peanut

why would anyone track race a 944 with a rubber clutch in the first place ?

John_AZ

Remove the starter and look in the hole. Both of my rubber discs, now replaced had small 1/4 inch size rubber chunks on the bottom of the bell housing.

GL
John_AZ
1988 924S 60K-clutch replacement (rubber disc)-11/07
1987 924S 113K-clutch replacement (rubber disc) finished-TODAY Apr.24, 2009!

Potomac-Greg

Why fix it until it's broke? Now it's broke!

Mike C.

Yes the tell-tale rubber chunks is a good point. Also, If you get the rear end of the car up, with the transmission in neutral, pull the rubber plug that covers access to the drive shaft/tranny input shaft coupler. Reach in there and grab the coupler and try to rotate it in both directions. If you can rotate it a few degrees between stops, it means the rubber is sheared and is letting the 'limp home' tabs engage.

944Ross

Well ****, I had the starter out when I locked the flywheel for a belt job, and there was a bunch of rubber in there. I figured it was what was left of my (missing in action) inspection hole plug...

peanut

I managed 6 months daily driving up to 400 km per day on the 'get you home tabs'.
Unless a driver is very heavy footed or likes racing starts, the tabs are very tough and can last a surprisingly long time . Trouble is there is no warning before they finally give out. I was left in the dark in the middle of a blizzard in the back of beyond on the only day of the year it snowed

schwank

Glad you got it worked out Greg, and that I was right as usual

Jfrahm

Driving on the limp-home tabs is hard on the pinion gear and lord knows it's life is hard enough. The clutch disks that don't have a rubber insert have big springs in them to prevent that slamming from pounding the crap out of the next failure point in the driveline, which is the pinion gear. Even careful driving will cause shocks to the driveline and unless you are trying to help your mechanic with his finances, don't drive on a wrecked clutch.

-Joel.

aben8057

Greg,

Ideal time to also address some other items like change the tranny fluid, RMS, clutch fork bearings and repack/replace CV joints.

Potomac-Greg

They're doing clutch fork. The other stuff I can do myself, and actually are added labor with a clutch job. The trans fluid was changed when they mis-diagnosed the problem. Of course, the stuff they dumped out of the trans was also brand new synthetic.

Bruno'S2

Wonder if I'm looking at a clutch job too. This happened to me twice now. I get home and leave the car in the driveway in first gear, no handbrake. After a couple of hours I get back in the car to drive it in the garage. Start the car with clutch pedal engage leaving the first engaged. The car drives in the garage without me releasing the clutch. I applied the brakes and tried pulling it out of first gear, succeeded but I had to pull real hard to do it.

1989 S2

DarylJ

Luck you, no clutch job.

You need to look at your clutch master, slave, and the line between them. One of them is bad, and/or you are out of fluid. Should not be a big deal.

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/clutch-04.htm

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/clutch-02.htm

You can be done with this for under a couple hundred bucks, a wasted afternoon, some beat up knuckles, and some cursing.

peanut

A very good point Joel but the problem that this thread has highlighted and you appear to have mssed is that even Porsche techs that work on these cars every day can't diagnose a failing clutch how is an average owner to know ?
I was convinced that it was my clutch failing but my local indie said not and the car continued to work fine.
Mind you I drive with an egg between my toes and the gas pedal

Potomac-Greg

Well, my car is back, and the new clutch has taken care of all of the drivetrain noise. The clutch takeup is smooth, although it happens lower in the pedal travel (closer to the floor).

vt951

Here's some good info and pics to explain the lash and clunking noises when a rubber centered clutch disc fails:

http://www.944online.com/techinfo/fa...category_id=21