I'll be replacing transmission (and linkage) and clutch soon with help of a good mechanic in Duvall who doesn't have 914 experience but does let me observe and sometimes help in the work. He suggested pre-ordering a full clutch kit since we have no idea what condition the other parts are in, and he doesn't want a half assembled car taking up a bay in his small shop while waiting for parts.

I found an option on Pelican without a flywheel, and an option with a flywheel. I'd hate to order a new flywheel just to discover the one I had was fine. But the Pelican rep I just spoke to said they don't take partial returns -- I'd have to return the whole kit. I suppose I could order the kit that doesn't include the flywheel, then order a separate flywheel... but that seems silly. Anyway, what would you do?

https://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/SuperC..._TCLUTC_pg1.htm

Speaking from experience, I would order the whole kit. I ordered everything but not the flywheel and when we got in there, my mechanic said the flywheel needed to be replaced. Another week wait to get a flywheel.

You can always sell the flywheel that you take off on our parts forum.

Go to Autohausaz.com and find your car. Best prices and free shipping.

I agree and their parts are truly in stock or avalable which is not always the case with Pelican...

The SACHS PP+Disc+TO bearing kit is surprisingly cheaper on Rockauto.

Apologies for the small hijack, but wouldn’t a new flywheel need to be balanced as a unit with the other rotating engine parts? Or can you just bolt on a flywheel out of the box?

Ditto on Autohaus AZ

you could source a flywheel from aapistons. I did the same job last summer and once into the clutch area the flywheel was shot. I had to wait on a flywheel and bought from aapstons, great price, fits and has been in past 1500 miles. if you don't buy as a kit you can at least return it. I just got horribly screwed by ECS tuning buying a kit for our VW race car. arrived busted and they really couldn't care less.

https://aapistons.com/collections/type-4-914-flywheels

You can balance both the flywheel and the pressure plate as a unit and install, won't be as good as "fan to flywheel" balance, but in a stock motor not so much a problem.

Most times used flywheels need to be resurfaced like brake disks. If this is done there needs to be a corresponding amount of material added to the bottom of the ball pivot on the transmission housing, as a washer. This prevents the throw out bearing fork from hitting the transmission body causing undo pressure on the cable guide tube.

My motor isn't quite stock... it's a 2366, but not set up to spin very fast. Does this change anything?

The other consideration on the flywheel is the seal surface where it contacts the main seal. If that's wonky you can have a leak. Unless you have a limited budget the extra $300 or so isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.

I'm currently in the phase of life where limited time is a much greater problem than budget. It sounds like I should just buy the flywheel (is this correct? https://aapistons.com/collections/type-4-91...e-4-215mm-12v-1), though I hadn't thought about how to dynamically balance it with the engine.

Do you know if the engine was "race balanced" when it was built? If that is the case it could make for some extra vibration but that would be minimized by balancing the flywheel and pressure plate.

I didn't find any evidence of this happening in the previous owner's receipts. The previous owner did pay $80 for a clutch disk a year ago. When I asked him about the condition of the flywheel, he wrote "I didn't touch the flywheel, it was light and good, as was the PP."

Current clutch slip is intermittent, for what that's worth. Two mechanics have determined it's not the adjustment.

[quote name='98101' date='Feb 28 2018, 04:40 PM' post='2584251']
I'll be replacing transmission (and linkage) and clutch soon with help of a good mechanic in Duvall who doesn't have 914 experience












I wouldn't recommend using someone who has never worked on
The venerable 914 before as that person will essentially be
Learning on your car as they go


If your desperate its one thing but since yours is a semi hi performance application id go for a guy whos done it 1millon times


Then id go straight to the po/guy who sold it to ya

And ask him wtf happen on this build

My clutch was slipping on steep hills etc. When I pulled the trans and removed the PP, I found that the flywheel had minor ridges on the surface. There was no discoloration from overheating because I immediately backed off the accelerator when I felt it slip.

Do I change the flywheel? Do I resurface? Do I keep the original?
At the advice of a knowledgeable Porsche expert, he suggested staying with the original, minor ridges and all. Just rough it up with emery cloth to get rid of and glazing.

His comments were:

- Changing the flywheel will not be balanced with the rest of the rotating mass. Plus the quality of the replacement is questionable. The original is the best.
- Resurfacing might require adjusting the clutch fork and might be performed incorrectly which would cause chatter.
- He ran a fingernail across the ridges and it didn't catch. He said just scuff up and replace the clutch disk and PP. Drive conservatively for a couple hundred miles to seat the disk in the minor ridges of the flywheel.

I took his advice and the car runs, shifts fine with no chatter, vibration or slip.

I should point out that the seal area was not worn and was not leaking oil. If that was the case the flywheel would have to have been replaced.

I don't track my car, so there is nothing brought to the limit. That being said, my situation would differ from someone who drives their car aggressively where a total replacement would be necessary.

Dave

Typical 50K miles disk replacement, mostly need to measure the wear on the flywheel and the pressure plate and check the wear against the published spec. Replace the plastic parts and go. Don't forget the through out bearing.

Most times the flywheel doesn't need to be resurfaced, just some scratch to remove the glaze. But if you wear down the fiber disk to far the rivets will contact the flywheel and pressure plate, this will cause deep groves, forcing you to resurface or replace.

The dimension/thickness of the recess for the bolts is critical. If you're paying for the work, I think a new flywheel would pay for itself in the long run.

What is "race balanced"?

When I had mine balanced this was the procedure.

match piston weights

match rods weights

balance crank.

add fan and balance making adjustments on the fan

Then add flywheel and balance again, making adjustments on the flywheel.

So I should be able to replace just the flywheel, balancing it separately.

This is precisely why I didn't want to replace the flywheel if it wasn't too bad.
In order to balance everything your above mentionedprocedure is necessary.
A lot of work (and cost) if you don't do it yourself.

Oh, and by the way I did change the TO bearing and seals etc. "while I was in there"

Dave

I replaced both the clutch and flywheel 6 years ago on my mostly stock 2.0 when I had the transmission rebuilt.
No one mentioned balancing it. I just bolted it on after verifying the crankshaft endplay was within spec. No issues so far.

So glad this discussion came up. I'm looking at the same decision in the next couple of weeks and the flywheel balance has been a concern. Won't know what I'm looking til I the engine gets dropped later this month.

TOBs are pricey these days. New pivot clip, plastic guide pieces for the TOB and small ball cup bushing.

FYI there are two different flywheels, cast for the bus and forged for the 914.

tap with a wrench if it thuds it's cast, if it rings like a bell it's forged.

Recently went through this.
Resurfaced the FW and the PP, balanced.
Checked endplay.
Replaced RMS with Sabo from GoWesty.
Check/replaced everything needed.
Smooth operating, very happy.

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Thanks for the help. RacerChris finally shipped my transmission linkage upgrade so time to get moving on this again.

I ordered the clutch kit separately from the flywheel, to have the option of returning the flywheel if I wind up reusing the one already in my car.

Now I'm wondering something else: in a street motor that doesn't rev over the usual redline, is there really a benefit to a lightened flywheel?

It spins up a bit faster but can also make it easier to stall when starting from a stop.

this has been beaten to death as well LINK

OK, just studied that thread and wasn't persuaded the lighter flywheel would be beneficial in my case. The only possible benefit I was thinking would be quicker revving for downshifts.

The previous owner stated the current flywheel was "nice and light" (when he replaced the clutch only about a year ago) but he was confused about a lot of things.

Confused about more than just a few things ?? ,remember this car advertised before you purchased it,sorry to say but the FS ad was less than honest,you have had major issues and for me its sorry to see this,IMO NO car is free from PO issues some more than others,been there with my car .
Good luck.

Yes... it's been a learning experience. I've noticed some sellers -- like Frank (who sold me my Miata), and some people selling parts here -- go to lengths to disclose every flaw. Evidently the Previous Owner of my 914 was not that type of person, and this was a risk I knew I was taking with this purchase. So I guess I should be mad, but in the grand scheme of things it's not a lot of money and I'm grateful that I finally have a 914 to drive after all these years. It's faster than the ones I had in the 1980s, and soon it will be in better condition.

The bigger tragedy is that I no longer live in a place with desert mountain roads to drive it. I've heard there are a couple good tracks here though.