It you have been putting off the flex plate check due to the difficulty of getting at it, this may be of interest.

On the S4/GTS automatics, release of tension on the flexplate is recommended to alleviate the risk of thrust bearing failure (TBF). To access the flexplate pinchbolt, the lower bellhousing cover must be removed. For the first time in, this almost always requires dropping the exhaust system from the manifolds, for the back two of six M8x30 bolts are too long to release the bottom cover otherwise.
Lowering the exhaust can be enough of a job to discourage some from doing this essential procedure .... so here is a simple minded alternative - that works and avoids opening up the crusty bolts on the headers, supporting the exhaust, etc..
The back two bolts can be loosened and turned out until they contact the catalytic convertor crossover pipe: a 13mm wrench fits in quite easily. Then, slide in a hacksaw blade and cut the heads off. A single blade handle works best, but tape wrap one end of the blade and using a glove will do the trick. The rest is quite obvious ... although it does help to drop the two small heat shields over the down pipes: they are only secured with four M8 screws.
Voila .... there is the flex plate coupling. I just did this on Jeffs '89, for at -10C I was not going to wrestle the exhaust off . Reassemble with M8x25mm bolts in back ( or leave them out), as many of us have been doing for some time.
This will allow all future inspections/adjustments to be an easy 10 min. job.

 

Or just install one of our crossovers and leave the exhaust alone during flex plate adjustments or while doing the clutch R&R...

 

Garth...........working on the car @ -10C; hopefully the Scotch was good.

On topic............I did the flex plate job when I installed my X..............it moved considerably. With the X there's amble room to do this PM..............no X; I'd follow Garths direction.

 

I left the two rear bellhousing cover bolts out last time I dropped the exhaust to do this task. Now, with the x-over I can put them back in. Also, you can leave the cover on and loosen the flexplate clamp through the inspection hole, once you get the Allen bolt lined up so you can use an extension. Of course, you can't do much else through that little hole.

 

I glued my flexplate with Loctite 290 and since then I have driven more than 3000 miles.
The car is my daily driver and the there is no movement so far

 

Hmm
I need to check mine one day? My guess is it will probably move the standard 1/4 inch

 

But you did other work on it as well... How would we know it's the glue and not the new torque converter bearing that has eliminated movement on your car?

 

Other guys on Rennlist tried it too. Without other work done and no problems.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ht=loctite+290


Fact is it stopped moving and sorry I can't guarantee that is not the extensive work alone. You';re right, it's so far maintenance free

 

It is not completely clear to me that clamp movement is the whole story since in my 89 the amount of splines showing has decreased over the years, as if the torque converter has changed dimensions, something which is mentioned with other cars, at least.

 

Good theory!
But the torque converter can't force the transaxle forward or backward. This would only be possible if the torque converter bearings fail.

 

What ever the hasstle i'd really recommend doing it.....65,000 miles and the thrust bearing has spun on the center journal...next up is an opinion from an experienced Pmechanic as to whether the block is pooched.

 

Could be. I do have some bearing whine, but it seems minimal. So, the so-called "torque converter balooning" doesn't affect anything connected to it? Regarless, I must have a 1/2" less of the splines showing on the shaft since the first time I looked at it 5 years ago. If the shaft is stretching, I've stressed it enough that it should have broken by now. Maybe it will soon.

In terms of the thrust bearing, I check crank endplay each time I loosen the clamp. Hard to do with the clamped glued closed.

 

Bill, I also measure endplay when checking the clamp: now with 20K Km on since the 290 loctite bonding, there has been zero flexplate movement on the splines. The crank end float is as easily measured as prior to the 'glue', and has also remained unchanged. As end float is typically in the range 0.1mm - 0.4mm and the flexplate typically moves 3mm when released, there is sufficient range to push the crank back and forth with only modest pressure to take the measure.
Of course, I don't have my crank all bound up with a big 'ol dirty supercharger belt ... but when I do, maybe I'll be sorry that I did the glue job.

 

Custom exhaust aside, the reason for writing the opening post is that I believe some auto owners are putting off this important PM check due to the difficulty of first time access. ... "Hummmm, maybe next month ....."
The collector flange bolts can be very ugly to remove, requiring acetylene level heat, a cutting flame, or twisting them off .... not the stuff enjoyed by those more comfortable doing oil changes. Then there's the air line gland nut, the weight of the system ( maybe hanging on the O2 sensor wires ), reattachment of the cat, ...
This is intended as an alternative for those who would quite enjoy the factory cat just where it is ..... "leaving well 'nuf alone".

 

OK, Garth. I certainly will accept that you can check endplay even with the clamp loctited, if you say so. I thought, as well, that you should be equally able to check endplay at the harmonic balancer end, and not even get under the car, but somebody with more credentials disputed that. I can't recall exactly what they said, but I think it had something to do with difficulty overcoming pre-load that may be at the flexplate, giving a falsely low endplay number.