gbailey911

OK, I finally dropped my engine today to begin the clutch replacement. All went well and the engine and transmission are safely in my garage. There is something ozzing out of the bottom breather hose (see pictures). Can anyone identify what this is, what causes it, and what should I do about it?

As always, thanks in advance!

SeattlePorsche

Here is my guess. It is based on the appearance of my oil pan after I left it out overnight and it got rained on a little. The oil developed a gunk on the top. It was Castrol oil (which I will never use again). I think it is the detergents in the oil. Isn't that the hose that connects to the oil tank? If, so you might want to take a look inside your oil tank. In fact, I think I will look inside mine too.

gbailey911

Anybody else have any thoughts on what caused this. The car has always been stored inside and for the last five years has either had Amsoil synthetic (previous owner), Castrol Syntec blend(one year) or Mobil one in it (last two years). When I drained the oil, it was black just as I would expect. Curious as to what this is, what caused it, and what should I do.

Thanks!

Peter Zimmermann

It's condensation, usually caused by frequent short trips, or at least trips where the engine doesn't reach full temp. Wipe it away and don't worry about it. In most cases the same stuff will appear on the inside of your oil cap...
Pete

gbailey911

Pete, thanks for responding and confirming what I initially thought. I really appreciate your insight and help to everyone on Rennlist. Your expertice and knowledge helped me decide to undertake this clutch job myself instead of paying the local shop to do the job. So far, no real surprises.

A couple of additional clutch questions if you don't mind me stealing my own thread. I bought the no drill clutch shaft upgrade kit. It looks pretty straight forward, remove old shaft(done), press out fork needle bearings, press in bronze bushing from out side faces of fork, reinstall. I also bought the new throw-out bearing and 32mm tube. Can this work with the original clutch fork? It looks like it should work but wanted to know you opinion and is the upgrade this simple?

Last question, my car had 87,000 miles on the original clutch, the pedal was getting almost to the top to engage, and my mechanic said I was getting close to needing a new clutch so here I am replacing the clutch. The new clutch is a Sachs spring center and the old was an original rubber center. Here's the question, the old clutch was approximately 0.365" thick and the new one is 0.347" thick. Shouldn't the worn clutch be thiner or will the difference be made up with the pressure plate combo?

As always, thanks to all in advance!!!

gbailey911

Weekend bunp!

Thanks again!

theiceman

FYI I just noticed the same white goop tonight when I checked the oil level. I had it on long runs recently but it has been cooler and rainy recently ... oh well.

I hope you don't eperience the dreaded gear rattle when going from a rubber centered to spring centred clutch.

fixnprsh

must be coolant, the head gasket is probably blown

theiceman

yeah that's it .. I can't even remember the last time I topped up the coolant :-)

Sammyg2

Uh oh, looks like your oil was contaminated with dihydromonoxide.
It's usually harmless unless submerged in large quanities or inhaled.

911pcars

If it's condensation (it looks like it), it's not only in the breather hose - probably inside the engine too. Change oil more often or bring it up to operating temperature before shutting down. Not good for heat transfer, oil passages or long-term engine life.

Sherwood

Peter Zimmermann

George: I'm sorry - I just caught up with your thread. I would not under any circumstances short of racing put anything other than a rubber-centered disc in my own car. They are reliable, quiet and well-sorted. Also, I have it on very good authority that the clutch fork "fix" that you're doing is not as effective as the factory fix, which requires machining (drilling).
Pete

gbailey911

Peter and everyone that responded, thanks for taking the time to read and respond. The clutch disk and shift fork are now water under the bridge as I finished the install last weekend. I must say that I am totally pleased with the job and have not seen any down side to the spring centered disk or fork upgrade. The clutch pedal is now silky smooth, so much so I originally didn't think it was actually disengaging the clutch. I have not heard any of the unusual noises from the spring centered disk but time may change that as I only have about 100 miles on the new setup. The whole project went fairly smoothly and I wouldn't hesitate to remove the engine/tranny again now that I have this first one under my belt. The second time would be much less stressful.

Thanks again for all of your responses and expertise!

Peter Zimmermann

George: Good job! As I've posted in the past, each owner has a different level of noise tolerance, and a few cars along the way turn out just fine with the spring hub (my car, of course, would be one of the noisy ones!). Regarding the clutch fork mod, the fear among people that I've talked to is that it won't be as reliable as the factory fix long term. That said, the aftermarket fix has to be better than the original! Enjoy your good work and keep the shiny side up!
Pete

SeattlePorsche

Just a thought on the "goop". What happens if this stuff gets in the squirters? I am examining my camshafts and cyl# 4-6 has darker cams that Steve mentioned is 2nd to dirty oil and heat. The cam lobes are shiny, but the rounded part of the cams are dark. I was looking at the oil squirter bar and those holes are tiny. I would hate to get condensation crap in there.

Good oil seems to be a necessity in our cars?