Bellhousing removal

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

I'm trying to pull the bellhousing off of a spare 944 engine I've had sitting down in the garage forever (so I can get it onto a stand and actually work on it) but I'm running into an issue removing it.

I HAVE removed the four bolts that hold the bellhousing to the rear of the engine block.

I HAVE NOT as yet removed the speed/reference sensor bracket (one of those evil, infernal cheesehead bolts is stripped and I may need to drill it out)

It feels as though the bellhousing is caught on something from the inside, but peeking into the various inspection holes doesn't really show me anything. The bellhousing is loose and I can jiggle it around with maybe 1/2" gap all the way around between it and the engine block, but it won't pull free.

So my questions are these:

- Must I remove the speed/reference sensor bracket to remove the bellhousing (I'm planning on doing this anyway, just a PITA)

- Is there something inside that holds the bellhousing on? If so, how do I get it to release?

Thanks in advance - this is just weird and I'm probably overlooking something obvious - never run into this before.

fennacf · 06:04 PM

Did you remove the clutch fork shaft? See the following thread from the 924S Forum showing where the clutch shaft is.

http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=22953&highlight=bell+housing

krystar · 06-11-2009, 06:13 PM

yea undo that bolt and then use a soft punch or a long bolt to tap it until it comes out

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Aha - I knew it had to be something obvious. I bet the clutch fork is still in there. Duh. Thanks much, I'll go check now (halftime of the basketball game is coming up anyway).

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

OK, progress but still no success...

I've removed the 10mm bolt in question. If you look into the threaded hole that bolt comes out of, it appears there's something at the end. I'm guessing this is the "shaft", right?

So I tap it with a punch and it doesn't move. Not even a hair. PB blaster, WD-40, whatever. No movement. If you look at the bottom of the bellhousing there's a threaded plug approximately where this shaft would be. Should I try removing this maybe? Am I doing something wrong here? More brute force? Sledgehammer? What? I've not removed the clutch fork on a 944 before so I want to make sure I don't destroy something I need later.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Man, looks like I just found the answer - this reference from the shop manual (forgot I had this) mentions removing the "plug" with an 8mm bolt. I guess I should try this, then tap away...

Schumi · 06-12-2009, 01:14 AM

Alternatively, if you cannot get the clutch fork shaft out, you can look through the starter hole and remove the 9 pressure plate hex head bolts which will separate the pressure plate from the flywheel. Then the bellhousing can be removed with the pressure plate held in by the clutch fork and the clutch comes right out. Then you can hammer on that fork pin on the workbench instead of under the car.

shinrai · 06-12-2009, 04:59 AM

I've always had to use a slide hammer to pull that shaft out....it's a real bear. Give it a try.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Piece of cake.

krystar · 06-12-2009, 10:16 AM

look into the bell housing on the exact opposite side of that bolt. u should see the other side of the shaft up against a pin. i just took a long bolt and made sure it was on the shaft, not the pin, then keep tapping and tapping and hammering until it starts moving out the other side.

DannoXYZ · 12:49 AM

"I've removed the 10mm bolt in question. If you look into the threaded hole that bolt comes out of, it appears there's something at the end. I'm guessing this is the "shaft", right?"

The 10mm head bolt pinches the shift-fork shaft in place. You also need to remove the shaft itself. Screw a bolt into the lower-end of the shaft about 10-threads in. Then grip the shaft of the bolt with some channel-lock pliers and smack it down with a hammer (the pliers).

The bracket for the speed & ref sensor must also come out. Due to the sadistic engineers employed at Porsche at the time, you cannot remove the bracket without taking out the sensors. The bracket should be held in place with allen-headed bolts, not cheesehead.

Easy way to get out rounded out allen/cheesehead bolts off is to find a torx bit that barely fits. Then pound it in with a hammer and put a socket over it to remove. The torx bits are conical and expand as you go up the shaft. So it grips tighter and tighter as you pound it in. The reason an allen-bolt is used on the speed & ref sensor bracket is that it's easier to remove with an L-shaped allen-key from the top than any other tool.

944 Ecology · 06-15-2009, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DannoXYZ

[I]The reason an allen-bolt is used on the speed & ref sensor bracket is that it's easier to remove with an L-shaped allen-key from the top than any other tool.

Lately, when doing clutch jobs, I have take to replacing the allen bolts with Plain Ole bolts (13 mm heads), since they are much easier to manipulate with 1/4 inch drive ratchets and sockets.