the pedal. Point being, not so sure that is the source of crank walk.

by bad I reread the above posts and misunderstood what you meant

 

[Hoon]

If you get crank walk again you’ve got literally the worst luck in the world. You’re more likely to hit the Mega Millions. I’m speaking from personal experience that your clutch was not damaged by crankwalk. With that said I have no idea what condition it’s in from your driving style, mileage or installation/removal by whoevers working on your car.

HOON, I take no offense if you disagree, but I’m not convinced aftermarket clutches have anything to do with it.

I’ve never torn a Gen 3 TSI down to mess with the thrust bearings and honesty hope I never do. However the issue lies in the installation or the design or both. It happens to all years, modded or stock, high and low mileage.

Our local dealership claims to have warrantied bone stock 2019s for crankwalk, as well as every other year dating back to 2015

I think it's a design issue. My personal opinion is it's not an accident, they chose to run a small bearing to reduce friction for MPG.

That said, when you increase the force on the small bearing with a heavy clutch, your likelihood of failure is going to go up.

 

[crxgator]

Most aftermarket clutches are around 2300-2600 lbs of force. Just some food for thought.

 

[GTI Jake]

Anyone up on what they did to prevent crankwalk on 4G63? They’re the OG for this issue.

Most aftermarket clutches are around 2300-2600 lbs of force. Just some food for thought.

What’s the factory pressure plate rated for? Does Sachs disclose that info?

 

[Stija]

Most aftermarket clutches are around 2300-2600 lbs of force. Just some food for thought.

Whats stock?

 

[Hoon]

Anyone up on what they did to prevent crankwalk on 4G63? They’re the OG for this issue.

It was a factory design change that solved it. The early cars and late cars had no issues, the 4G63 got a really bad rep for it, but it was only 2 model years that had the issue. This is a throwback for me, but I think it was the '94 and '95 model years.

There was never an aftermarket solution, because it's actually a difficult thing to solve in the aftermarket. Even the OEM block and main caps are not consistent, which is why VW uses 5 different thickness main bearings to keep their tolerance within spec at the factory. Any aftermarket main cap (which you would need to fit a larger bearing) is likely going to change the clearance, meaning the center main would either need to be measured and either honed or come with a pack of multi thickness bearing shells. Either way it adds a ton of cost to keep the clearance accurate, and removes 99% of owners from a DIY job.

 

[GTI Jake]

It was a factory design change that solved it. The early cars and late cars had no issues, the 4G63 got a really bad rep for it, but it was only 2 model years that had the issue. This is a throwback for me, but I think it was the '94 and '95 model years.

There was never an aftermarket solution, because it's actually a difficult thing to solve in the aftermarket. Even the OEM block and main caps are not consistent, which is why VW uses 5 different thickness main bearings to keep their tolerance within spec at the factory. Any aftermarket main cap (which you would need to fit a larger bearing) is likely going to change the clearance, meaning the center main would either need to be measured and either honed or come with a pack of multi thickness bearing shells. Either way it adds a ton of cost to keep the clearance accurate, and removes 99% of owners from a DIY job.

Yeah I just spent some time looking into the 4G63 issue.

I’m not losing any sleep over it, really nobody should. Kinda falls under the pay to play clause.

While it’s an expensive risk to take on the flip side DSG are expensive if they come apart, and so are bevel gear boxes and Haldex for those who jump ship to other MQB cars (along with the added cost of selling or trading for another car).

 

[JC_451]

Mega millions odds: 1 in 302,575,350 or .00000033%

Crank walk: 9 in 100 (approximately) or 9%

Crank walk a second time to the same person: 81 in 10000 or .81%

Just sayin... those lotto odds are way worse than people realize. You have a better chance of being hit by lightning -twice- than winning the lottery.

 

[euroadb]

Crank walk: 9 in 100 (approximately) or 9%

Can you link the poll that data is from?

 

[JC_451]

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/inde...-class-action-we-need-to-get-together.371168/

It's in that thread.

It's a Facebook poll.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

It was a factory design change that solved it. The early cars and late cars had no issues, the 4G63 got a really bad rep for it, but it was only 2 model years that had the issue. This is a throwback for me, but I think it was the '94 and '95 model years.

There was never an aftermarket solution, because it's actually a difficult thing to solve in the aftermarket. Even the OEM block and main caps are not consistent, which is why VW uses 5 different thickness main bearings to keep their tolerance within spec at the factory. Any aftermarket main cap (which you would need to fit a larger bearing) is likely going to change the clearance, meaning the center main would either need to be measured and either honed or come with a pack of multi thickness bearing shells. Either way it adds a ton of cost to keep the clearance accurate, and removes 99% of owners from a DIY job.

So what's the simple solution to fix that 180° thrust bearing, is what I believe people are looking for.

I've mentioned that you would have to get a machine shop to either modify the stock one or have one made but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.