Loose ball bearings by flywheel?

[alancordeiro at att.net]

Mike,

I found that car needs to be a lot higher than floor jacks. I used four 
stout tree trunk pieces, and raised the car about two feet above its normal 
height above the floor.

Its a lot of slow work, take off the muffler (cat back) ,then take off the 
cats, the plastic undercovers, the driveshaft, the gear shift linkages, the 
pro-ten cables.......it helps having a transmission jack to place under the 
transmission when taking it off, and especially when getting it aligned to 
get it back on.

Some of the bolts are hard to get at, some are hard to open the first time. 
It may take you a total of ten to fifteen hours. (not counting getting parts 
machined, or trips to the store to get a special tool).

I did it all myself......it would definitely help to have someone around for 
the actual removal, understanding what the pro-ten cables do, critical 
alignment when reinstalling the transmission,

Good luck,

Alan




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike" <xthejuicex at gmail.com>
To: "Ben Swann" <benswann at verizon.net>
Cc: <quattro at audifans.com>; "200q20V mailing list" <200q20v at audifans.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 12:17 AM
Subject: Re: Loose ball bearings by flywheel?


> Wow that is not what I wanted to hear heh. Thank you for giving me all 
> that
> info though. I do not want to get rid of this car as I just bought it 
> about
> 6 months ago.
>
> Is this a job I can do myself? I have done some small jobs before on my
> jeep: radiator, ps pump, water pump, locking diff, etc, but do I need
> anything special. I have 4 jack stands and a floor jack to lift it but 
> will
> that be high enough?
>
> Also, what sites do you recommend for me to get these parts from. I am
> planning on chiping and doing some other mods to it eventually so I would
> consider getting some upgraded parts.
>
> I have the Bentley manuals for it so hopefully I can follow it and not 
> mess
> anything up.
>
> Thanks everyone,
> Mike
>
>
>
> On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 10:13 PM, Ben Swann <benswann at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> Mike,
>>
>> You need new throuwout/clutch release (Thrust) bearing.  Parts being 
>> cheap
>> compared to labor, you should do it all:
>> Clutch Disk;  Pressure Plate; Flywheel - assess and R/R as needed with 
>> new
>> pin(s); release bearing bushing/slider; throwout bearing yoke ( a hole
>> starts to machine in these; clutch slave cylinder ( and probably master 
>> is
>> good to do to, but can do later);  drain and refill transmission oil; any
>> other clutch wear parts and always replace those fasteners - flywheel and
>> pressure plate  bolts.
>>
>> The job is not cheap - parts are probably in order of $400-500 and the
>> labor ranges to dealer cost around $900.  I would do it myself, or find 
>> some
>> enthustiast to do it right and pay to have done right.  Many shops will 
>> do
>> minimum necessary, so almost better to find a reputable private 
>> individual
>> who will be methodical, clean and assess other jobs to be done while in
>> there.
>>
>> It may seem like a lot and the false economics IMO is to say it isn't 
>> worht
>> it since the book valu on the car isn't always that high.  However, see 
>> how
>> lmuch service the original got. Also by rolling jobs together, you may 
>> save
>> money in the long run.
>>
>> If you can afford upgrades now is the time - do suspension; shocks,
>> bushings, etc. if pulling the trans, or replace turbo lines, engine 
>> mounts,
>> timing belt if pulling engine from front.  I generally let the "other
>> things" help dictate  which way to proceed, since either way is a big
>> expensive PITA.
>>
>> Also, you may use logic to buy another car with the money taken to do 
>> these
>> repairs, but how do you know that it won't happen on that car.   If you 
>> do
>> decide to ditch the car, you know the engine is worth over $2K - but 
>> someone
>> still has to pull it.  Don't fall victim to false economics - we've had
>> enough of that lately!
>>
>> Case in point - My avant had the bearing let go at 119k which is pretty 
>> low
>> compared to several others I have with over 200K on the clock and had not
>> needed a clutch yet.  So you just don't know the day or the hour;-}
>>
>> YMMV!
>>
>> Ben
>>
>> [Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:15:09 -0400
>> From: Mike <xthejuicex at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: Loose ball bearings by flywheel?
>> To: Claus Vegener <vegener at post7.tele.dk>
>> Cc: 200q20v at audifans.com
>> Message-ID:
>>         <592a96020909281115s771a0b00uba4835d855761f7b at mail.gmail.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>>
>> Thanks for all the ideas. Does this mean that I will need a new clutch or
>> flywheel? Also, how hard is that to change by yourself as I can't afford 
>> to
>> take it to a dealer.
>>
>> -Mike]
>>
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