Blew Up Drivetrain :)

sleepydsm · 12-20-2005

1992 Tsi AWD 5spd

Wrote a Novel:
Under slight acceleration at about 70mph coming home tonight the car suddenly acted as if someone stepped on the brakes for about 1 second. I thought that was odd, and kept on going. Everything looked fine, good oil pressure, car wasn't running weird or making noises. Maybe one minute later the car started acting funny, I suddenly though my motor or turbo had gotten fucked I shifted and the clutch pedal stuck to the floor. I was freaking out, the car quickly came to a halt (felt like the wheels had locked up) as I tried to get it on the shoulder. My brother somehow thought we were headed for the ditch so he grabbed the wheel and put me back in the right lane of traffic, just as I pulled the keys to shut down the engine running. Stupid me, the wheel locked, so came to a stop in the right lane, engine still running, clutch to the floor, on a downhill slope not moving. While sitting still, there was some odd noises coming from the engine, so I hit the turbo timer and shut it down. My brother and I got our asses out of the car, and couldnt move it while it was in nuetral. The best part? The car was blocking right lane traffic in a blind banked corner right after a bridge on the highway. We were flagging people over, but still so many people almost smashed right into the parked car with the 4 ways and lights on. A car tailgating someone swerved around the cain front of them and nearly ran my brother and I over, we had to jump in the snow for our lives. We had called the police and the state police, and a trooper pushed it out of the way.

Got it home, jacked it up, tranny fluid everywhere. Took of the tranny crossmember, and there is a huge crack near the diff. (where the front axesl go into the tranny). Also, I noticed throught the flywheel inspection cover little copper wire shreds and clutch material. I pulled the clutch pedal up, the slave and forrk are still in teh depressed mode, and the slave has no presure (i can push it back with my fingers). I pulled the rubber fork boot, and three thin crunched metal peices tumbled out. The tranny fluid on that is all over the car is grayish with a nice metallic twinkle to it. Great

Any ideas? At first I thought maybe the transfer case locked up? Maybe the center or front diff blew up? About an hour prior, I did launch the car, spun them in first, shifted hard into 2nd and third. Car was working fine after that. I drove 15 minutes after that, shut it down for an hour, drove another 15 home and it blew up.

I just remembered, last time I was under the car, the trasnfer case was missing the lowest, most rear bolt. Looked like the threads were stripped on the tranny case. I thought 4/5 would be ok... but they put 5 there for a reason...

Thanks,
Kevin Swalchick

**1ViciousGSX** · 12-21-2005

I'm gonna go with "blew the center diff which put a hole in the case causing the fluid to leak out, causing the transmission to seize, which caused excessive load on the clutch, which overheated and came apart, which caused damage to the clutch fork, which caused your ass to get stranded in a life threatening situation." Let me know if I missed anything.

**scheides** · 12-21-2005

I'm with vicious on this one. Glad you're ok! Get iton the sholder next time, and smack your brother for grabbing the wheel! Look at the bright side, whenever you get it back together, you'll be able to put 5 bolts on the t-case!

sleepydsm · 12-21-2005

I'm pretty sure that sums it up

I'm pissssssed, I just put in a new act2600lb, fork, fulcrum, and tob like 2000 miles ago. I'm gonna pull the tranny tommorrow; I can't wait to see what it looks like. I should have the case apart by then too hopefully. I'll post pics

blageo23 · 12-22-2005

Pic#1-Clutch still on flywheel
Pic#2- Clutch Center
Pics#3&#4-Tranny case

blageo23 · 12-22-2005

niterydr · 12-22-2005

Good kill, what in the hell did you guys do?

sleepydsm · 12-22-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by niterydr

Good kill, what in the hell did you guys do?

Blew up the center diff. I'll take the case apart and see what really happened. And I was surprised the flywheel has no damage to it. The pressure plate cover is a little beat up on the outside, but Im sure I can get by with just a new disk. Oh and I was happy I pulled the tranny by myself in my garage in 3 hours taking my sweet as time.

**1ViciousGSX** · 12-22-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepydsm

I was surprised the flywheel has no damage to it. The pressure plate cover is a little beat up on the outside, but Im sure I can get by with just a new disk.

WHAT?!?!?!?!

That shit needs to go bye-bye.

CVD · 12-23-2005

Damn, that is fucked. Im with Vicious, from the first pic I would replace anything that disc touched.

blageo23 · 12-23-2005

Being that the center Broke off wouldnt that make the disc just sitting there and not messing up the surfaces that it was on? It wasnt turning anything or being stoped it was moving freely, turning with the flywheel and PP. Just my thoughts.

**1ViciousGSX** · 12-23-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by blageo23

Being that the center Broke off wouldnt that make the disc just sitting there and not messing up the surfaces that it was on? It wasnt turning anything or being stoped it was moving freely, turning with the flywheel and PP. Just my thoughts.

Can you say "heat damage"?

CarPsyco84 · 12-23-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by blageo23

Being that the center Broke off wouldnt that make the disc just sitting there and not messing up the surfaces that it was on? It wasnt turning anything or being stoped it was moving freely, turning with the flywheel and PP. Just my thoughts.

-Yeah, but when sumthing locks up in your tranny, and the input shaft locks... U still have a rotating flywheel and crank shaft, at like over 3k rpm... which would have enough momentom to rip the rivits right off the clutch....

sleepydsm · 12-23-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1ViciousGSX

Can you say "heat damage"?

Yeah, that was crossing my mind. Hmph. Stock clutch and my spare AWD flywheel might have to go on

Whats the worst reusing the flywheel and pressure plate could do?

sleepydsm · 12-23-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarPsyco84

... which would have enough momentom to rip the rivits right off the clutch....

Which is what happened.

**1ViciousGSX** · 12-23-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepydsm

Whats the worst reusing the flywheel and pressure plate could do?

Chatter, not hold under power, or worse. If there are heat cracks in those components they could spread. Which could cause them to fly apart at high rpm. Basically sawing your bell housing in half at worst and taking other components out with it.

It's hard to tell by the pics how bad the flywheel really is, but that pressure plate is "blued" pretty good. I suspect the flywheel is the same.

s1ngletracker · 12-24-2005

wait, maybe I'm missing this, so why did your tranny housing crack?

CVD · 12-25-2005

The center diff wanted out. Fast.

sleepydsm · 12-30-2005

And also my input shaft (?) snapped.