ktel

Please answer my question ASAP !

I going to inspect a '84 944 today that I 'm willing to buy. How can I determine the condition of the clutch and of the transaxle ? Please note that I will not lift the car since the workshops aren't working today here. Thank u !

Voith

try to takeoff with handbrake firmly on. if the car doesn't die immediately when clutch is starting to grip that is a good sign of bad clutch.

transaxle should not rattle toomuch while driving and all gears should shift smoothly without falling out of gear on acceleration..

ktel

Thanks man

When I try to takeoff with the handbrake on, should I step firmly on the accelaration pedal, or just use the clutch pedal ?

Voith

like you would normally without handbrake..

ktel

Thank you

Just for curiosity, what's the reason for this to happen ? I mean, how a GOOD clutch makes the car to die when taking off with the handbrake on ?

DarylJ

A good clutch will grab and not slip (making the car stall). A failing clutch will slip and let the engine still turn while the car sits still because of the hand brake.

It has to be pretty bad to fail this test, but it's quick and effective. Might as well give it a shot.

KuHL 951

In addition to the above suggestion, listen for clunks when taking off and on decel. A failed rubber center clutch will clunk on the limp home tabs. If you can get under the car (right side wheels on a curb) you can remove the rubber inspection cover and reach inside the rear TT housing. Place the car in neutral and grab the TT shaft and try to turn it. A failing rubber center clutch will rotate up to 1/2"; a good disc should not rotate at all.

catbug12

I just put in a new clutch and if i put the hand brake on and come off the clutch the engine doesn't die. It seems like the back end of the car lifts up. I let off the gas in a second or two as i just forgot to release the brake. I never have kept on the gas to see if the engine will die. If you just hold the brake on i would think any car engine would die. Well if the clutch disc was bad i guess it would slip, but i think if it was that bad it would slip when shifting between gears too.

Mike C.

I think the test Kuhl described is the best one since the rubber center clutches almost always fail due to rubber disintegration rather than clutch disk wear. Unless you get the car real cheap or do your own mechanical work, beware that clutch replacement can be very expensive on these cars.

Voith

it should die... this is not the most reliable test, but on some cars that have clutches near the end the slipping is quite obvious. on some cars you can tell by the position of pedal where clutch disengage, but there is no 100% rule I think.

method kuhl is describing should be best, since rubber clutches are prone to failures and you can't detect it while driving, until it is too late.

KuHL 951

Trust me the engine will die if the clutch is good, you just always release the brake before it happens. If you can get your new clutch to slip with the brake on either your pedal freeplay isn't adjusted correctly or your flywheel was worn beyond spec. A worn disc will slip but in his case he needs to know if the rubber center is going bad. When mine failed on my 83 the car had 161K miles and there was at least 30% of the disc lining remaining so worn linings are more an issue with the turbos than an NA.

Voith

kuhl: how thick is the lining on new oem 951 clutch?

KuHL 951

I can't tell you because I use a 930 Cup disc in mine. I have one I can measure but it's a hair thicker and has more lining surface area than the 951 disc. The wear is either measured on the car or from the lining to a rivet. I've never seen an actual combined thickness of the disc.

Voith

so this clutch should be perfectly good?

I dont know wether to use this clutch that seems it to have atleast half of her life still on, or shuld I buy new ceramic ($$$) clutch... hm hm

I think I've read here that these springs tend to break.

DarylJ

It's a Porsche. You should always buy the most expensive of everything, and have it installed by German mechanics in tuxedos wearing Tiffany cuff links.

Oh...wait - that's only with the cosmetics. Nobody can actually see the clutch disk, so do whatever you want. That is how you roll, right?