engine runs - rear wheels won't drive
11-14-2007 | 03:44 PM
#16
Rennlist Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 12,008
Likes: 95
From: Hyde Park, NY
He said it's an 87 944 t... I would think the t means turbo. That same trapezoidal shaped window is where the transmission coupler lives. Try this, with the car in gear, engine shut off, reach in the trapezoid hole and grab the coupler and try to rotate it by hand. With the car in gear, you shouldn't be able to rotate it much. If you can then it is probably a clutch problem. Then put it in nuetral and try to rotate it again. It should spin and one of the rear wheels should turn (right side I think) also, assuming it doesn't have limited slip in which case both rear wheels should turn. If there is no wheel rotation then I'd have to say pinion gear has lost teeth.
The coupler will only rotate by hand if a) the clutch is pushed in, or b) the clutch or driveshaft is broken. This is the input shaft of the transmission - so putting the transmission in neutral will do nothing for allowing this to spin.
However, if you remove the two bolts from the coupler (completely remove them) you'll be able to slide the coupler rearward to disconnect the transaxle from the driveshaft. Now, you can spin the coupler (because it's not connected to the engine) and see if the rear wheels will turn.
