mcv200

I've been driving my 89 S4 since October of last year with a strange "worn bearing" sound coming from the underside of the car. It's finally starting to get louder so I know it'll need attention ASAP.
After lurking around here for a few months, I think its safe to say that it's either the torque tube bearings, or a bearing on the rear of the engine. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Can anybody tell me how much I should plan on spending to have a mechanic replace the torque tube with a rebuilt one, and replace anything other bearings while its apart? I don't have the abillity to do the work myself.
I appreciate any help.

Jim bailey - 928 International

We sell the rebuilt tubes for $495. exchange The labor to change it is rather high since they must drop the rear suspension and crossmember, remove the transmission and then they can remove the torque tube. Typically it is a 10-12 hour labor charge. At the same time it is advisable to replace the torque convertor input bearings in the nose of the transmision. It is also important that the shop understands that they must not have too much preload on the front flexplate which means that the very LAST bolt they tighten in the driveline MUST be the clamping bolt on the front flexplate.

Mongo

Labor cost me about $2,500. Total I only spent a little over $3,100.

Steve J.

After reading about torque tube bearing failure on this forum I was sure that was what the noise was in my '87. Sounded like yours. But it was the torque converter bearings. The tube bearings were fine. The tube can act like a megaphone and make the noise seem to come from the front. Cost of parts and labor was about $1,600. Bearings and seals.

Red UFO

Stop it Jim your scaring me!

mcv200

Thanks for all the information guys. My next step is to take it down to the local Porsche shop and have the mechanic listen to it with a stethoscope.
Steve J, I think you may be right about the converter bearings.....The noise changes pitch when I rev the engine in in park. That makes sense. Still alot of labor though I would think.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Stig $2,500 for LABOR ?? that is like $200 per hour .....you was robbed or one of those R words .. note that changing the convertor bearings or changing the torque tube is just about the same labor and we do know for a fact that 4 speed auto central tube bearings typically do fail and the noise goes up and down in park because the drive shaft and convertor ALWAYS spin with the engine.

Mongo

sorry Jim, I forgot to note I had a steering rack done at the same time

Jim bailey - 928 International

Ok steering rack book time is nearly 4 hours.....gets you down to $150 per hour

Red UFO

Stig got raped!

Big Dave

Yep, same thing for me. I had the noise that I thought was the torque tube. When I replaced the tranny and torque converter, the noise was gone.

Mongo

Crap I forgot a couple of other things I had done that day too while the whole suspension and driveline was out of the car:

-Transmission service, pan gasket, filter.
-replacement of seals on torque converter, o-ring on shaft behind torque convertor (it's after removing the torque converter is the seal.)
-modification of metal cooling lines due leakage coming from them (PO must have have done something odd under the car to puncture a metal line)
-replaced ATF reservoir bottle and seal there


I don't have the work order in front of me but there was a lot of work done. THe S4 wasn't in the best mechanical shape when we got it. This car is ever so lucky to come across a family who put a lot of time and money to restore it to where it's at today

Jim bailey - 928 International

Stig sometimes it is better NOT to remember but I wanted to be sure that the 10-12 hrs was the number that people remember as "reasonable" time for the central tube R and R for an Automatic. The 5 speed is less.

Red UFO

Jim, on a 5 speed can't ya just drop the TT and leave in the tranny?

Jim bailey - 928 International

The 5 speed you need to move the transmission back far enough for the driveshaft which protrudes to drop down plus you remove the clutch assembly to access the bolts which join the bellhousing to the central tube. Both you must remove the exhaust / O 2 sensor