thirdgenbird

new clutch is in!!! ended up doing it myself (with a little help from my dad) on 4 jack stands... it was quite an experience, but its back together. (sort of)

i did have several issues however...

-the starter was grinding on the ring gear until i shimmed it. i dont know it its a tolerance difference with the new clutch and aluminum flywheel, or if my old dying starter is not retracting far enough. do you know if there is an adjustment on the starter?

-i forgot to put in the plastic tube for the shift linkage that goes through the rear bell housing. i am guessing it will be okay without it as its probably just to keep crap out of there anyway. im also not sure i could get it back in anyway. lining up the transmission to the bell housing and the transmission mounts is hard enough without a plastic tube in the way.

-the car seems to run great and seems vibration free but wont idle at all. at first i thought it was a speed or reference sensor issue, but it starts great and the tach operates so now i think it may be a vacuum issue.

-my memory also failed me when i tried to connect everything to the top of the bell housing. on top of the housing by the sensors and TDC "window" there is two studs. on the one on the passenger side (under the heater valve) i connected the ground wires. does the one on the driver side only hold a "strap" for the starter wires???

-i also ended up with an extra L bracket that for the life of me i cant find a home for. its got a big hole on one leg of the bracket and a smaller slot on the other.

any help would be great!

casey.

John_AZ

I had the same problem when I finished my clutch. The starter felt "sloppy" when mounted. If you have the original starter in the car, the bolt mounting holes may have gotten bigger with engine vibration over the years. NO FIX. Since you spent big $$ on the aluminum flywheel, get a Bosch Remanufactured starter. Everything is checked or replaced. A local rebuilder/rebuild may not be as thorough.

The shift rod tube keeps the dust out. Ignore it for now.

COVER the TDC bell housing hole!

On top of the bell housing. Near sensor bracket is the negative cable bolt to ground.
Close by 1 inch away is a smaller bolt. This is another ground point for the sensors and electronics. Make sure the ground is secure.

Check the sensor connections at the firewall and the O2 sensor connection.

"L" bracket--no idea.

GL
John_AZ
1988 924S + 1987 924S

thirdgenbird

thanks for the advice. the flywheel was actually reasonably priced.(cheaper than stock) i didnt have the time (or resources) to resurface the one i already had, and i didnt want to have to go back in there. besides, it was a nice reward for doing the clutch job myself. ive never tackled anything of that magnitude before.

by had the same problem do you mean your starter hit on the gear as well? why didnt it before the clutch job? how far back should the pinion gear come back in the starter (its dry and rusted in there)

so BOTH studs should have cables grounded to them? how many wires should i be looking for on each one? maybe one or two has "escaped" in the process.

JimV8

The idle problem is likely related to a vacuum line that came loose. Check near the heater hose area.

thirdgenbird

this is my thought right now as well,unfortunately the car is stuck in a garage an hour away. i may run up after work and give it a look tomorrow.

John_AZ

You have done a big job and should congratulate yourself.

Put the starter up to the bell housing and finger tighten the bolts. Now try to twist the starter. If you feel the starter moving 1/16 to 1/8th inch it is too much. My Bosch remanufactured does not have any movement at all.
When I began to suspect my clutch I would have to "twist" the starter away from the ring gear or hear it when I turned the key.

Now, The bigger of the 2 bolts is for the negative cable ground.
The smaller bolt is for the electronics. I only have one connector with 3 or 4 wires pinched together on my small bolt.

It does sound like a vacuum leak.

GL
John_AZ

John_AZ

Sorry, I missed the Q about the starter gear.

Here is a starter rebuild page that shows what can go wrong inside the starter.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothrea...ostid=42115781

GL
John_AZ

thirdgenbird

great link, thanks!

i contacted Fadanza about my starter issue as well and the owner called me back, and asked me to mail him the starter. he wanted to investigate as well. he said that if the problem is not related to my starter he will cnc a shim to put between it and the bell housing. definitely an A+ company!

i wont be back to the car until the 3rd but i will report my findings then.

Equilibria

sorry to bring up an old issue, but was there ever a resolution or result with the issue regarding needing to shim the starter? Seems like I have the same issue, and want to know if I should be sticking with shims or if there's another underlying issue.

Eric_Oz_S2

The plastic tube seals the end of the torque tube from dust. Without it dust will get into the rear carrier bearing and eventually it will seize up. If you are ever going to drive it in dusty conditions you should install it.