Not Good...Not Good At All
 

Okay Guys,

It's been a while since I posted, but I have some even worse news. I Finally got my reference sensors, so I was able to put everything back together finally. I tested the car with the clutch housing starter and slave cylinder on, and it was starting okay...It sounded a little weak, but I just figured it was due to the cold and it not being started for a while.

So I recruited some teenagers to come help me get the transmission in. The torque tube slid right into position with the clutch depressed. The transmission took some maneuvering and a new $90 jack, but we got it in and all lined up and bolted on. We attached the cv joints and exhaust and everything.

I was a little worried because before I STARTED the job, when I Turned the rear wheels, the drive train turned, whereas AFTER, If I turned the wheels the CV joints spun, but the drivetrain did not.

We put the wheels on and started the car on the jackstands.

The car would turn over and then sound really weak like the battery was dead and then the car would start up but immediately die. I did it 5 or 6 times and the car died every time.

I was starting the car in neutral, and at one point I was able to give the car enough gas to stay running, but in NEUTRAL the back wheels were turning. I'm thinking I either have the linkage or the shift lever adjusted incorrectly.

I tried to shift to first when the car was running in neutral and it felt like the shifter went into first, but it grinded and when I pushed the accelerator the real wheels didn't go any faster.

Worse of all, as I was pushing the gas, smoke started coming in to the cab...I turned the car off and under the hood white smoke was bellowing from somewhere. Looking at the front of the car, the smoke was coming from the left side (passenger side) all the way back towards the firewall and what looked like below the engine. I looked at the exhaust (where the oxygen sensors screws in and where the gaskets attach) and it didn't look like the smoke was coming from there...and I couldn't tell if it was coming from the clutch housing.

What should I do next? I'm going to try to readjust the linkage...Something may be binding, but does that explain the smoke?

The shifter (after everything was bolted and attached) felt REALLY tight...it was hard to find the gears and it was even hard to find neutral even sitting with the c ar off.

I will have my phone all day and I can access the forum from it so I can answer any questions you guys have as far as the symptoms relatively quickly. Thank you SO much for the help.

Matt

P.S There was NOTHING wrong with the engine before I started this project.

Clutch problem: Why did you depress the clutch to install the driveline? With the clutch depressed and no driveshaft in place, there is nothing to hold the disc in the proper position. . .it probably fell out of alignment.

White smoke: Did it smell like hot brakes? Some sort of destruction from your disc misalignment above. Did it smell sweet? Heater hoses not tightened properly.

:(

Matt,

Lets start with maybe the easy problem.

The smoke may be coming from the rear of the cam housing. There is a cork gasket that gets bad. Try to tighten the 3 bolts----not very much. It is only torqued at about 8 foot pounds. This may seal the leak for a while until you can get a new gasket.

Back to the reference sensors.
If you purchased used sensors, check the resistance with an OHM meter. You do the test at the connections on top of the engine.

On top of the engine they are connected. Did you reverse the wires? DG speed sensor goes on the bottom. BG reference sensor goes on the top. If you took both sides off the wires are usually marked on top and the Reference sensor BGin the sensor bracket is closest to the engine. Review from Clarks:
Speed and Reference Sensors - Checking, Replacement, and Adjustment

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1257442358.jpg

Focus on the linkage. Not started. With the clutch petal in, can you shift the gears. Does it feel normal.

Have someone press the clutch petal while you watch the bell housing inspection hole and the clutch fork move back and forth. If you installed the fork correctly, the only way the fork will move is with the clutch petal depressed and the clutch slave piston rod pushing the clutch fork in.

GL
John_AZ

I had the driveline in place I just pressed the clutch in to get the last 3/4"...a lot of people suggested doing that... The torque tube wouldn't bolt up if the clutch disk wasn't aligned would it?

I can't really distinguish the smell of the smoke. It's really hard to shift with the car off now and it's almost like there's no neutral.

Resonse to John: the gears don't feel normal with or without the clutch pedal.

When the car dies it kind of feels like it's stalling out like it's stuck in gear. Why would the rear wheels turn with the car in neutral?

When you get home, Look in the clutch inspection hole while someone presses the clutch petal. Is the clutch fork moving smoothly?
Did you remove the TO bearing while the PP was out?

John_AZ

I had someone do the clutch thing last night and everything was going smoothly... Clutch pedal feels good. I just left the to bearing and pp together and replaced the disc as I knew Id be doing the WHOLE complete job again in a few months..bu now who knows what's qrong

Linkage. Did you replace the shift rod security bolt on the transaxle linkage? Did the security golt go in the dimple on the linkage? Did you wire the security bolt?
Caution--do not overtighten the security bolt. It could break off.

John_AZ

When I was tightening the bolt it didn't feel like it was going in straight... Maybe that's where my problem is... It didn't tighten all the way down either... I was just eager to test it out... I'll detach it and reatach tomorrow when I'm off and I can see better

Orville Redenbacher
 

Popcorn!:)

Lol... I wasn't going to DRIVE it like that! Haha. Maybe the tranny is engaged in gear no matter where the shift lever is and that's why the car is dying when I start it...although it shouldn't cut off if I have the clutch in right?

Remove conical bolt, put tranny in neutral (work the linkage on the tranny - you'll know when you've got it, as it's the middle detent), loosen the two bolts holding the shifter in the cabin, then reattach the shift rod to the linkage on the tranny and make sure the conical bolt goes home properly. Then safety wire it. I doubt you're in big trouble.

2 cents..
 

My car doesn't turn the wheels when the clutch is depressed (not at all) and If is Start my (924s) in gear on stands it idles a little rough then smooths out when the wheels get to speed (doesn't take long). Did you move around the fuel injector wiring harness thingie that runs across the dark area of the back of the motor, right near the Sensor block? Are ALL connections to FI and sensors good? Forget any grounds? I am really scratching my head here. Do ya have all cylinders? (literally, figuratively we all are missing a few)

In case you do have to take the tranny back down (hope ya don't have to) note there is a handy little hole at the bott of the tranny to put a jack stud into. (at least mine does) so you don't need a tranny jack (although it helps)

I'm sorry...WHAT kind of car do you have again?
Disconnect the linkage. "feel" the tranny into neutral and try again. the propeller shaft (should) spin the tranny with the cluch engaged.

It's a 1984 944. Last night hooking up the linkage was the last thing I did...and here's how I did(which now I know was wrong).

I slid the linkage tube back and through tr protective tube...pulled it over the transmission linkage and stuck the bolt through the hole and tightened it down...THEN I bolted the shift lever down and hooked everything up inside the car...

I'll Put the shifter in neutral and the transmission in neutral (by hand)...how will i know the tranny is in neutral? Then I'll bolt it back in and see how the gears feel.

Hopefully that's all that's wrong...the whole car won't stay started rear wheels turning in neutral and smoke coming into the cab really scared me...hopefully the transmission doesn't have to come out again....

It's a 1984 944. Last night hooking up the linkage was the last thing I did...and here's how I did(which now I know was wrong).

I slid the linkage tube back and through tr protective tube...pulled it over the transmission linkage and stuck the bolt through the hole and tightened it down...THEN I bolted the shift lever down and hooked everything up inside the car...

I'll Put the shifter in neutral and the transmission in neutral (by hand)...how will i know the tranny is in neutral? Then I'll bolt it back in and see how the gears feel.

Hopefully that's all that's wrong...the whole car won't stay started rear wheels turning in neutral and smoke coming into the cab really scared me...hopefully the transmission doesn't have to come out again....

The selector shaft will move in and out of the tranny when in neutral, but not when in gear. The arm coming off the shaft will be more or less pointed straight up when in neutral.

Here is a picture and where the "dimple" is when you remove/install the security shift rod bolt . Make sure it is in as far as your fingers can get it in the detent. Be very careful when you torque---it will snap off. Add security wire.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1257464780.jpg

GL
John_AZ

Man I love this forum...lol. Could the linkage being off cause my car to die after starting though? Or is this a completely different problem?

No, linkage will not cause engine failure. You posted your car was running good before the clutch job. What have you changed? The sensors. Read the resistance on the reference sensors and check the wires on top of the engine where they connect as I posted earlier.

Oh, when you were working on the sensor bracket, did you lay your body over the engine? If so, you might have bent the injector connections or something more serious.

GL
John_AZ