A little frustrated here with attempts to pull the engine out of my '88 951 S. Have all the bellhousing/engine bolts out, cross-member off, and the engine flywheel/clutch/pressure plate won't pull off the driveshaft. I'm afraid the clutch disc is sintered to the driveshaft, and I'm pretty sure it's the original clutch in the car (88k miles).

Any ideas? I'm a bit frustrated now.

Thanks!

 

You can remove the pressure with it in the bell housing. Remove the bolts in series through the starter hole, push the pressure plate back on the drive shaft, and you should have some access to the disk.

Hope that helps.

 

Yes. Take the starter out and remove the nine bolts around the pressure plate. Loosen them a bit at a time or you may warp the pressure plate.

Reason: There is a clip that holds the throw out bearing into the pressure plate. Unless you can get to and remove the clips that hold the throw out bearing to the clutch fork you have to leave it and the clutch pressure plate with the drive shaft bell housing torq tube.

I prefer to leave the pressure plate and the clutch disk on the drive shaft as it's about five inches of stuff that does not have to clear when the engine is pulled out.

Also you don't have to realign the clutch disk and pressure plate putting the darn thing back together! Even helps to have the end of the drive shaft there as it lines up the engine as you push it back onto the drive shaft / bell housing.

You do have to pay attention when you bolt the pressure plate back on as the nine bolts are in groups of three. Some pressure plates have to fit over a dowel pin on the fly wheel.