bordin34

I'm pretty sure I blew my ring and pinion today. I was accelerating away from a stop sign hit some gravel, a tire spun on the gravel, the tire hooked on pavement, now the car wont go anywhere and it sounds like ice cubes in a blender.
Does this sound like typical ring and pinion failure?
I have a parts car with a trans in unkown condition. Is there a way to check if that trans is good?

Van

It's much more common to have a CV joint shatter apart... Although tranny failures can happen.

Can you do a little further diagnosis where ever the car is?

bordin34

I went under the car after it happened and could wiggle the cv joints side to side which I could always do and didn't notice any up and down play.
Also just after it happened I was able to drive it about a 1/2 mile while it was making the sound before I lost all forward power. The car has just been towed back to my house.

944Ross

What year car are we talking about? NA or turbo?

I have a good early NA trans, minus 5th gear, going cheap in the Classifieds.

bordin34

1986 N/A.
I have a 1985.5 parts car with a trans that may be good.

xsboost90

jack it up and spin each wheel front/back and see if the boots are twisting- sounds like a cv to me but who knows- most the time when the RP blows your done. -- could also be the coupler stripped OR the rubber center of the stock clutch let go.

bordin34

I will jack it up and spin the wheels. The only problem now is the car is 100 miles away from me and my parts car.
I'm thinking when it initially broke maybe one tooth broke and as I drove it more teeth got broken off until it wouldnt move.
Also the previous owner said the clutch was replaced about 10,000 miles ago and about ten years. I would think that its either a spring centered one or new enough that the rubber shouldn't have let go. I never noticed any jerkiness before.

bordin34

Also whats confusing me is that the car still rolls fine and quietly. I would think if the r&p broke that it wouldnt roll or at least would be loud. Would that point toward it hopefully being a CV ?

333pg333

I had a similar experience and it was that the bolts had backed out of the CV.

John_AZ

Ian at 944online rebuilds transaxels and can tell you more.

http://www.944online.com/cgi-bin/ASI...nsmission-9442

Member plyhammer is begging to sell his lot...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...xles-sale.html

or LART

You can inspect the transaxle by removing the inspection plate on the passenger side.
Remove CV joint and hang axle.
Wipe away grease from inside transaxle hub and remove bolt. Good time to get a new hub seal on TA
Unbolt 9 bolts around inspection plate and remove. Notice magnet on inside of inspection plate.

Does your R&P look like this?



GL
John

bordin34

Thanks will have to check that out.
That S2 tranny does look tempting if mine is bad.
Edit: Also I can start up the car with it in first gear with the clutch engaged

bordin34

I've been thinking more that it may be the clutch. I remember on that 1/2 mile drive that the sound would randomly go away. Also I got mad when it totally stopped moving and let the car bounce off the limiter in 3rd and the sound didnt seem to be happening any faster than in 1st or 2nd. Also the more I think about it the car may have been clicking when i shifted gears for awhile but not clunking like I would think a bad rubber center would do.
So I guess I will check the play on the clutch and take off the diff inspection cover to see whats wrong.
So now I can only hope its a bad trans

Ben951S

You're skipping steps and not telling us?

Put the rear up and spin each wheel. What moves (CV, boot, etc)? ? Noise?

bordin34

The car is 100 miles away from me until Thursday. Right now I'm just thinking out loud.
Edit: More thinking, during the short drive I also remember the speedometer bouncing from 15-40mph. So hopefully it isnt the clutch.

schip43

Yep what he says. I have an 85.5 with a broken R&P. Jack up the rear put it in netural. At the right rear rotate the tire, it should move smoothly for 360 degrees, if the R&P is broken it will move smoothly for about 280 degrees then get tight then smooth again. It gets tight at the point where the R&P is broken.