Clutch or R & P

[1bad914]

My step son called me yesterday, his 1985 944 N/A was dead on the roadside. He was driving normally shifting from 2 to 3 and it started clangin and banging. I went to pick him up, the car runs perfectly, but when you put it in gear and slowly release the clutch it starts to move just a bit and then makes a wondefully awful sound, clang clang clang. The sound seems to be forward so my thought are clutch, but I would hate to tear it apart and it be the R & P gear. Anyway to check? I don't have much history for the car.

[profssr2017]

You might be able to further ID the source of the noise by putting the car on a lift and repeating your test - since the clutch and transmission are several feet apart, you should be able to identify which part is making the noise. Also, there is a rubber plug on the transmission which you remove to get to the drive shaft coupler bolts. You could remove that plug and see if the driveshaft is turning when the clutch is engaged. Obviously, be careful to ensure safety to whoever is under the car when doing anything.

Regardless of which end has the problem, the transmission has to come out to fix the problem, as the clutch cannot be replaced without removing the transmission and torque tube. If you have to fix the tranny, it might not be a bad idea to inspect/replace the clutch disk at the same time, especially if the rubber hub in the clutch is starting to go (the clanging sound "could" be the disintegrated rubber hub).

[TopsailBeach]

Same problem w/our 944. Actually twice. Both times, the ring and pinion were trashed. Disconnecting the coupler you can determine if it's the clutch or transmission quickly. Good luck!