G50 Transmission stuck in nuetral?!?

bogeydrvr · 05-04-2006, 04:51 PM

Hello all -- Experienced bizarre problem yesterday with my G50 in my '88 911 cab. Had the clutch replaced about 6 weeks (600 miles) ago. All was well until...

Shifted into second, and car was in nuetral. Tried it again -- and NOTHING. Car goes into all gears, and clutch feels normal, but the car is ALWAYS in nuetral, like the clutch will not engage.

There was no noise/bang/pop/grind, nothing out of the ordinary - noise or feel. Clutch feels normai.

Should I go find the guy who 'fixed' my car and strangle him? Is it even related to the clutch replacement, or a new/unrelated problem?

Please help. Can't drive and weather warming up!!!

tonypeoni · 05-04-2006, 04:53 PM

check your bushings. maybe your shift coupler is loose.

bogeydrvr · 05-04-2006, 05:11 PM

Where are those located? I'm kind of an idiot on the 911.

Thanks

Quicksilver · 05-04-2006, 05:14 PM

Can you feel the shifter engage? If it feels like you are stirring nothing then it is either the shift linkage or the something in the linkage inside the transmission.

If you can feel it engaging the different gears then your clutch disk has probably failed. I have seen a clutch disk shear off all the rivets without making a sound. It is also possible that the pressure plate has failed so it isn't clamping at all.

bogeydrvr · 05-04-2006, 05:18 PM

Shifter feels normal.

Can the pressure plate just fail without any previous symptoms, such as slipping?

The clutch disk can just fail with no noise? Can I check this w/o dropping engine? Is this the result of the recent clutch replacement being done incorrectly?

tonypeoni · 05-04-2006, 05:23 PM

behind your front seats under the carpet theres a panel with 4 screws.

Quicksilver · 05-04-2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bogeydrvr
Shifter feels normal.

Can the pressure plate just fail without any previous symptoms, such as slipping?

The clutch disk can just fail with no noise? Can I check this w/o dropping engine? Is this the result of the recent clutch replacement being done incorrectly?

I had a clutch disk fail in a car on a real gentle shift. It didn't make a sound. The engine just revved up like it was in neutral and the car coasted to a stop. When I opened it up I found that the center of the disk was no longer attached to the outer ring of friction material.

I have also had a pressure plate fail so it suddenly stopped transmitting power. You could feel the difference in the clutch pedal and it did make a 'blam' when it let go.

There is an inspection port in the side of the bell housing but I'm not sure if you would be able to see anything with a mirror.

---
Oh, you asked if your mechanic messed up. It is possible but I think it is unlikely. I suspect that something has just failed.

bogeydrvr · 05-04-2006, 05:54 PM

So is the consensus that the clutch disk failed?

Do I need to drop the engine to replace it?

Is the potential problem being the bushing worth investigating, or not?

Thanks for the timely responses, BTW

tonypeoni · 05-04-2006, 06:03 PM

can you hear the shift forks in the transmission when you go through the gears?

bogeydrvr · 05-04-2006, 06:03 PM

OK - just got home and tried something...

Car goes into all gears, and when I release the clutch at idle, and speedometer comes alive.

The indicated speed increases with each gear - makes sense.

Shows about 20ish mph in 5th. Didn't want to hit the gas for fear of worsening the problem, but my guess is the speedo will increase with rpm. Seems logical.

Does this confirm any of the suspected problems?

Early_S_Man · 05-04-2006, 06:09 PM

There is a very easy test you can do to see if the clutch is the problem ...

1. Put the back end up on jack stands.

2. Put the shifter in 5th gear.

3. Pull the E-brake up as tight as possible.

4. See if you can turn the engine over with a 24 mm 6-point socket on a breaker bar???

If you can turn the engine over easily ... clutch isn't holding, for whatever reason!

Jess · Jess's Garage

Sounds to me like of your axles has come un-bolted.

The speedo is the give away.

Jess

don911 · don911's Garage

I think Jess got this one. CV bolts on one axle were probably not tightened down.

dentist90 · dentist90's Garage

Look on the bright side.. it seems your clutch is just fine! Try jacking up the rear end, put the car in any gear (engine off) and turn the rear wheels by hand. Look for one that is making grating noises or doesn't seem to be turning the inner CV joint, as this might indicate if one of your CV joints is broken. An assistant may have to hold the opposite wheel to prevent it from spinning. It seems obvious that the transmission output shaft is turning (if speedo is registering) but no torque is being transmitted to the rear wheels. I don't suppose it could be a differential pinion failure, could it? Or something else in the final drive?

bogeydrvr · 05-05-2006, 06:05 PM

You guys nailed it.
Axle is loose on the left side.

Thanks again for all the help!!!

Mike