Porsche 911UK Forum

Welcome to the @Porsche911UK website. Register a free account today to become a member! Sign up is quick and easy, then you can view, participate in topics and posts across the site that covers all things Porsche.

Already registered and looking to recovery your account, select 'login in' and then the 'forget your password' option.

Clutch noise?

Jpitshanger

Active member
Joined
20 Aug 2016
Messages
41
I took Smokey (as shes now called) up to Bedford on Saturday and had a great day blasting around the track in her and my friend's Clio Cup.

The clutch action always felt a bit heavy but now it feels a little crunchy and and it releases with a little snap at the top of the travel. There's also a whirring noise when its pressed. Also a spring noise when the car is turned off and I press the clutch. Any thoughts? Release bearing or spring? Clutch isnt slipping and there's plenty of new fluid. We both have plenty of track experience so no undue clutch abuse was involved.

The other interesting thing was the amount of smoke she put out! On longer corners when the g's built there was a big puff when the power went down and on start up - hence the pitlane christening her Smokey. Once the oil level came down to one notch the smoke stopped - much relief. Deeper baffled oil pan goes on the list....
 
Spring noise will be the helper spring at the pedal -some people take this out to give more direct feel, but it makes for an even heavier pedal. A new one is cheap (£30 ish)

As for the whiring noise sounds like the release bearing.
 
Smoke is usually the AOS on its way out, on track or very hard street driving it gets the oil into the throttle body from the AOS vent tubes, it'll usually just burn off and be OK again.

A deep, baffled sump is always a good idea for track use.
 
wasz said:
yup the springs sometimes snap which is maybe why yours is noisy / feels weird.

Release bearing is annoying as its a cheap Audi part but the box needs to be removed to change.

You can probably leave it a while...

I wouldn't leave it a while, I had a 928 GT years ago with similar issue, the pedal went to the floor one day and was forced to drive it home changing gears timing the revs. I limited it to about 5 changes remarkably and thought I had done well, until the workshop told me I had chipped the gear set, 1800 sovs to refurbish it, sore lesson.
 
If its not supposed to that, it is better to have it sorted ASAP in my opinion - as wedtcoastcladdic illustrates and highlights, to avoid a potentially more expensive fix down the line.
 
I've had bangers with shrieking bearings go on for a long time. Depends on your appetite for being on the back of a recovery truck. Driving without a clutch is asking for trouble.

May as well whack a new clutch, slave, flywheel, rms, and imsb cover in while the box is off.
 
Thanks for the replies - think its the release bearing but probably also needs a clutch as its 76k miles, and a service and plugs and AOS. Lucky I like the car so much!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
124,351
Messages
1,439,435
Members
48,707
Latest member
race911turbo
Back
Top