Clutch Vibration on 2006 C4S

[gullwingsl]

I have a 2006 C4S coupe (6 speed, US) with a little over 5000 miles and have been experiencing a weird clutch phenomenon for some time now. The problem is a little hard describe without actually driving the car, but I will obviously do my best. When the clutch is put in before shifting to a higher gear with the engine revving above about 4000 rpm, the last couple of inches of pedal travel feel very "mushy" (for a lack of a better term). It almost feels like a vibration, and only occurs when the clutch is put in all the way and only for the last bit of travel. At first, I thought I was failing to come off the accelerator completely before making a quick upshift, but I have noticed that this certainly is not the case - even when I am completely off the gas (for a second or two even), the clutch sensation still exists. The problem only happens when the car is being driven (the clutch feels perfect when sitting in the car with the engine off) and the engine above about 3800 rpm- it is most pronounced at 4500 or higher and when shifting to 3rd or 4th gear. It cannot be felt during downshifts, etc. and rarely if ever at low rpm upshifts. The car can be either warm or cold, although I am very easy on it when it is warming up, rarely revving it over 3500 until the oil temp has been at 200*C for a while. The car has Sport Chrono and Sports Exhaust - I notice the clutch sensation regardless of whether or not it is in Sport mode. I am fairly easy on the 911 in general - it was broken in well and I am always careful to warm it up thoroughly (it also rarely idles). An interim oil/ filter has already been performed (@ 5000 mi instead of the recommended 20,000 mi). Oil/ filter from now on will be performed at 2500 mi intervals. I am the only owner, and delivery of the car was in December of 2005.

I realize that a lot of these details are not vital to understanding the problem - just trying to give as much background as possible. Apologies for the lengthy description. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, especially since the dealer here has not found anything wrong (although I wonder if they've driven it hard enough to even notice it).

Thank you all in advance!

[geza]

It could be normal clutch plate wear, or since it seems directly related to engine speed, an issue with the dual mass flywheel. The fact the clutch seems to still bight and perform under load suggests the pressure plate is OK - and that feel when stationary is acceptable etc.

There could also be some issue with the thrust bearing when it reaches maximum distance - some possible slight interference resulting in the feedback of vibration.

The only way to check the flywheel operation is by removing the transmission and manually determining the movement of the sprung flywheel mass to see if it is within spec...........not sure if your dealer will do that to determine if that in fact is the cause of the vibration.

Maybe it is symptomatic of the car - test drive another one on the dealer lot that would be most similar to your car to see if the same feeling applies.......but if your car is unique, the diagnostic skills of your dealer technicians will be key - and your stance would be to try to solve it before it has the potential to develop into other issues.

Edited October 17, 2006 by geza

[gullwingsl]

Thanks for your reply, Geza. I drove an almost identical C4S right when the launch car hit showrooms in NC (late Oct/ early Nov 2005), and did not experience the problem. It also had very few miles on it, so I was reluctant to push the revs up very much at all – thus its difficult to totally rule out the possibility of it having a similar issue. I'm going to try to take the car to the dealership in a week or so and hopefully get the problem more thoroughly assessed. The fact that the problem is difficult to describe and even experience unless the car is really "driven" makes it even tougher to prove my case - I would really like to have the transmission removed and the sprung flywheel mass looked at per your suggestion. The fact that the clutch seems to be working well overall (no slippage, etc.) also makes the problem hard to conceptualize. Regardless, thanks for your input. I am going to try to drive another similar car or two on the lot when I take it in, especially since I know exactly what I am looking for now.

[500]

I have a 2006 C4S coupe (6 speed, US) with a little over 5000 miles and have been experiencing a weird clutch phenomenon for some time now. The problem is a little hard describe without actually driving the car, but I will obviously do my best. When the clutch is put in before shifting to a higher gear with the engine revving above about 4000 rpm, the last couple of inches of pedal travel feel very "mushy" (for a lack of a better term). It almost feels like a vibration, and only occurs when the clutch is put in all the way and only for the last bit of travel. At first, I thought I was failing to come off the accelerator completely before making a quick upshift, but I have noticed that this certainly is not the case - even when I am completely off the gas (for a second or two even), the clutch sensation still exists. The problem only happens when the car is being driven (the clutch feels perfect when sitting in the car with the engine off) and the engine above about 3800 rpm- it is most pronounced at 4500 or higher and when shifting to 3rd or 4th gear. It cannot be felt during downshifts, etc. and rarely if ever at low rpm upshifts. The car can be either warm or cold, although I am very easy on it when it is warming up, rarely revving it over 3500 until the oil temp has been at 200*C for a while. The car has Sport Chrono and Sports Exhaust - I notice the clutch sensation regardless of whether or not it is in Sport mode. I am fairly easy on the 911 in general - it was broken in well and I am always careful to warm it up thoroughly (it also rarely idles). An interim oil/ filter has already been performed (@ 5000 mi instead of the recommended 20,000 mi). Oil/ filter from now on will be performed at 2500 mi intervals. I am the only owner, and delivery of the car was in December of 2005.

I realize that a lot of these details are not vital to understanding the problem - just trying to give as much background as possible. Apologies for the lengthy description. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, especially since the dealer here has not found anything wrong (although I wonder if they've driven it hard enough to even notice it).

Thank you all in advance!

I just bought an 07S an have had the clucth pedal vibration from the very first minute driving the car (it had 10 miles @ delivery);this is somewhat of a common problem with some newer Porsches. I had the exact same thing happen on a new 01 as well and others on the rennlist forum have repoted the same thing http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/show...ad.php?t=205460. I was recently told by a large Porsche dealership's shop foreman, that it is the clutch fingers not being even and it should go away after/during break-in (at least in my case since it been there since new) If you did not notice this issue when new, you may have a different probelm. I'd bring it in for service and get the shop foreman involved, please report back his findings. Hope this helps.

[lmritter]

I have a 2006 C4S coupe (6 speed, US) with a little over 5000 miles and have been experiencing a weird clutch phenomenon for some time now. The problem is a little hard describe without actually driving the car, but I will obviously do my best. When the clutch is put in before shifting to a higher gear with the engine revving above about 4000 rpm, the last couple of inches of pedal travel feel very "mushy" (for a lack of a better term). It almost feels like a vibration, and only occurs when the clutch is put in all the way and only for the last bit of travel. At first, I thought I was failing to come off the accelerator completely before making a quick upshift, but I have noticed that this certainly is not the case - even when I am completely off the gas (for a second or two even), the clutch sensation still exists. The problem only happens when the car is being driven (the clutch feels perfect when sitting in the car with the engine off) and the engine above about 3800 rpm- it is most pronounced at 4500 or higher and when shifting to 3rd or 4th gear. It cannot be felt during downshifts, etc. and rarely if ever at low rpm upshifts. The car can be either warm or cold, although I am very easy on it when it is warming up, rarely revving it over 3500 until the oil temp has been at 200*C for a while. The car has Sport Chrono and Sports Exhaust - I notice the clutch sensation regardless of whether or not it is in Sport mode. I am fairly easy on the 911 in general - it was broken in well and I am always careful to warm it up thoroughly (it also rarely idles). An interim oil/ filter has already been performed (@ 5000 mi instead of the recommended 20,000 mi). Oil/ filter from now on will be performed at 2500 mi intervals. I am the only owner, and delivery of the car was in December of 2005.

I realize that a lot of these details are not vital to understanding the problem - just trying to give as much background as possible. Apologies for the lengthy description. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, especially since the dealer here has not found anything wrong (although I wonder if they've driven it hard enough to even notice it).

Thank you all in advance!

I just bought an 07S an have had the clucth pedal vibration from the very first minute driving the car (it had 10 miles @ delivery);this is somewhat of a common problem with some newer Porsches. I had the exact same thing happen on a new 01 as well and others on the rennlist forum have repoted the same thing http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/show...ad.php?t=205460. I was recently told by a large Porsche dealership's shop foreman, that it is the clutch fingers not being even and it should go away after/during break-in (at least in my case since it been there since new) If you did not notice this issue when new, you may have a different probelm. I'd bring it in for service and get the shop foreman involved, please report back his findings. Hope this helps.

Sirs:

I purchased my 06' 997s in Sept 2005. I did experience the same issue initially. Now the car has all of 1800

miles on the clock and I have not noticed this " shimmy " for about 6 months. I am convinced that because of our " Porscheophelia ", we become very sensitive about issues that would not concern a Ford Focus owner. Enjoy your cars.......everything I have read on these forms seems to be generally normal and transient. We all know where the big problems are noticed... just under the RMS on your garage floor. These cars are a kick to drive...Wow.

Larry, San Diego CA