Nicole

Friends of mine have a 968 convertible with Tiptronic that makes a strange noise from underneath the back of the car. Specifically, I think it comes from the area of where torque tube and transmission meet.

It's a clacking noise that's quite loud after a cold start, and then gets quieter, but doesn't seem to go away entirely.

The noise has been there for years, but recently intensified a bit.

The local Porsche dealer, where the car was serviced when it first started, told the owner there are "lose rivets at the flex plate". However, I browsed through PET for the 968 and to my surprise I could not find a flex plate listed anywhere.

An independent mechanic told my friend that he needs a new torque tube, etc for the cost of about $2000.

I would like to get some opinions on what this could be, and how to best proceed. My friend doesn't know much about car mechanics, and is not inclined to wrench himself.

If you know a reliable independent Porsche mechanic in Contra Costa County, CA, that would be helpful also.

Thanks!

FRporscheman

Hey Nicole,
You might get a little more info on the 968 specific forum. Personally I don't know anything about the tiptronic system. But if a new TT costs $2000 then I should start a business! I did mine for about $150 in a few days.

Nicole

Maybe my friends should hire you for the job...

Rock

I would try and diagnose the noise a little bit better before throwing money at a torque tube. Ive seen some ransacked rusted 944 torque tubes with +200k on them come out ok.

Does the noise get worse at speed?

Does it worsen in park?

Does it go away in neutral?

How old is the fluid in the tranny? I just did the fluid in a 99 Audi with 108K on it, and the fluid in those trannys are supposed to be "lifetime" fluid. The thing shifted like someone poured sand in it. Flushed the fluid and installed a new filter, the thing runs great.

Nicole

The noise is most audible in neutral when cold. A "klacking" type of rattle.

After a few minutes it becomes hard to hear from inside the car, but if you stand next to it, you still hear it in neutral. It is hard to hear when driving, but still present in gear when standing still.

What throws me off is that on an old invoice the PORSCHE dealer had written that the rivets on the flex plate were lose - but when I looked at PET I could not find a flex plate - at least not anything that resembles the flex plate I know from the 928.

What am I missing?

Nicole

As suggested, I have started a similar thread on the 968 forum. This thread has provided quite a bit of additional information, so I decided to interlink the two....

https://rennlist.com/forums/968-foru...ing-noise.html