dime1622

so ive had clutch problems since i bought my car. had trouble that after a while of city driving, it gets really hard to get it into first and reverse. sometimes it was impossible. so its been off and on, some times its acceptable, and some times i have to force the thing into gear so hard im afraid its going to break. and some times, even with the clutch all the way down, the car still rolls a bit when in gear. ive contemplated a clutch job for two years, but havent done it. and i think i may have paid the price.

tonight i went to the gym. clutch was working fine. then i got done, got in my car, started it up, and it wouldnt go into reverse. fine. do what i normally do, shut it off, put it in reverse, and start it. but this time, the car lurches backward. i turn it off and keep trying to no avail. so the way i get out of my spot is to put it in reverse, and use the starter to power myself backward. then going forward. i have to put it in gear, then start it, car lurches forward, and putting in the clutch doesnt disengage it one bit. so to get home i have to put it in third and start it there, massaging the gas until it gets going, then i drove it home all the way in 3rd gear. the only stoplight i hit was a nightmare - took 4 starts to finally get her going (because i cant disengage the clutch to gently apply it).

i think a spring fell out of the disk. the slave cylinder failed thanksgiving 2003, and so i know thats ok.

am i screwed?

if so, here's my shopping list:

- New Pressure Plate
- New Clutch Disc
- New Throw-out Bearing
- 9 Flywheel Bolts
- Pilot Bearing
- 2 Release Lever Shaft Bearings
- Slave Clutch Cylinder
- Flywheel Seal
- Throw-Out Bearing Guide Tube
- Clutch Alignment Tool
- Clutch Master Cylinder
- Rear Main Oil Seal

im considering either paragon's sachs sport clutch kit ($712.00) or else LR's SPEC kit (stage 2, stage 3, i dunno). what should i choose? i basically need something with the ability to handle what i eventually want to do to the car. i want it to be trackable, and don't want to do another clutch job in the future. im thinking something that can handle about 380 tq, which both the LR stage ii and stage iii can do. i dont care about the extra pedal work. im a big boy.

but most of all, i need SOMEONE IN JAX WHO HAS / KNOWS SOMEONE WHO HAS A LIFT.

so my questions are:

1) is my car screwed until i replace the clutch?
2) what other items should i shop for so i can replace when im under there? i do NOT want to have to go back in there for at least a few years haha
3) which clutch/pressure plate set do you recommend?

thank you rennlist for kicking ****!



EDIT - ooh! i could install a new wastegate while im in there!

EDIT2 - added rear main oil seal

Jfrahm

Running a bad clutch can be hell on your trans. You can really beat up the synchros and gears. Having said that, you may have broken the release fork or the thowout bearing but that can be sorted out with a clutch job.

-Joel.

dime1622

yeah, i think my synchros are shot, too. even when the clutch was disengaging it would grind into reverse a lot, and sometimes into first, too. so that leads to more questions. here's my new list o' questions:

1) is my car screwed until i replace the clutch?
2) what other items should i shop for so i can replace when im under there? i do NOT want to have to go back in there for at least a few years haha
3) which clutch/pressure plate set do you recommend?
4) how easy is it to replace synchros?
5) which synchromeshes do i need? check out pelican's site where you can order them. but im not sure which i need, i would assume at the moment i just need first gear (since 2-5 havent been a problem), but what about reverse?
6) how can i get my car jacked up high enough so i can drop the transaxle, assuming i can't gain access to a lift this weekend? i NEED to get this done quickly, im smart enough mechanically and have all the tools, but i dont have a means of getting the car up other than my 2-1/4 ton jack.
7) how are the synchros swapped out?

Jfrahm

Synchos are rings on the gear shafts that drag on the shafts before the gears mesh during shifting. The drag brings the shaft speeds up or down to match to prevent grinding. There is no synchro on reverse. The trans has to come apart to change synchros, a sophisticated, experienced shop job with a big 30 ton press is required, I think.

You can lift the car with a regular jack and scraps of wood under the jack when you run out of lift. I used cement pavers from Home Depot under my jackstands to get extra height from those.

Porsche-O-Phile

"While you're in there" you could also:

- replace oil pan gasket
- replace rod bearings
- replace piston rings
- replace head gasket
- replace rear seals
- replace front seals
- do timing belt & water pump
- upgrade to centerforce clutch setup
- flush coolant
- change oil
- install LSD trans.
- install spare BMW V12 engine with twin turbos
- install antigravity / antimatter power cell

You see where I'm going with this?

Clutches are hell. I feel for you. In all seriousness I'd say the Sachs or Centerforce are great choices. Since it's easier to drop the engine than do it from the back, I'd seriously consider doing at least the rear seals & any other little things that might be needing fixin'. Good time for a turbo / wastegate upgrade too. . .

TRWright

Please replace the rear main! The previous owner of my car decided not to spend the few extra bucks to have this done. Total friggen douche. Have fun with the clutch. Also, pm me if you want the rear main. I bought it because I was going to replace it, but now I decided I would rather pull the engine than do a clutch job. So that means I have to buy the whole kit for the lower end of the engine, and I will end up with 2 rear mains. Let me know. Either way, REPLACE IT!!!! YOU WILL BE SORRY IF YOU DON'T!!!! (see pic)

dime1622

yeah, ill definitely do the rear main seal, and also the oil pan gasket, i know that thing is leaking pretty bad, in fact i think that and my rear main seal are what's causing so much leakage at the moment, in addition to my front main seal.

PoP, you mention dropping the engine instead of "doing it from the back." is it really a time saver?

also, if i pick up concrete blocks at the store, and wood to set the jack on once i start getting it high enough, assuming i got the car up 12" for the blocks, is that high enough to drop the tranny down?

Porsche-O-Phile

Haven't personally done it, but I've been told that by at least a half-dozen people, most of whom are pretty reputable on this board.

Personally if it were my clutch, I'd buy the centerforce kit, take it in and pay someone to do it - along with the rear seals. I have no interest in doing a clutch on these cars. I'll rebuild an engine, turbo my n/a, do body prep. work, etc. Clutch is too much of a PITA even for me.

dime1622

thanks for the advice, PoP. unfortunately, i dont want to spend two grand or more for someone to do my clutch when i can do it myself. i just cant justify that.

dime1622

i still dont have my main questions asked, can someone help me on those?

poobah

Are you sure it's the clutch? The reason I ask is that I was experiencing the same symptoms as you a year ago. I thought FOR SURE it was the clutch, so I prepared myself for a nasty repair bill and dropped her off at the mechanic. Turns out the prob wasn't the clutch - was bad master & slave cyls. They were replaced and shifting has been smooth as silk since. I know you said the slave was done recently, but I figured I'd mention this anyway.

dime1622

id possibly think so, but the clutch pedal comes back up. and this has been an ongoing problem the last two years. i just think one of the springs finally fell.

adrial

I vote some sort of clutch engagement issue rather than the disc itself.
Try using a pressure bleeder and bleeding the slave...see if you get any improvement.

dime1622

well, this had to be done at some point anyway. ive been nervous over the whole setup for two years now, because ive always had problems, whether the clutch was fully disengaging or not. i ordered a whole crapload of stuff from lindsey. should be a fun weekend!

cruise98

Erik:

Make sure the hydraulics are working first. Put the car on stands and have your lovely assistant depress the clutch pedal while you observe the movement of the clutch fork through the inspection hole on the bellhousing. If it barely moves or none at all, bleed the system and recheck. If there is no change the master cylinder has probably failed. I always recommend you replace them both, or else the new one causes the old one to fail. A pressure bleeder works best for the clutch.

If the hydraulics are working, you have to take the clutch out to determine the exact cause of the failure. Clutch fork, or more likely the disc has failed.

Quit driving it or you will damage the transmission if you have not already.