Help Request - Clutch Related?
10-10-2012, 10:22 PM
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Help Request - NOT the Clutch - New Question
So, I drove my car about 140 miles today, 70 miles to a destination and 70 back. Going out, the car was flawless. Coming home, it started making a horrific noise.
Let me see if I can explain it... Stopped at every light, with the clutch depressed, or at idle with the car out of gear, it made a sustained, grinding-ish noise sort of like a bad alternator bearing x 10 or like when you try to start an already running car, but not quite that loud. The clutch seemed to work perfectly fine, but the sound was present when the clutch was depressed at idle, but got considerably louder and then disappeared as I released the clutch from a stop. I don't know how to explain it, but it was a "large" sound that I could feel through the floorboard. It would also happen quickly and intermittently on the highway upon decel or light accel and was loud and abrupt enough to startle me. BRRRRRRRP!!! I stopped once and got out to listen and the noise was clearly noticeable, but not as loud outside as it was in the cabin. It was impossible to pinpoint it out on the road in the dark.
The reason it remains a mystery is that when I got home where I could take a good look at it, the noise had completely stopped. WTF?
Does this sound farmiliar to anyone? I've had slipping clutches before and heard squealing throwout bearings, but this is a new one.
Oh. Wait... Let me tell you why my dumb *** thinks it could be clutch-related. The other day, I was setting radio stations with the car in gear and the clutch depressed. I was paying attention to the radio and didn't realize that I wasn't holding the clutch to the floor until smoke rolled up both sides of the car.
Anyone?
Let me see if I can explain it... Stopped at every light, with the clutch depressed, or at idle with the car out of gear, it made a sustained, grinding-ish noise sort of like a bad alternator bearing x 10 or like when you try to start an already running car, but not quite that loud. The clutch seemed to work perfectly fine, but the sound was present when the clutch was depressed at idle, but got considerably louder and then disappeared as I released the clutch from a stop. I don't know how to explain it, but it was a "large" sound that I could feel through the floorboard. It would also happen quickly and intermittently on the highway upon decel or light accel and was loud and abrupt enough to startle me. BRRRRRRRP!!! I stopped once and got out to listen and the noise was clearly noticeable, but not as loud outside as it was in the cabin. It was impossible to pinpoint it out on the road in the dark.
The reason it remains a mystery is that when I got home where I could take a good look at it, the noise had completely stopped. WTF?
Does this sound farmiliar to anyone? I've had slipping clutches before and heard squealing throwout bearings, but this is a new one.
Oh. Wait... Let me tell you why my dumb *** thinks it could be clutch-related. The other day, I was setting radio stations with the car in gear and the clutch depressed. I was paying attention to the radio and didn't realize that I wasn't holding the clutch to the floor until smoke rolled up both sides of the car.
Anyone?
Last edited by ivygreen; 10-13-2012 at 03:44 AM.
10-10-2012, 10:59 PM
#2
Race Director
So, I drove my car about 140 miles today, 70 miles to a destination and 70 back. Going out, the car was flawless. Coming home, it started making a horrific noise.
Let me see if I can explain it... Stopped at every light, with the clutch depressed, or at idle with the car out of gear, it made a sustained, grinding-ish noise sort of like a bad alternator bearing x 10 or like when you try to start an already running car, but not quite that loud. The clutch seemed to work perfectly fine, but the sound was present when the clutch was depressed at idle, but got considerably louder and then disappeared as I released the clutch from a stop. I don't know how to explain it, but it was a "large" sound that I could feel through the floorboard. It would also happen quickly and intermittently on the highway upon decel or light accel and was loud and abrupt enough to startle me. BRRRRRRRP!!! I stopped once and got out to listen and the noise was clearly noticeable, but not as loud outside as it was in the cabin. It was impossible to pinpoint it out on the road in the dark.
The reason it remains a mystery is that when I got home where I could take a good look at it, the noise had completely stopped. WTF?
Does this sound farmiliar to anyone? I've had slipping clutches before and heard squealing throwout bearings, but this is a new one.
Oh. Wait... Let me tell you why my dumb *** thinks it could be clutch-related. The other day, I was setting radio stations with the car in gear and the clutch depressed. I was paying attention to the radio and didn't realize that I wasn't holding the clutch to the floor until smoke rolled up both sides of the car.
Anyone?
Let me see if I can explain it... Stopped at every light, with the clutch depressed, or at idle with the car out of gear, it made a sustained, grinding-ish noise sort of like a bad alternator bearing x 10 or like when you try to start an already running car, but not quite that loud. The clutch seemed to work perfectly fine, but the sound was present when the clutch was depressed at idle, but got considerably louder and then disappeared as I released the clutch from a stop. I don't know how to explain it, but it was a "large" sound that I could feel through the floorboard. It would also happen quickly and intermittently on the highway upon decel or light accel and was loud and abrupt enough to startle me. BRRRRRRRP!!! I stopped once and got out to listen and the noise was clearly noticeable, but not as loud outside as it was in the cabin. It was impossible to pinpoint it out on the road in the dark.
The reason it remains a mystery is that when I got home where I could take a good look at it, the noise had completely stopped. WTF?
Does this sound farmiliar to anyone? I've had slipping clutches before and heard squealing throwout bearings, but this is a new one.
Oh. Wait... Let me tell you why my dumb *** thinks it could be clutch-related. The other day, I was setting radio stations with the car in gear and the clutch depressed. I was paying attention to the radio and didn't realize that I wasn't holding the clutch to the floor until smoke rolled up both sides of the car.
Anyone?
I had a throw out bearing go out -- not a Porsche -- and the thing made a horrible racket when the clutch pedal was depressed, quiet at other times.
Be sure though you eliminate say a water pump. Check the serpentine belt edges for sharpness, signs the belt is rubbing/mistracking.
Look for signs of coolant leakage at the water pump. You might even remove the belt and give the water pump (and other accessory drives while you are there) a check for excessive play. Check those idler/tensioner roller bearings too.
Sincerely,
Macster.
10-10-2012, 11:04 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
"Oh. Wait... Let me tell you why my dumb *** thinks it could be clutch-related. The other day, I was setting radio stations with the car in gear and the clutch depressed. I was paying attention to the radio and didn't realize that I wasn't holding the clutch to the floor until smoke rolled up both sides of the car. "
You should be able to hold the clutch down all day without "smoke" happening. Unless your slave cyl, throw out bearing or fork went bad. Throw out bearing & or clutch fork could cause the noise.
You should be able to hold the clutch down all day without "smoke" happening. Unless your slave cyl, throw out bearing or fork went bad. Throw out bearing & or clutch fork could cause the noise.
10-10-2012, 11:17 PM
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Could be clutch related but based on your description of the symptoms it is not a given.
I had a throw out bearing go out -- not a Porsche -- and the thing made a horrible racket when the clutch pedal was depressed, quiet at other times.
Be sure though you eliminate say a water pump. Check the serpentine belt edges for sharpness, signs the belt is rubbing/mistracking.
Look for signs of coolant leakage at the water pump. You might even remove the belt and give the water pump (and other accessory drives while you are there) a check for excessive play. Check those idler/tensioner roller bearings too.
Sincerely,
Macster.
I had a throw out bearing go out -- not a Porsche -- and the thing made a horrible racket when the clutch pedal was depressed, quiet at other times.
Be sure though you eliminate say a water pump. Check the serpentine belt edges for sharpness, signs the belt is rubbing/mistracking.
Look for signs of coolant leakage at the water pump. You might even remove the belt and give the water pump (and other accessory drives while you are there) a check for excessive play. Check those idler/tensioner roller bearings too.
Sincerely,
Macster.
Originally Posted by fpb111
You should be able to hold the clutch down all day without "smoke" happening. Unless your slave cyl, throw out bearing or fork went bad. Throw out bearing & or clutch fork could cause the noise.
10-10-2012, 11:23 PM
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do you remember was your hand/emergency brake fully on when you were slipping the clutch? If so you could have heated the plates up to smoking especially if you had the radio loud and didnt here the engine revs and your pedal half way off. If the brake was off then you would have moved forward and not burned the clutch any. The noisy part I can only guess at a worn out clutch release bearing or at least 'on the way out'... Next time, stop the car, hand brake on and out of gear, then the radio adjusting lol. Hope you figure things out.
10-13-2012, 03:39 AM
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OK, I'm back and I found the problem, which had nothing to do with the clutch at all...at least not that clutch.
It seems it was the AC clutch that burnt up, sending up all that smoke. The outer ring burned completely loose from the rubber isolator and was free to wobble around on the pulley. You can imagine what that sounded like at 15 million rpms. There's molten rubber stuck on everything in the engine compartment. Nice.
So here's my new question. I took out the 10mm bolt and pulled the clutch off the front of the compressor, which is press fit to the pulley, and then replaced the bolt. Is it safe to drive like that until my new compressor arrives? That is, the pulley won't fly off and exit through my decklid...right? I cant figure out how the pulley is held on there.
It seems it was the AC clutch that burnt up, sending up all that smoke. The outer ring burned completely loose from the rubber isolator and was free to wobble around on the pulley. You can imagine what that sounded like at 15 million rpms. There's molten rubber stuck on everything in the engine compartment. Nice.
So here's my new question. I took out the 10mm bolt and pulled the clutch off the front of the compressor, which is press fit to the pulley, and then replaced the bolt. Is it safe to drive like that until my new compressor arrives? That is, the pulley won't fly off and exit through my decklid...right? I cant figure out how the pulley is held on there.
