Clutch or Tranny or both

waller71 · 10-09-2000, 10:12 AM

Hi, new to the forum, got an 87 944S
-here it is:
1) a little backlash between acceleration and deceleration.
2) gears are HARD to shift into (no grinding, except when I can't find it-joke)
3) when letting off gas in gear, usually in 2nd and 3rd @ around 3000rpm I can hear what sounds like drive train noise.
ANY IDEAS???? (even a joke)
Thanks

Obin Robinson · 10-09-2000, 10:24 AM

hmm,

are you a "Streetracing" type because these sound like the symptoms of a tranny that has undergone a bit of drag-racing style starts.

do you know the history on the car? did the previous owner drive it HARD or race it?

failing ring an pinion possibly. does it sound like a box of rocks back there? the identical thing happend to my 924 tranny about 18 months ago and i know what killed it...
I DID!

obin

waller71 · 10-09-2000, 11:00 AM

No, atleast I don't think so? I have from a time or two, but not racing. The car has 170,000 and I bought it at 140,000 2.5 years ago. The guy I boughtit from said he had the clutch replaced 10K prior. The bag of rocks thing..ah, no, but there is a slight 'drive-train'noise when letting off the gas usually in 3rd. Thesticky shifter has been around for awhile. You think that little slop between gears could be ring'n'pin?If so how long does it have to live?

waller71 · 10-09-2000, 11:00 AM

could this in any way be clutch related? I think i heard someone talking about those cheaper rubber centers to the clutch.

[This message has been edited by waller71 (edited 10-09-2000).]

waller71 · 10-09-2000, 01:14 PM

Tabor Kelly just confirmed my clutch thoughts over at "rennlist BB". Here's a link I was given: http://www.connactivity.com/~kgross/944faq09.html
section 9.4

Penz944 · 10-09-2000, 06:29 PM

I have the same problems that your are talking about. Except for the hard shifting. Mine isn't to bad but I have the backlash and noise coming from the tranny it seems like. I think it could also be something with the exaust because my cat makes a wierd buzzing noise sometimes at idle. I know it's the cat becuase it's very noticable when I have it running and I get underneath the car a little bit. It rattles and causes the noise, I think a little messing around with it will get it to stop buzzing. The noise from the tranny might not be related though. It's to hard to tell.

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Penz
1985.5 944
My 944 page

PowerHaus944Turbo · 10-10-2000, 08:00 AM

I have the exact same problem on my 1987 Turbo. However, mine only has 95k on it. The gears are hard to get into, and I have actually had to turn off the vehicle a couple of times to get it into first. I don't believe it is clutch related cause I have a PowerHaus racing clutch in mine. As far as the buzzing noise, I have that too... my theory is that one of the bearings are loose in the tube (I can hear it spinning when trying to get into reverse sometimes)... I have to look into it a little more.

rben · 10-10-2000, 03:20 PM

Sounds like the rubber center clutch.The same
thing happened to my first 944.I thought it was the transaxle because of the extra slack
in the drivetrain and the noise when I let off of the gas pedal. When that rubber center
comes apart, it can also cause shifting problems.

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Obin Robinson · 10-10-2000, 05:15 PM

if you don't have the "box of rocks" back there then it probably is the clutch. bad clutches can cause strange sounds to appear all throughout the system.

the rubber center on my 1984 944 clutch is almost gone, but i don't have the sounds coming from the back of the car. i had sounds from the back of the car when i blew the 924 ring and pinion though.

good luck!

obin

e_nough · 10-12-2000, 12:19 PM

my 87 has trouble shifting also

shifting into gear, the shifter does not resist much at all.

on the other hand as you are shifting into gear, and if you dont have the timing just right you can hear the teeth crunch together. im thinking that is the syncros (114K miles)

I also have the whiiiiiiizzzzzzz noise coming from what i think is the ring and pinion. it is especially loud coasting down hill in 2nd and 3rd going pretty fast (fast enough for the engine to be holding the car back)

i think you can get a transaxle rebuilt kit for around $600 -- thats my next project...

mike

wolfrpi · 10-12-2000, 04:26 PM

it's the clutch...the backlash you feel is due to the rubber centered clutch coming apart and thus allowing the clutch disk friction surface to move in relation to the clutch disk spline. Consequently, while your engine spins, your tranny does not move until the small amount of rubber remaining in your clutch forces the friction surface to rotate at the same speed as the spline. If you drive harder, you will break the rubber center even more and it will be almost impossible to drive normally because of all the bucking. An incidental problem arises as you mentioned where the tranny is difficult to shift. Frequently this is so I believe because the rubber bits which seperated from the clutch disk are floating around in the bellhousing and getting stuck in the pressure plate and the clutch release arm.

Hope this helps,

Erick

Flormat · Flormat's Garage

Yes I agree, it's the disc. I had this on one of my 944's. When the clutch disc shatters you get all that you described. Better get it fixed soon because it can leat to gear box failure.