Warped clutch, how?

[arrutled]

Pops and I took the porsche out for a 45 minute ride. started getting sloppy about half way through. Turns out clutch is warped due to overheating. Now my questions is if it is possible to overheat a clutch within 30 minutes of street driving or is it most likely that there was an underlying issue beforehand. It was the original clutch on the car, so I am assuming the clutch has been worn over the years as it has been tracked and auto-x'd and resulting in a weaker clutch at the point of failure. Is it possible?

[and 1]

is it technically possible to overheat a clutch in 30 mins of driving? definitely, but you'd need to be trying to do it. i'm sure it's some preexisting thing. the owner probably drove like a doosh...or had no feeling in his left foot

[ML]

This is your dad's car, not one he is looking at buying, right? If so, and 1 just called your dad a douche

[and 1]

woops...

[arrutled]

Its my dads car. My dad has only had it for about 12,000 miles

[arrutled]

Originally Posted by and 1

is it technically possible to overheat a clutch in 30 mins of driving? definitely, but you'd need to be trying to do it. i'm sure it's some preexisting thing. the owner probably drove like a doosh...or had no feeling in his left foot

My dad has no feeling in his feet either thanks to MS so you might be right, lol. don't feel bad though for saying that, you had no idea. I was driving at the time of failure anyways.

[larryn]

Andy, on P-Cars it can be fairly common to have them warp if replacement is overdue. Take-up on a new Porsche clutch is usually immediately off the floor. If it was easy to use (read: take-up was nice and gradual, more like most cars), it was likely worn and due for replacement.

I spent last weekend under the 'ti replacing the clutch and flywheel (lemme tell ya, BMW should be shot for the difficulty of clutch master cylinder replacement). I did the master and slave cylinders at the same time.

[arrutled]

Ok, just got the verdict:

"Charles called, the clutch plate disintegrated with age, you just happened to be the lucky one. He said it was the original clutch. Tranny and flywheel okay. Your mother is really thrilled."

[arrutled]

Originally Posted by larryn

Andy, on P-Cars it can be fairly common to have them warp if replacement is overdue. Take-up on a new Porsche clutch is usually immediately off the floor. If it was easy to use (read: take-up was nice and gradual, more like most cars), it was likely worn and due for replacement.

I spent last weekend under the 'ti replacing the clutch and flywheel (lemme tell ya, BMW should be shot for the difficulty of clutch master cylinder replacement). I did the master and slave cylinders at the same time.

I can't imagine that was a 1 beer job.

[ML]

Originally Posted by larryn

(lemme tell ya, BMW should be shot for the difficulty of clutch master cylinder replacement)

Did you have to practically remove the dash to get to it?

Andy, on your dad's car, is the clutch slipping or are you just getting excessive vibration? If it is not slipping, it may actually be an issue with the clutch disc hub. Unlike the rest of the motoring world, Porsche used rubber dampers in the clutch hub instead of springs. When the rubber goes, there's nothing left to absorb any shock in the driveline and it feels just like an excessively warped flywheel or pressure plate. Either way, the clutch has to be replaced. I would suggest getting a sprung clutch disc instead to the rubber mounted OEM disc.

Ok, just saw your "verdict" post.

[larryn]

Originally Posted by ML

Did you have to practically remove the dash to get to it?

Yep, and to disconnect the hydraulic lines you cannot see what you are doing, and generally need opossum sized hands. My ribs are still tender from laying on the seat rail sideways.



Andy, glad you got it diagnosed already. (and glad I know nothing about Porsche clutch replacement)

[arrutled]

Originally Posted by larryn

Yep, and to disconnect the hydraulic lines you cannot see what you are doing, and generally need opossum sized hands. My ribs are still tender from laying on the seat rail sideways.



Andy, glad you got it diagnosed already. (and glad I know nothing about Porsche clutch replacement)

Well my dads porsche mechanic thought the same thing when Pops described the symptoms.

[and 1]

Originally Posted by arrutled

My dad has no feeling in his feet either thanks to MS so you might be right, lol. don't feel bad though for saying that, you had no idea. I was driving at the time of failure anyways.

is there a "damn i just put my foot in my mouth BIG TIME smiley"?

i'm sorry about the comment...thanks for being cool about it

[ML]

Originally Posted by and 1

is there a "damn i just put my foot in my mouth BIG TIME smiley"?

i'm sorry about the comment...thanks for being cool about it

Of course he's being cool about it. He already told his dad. I'd be wary of the first post from arrutleds_dad....

[larryn]

Originally Posted by ML

Of course he's being cool about it. He already told his dad. I'd be wary of the first post from arrutleds_dad....

I'll bring a cooler, lawn chairs, and a camera.

[arrutled]

Ha, I did tell him about the comment. He got a good laugh out of it. We joke about his feet a lot. Its twisted, I know.