924Board.org

[maoziyboy]

So I got my newly swapped engine in and it ran and everything so i tried to disengage the clutch to put it into gear. I pressed the clutch and when i tried to put it into gear, all it could do was grind. Bascialy the clutch was not disengaging at all. I asked my friend who built the engine and put the clutch in and he said that maybe the clutch was put in backwards (at the time I did not understand that that could not be done so thats what I thought had happened). I took out the transmission, pulled back the torque tube, removed the bell housing, and finally got to the clutch to see the clutch was put in correctly. so something else must be wrong. My friend said the flywheel was lightened to 11lbs and said that the flywheel may have been done impropoly and that is why the clutch will not disengage. Can anyone help me out and tell me what other reasons there may be for the clutch not disengaging? Anything that I can do or check?

thank you for the help.



Maoz

[Chrenan]

Did you replace the pilot bearing in the back of the crank before you installed the engine?
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

[maoziyboy]

it the pilot bearing the same thing as the throwout bearing or release bearing? if it is, I am not sure but can find out. Is there any way I can tell if the bearing has gone bad just by having it right infront of me?

[torro]

Welcome in the club

Even if the pilot bearing is wasted, you should be able to free the clutch. I would check the throw out bearing if things are apart, but I would suspect that the clutch wire was not thighten enough to disengage the clutch. Re-check the wire and the hydraulic, if it got that. Lay under the car and let someone push down the clutch pedal to check if the disc is released from the flywhell and that the release bearing is opperating as it should.

...And if things are apart, do as Chrenan says, replace that pilot bearing now rather than next week...
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-=Torro=-

[maoziyboy]

thank you for the welcome, haha.

so from my understanding the release bearing is the same thing as the throwout bearing, correct? and the pilot bearing something completely different, correct again? Do you by any chance havea diagram or know of a diagram that shows where the pilot bearing is in comparison with the throwout bearing and the rest of the clutch, I tried searching on google but could not find anything to helpfull.

also....is the pilot bearing something that when you replace you want to replace with a brand new one, or is it something i can take off the old engine that i pulled that only had 97000 miles on it?

When the clutch first did not disengage, my friend and I tried to tighten the clutch cable (which is not hydraulic) and no matter how much we tightened, the clutch would still not disengage.

thank you both for the quick responses

[Chrenan]

[Paul]

Did you try adjusting the clutch before tearing things apart?
_________________
White 87 924S "Ghost"
Silver 98 986 3.6l 320 HP "Frank N Stein"
White 01 986 "Christine"
Polar Silver 02 996TT. "Turbo"
Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
Porsche: It's not driving, it's therapy.

[maoziyboy]

I did try to adjust the clutch before.

I just found out that the pilot bearing and the throwout bearing are both brand new and were replaced when engine/clutch were rebuilt.

so I got the flywheel out and....

the flywheel was lightened and resurfaced. I measured both flywheels (one from new and one from old engine) the flywheel from the new engine was 1.5mm thinner than the old flywheel. Does that or can that affect the engagment of the clutch?

[924RACR]

That shouldn't be enough to cause a problem... I think you need to go back after the release mechanism (cable, clutch fork, etc).

So, there's a "guide sleeve" that the release bearing slides on. Was that replaced? It's thin metal, easily bent, and can cause the clutch to hang up... but also inexpensive (like $6 IIRC).

I'd remove the inspection cover underneath and watch as someone actuates the clutch pedal - see if you can see the pressure plate lift off the clutch, etc.
_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

[OutOfTheBox]

I would say that either you clutch fork isn't engaging the release bearing.
or your release bearing isn't engaging the clutch plate.

The clutch fork you can sort out without removing the bellhousing.

The release bearing you will have to remove the flywheel.

[maoziyboy]

right now I am at the point of looking face to face with the rear main seel because I needed to change that out as well. so from here on I am putting stuff back on. I will check to see if the guide sleeve was replaced. Just to make sure but the guide sleeve is the thin piece of metal that sits between the release bearing and the shaft that the release bearing slides up and down on, correct? If I need to replace the guide sleeve, could I just order that from any parts dealer? Would it be a good idea to put a spacer between the flywheel and the engine to compensate for the 1.5mm difference?

[924RACR]

Correct, the guide tube is what the release bearing slides back and forth on.

Spacing out the flywheel might be nice, but I still don't think it should be necessary for a difference of only 1.5mm...
_________________
Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype

[maoziyboy]

everything seems to be working in the bell housing (clutch fork, release bearing) i'll see if I can get a hold of a guide sleeve but it all seems to work fine. I am going to start putting everything together on sunday, so when the clutch, pressure plate, and bell housing are on i'll check to make sure that everything is working properly and if something is still screwed up i'll post the problem, hopefully all will be well and i'll be able to drive my 924 for the first time on sunday night.

thank you all for all the help, i'll post up on how the rest goes.