I wanna cry

[todwic]

Welp, I was road trippin, goin to Fresno on the 99 from L.A., making good time when a mustang and a corvette decided to taunt me. We tore it up through traffic* , really pushing it hard. When my exit came up, I exited, stopped at the first light and I thought my timming belt was slipping or something because the was a loud knocking and smoke was pouring out of my hood! I pulled into the nearest parking lot, and call triple A.
I took the front covers off and everything looks spiffy, so I was at a loss. Tow guy came, blase blase, and I racking my brain trying to figure out what whump whump sound was and why it smelled like burning belt.
I saw that the smoke was comming from the back of the engine, and did a little surfing on pelican parts catalogue. Flex disc. never heard of such.
Jack up car, underneath I look at flywheel and big chunks of rubber starring at me.
look at price on site...
yell at dog
look again
sssssssssssiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggghhhhhhhhh.
storing car in Fresno because can't rent truck on the 4th.
Not wanting to pay $600 for part, don't want to drive the Hyundai.

[Scott R]

Damn rubber center clutches. Get an updated spring centered from Pelican when you order.

[scottmandue]

Bummer dude,

So what the heck is a flex disk anyway?

At least you got the day off (NOT ME).

Take two beers and call me in the morning

[Scott R]

Ohhh, do you have an Auto?

[SoCal Driver]

Automatic?

[AFJuvat]

Well my friend, if you have an automatic, your flex disk is shot - welcome to the automatic equivelant of a clutch job.

If you are running a manual, you need a clutch.

Either way you are looking a few hundred in parts, or about $1500 if you have someone else do it for you.

Look on the bright side, once you get it sone, you are good for another 100000 iles or so...

AFJuvat

[todwic]

Automatic trans. aye. I don't quite get it: rubber....driveline.....turnything.......rubber... .WTF???
I don't have the R&R sequence to change that guy out. Torque specs? Haynes has aggressively ignored all reference to "Flex" or "Disc".

To make what was turning out to be a wonderful weekend into a splenderous rapture time, I called wife's dad to come get us (L.A. to Fresno) in my other car....and on the way back home, The tranny starts slipping and then just won't go. I waited for it to cool down and we made it to within 16miles of home when the little Hyundai said "screw you!"
anyone know where I can get a used flex disc? I can handle good for just 50,000 miles right now.


SCORE
Todd [nbr][nbr][nbr][nbr][nbr][nbr]CAR
[NBR][NBR][NBR]0[NBR][NBR][NBR][NBR][NBR]2
Could anyone tell me if there are any suprises in store for me?

or do I just take out torque tube, bellhousing, replace disc?

[SoCal Driver]

Tod, R&R'g the disk is the same as doing a clutch -- ARBPITA!!!

This disk is "retained" on the drive shaft with a snap ring between the disk and the fly wheel thingie. You thus have to remove the nine socket head (Allen) bolts that go around the perimeter of the rubber disk and through the starter ring first.

Pull the starter to get to them. Then pull the torque tube and bell housing back or the engine out. The rubber disk stays with the drive shaft till you can remove the snap ring. Well whats left of the rubber disk anyway.

I see no reason that a spring center with an outer steel mounting ring could not work here. At least you wouldn't have a large and very warm (hot) vulcanized slab of rubber wanting to grenade during application of extreme centrifugal forces.

I checked the 86 auto I'm about to have dragged off to the junk yard and the disk on it is in realy bad shape or I would tell you to drive down and take it. Here's a thought; I'll see if a machinist friend can take the old rubber disk and the center of a used clutch disk and mate them up!!!

Who has a used spring center clutch disk to donate to the design and build???

[Wayne 962]

Totally different, the auto and standard.

The flex disc was designed to reduce vibration from the drivetrain. It's very expensive for some reason, and it's the reason a lot of automatic 944s are parked and forgotten...

-Wayne

[SoCal Driver]

Wayne,

I'm sorry but I just can't accept the reduce vibration argument as we "stickers" don't have such an coupler when we use the spring loaded center clutch disks.

We stickers don't have the torque converter either. A really good drive isolator and dampener!

Since I've changed over to a spring center disk I can't tell any difference! Replacing the engine mounts did make a diference!

Still looking for a donor spring center.

[todwic]

SoCal, you are a godlike substance.

I guess the Hyundai was secretly keeping tabs on this bbs and I hurt it's feelings.


"It's okay, wife's Hyundai, you are a good car, worthwhile auto, and you are worth it"

[SoCal Driver]

"God like"????

Interesting.

Wayne is right. The large rubber disk does reduce the drive vibrations but I really don't think it's worth $600 when a $200 item with a spring center would work just as well.

Matter of cost to performance ratios. That's the problem with being an automation engineer -- constantly thinking of these things.

Drives the wife crazy as she want's me to buy her all those pretty foo-foo things women like. I don't see any "performance ratio's" from buying her these things! (sure glad she doesn't read this forum ;-)

You should be able to find a rubber disk at a "recycling center" for about a $100. That's the easy part. The time to install is the PITA.

If anyone gets the hint I'm not a "purist" they are right. I love my AUDI 100!!!

[todwic]

I found a JY that might have one, but the guy wants me to fax him a pic. I can't find a pic anywhere. He prolly has one, tho, he has several Junked 944s just layin around.
I just not paying $600 for a *(*%^##@$*#& piece of rubber, I don't give a damn where it comes from.

[AFJuvat]

Originally posted by SoCal Driver
"
If anyone gets the hint I'm not a "purist" they are right. I love my AUDI 100!!!

Hehehe Well, as you are well aware, I am a purist. On the other hand, as Audi's are great cars, I woulds love to get my hands on a late model 200 quattro (got to love a 5 cyl engine!). Also been kicking around getting a '90 80 just to tool around in (the 80 engine looks suspiciously like a 924 engine)

If you get one in a junk yard, be extremely careful and make sure that the part is in good shape. If it has cracks in the rubber you are going to be in the same situation 6 months from now.

In my opinion (and I know SoCal and I are going to differ on this one (purist vs nonpurist)) Spend the bucks and get a new part - spend the time replacing it and not worry about it for another 80 - 100k miles. You wouldn't replace your clutch with a used disk, why would you replace your flex disk with a used part and gamble with it failing soon thereafter?

Send me an email todwic. I have a picture/line diagram of the assy. Just too big to post here.

AFJuvat

[SoCal Driver]

It's not that I wouldn't "spend the bucks" if I had too, it's that I don't like to perpetuate a poor design -- the rubber adaptor disk.

Nobody whose been there replaces an expired rubber center clutch disk with another rubber center clutch disk.

Why not have that option with the automatic disk?

[951carter]

if you can get that rubber out of the way you can drive it for awhile longer, the metal tabs will hold it. It will make a racket at idle, but it will work. I also have to agree with not putting in a used piece. Sitting is what kills them and if it has been sitting in a junkyard for any length of time it may look fine but fall apart in 2 weeks of use. get something and pull that rubber out of there and drive it until you have the $ to fix it right, you don't want to do this job twice. This job including parts and labor used to be over $3,000 from the dealer.....probably hasn't gone down too much.

[todwic]

I called a dealer (and I hold thier remarks to be self serving and extreme right in the analness) while I was in Fresno and he said I'd never make it. I also thought that I could just go and deal with the vibromatic. but I took his advice and now I'm with out my most favored ride ( and now only, I pulled the pan off of the Hyundai and...well someone blow taps for that tranny, shes cooked) so I'd REALLY like to be able to drive her down.
So I ask: are you SURE it won't hurt it if I get all the rubber hunks out?

(this is kinda funny on another level for me in that I was diagnosed with Hypertension so I tried to cut down on stressfull episodes. wedensday: hurt 944. thursday:hurt Hyundai. Friday:borrowed wifes G-ma's car to go get dinner:hurt that car.)

[AFJuvat]

Ugh, sounds like a bad week overall.

So the 944 is at the dealer? Well, not my first choice for service - they tend to be very overinflated on the price and charge "book" labor. On the other hand, they should have it done for you in a day or so.

What killed the tranny on the Hyundai? Seeing as I just bought one (Santa Fe), I am extremely interested in hearing the details on that one. On the other hand, what about that 10 yr/100000 mile warranty?

What did you do to grandma's car?

Bad week, spend a day sitting at home, reflecting on all the good things and drinking heavily...

Next week will be a better week.

AFJuvat

[todwics babe]

Dont worry fellas I have sedated him and hid the Porcshe keys

So I ask: are you SURE it won't hurt it if I get all the rubber hunks out?

If anyone cares, my opinion is (and I realize I am just a woman) rent flatbed or whatever we need to get her home. Then buy the part NEW, and install it. Shoot he LOVES working on cars. I have every faith in my husbands ability as far as car repairs go. I have yet to see him shy away in facing a challenge. It will be a project, I realize that, and you want your car running, like NOW!

but why do something half arsed when you own a PORCSHE, for crips sake!!!!
hope I dont get in trouble for this....

[todwic]

NO NO. car not @ dealers, I just called a couple to see if they had part/ramifications of me driving it back to L.A.

Hell I don't mind doing it twice, I just don't have the scratch at this time and juncture.

Hyundai had 108,000 on it. roll that around yer mouth and knock it back with a single malt scotch.

what killed it is a VERY steep section of road called the grapevine, and I drove the Hyundai like I drive my 944. I pulled the pan off and the friction material was like a black goo in the bottom, and the fluid looked like metal flake paint.