Anybody have a possible Iabed Rear Main Seal leak after less than 20k miles and 2yrs?

[Golf7RR]

2016R. Took all the precautions and made sure I installed this thing correctly even reaching out to Iabed owner prior to install to try to make sure I have the install down pat. Yes I used the plastic "tool" and yes I made sure i did not flip the lips, and yes I used the right sealant and amount ( i forget exact type it was 2+ yrs ago). Was a bit frustrated right now as car is exhibiting clutch slip in 4th and 5th at around 4k rpm. Telltale sign, seep hole i see under the car where trans case meets block has a oil leak. Which leads me to believe its the RMS. Clutch done at the same time was a SB Stage 3 Daily. My guess is friction disk has some oil on face to flywheel causing slip at higher gears.... Everything was fine up till now.... Note: I am pretty easy on the clutch and usually clutches last me 100k or much more on a normal setup. Although this is an aftermarket clutch I would expect at least 50k life from it..In addition clutch does not slip if car is babied, only slips if you have full boost (26-27psi) and I don't mean full boost in high gear with low speed.

I'm a bit of a meticulous person and would like advice on these questions:
1. if oil is impregnated on the face of the friction disk is it just worth changing out entire clutch at same time? I know $$$, but since trans will have to be removed to access RMS. clutch has less than 20k miles. I am afraid I will not get the max proper friction between disk and flywheel even after meticulous cleaning. (thinking oil impregnation on friction disk is slightly like a sponge or am I totally wrong?)
2. if it is not the RMS leaking then what else could cause leak seen at that location? PCV is a spulen V2 (did not need this impulse buy 1-2yrs ago). boost is kept at 26-27psi. I could change it out to an updated OEM PCV and just sell the spulen. I don't track the car and I honestly did not need it.
3. if some oil is on face of friction disk causing slip then wouldn't i feel it on say 3rd gear, or is that too low a gear to cause enough power to make the clutch slip? I don't feel any other odd slipping.
4. Could the clutch actually be slipping and RMS failure both? this oil seeping without touching friction disk. I was thinking this also could very real possibility. Chances of this happening is lower i say though b/c clutch was fine up till now and loved it.

Thank you for specific answers to my questions and suggestions you may have.
For peace of mind I'm leaning towards replacing clutch as well but haven't decided and NO I am not doing the clutch change myself again. going to shop. too much work for the effort for my sake. I'm a bit older and tired. ;-)

 

[JC_451]

I would seek simple explanations first.

If the face of the friction disk was coated with oil I don't think you would experience slip in only a specific rev range in specific gears.

It could just be the clutch giving up the ghost and the oil seepage is just coincidence and not the cause of the slip.

 

[Golf7RR]

I would seek simple explanations first.

If the face of the friction disk was coated with oil I don't think you would experience slip in only a specific rev range in specific gears.

It could just be the clutch giving up the ghost and the oil seepage is just coincidence and not the cause of the slip.

yup. my #4 point exactly. could be. thanks.

 

[The Fed]

Should be able to tell once you pull the clutch but you'll need a new one no matter what, so I wouldn't spend much time wondering if
it's glazed or merely worn. Funny I never wore out a clutch or had one slip but I broke a few well before they were worn.
All were 1970's GM models. The old saying that they don't build them like they used didn't hold true for me. All were made in the US

 

[OBP]

Was the OE RMS leaking at the time of the clutch install?

 

[Golf7RR]

Was the OE RMS leaking at the time of the clutch install?

Nope. Maybe should have left alone..ohh well..

 

[ECNMY R]

Sorry to hear it OP. IMO, some of the worst advice given on Mk7 forums since the platform came out is to "just do the iABED RMS while you're in there." My RMS at 19k miles was spotless, it looked like the engine had been built that day. The idea of futzing with it seemed silly.

Is this holdover advice from earlier VW platforms, or common practice for relatively high-boost engines? Is it a simple "aftermarket metal part better" sort of idea?

 

[1corea]

Mine started to leak right after I installed it.

 

[Golf7RR]

Update: Shop took trans off and TOB (slave cylinder) had exploded but was held together by the pressure of everything pushing up against it. Once removed whole thing was in pieces separated. RMS apparently was also cocked and not 100% flush and was seeping just a bit. Weird because I made sure when I installed it that it was not cocked..The oil as I thought was actually the clutch line fluid (which is fed from the same brake fluid reservoir). In the end the shop still put on a brand new same replacement clutch and new TOB as I had before Southbend Stage 3 Daily. and also changed out the Iabed seal.. The clutch removed has 2yrs and 17k of use and honestly looks excellent with virtually no wear and no flywheel/pressure plate discoloration. I attribute this to my quick response to any slipping and not driving the car until fixed (in hindsight should have still utilized it, but would have needed to wait for a TOB from southbend perhaps. I dont know if the OEM Metal type TOB would work with the Southbend unit). I might try to sell this clutch as it's in such great condition and to recoup some money, obviously without the TOB. Would there be any interest you think? New costs $1500+. I wouldn't know what's fair to ask? $650? more? less? thanks to those who tried to help.

 

[Golf7RR]

i contacted SB and although it was out of warranty period they stepped up and will be sending me a new bearing. i think they use a LUK brand. I don't know how different that is from OEM. I think they switched to metal also..I decided I'm going to hang on to this clutch, makes no financial sense to sell for less than half its cost and as if this happens again I will have a clutch ready to go in and not wait 3weeks+ to get it replaced.

 

[Blueballs]

Just found this thread, and I'm glad I did! I just had this same exact thing happen to me, except I had a DKM Stage 2 MB clutch in my GTI.

I noticed my clutch pedal was sticking. After diagnosis, I determined it was a failed slave/TOB. Also saw oil dripping from underneath the car, and found out after shinning my black light onto the dripping area, as I have the Molytech Molygen engine oil with the UV ray additive in it (highly recommend for the ability to see where oil leaks are coming from), so I knew I had a RMS leak, even though my RMS was the iAbed "upgraded" RMS in there.

After removing everything, I had brake fluid inside the transmission bell housing, and the slave was leaking. TOB was also sounding like the bearings were shot, and THIS WAS THE ALL METAL TOB/SLAVE VERSION FROM LUK (I do not recommend this TOB!)!!! I only had 9k miles on this DKM Stage 2 MB clutch, and this all happened!

Also, the iAbed RMS was leaking pretty bad! I am also very OCD with my installs, and I made 100% sure that the iAbed seal was pressed evenly and all the way, I used the plastic install tool, and I made sure I put the right amount of sealant on the back, and torques the bolts down. I did everything and more compared to what a shop would do! It still leaked!

No, my original RMS was not leaking, and I wish I never took it off in the first place. But you know the forums all say, get the iAbed upgrade! Uh, nope! I will never say that because it was a bad choice! And the more I read into it, there have been many failures of it.

I decided to buy the SB Stage 3 Endurance clutch kit after this DKM failure, even with the "upgraded" all metal TOB/slave that everyone said to get (haha bull!!). I also put the OEM RMS on the car. I am still on break-in period with the SB clutch, but it feels amazing and I have ZERO leaks underneath my car. Really liking this clutch so far. The driveline connection is so much better than DKM!

I will say, a RMS leak could be due to a failing PCV, but a failing PCV would be throwing some lean codes, so if you aren't getting that, then your PCV should be fine. You can do the check of starting your engine, opening your oil cap, and putting piece of paper on top of your oil cap area. if it sucks in too hard or not at all, PCV issues most likely, but if it stays there just sucked in fine to where you can lift the paper off without too much force, PCV is good to go.

Question:

On your SB Stage 3 Daily, did your kit come with the slave/TOB shim kit? My SB Stage 3 Endurance did, so I am hoping this little shim kit fixes the slave/TOB issues that so many of us have had.

 

[Golf7RR]

Just found this thread, and I'm glad I did! I just had this same exact thing happen to me, except I had a DKM Stage 2 MB clutch in my GTI.

I noticed my clutch pedal was sticking. After diagnosis, I determined it was a failed slave/TOB. Also saw oil dripping from underneath the car, and found out after shinning my black light onto the dripping area, as I have the Molytech Molygen engine oil with the UV ray additive in it (highly recommend for the ability to see where oil leaks are coming from), so I knew I had a RMS leak, even though my RMS was the iAbed "upgraded" RMS in there.

After removing everything, I had brake fluid inside the transmission bell housing, and the slave was leaking. TOB was also sounding like the bearings were shot, and THIS WAS THE ALL METAL TOB/SLAVE VERSION FROM LUK (I do not recommend this TOB!)!!! I only had 9k miles on this DKM Stage 2 MB clutch, and this all happened!

Also, the iAbed RMS was leaking pretty bad! I am also very OCD with my installs, and I made 100% sure that the iAbed seal was pressed evenly and all the way, I used the plastic install tool, and I made sure I put the right amount of sealant on the back, and torques the bolts down. I did everything and more compared to what a shop would do! It still leaked!

No, my original RMS was not leaking, and I wish I never took it off in the first place. But you know the forums all say, get the iAbed upgrade! Uh, nope! I will never say that because it was a bad choice! And the more I read into it, there have been many failures of it.

I decided to buy the SB Stage 3 Endurance clutch kit after this DKM failure, even with the "upgraded" all metal TOB/slave that everyone said to get (haha bull!!). I also put the OEM RMS on the car. I am still on break-in period with the SB clutch, but it feels amazing and I have ZERO leaks underneath my car. Really liking this clutch so far. The driveline connection is so much better than DKM!

I will say, a RMS leak could be due to a failing PCV, but a failing PCV would be throwing some lean codes, so if you aren't getting that, then your PCV should be fine. You can do the check of starting your engine, opening your oil cap, and putting piece of paper on top of your oil cap area. if it sucks in too hard or not at all, PCV issues most likely, but if it stays there just sucked in fine to where you can lift the paper off without too much force, PCV is good to go.

Question:

On your SB Stage 3 Daily, did your kit come with the slave/TOB shim kit? My SB Stage 3 Endurance did, so I am hoping this little shim kit fixes the slave/TOB issues that so many of us have had.

Yes I had the shim kit and I had installed it. On this replaced one the shop did the work and they put it in as well.. Since you did all the work yourself, did you have to use some special install tool for the newest version of the OEM RMS? that's what I heard that it "requires" some new tool. and not the plastic cup?? secondly, what exact TOB (part#, brand) did you use for the replacement, the one in the endurance kit? its the same TOB i think as LUK. that's what the shop installed, hope it lasts longer this go-around.. thanks for the PCV tip, i will have to check that..Nice that you got everything squared away and now you can enjoy it.

 

[Blueballs]

Yes I had the shim kit and I had installed it. On this replaced one the shop did the work and they put it in as well.. Since you did all the work yourself, did you have to use some special install tool for the newest version of the OEM RMS? that's what I heard that it "requires" some new tool. and not the plastic cup?? secondly, what exact TOB (part#, brand) did you use for the replacement, the one in the endurance kit? its the same TOB i think as LUK. that's what the shop installed, hope it lasts longer this go-around.. thanks for the PCV tip, i will have to check that..Nice that you got everything squared away and now you can enjoy it.

Interesting. I just used the plastic install tool that came with the kit that ECS Tuning installed. There’s a new tool now? Why? Maybe because iAbed is realizing their RMS’s are failing even with the plastic install tool they provided? This time around, I decided not to use the iAbed RMS because I don’t trust it now. My original OEM RMS never leaked, and I still had it, so I decided to reuse it and put my original OEM back on. Nothing was wrong with it. I just used the plastic install tool I had, and it worked fine. I’m almost 1k miles in on my new SB S3 endurance clutch, and zero leaks underneath!

I will say this though, I only decided to reuse my original OEM RMS because I did go to my nearest VW dealership and bought a new one, but when it came to install it, the inner diameter was way smaller! It was like a good 1/4-3/8” too small even for the crank hub! The rubber lip looked to be placed differently, which is why it was so much smaller in diameter. The internet shows that it’s the correct RMS for this car, but I just didn’t feel like it was because of I attempted to install it with my plastic install tool I already had, the rubber lip would easily have flipped up like it’s not supposed to, and there would’ve been an immediate leak. So like you said, now thinking about it, I’m sure there is a different install tool for the new RMS’s (it’s a revised design apparently), but I had no idea about that when I bought it. I thought I could have just used my install tool I got when I bought the iAbed RMS.

As far as the TOB/slave, I unfortunately didn’t even pay attention to which one it was. I just saw it and installed it, so I can’t help you with that. Sorry. I really hope it does last longer and not fail.

You said you are using the Spulen PCV right? I think some people have had leaking issues with that one.

 

[Golf7RR]

Interesting. I just used the plastic install tool that came with the kit that ECS Tuning installed. There’s a new tool now? Why? Maybe because iAbed is realizing their RMS’s are failing even with the plastic install tool they provided? This time around, I decided not to use the iAbed RMS because I don’t trust it now. My original OEM RMS never leaked, and I still had it, so I decided to reuse it and put my original OEM back on. Nothing was wrong with it. I just used the plastic install tool I had, and it worked fine. I’m almost 1k miles in on my new SB S3 endurance clutch, and zero leaks underneath!

I will say this though, I only decided to reuse my original OEM RMS because I did go to my nearest VW dealership and bought a new one, but when it came to install it, the inner diameter was way smaller! It was like a good 1/4-3/8” too small even for the crank hub! The rubber lip looked to be placed differently, which is why it was so much smaller in diameter. The internet shows that it’s the correct RMS for this car, but I just didn’t feel like it was because of I attempted to install it with my plastic install tool I already had, the rubber lip would easily have flipped up like it’s not supposed to, and there would’ve been an immediate leak. So like you said, now thinking about it, I’m sure there is a different install tool for the new RMS’s (it’s a revised design apparently), but I had no idea about that when I bought it. I thought I could have just used my install tool I got when I bought the iAbed RMS.

As far as the TOB/slave, I unfortunately didn’t even pay attention to which one it was. I just saw it and installed it, so I can’t help you with that. Sorry. I really hope it does last longer and not fail.

You said you are using the Spulen PCV right? I think some people have had leaking issues with that one.

Yeah the new tool T10122C i believe per shopdap when you look up the RMS they recommend that tool. the spulen V2 is what I have (not that I really need it either, I don't) but I haven't heard of issues with it. do you have any weblink?.. the TOB your endurance kit has is more than likely the same as the daily kit. it's a LUK most likely. but i haven't heard it's bad per say. just my luck it exploded.. I did buy the OEM RMS with the possible hope of shop installing it, but they were pretty much against it and that it made no sense to go to OEM, so I trusted the shop. we'll see how it goes. knock on wood, it's been fine thus far. I've been monitoring it. still breaking-in the clutch myself as well.

 

[Blueballs]

Yeah the new tool T10122C i believe per shopdap when you look up the RMS they recommend that tool. the spulen V2 is what I have (not that I really need it either, I don't) but I haven't heard of issues with it. do you have any weblink?.. the TOB your endurance kit has is more than likely the same as the daily kit. it's a LUK most likely. but i haven't heard it's bad per say. just my luck it exploded.. I did buy the OEM RMS with the possible hope of shop installing it, but they were pretty much against it and that it made no sense to go to OEM, so I trusted the shop. we'll see how it goes. knock on wood, it's been fine thus far. I've been monitoring it. still breaking-in the clutch myself as well.

I have grown not to take what most people on the forums say as the "only way to go", just because I have seen so many failures of parts that were deemed "the only way to go" from so many forum members. I feel a lot more confident in my OEM RMS not leaking than I do with the iAbed RMS, but that's just only speaking for myself.

I had no idea that there was a different install tool. It must be that the new install tools diameter is a lot smaller to fit the new updated OEM RMS version, because the new OEM RMS's inner diameter wouldn't even fit over my install tools smallest diameter part. I think that's so stupid how the VW dealership didn't even let me know that there was a newer version install tool that went along with the new updated OEM RMS. Either way, I find it so odd that the new updated OEM RMS actually could fit onto the crank hub because it was so much smaller. That inner rubber lip would be stretched so far out that I don't now if I would've even felt confident with the new OEM RMS given how far it needed to stretch on the one rubber part that's supposed to prevent the leak. Maybe it does. I would need to see it installed in person to really grasp the idea behind it.

I have also come to not trust shops either. I am sure there are performance shops that know their stuff on this car, but I have yet to find one that really knows what they're talking about. The amount of things that I have had to figure out on my own with success, that these VW and European shops weren't able to with this car, is crazy! I don't know if it's a VW thing, because this never happened with my BMW's, but it seems like a lot of VW tech's have very small knowledge in this platform. I am glad you trust a shop enough to have them install the iAbed RMS and work on your car. For me, I take shops recommendations as low value. I hope your RMS doesn't leak, and if mine does, I will make sure I let you know.

I don't have any links. I just remember seeing a post or two a while back with it leaking. That's another reason why I just stick with OEM. That and the oil pan too. Too many people thinking a steel pan will be better, and then having leaks all the time...not worth the hassle.

I just don't understand why the slave? TOB's on this car are so bad! Why? Its not a piece that is hard to design and test. So why are we as the users having to buy these expensive kits, and having the most plain piece of the kit failing on us so often? It blows my mind, and is frustrating given the cost of these jobs! I hope our doesn't fail in the near future because I'm at my wits end with these clutch part failures with this car! The thought of selling my GTI has come across my mind so many times due to the clutch, but its hard to sell because its such a fun car to drive when its driving well! And to find anything else this fast, fun, ergonomic, practical, and economical, for cheaper, won't ever happen. I've put too much money into it to sell it for cheap, and even if I did sell it for 20k (prices on manual MK7 GTI's have gone up quite a bit in the last year)(not sure if you knew this or not), and bought a 10k car, I wouldn't be saving that much money in the long run, but then I'm stuck with a boring car to drive that gives me nothing buy A to B commute status.