2003 Boxster S w 30000 miles clutch noise?

[Ozzir]

I posted this on 6speed too.

I am looking to purchase a 2003 Boxster S. Everything checks out good but there are 2 concerns with it. There is a sharp click with the clutch pedal every time you press it in and then let it out. You can feel it in the pedal and its fairly loud. Its seems to be coming from inside a small plastic cylinder right by the fire wall. Ive read about some similar problems but did not find a definitive answer. It clicks after pushing the clutch in about 2 inches and then again when you release it. Anybody ever have this with their car and what was the repair?

Next is more concerning. After the car was warmed up and we took it for a drive there is a clicking or clacking noise at the back of the car. It is definitely related to the clutch somehow as when you push the clutch pedal in the noise stops. As soon as you let the clutch out it starts up. This is when the car is in neutral. I didnt notice it when it was cold and only when the car was hot. It sounds like some sort of clutch chatter but I have no idea if this is a noise they make or not? The car drives fine and the clutch shifts well and there is no slipping but the noise scares me as I have never owned one of these cars and Ive heard they are pricey to work on. Anybody ever heard this on their cars and is it normal?

Thanks everyone.

[N41EF]

The noise you hear inside the car is the interlock switches. As you press the clutch pedal in there is a click as you just start to press it, that click is what kicks the cruise control off, and as you get the pedal almost to the floor, there is a second click which is the switch that lets you start the car. As you slowly release the clutch pedal from the floor you can hear the two clicks as these switches clear. My car makes a sharp metalic click, not sure that you can feel them in the pedal, don't know that i've ever tried. You can hear them well with the car off, just cycle the pedal and see if that is what you are hearing.

If the clutch isn't slipping, I don't know that it would be the disc chattering. Does the noise stop if you put slight pressure on the clutch pedal? Or do you have to press the clutch in to make it stop? It could be cv joints, does it gey better or worse driving n circles to the right and left?

It could be a bent or broken finger on the pressure plate, that is usualy with a high pedal pressure, or uneven pressure.

Does it make the same noise accelerating, coasting with the car in gear, and decelerating (engine braking)?

if you plan on replacing the clutch, think about upgrading the IMS while you are there.

Let us know what you find.

Edited December 6, 2011 by N41EF