SirPzalot

I just had the same repair and same clutch (997-116-913-13) installed without special instructions. So my dealer is aware of it's existence.
The reason mine was replaced is that on inspection the slave pushrod was deformed due to a broken and missing plastic piece(pivot ball) that had allowed direct contact with the release fork. Metal shavings had been deposited on the guide shaft of the release bearing.
This was causing the clutch to hang up causing chatter and excess wear.

500

How many miles are on your car? When did you begin to notice the problem and under what circumstances did the chatter occur. My car was driven by the District Service Rep today and he found the clutch to be operating normally but I still think there is a problem as I get chatter from time to time and I've been driving manuals including a boat lot of P cars for years without chatter. I showed the rep the part number that slate listed and he said if it were a repair campaign it would have a different set of second numbers; I think he said starting with a 7.

SirPzalot

I just purchased the car with 15,600 miles. The chatter is so subtle than another dealer would not recognize it as a problem. It is possible the ball pivot is failing on a large number of cars but the symptoms are too subtle to notice.
If my clutch suddenly starts to chatter I will immediately suspect the plastic ball pivot as having failed.
As for the dealer that did the PPI , I don't want to say who till this thread is longer , giving me more feedback.

SirPzalot

opps, I was referring to this thread - "PPI missed a lot, what should I do ? "

500

Interesting mine is quite subtle too and only chatters under certain circumstances...unfortunately the P rep say's it's ok...I did however get him to agree if it gets worse to have him back again for another drive.

SirPzalot

Try getting them to inspect the slave cylinder push rod and ball pivot. I think it is an easy job since shop time to replace is 1 hour.

500

I will do so and thanks for the suggestion.

skate

My problem has returned! Now have approx. 12,000km on my 997 C4S and I'm experiencing the same clutch problems outlined in previous posts. Once clutch warms up I experience stalling, and vibration/chattering when starting in first gear. Extremely dificult to launch car without stalling, even worst in reverse. It's like I suddening forget how to drive the car. Has anyone else experienced this problem??

wbgordon

I've experienced this problem with two 911's, including my '07 997S. The vibration I felt came through the pedal and it bugged the hell out of me. The chatter was felt only in 1st and reverse. I took a test drive with the Porsche rep, who said it was characteristic of the clutch; that it came from that split second between shifts where the clutch is not fully engaged. That didn't do it for me so I re-approached the dealer's service manager, and he arranged to have the entire clutch replaced. The chatter went away but the vibration persisted. I gave up.

I'm not sure anyone knows the real cause, but if I had to bet I'd say it's from the dual-mass flywheel.

skate

This is actually the third time around for me. The clutch was replaced at 800KM, 1500KM, and now the same problem at 12,000KM. The thing I do not understand is why it takes a while to come back after they replace the clutch. Does it maybe have something to do with the way the clutch is wearing. I do not abuse my car and really don't drive it much. The dealer is going to do something next week and the tech. has given me the impression that he knows how to fix it. I have owned three Porsches and I have to say that this car has been the most problematic of them all. I'm beginning to question Porsche quality standards. Especially considering the price one pays for the Porsche brand.

wbgordon

I sympathize with your frustration. From my experience, Porsche's stance on this issue seems to be that in order to reconcile comfort with performance, you're going to have to live with a little bit of chatter and vibration. My reaction was the same: You mean to say I paid 94k for one of the finest automobiles in the world and this is what I get? Unfortunately, it is what it is. And, yes, the problem returned for me after a while, too. I encourage you to meet with a factory rep and get the scoop in person. Hang in there!

Dr.J

I recently purchased an 06 C2S, with 45,000 miles and I'm experiencing the same thing, clutch chatter when starting from a dead stop and slightly worse in reverse. I've been thinking about this and it seems the clutch plate is solid, has no springs, which means the dual mass flywheel does all the absorption of vibration and could be at issue (am totally guessing).

My reason for writing: has anyone found a solution for this problem?

mcoals

Dr. J Were you able to get any info on this since your post? I have an 07 C4S and feel the vibration more in the pedal. Even at in gear at speed if I depress pedal down slightly I feel a heavy vibration. But, no clutch engagement issues otherwise that I can tell.

Petza914

This is an interesting thread. I have 2 '05 C2Ss and the clutches on both are flawless - smooth release, no shudder, etc. One has 60,000 miles on it and is the original. The other is a supercharged car and has 45,000 miles on it and it's clutch was replaced at abour 35,000 by the PO.

It sure sounds to me like it could be the friction material of the clutch. I have another supercharged car, a 928, and that one has a grabbier friction material and it can shudder / judder when first starting from a dead stop if not released exactly right as it's grabbeir. If Porsche changed either the flywheel material or the friction material itself, I can see where this could occur. What's odd is that it only develops after X number of miles. The way those 2 surfaces interact, if it's a grabbeir material, it should be that way the first time you pick-up the car unless there's some type of think break-in coating that's not quite as grippy, which eventually wears away.

The other thought I had is that it's not actually the clutch at all, but maybe the clutch switch. That retards the engine timing during gear changes and maybe that's what is causing the less than smooth pull offs. There's a siimple test to do if you want to see if this switch is the issue. In the drivers footwell, follow the clutch-pedal up and you'll see a little plastic switch with 2 wires going to it. Pop it off and tape the button down so the switch can never open, then drive the car and see if you feel the difference. To me, with this switch bypassed, I found the interaction of the clutch and engine to be much more linear, easier to modulate, and just drives better - feels like a cable actualted clutch instead of a hydraulic one. However, I think this may only work with the 05-08 997.1 cars and defeating the swtich on 997.2 cars sometimes created a warning light for the cruise controol or something else. Also, if yuo're not good with a clutch, defeating this switch will make it more likely to stall when pulling off. I've permanently jumpered my switch by drilling the dead end of a wire tap out, putting the two wires in the channel and then crimping the tap shut. If you just tape the button down, then the test is completely reversible.