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Old 11-02-2006, 05:37 PM   #1
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Unhappy It Looks Like Its Clutch Time

I have been getting some slippage on the clutch of my 2000 2.7L Boxster with 52K on it. I am the thrid owner of the car and I dont know what sort of drivers the first two owners were, but I am sometimes demanding of the clutch, especially in first gear.

I plan on putting in an Porsche replacement clutch kit (only 333.00 from Suncoast Porsche). I figure that while having it open for the clutch I would bite the bullet and also put in a lightweight flywheel. I have my Bentley service manual and know just enough about working on the Boxster to be dangerous, so I think I am going to have the clutch and flywheel installed.

My question is about how long should it take a mechanic that normally does not work on Porsches to do the installation? Also, is it a bad idea to have a non-Porsche specialists do the job? I have a local mechanic that I like who works on all kinds of cars and says he can do the work, even though he has never worked on Porsches before.

I figure if I could almost pull it off with my Bently manual, he ought to be able to do it as well for half the price of a dealer or specialists. Is there anything unusual that a first-timer-Boxster-clutch/flywheel-installer needs to know about the job, thanks,

Ed

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Old 11-02-2006, 05:45 PM   #2
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There are a lot of mixed reviews about the lightweight flywheel. So, do your research.

What you might "save" by using a mechanic not familiar with Porsches, may wind up costing a lot more down the road if he runs into a problem. Proceed with caution.
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Old 11-02-2006, 10:14 PM   #3
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Hi,

Why do you need a lightened Flywheel? You bettin' on timeslips at the local Drag Strip or something? OK, so you may be able to get to 60 MPH in .009 sec. faster, so what? Use the standard Flywheel, it's what the car was designed to use.

There really isn't anything mystical about a Porsche. Changing the Clutch Disk is about the same as any other car. You may need to use special procedures to separate the Engine from the Tranny, but after that, the procedure is the same.

If you have a tranny jack (or can rent one), you should be able to do the swap in under a day yourself, especially with the Bentley Manual. If you don't have a warranty, a trusted mechanic is probably better than some unknown Porsche Mechanic...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99
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Old 11-03-2006, 02:10 AM   #4
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Lightweight Flywheels

"Why do you need a lightened Flywheel? You bettin' on timeslips at the local Drag Strip or something? OK, so you may be able to get to 60 MPH in .009 sec. faster, so what? Use the standard Flywheel, it's what the car was designed to use."


Thanks for the input Jim, you are right, I dont need a lightweight flywheel, but I though if I was going to open up the trany to put in a new clutch anyway, why not put in a lightwieght flywheel to make the car more responsive, something I would like. What I dont know that much about are the potential liabilities about the lightweight flywheels for my 2000 2.7L Boxster.

For example I have heard mixed comments about added vibration or possible damage to the transmission when using a lightweight flywheel with a stock clutch. Does anyone know about noise, vibration or damage issues with the Aasco lightweight flywheel?

Here is what the literature says about the Asaco unit:

Can you believe that an OEM flywheel weighs almost 30 lbs! That's 30 lbs. of mass to spin around inside the engine. Think of the energy wasted on getting that hunk of metal to spin up as you press on the gas! Reduce that weight with a lightweight flywheel. The Aasco lightweight flywheel weighs less than 14 lbs. That's over 15 lbs. of weight savings!

Lightweight flywheels are a great way to add performance to your Boxster. They are designed to reduce as much weight as possible but not sacrifice any drivability. If your Boxster needs a clutch, you are already inside the engine and a change to a lightweight flywheel is simply the cost of the part.

-Lightweight 6061-T6 billet aluminum (only 13 lbs!)

-CNC machined to .001"

-Wear-resistant, replaceable treated alloy steel friction inserts

-Stepped Dowel Pins

-Torque plates included in applications where required

-Works with both stock or aftermarket clutches

-The broadest range of applications available

-High quality polished finish

Aasco's aluminum flywheels have some key advantages over stock and other aftermarket units. Machining tolerances are extremely important when making a flywheel. Eccentricity, parallelism, and the step height (which is critical to proper clutch break-in and engagement) are kept to within .0015”, the most accurate in the industry! Dowel pins are hardened steel units and all hardware is grade 8 (grade 10.9 metric equivalent), the highest grade of fastener available today. Torque plates are also included in applications where required and flywheels are checked for zero-balance before shipping. "



Ed
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Old 11-03-2006, 05:45 AM   #5
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I can't comment on the flywheel other than my preference is to go with OEM. I can't imagine Porsche putting in something that would be deliberately heavier or fancier than they felt they had to?

In terms of putting in the new clutch and flywheel, if you aren't doing it yourself, find a trustworthy mechanic. Like Jim said (but in my own terminology), fixing these cars is not rocket science. It might take a non-Porsche mechanic a little longer to make the repair as he/she probably doesn't work on these day in and day out but I'm sure it will be cheaper and they won't charge you $200 for a $5 jar of Vaseline!
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Old 11-03-2006, 06:25 AM   #6
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Local Non-Porsche Mechanics

We have a small local shop here in Farmville, Va that has been doing our family cars for years. Great guys, but new to working on Porsches. The first one they ever worked on was my Boxster a couple of months ago. They installed new front rotors as well as pads on all four wheels. I brought the pads and rotors to the shop. The total cost for the installation, 50.00. These are the guys that I would like to tackle the clutch job.

I am still waiting for some horror stories (real experiences please) to scare me off about getting a lightweight flywheel when the clutch goes in. Its a great Friday here in Central Virginia, and the weather looks like it will be good again tomorrow. I think Cyndy and I are going to drive to Richmond for the monthly First Settlers regional PCA "Porsches and Pancakes" meeting at the Bakers Curst at Short Pump. I have never been to one, but they have them the first Saturday of every month, should be fun,

Ed

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Old 11-03-2006, 07:45 AM   #7
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If you're going to pay to have it done, don't use anyone but a Porsche mechanic. Preferably an independent shop with Porsche trained specialists. My mechanic for the Dodge will not even look at my Porsches because he says they are a different beast, and he's right.

As for the lightweight flywheel, it's a great thing if you know what you're getting into. Your starts will be quick, but the stress on the drive shaft is increased so you need a clutch plate with springs to absorb some of the stress the dual mass flywheel used to absorb. Also, when you're driving slowly in traffic, you will jerk around a good bit so be ready for it. Personally, after researching the lightweights, I'd only look at flywheel replacement if the old one is bad.

Good luck!
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Old 11-03-2006, 08:33 AM   #8
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LIghtweight Flywheels

"As for the lightweight flywheel, it's a great thing if you know what you're getting into. Your starts will be quick, but the stress on the drive shaft is increased so you need a clutch plate with springs to absorb some of the stress the dual mass flywheel used to absorb. Also, when you're driving slowly in traffic, you will jerk around a good bit so be ready for it. Personally, after researching the lightweights, I'd only look at flywheel replacement if the old one is bad."

Thanks for the feedback John, that is just the sort of thing I was wondering about.

Ed


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