Clutch drag and stiff/blocked gears after replacing DMF, Clutch, and Slave Cylinder

Hey everyone, I'm pulling my hair out trying to diagnose a persistent shifting issue on a VW/Audi 0A4 5-speed manual transmission and could really use some expert eyes.

Backstory & Replaced Parts:

Equipped with a VW 0A4 manual gearbox.
Parts Replaced: Dual-Mass Flywheel (DMF), Clutch kit (disc & pressure plate), (luk)and Hydraulic Slave Cylinder (luk) (concentric release bearing / butée hydraulique).
* **Bleeding:** The hydraulic system has been professionally bled. (But im gonna do another one in a couple of minutes to make sure)

**Current Symptoms:**
1. **With the engine off / at a standstill:** Gears are extremely stiff or completely blocked (especially 5th gear, though cable adjustments were already attempted).
2. **Clutch Drag:** When the car is in gear with the engine running and the clutch pedal is fully depressed, the car still creeps forward/backward.
3. **The Twist:** Once the car is actually rolling on the road, all gears shift are perfectly in place no noise but difficult to pass to another gear.

**What I've Checked So Far:**
* I am 100% confident the clutch disc was installed in the correct direction.
* I removed the starter motor to inspect the pressure plate and release bearing action visually.

I recorded a video through the starter aperture showing the slave cylinder/release bearing pressing against the clutch diaphragm when the pedal is depressed: slave moves and touches the diaphragm, but the release travel feels like it might be borderline or not fully unseating the disc.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated before I pull the whole gearbox back out!😭😭😭

im a beginner manual driver who’s recently been looking into getting a Mazda Miata with manual transmission as a new fun car to have. However i live in a very traffic dense area with lots of lights, does anyone have any experience with a situation like this? how unpleasant is it to navigate, and can it get better with experience?

Still gathering parts and info for the swap, seems pretty straightforward for a vehicle that didn’t come manual in the states. Talked to a few others who have done the swap so I definitely know its possible

When shifting into the next gear do you have to wait til the clutch is all the way down to add gas? Or can you mix it in just like going from stopped to 1st?

Missing the Si

Exactly what the title says. Buying my first car for college, and once bought, need to drive it 40 minutes back to my dorm.

I plan on having a buddy drive me there, then escort me to a nearby empty lot where I’ll practice for a few hours. After that, escort me home following closely behind me while taking it slow on back roads. Think it possible? Not really seeing an alternative at the moment.

I already have plenty of experience driving an automatic, so how hard could it be?

EDIT: Literally not one negative/troll comment on this whole post. Thank you to everyone for being such a positive community! Feeling a lot better about my chances since reading all of your extremely valuable advice :)

Hello all. I’m looking to purchase a v8 manual under 8k in the north east area. Currently live in NYC but I stay around the suburbs and have access to rural areas once I drive out of the city. I’ve been looking at new edge mustang GTs but I want to see if there are other suitable options.

Also i’ve noticed that I’ve struggled to find good deals on fb marketplace or at least owners that I can work with for a car i’m interested in looking at without getting ghosted. Any places where I won’t get ripped off in such way or tips?

Lastly is it worth trying to buy a car further out in the states and drive it home? I’m talking about states outside the northeast. South east, midwest areas specifically. Would be a hell of a drive but I can manage. I have bare minimal manual driving experience.

I never driven a stick before. I have to move my brother's car from one end of an empty parking lot to the other end. Can I do it only in first gear at 5-10mph? I dont want to damage anything.Any advice on best practice would be greatly appreciated!

I have a 98 integra and ive been practicing heel toe recently but ive been having some trouble. Im slightly duck footed especially in my right foot so its really hard for me to twist my right foot inwards. I also dont have very big feet size 9 so if i try to do it with less of an angle my foot slips off of one of the pedals.

I switched from the 2022 brz to the 2021 Lexus is350 f sport and god dammit am I missing the manual so much. I’ve only had the Lexus for 2 weeks and tbh I am missing that feeling and that engagement of the manual, not so much the brz but that feeling of being one with the car. There’s no engagement with the Lexus whatsoever and I did know this coming in but I didn’t know that I would miss the manual this badly, I went from loving and enjoying night car rides to get snacks or etc at target or Walmart to now it feeling like it’s a pain in the ass to drive. Yes I put it into sports mode and use the paddle shifters but it’s not even remotely close to the fun I had driving the brz. Yes the BRZ to me had a lot of issues that I didn’t like, such as the sound deadening which was non existent and the shitty speakers but man there is something about that manual in that car that just feels so amazing to drive. I miss it, I watch videos of my muffler deleted catback exhaust from remark on my phone sometimes and I just miss going the speed limit and having so much fuckn fun. I could easily go to 90 mph on the Lexus and not give a damn, I felt absolutely nothing going that fast in that car, but pushing my brz and only going the speed limit made me feel so much joy that I feel like nothing else could compare. I’m not saying I want the brz back bc the Lexus has its perks that I absolutely love, but it’s genuinely just the manual I miss so much.

It makes me wonder if I should get an altezza imported from Japan or a bike just to feel some kind of joy again but at the same time I should be financially smart with my money. Idk, ig we’ll see, but yah i just wanted to rant about how boring these luxury cars rlly r. Yes ik what i was getting myself into, but fr i did not know going from automatic to manual would affect my mental state this badly. I genuinely miss the manual.

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I'm in the process of converting my 01 Silverado 2500HD with the 6.0 and a 4L80e with a 263HD transfer case to a manual transmission truck.

I'll be using a 98 NV4500 sourced from a 98 K2500 Chevy truck. I drove it beforehand and all gears go in smoothly, no driving issues whatsoever (transmission related), and no noticeable sounds that would indicate an issue.

I just took out said transmission, and apart of it being absolutely covered in caked oil and grime from a terribly leaking rear main seal on that truck's engine, there are issues on the output shaft, as you can see in the images I posted.

What I understand to be the vibration damper AND the main shaft nut that keeps everything in place are thoroughly beat to hell, by some asshole transmission "technician" who probably lacked the adequate tool to manipulate those parts and didn't give a shit about doing things properly.

I just want confirmation on this from your part, as this is my first work on a NV4500. I'm planning on simply buying the tool needed to take out and reinstall those parts (if you could share directly what tool is needed it'd be appreciated), and buying the replacement vibration damper and main shaft nut, and replace them before putting the transmission into my truck.

Any other advice?

I'll be soon removing the PTO ports to take a look inside, haven't had time since taking the transmission out and cleaning it as best as was possible, but I'll report as soon as I do that. But as I said, the trans was working ok, and I'm willing to put it on my truck and see how long it lasts, and in the meantime get all the parts needed for a future rebuild.

Thanks!
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sold my shitbox a few months ago and while im not missing him i am missing the manual. I like toyotas/hondas for practicality. bmws/vws for their sleekness, subarus/audis/nissan for the gap they fill. i need something good on gas and family based. can be a smaller like hrv but something like a veloster is too small. slide your recs! Im aokay with older models and prefer them when it comes to work , newer models are also appreciated.

Only requirement? STANDARD

I have a 2012 mustang gt manual and I can shift into every gear but when I release the clutch In 3 and 5 it makes a grinding noise and vibrates the shifter every other gear shifts smooth and don’t make noise is it my clutch or my trans thanks

2008 BMW 328i, 2001 Audi A4, and 2003 BMW 325Xi

Hello everyone. So i have been driving manual for 2 months without issues, but recently i have been noticing that when i shift from 1st to 2nd it doesn't go easily. I tried everything, like shifting at low or high rpm but it still struggles to go into 2nd. What could be the problem?

Hello, I started learning manual a few months ago and I’m doing quite well with driving in general, but I hadn’t done reversing into my driveway which is on hill. That was until yesterday and I burned some clutch.

What are your guys’ tips to NOT burn my clutch? Thank you!