944 auto transmission whinning

[gedwardsfam]

My son and I have a 1986 Porsche 944 with automatic transmission. It has developed a whining noise when under power. No noise when coasting, only when accelerator is engaged.

Any ideas to what I should check before just tearing into it?

[John_AZ]

It has been a long time since I had an auto (Audi).

Check all fluids. If they look topped up and the noise sounds serious, you can change the fluid or you might try a bottle of auto transmission fluid conditioner.

The serious money situation is that the flex plate has begun to fail. The flex plate damper is about $1400 or so and then add the labor.

A good project for you might be to swap the flex plate damper with a solid clutch disc. You still have the auto trans but now with a clutch disc.

GL & welcome.

John

[wild man]

I would suggest fully evaluating the condition of R&P, before jumping to any conclusions. I would also say check the level & condition of the diff oil, but when it gets to the point where you can hear the whine, it is usually too late for a diff oil change to make a difference, anyways.

[968rz]

The damper doesn't whine when it fails, I've had two of those go on me.
First make sure it's not the power steering as they sound very similar. Then change the fluid and filter and drain the torque converter if possible to get more fluid out; also check the pan and old fluid for medal particles. If you're lucky that will take care of it if not the cheapest may be to just find a good used unit.

[wild man]

How did the diff oil (separate from trans fluid) look?

[RC924]

Many similar sounding noises can make it difficult to diagnose, otherwise it becomes an expensive guessing game. Definitely won`t be the rubber damper though. Everything else, including the trans is cheaper to repair if you can DIY.

Diff oil & ATF interchange can be an issue at this age. Theres only one oil seal on the governor that ages/dries/leaks. Has the ATF been going down without noticeable leaks? Removing the diff section filler plug will reveal if overfull or wrong texture/ color. Don`t think you`re hearing diff noise though?

Originally Posted by gedwardsfam

It has developed a whining noise when under power. No noise when coasting, only when accelerator is engaged.
Any ideas to what I should check before just tearing into it?

Can you give more info?

Would it be just in first gear, noticeable during mild acceleration, like in parking lot or city traffic but not at WOT? Has been described as a turbine/ supercharger winding up kind of sound. Even sounds sort of cool IMO if you don`t actually have a supercharger and you`re aware of what it is.

If that sounds familiar it is most likely the sprag, or first gear one way clutch. There`s 10 rollers there that are supposed lock up and limit rotation while in first gear with selector in D or 2. Try with the selector in 1 and see what happens with the noise, since the clutch won`t be holding. This "problem" is somewhat a "trait" in a 20 or 30 yo 087 tranny. Particularly one that may not have had every scheduled AT service during this period. Good news is that it is not major problem, if at all. Some cars go on for many years with no drama. Nor is it an expensive repair in itself, parts wise, IIRC rollers are $2 ea aftermarket.

[Brooklyn758]

I have a Damper in Great condition, I thought i needed 1. But when Looked at it closer turned out i have the clutch modification.I paid 600 for it . And 75 for ring gear. . if interested call 3479441104 chris. im in brooklyn.