clunky acceleration and lift off

[smiffyraf1]

dont think i ever want to get rid of mine, i love it to bits. hopefully the car will outlast me i dont mind that the clutch is so expensive as has been said thats probably the original one in there and thats lasted this long. can't beat german build quality

 

[david924s]

I had a similar experience with my S2 clunking when accerating or when changing down a gear and all signs pointed to the rubber center on the clutch, however when it was removed to be replaced, it had already been done and when I dug through old invoices found out it was done less than 10K miles previously.

The mechanic while doing the job noticed the rear transmission linkage had not been installed correctly when the clutch had been replaced before and there was a lot of wear on the joints, we decided this was the likely cause of the clunking on gear change, such that the car was not engaging the gear properly until under load when it would fully engage but cause the clunk as it did so.

I could have just replaced the linkage for £120 but thought as the clutch was now out I might as well replace it as we both thought there was some fault with it possibly weak spring or incorrectly (poorly) fitted based on the quality of the work on the linkage.

So well worth checking the other transmission parts before jumping to replace the clutch, also check any old history or invoices to see if the clutch has already been replaced as if within a few years it will probably be a spring type clutch rather than rubber centered one anyway.

For interest I had mine done in February and the clutch was £450 from FrazerPart Porsche (Sachs) the rear linkage was £120 I had the catalytic convertor welded for £25 and the mechanic charged me £300 (£900 all in) and the actual clutch replacement took around 6-7 hours.

 

[smiffyraf1]

just been through history and cant find anywhere to show thats its been done, no receipts etc. and all the things done on it have been meticulously logged, as i am endeavouring to keep up. I still dont think i understand how it can be the clutch though it happens when the clutch isnt in use just on accel and decel, in fact bringing the clutch in and slipping it a bit makes it better. ill have a look at the linkage, any pointers or giveaways?

 

[peanut]

(i won't post the cost in case mrs GM happens to see this)

[][]with age comes wisdom ...[]

nice pics......... thanks for posting .....now we all know what we are discussing

 

[peanut]

ORIGINAL: smiffyraf1

I still dont think i understand how it can be the clutch though it happens when the clutch isnt in use just on accel and decel,

imagine breaking the propshaft in half and inserting a rubber do-nut cv joint in the middle

 

[Alexw]

I second Max at Frazerpart, very helpful guy!
Make sure its the correct one for your car, I'm assuming your isn't a turbo or S2 from the pic but I had to have mine replaced when I had the engine rebuild at EMC, it had only done 45k so I figured it'd be ok as I only do a few thousand a year in it so far. They took the engine out to do the work and found it was worn down almost to the rivets and was also the wrong type - it was for a 2.5 - hence it hadn't lasted long! I didn't want to as it was properly stretching my budget but it had to be done because the the P/O either didn't realise or went on the cheap!

 

[JamesBall]

Again exposing my ignorance, is there any chance the clunking is worn/broken engine or gearbox mounts? What do these feel like when they go?

 

[smiffyraf1]

right gotcha, yeah that makes sense, so its snatching because the rubber isnt taking the initial shock anymore? yeah thats the first thing i checked to be honest was gearbox and engine mounts. theyre all perfect though, then when i checked through the history tonight the engine mounts were done not that long ago. yeah its a 2.5 n/a so when i get the new clutch will it have the same rubber middle or more modern springs?

 

[Northern924]

What was it with Porsche and Rubber back in the 80's!! lol

It was also the achillies heel of the Auto models, huge rubber damper that with any contamination will slowly fall apart, was a hell of a job to replace on the '24S I can tell you!!
Luckily I bought a TT with a near new one for a quarter of the price of one from Porsche(£600+)

 

[Alexw]

I'm pretty sure they all have modern springs now

 

[Peter Empson]

ORIGINAL: James Ball

Again exposing my ignorance, is there any chance the clunking is worn/broken engine or gearbox mounts? What do these feel like when they go?

My 944S has very knackered engine mounts (it's going in to have them changed soon) and it's nowhere near as bad as when the clutch goes, just a bit of slop and in my case a clonk as the exhaust hits (I assume) the steering column. When the clutch is going trying to accelerate smoothly whilst in gear really isn't possible, you can feel what's left of the rubber twist up before giving drive in a bit of a lurch.

I'm afraid I also think your clutch has gone, in the grand scheme of things they're not a fortune to change, but do get someone who knows the 944 to do it, it'll cost less labour as they'll be faster and they're less likely to miss things whilst it's apart (my 944S had a clutch change prior to my ownership by a backstreet garage and I don't think they did a very good job).

 

[zcacogp]

Sounds like the fella is possibly going to DIY, given he is looking for prices of parts ....


Oli.

 

[Peter Empson]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp

Sounds like the fella is possibly going to DIY, given he is looking for prices of parts ....


Oli.

Good point, missed that bit []

 

[zcacogp]

Good advice about getting people to do it tho'. I hadn't thought of it like that.

Yes, it's an easy job, but it makes more sense to spend 50% more on the hourly rate for a specialist to do it in half the time, than for a backstreet place to take forever to do a bad job and then charge accordingly.


Oli.

 

[bazhart]

Just a couple of points of interest (I hope).

Firstly - I don't think from my speed reading that anyone really explained that the "clunk" is caused by the metallic stop that enables you to drive if the cush breaks. It is usually set so the clutch doesn't twist far enough to touch the stop if the cush is OK (or if it is a spring cush or dual mass flywheel the mechanical stops do the same thing and have the same effect if they wear out). Perhaps a picture of the opposite side of the clutch would show this more clearly.

Secondly - when we built the torquey 3 litre 944 turbo - I fitted a 968 clutch (with no cush as it is in the dual mass flywheel on a 968) to the standard 944 turbo flywheel and pressure plate (so no cush in the system - mainly to avoid wasting torque in strain energy twising the cush and also as I thought it would be too weak and suffer a lot) - but expected to feel the difference.

To my surprise the car was a smooth a silk, and no snatch at all in the transmission - just a slight noise at low revs - as the transmission responds to the minute speed fluctuations of the crankshaft as it turns and results in the backlash in the teeth rattling (no mechanical consequences - just noise) - very similar to that often felt in a 3.2 carerra etc.

Baz

 

[zcacogp]

Baz,

Please stop coming on here and telling us how good your 3.0 turbo is; I'm having enough difficulty not 'phoning you and asking serious questions about prices as it is .... [&:] (and at the moment I just can't afford one! [] )


Oli.

 

[Lowtimer]

The dark blue 3.0 Turbo is a gorgeous car, Oli: I had a good look round it when I was picking up my own standard Turbo following a monster service and refurb recently. If I could make any sense at all out of owning two 944 Turbos it would be in my garage right now.Apart from anything the interior and exterior are a perfect match for my daily-driver BMW, and even on 17" wheels it is a lot more subtle than my white job with its lurid burgundy pinstripe velour interior.
A really classy low-profile stealth weapon.

 

[smiffyraf1]

anyone know of a good mech or garage in the lincolnshire area was planning on doing this myself but have a broken finger on my right hand and think i will struggle with dexterity needed for this job have the clutch to go in but how much am i looking at for labour?
thanks guys.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

how much am i looking at for labour?

Specialist should do it in about 5 hours if everything goes well. Could you just take it to a cheap local mechanic, or a mobile guy, and supervise it yourself? [8|]

 

[zcacogp]

Paul,

You often quote the 5 hour figure for a clutch change and I don't want to argue but is it really possible in that time? It sounds awfully quick, given the amount of work necessary. I'd love to watch it being done in that time; it would be quite a spectacle!


Oli.