Is My Shaft Normal?!?!

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chadvaliant

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Hi and sorry about the dodgy title but I though it would get extra attention and I need help urgently. Also I mean the title literally.

I'm having clutch/flywheel problems with my 2007 8P S3 and my mechanic can't find anything wrong. I just had a new clutch, dual mass flywheel and release bearing installed and now I have these problems...

1. Droning noise when I decelerate through 2500rpm.
2. Occasional rattling noise from the gearbox when I let the clutch out.
3. Occasional knocking noise at idle and in neutral.
4. Clutch pedal shakes/judders and gear lever too.
5. Occasional power loss/surge.
6. Stiff gear changes in all gears and sometimes won't go in at all.

Anyway, back to my shaft...

I got my mechanic to take the gearbox out again because I said I wasn't happy. I was hoping to see something obviously wrong but there wasn't, except maybe... my input/clutch shaft splines.

Do the splines on the end of the input shaft have little ridges? It's like they are serrated all along the tops of the splines. Also I thought I could feel a slight mushrooming on the splines. The last 10mm of the shaft felt wider than the rest of the shaft. The other thing I noticed is that it had no grease on it, bone dry. Also there were streaks of grease coming out of the middle of the clutch hub/centre. Sorry I don't know the right words for the parts but I hope I'm making sense.

Is it possible there was no grease or too little grease or the wrong grease on the shaft?

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
 
Is it possible there was no grease or too little grease or the wrong grease on the shaft?
Click to expand...

Shaft Fact: You can never have enough grease on the shaft. If it's the wrong grease, you're doin it wrong.

Richard Roundtree 1973

(don't bait us, you wont get an answer, just a wall of shaft jokes).
 
audi upgrades
@udi A3 said:
Its all in the girth...

no grease isnt gonna hurt it...
Click to expand...

Hi @udi A3 and thanks for your answer. I'm not sure if the second half of your answer is genuine or not. Are you saying that the grease between the clutch and shaft won't cause problems? Or was that just another joke?
 
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wuta3 said:
(don't bait us, you wont get an answer, just a wall of shaft jokes).
Click to expand...

Yes I appreciate that this could be funny to some people but it's very difficult to talk about shafts, grease and release bearings without it sounding bad. That's why I said grease instead of lube and ridges or serrations instead of ribbed.

This is a genuine post and I really do need help urgently.
 
Last edited:
chadvaliant said:
Yes I appreciate that this could be funny to some people but it's very difficult to talk about shafts, grease and release bearings without it sounding bad. That's why I said grease instead of lube and ridges or serrations instead of ribbed.

This is a genuine post and I really do need help urgently.

Please don't reply with jokes! If for some reason you do feel the need to add a joke then please make it obvious and please make it funny at least.
Click to expand...

Cooommmmeeee on! You set yourself up for this with the title and lines like "Anyway, back to my shaft..." ... don't backtrack now.

Also, if somebody had an idea, im sure they would chime in. We're just joking cos were sad loners with nothing better to do. Anyway, we're doing you a favor bumping the thread every 10 minutes with hilarious, side splitting, rare jokes.
 
wuta3 said:
Cooommmmeeee on! You set yourself up for this with the title and lines like "Anyway, back to my shaft..." ... don't backtrack now.

Also, if somebody had an idea, im sure they would chime in. We're just joking cos were sad loners with nothing better to do. Anyway, we're doing you a favor bumping the thread every 10 minutes with hilarious, side splitting, rare jokes.
Click to expand...

I know, you're not wrong and like I said I do appreciate that it could be funny. I'm just worried it will be all jokes and no genuine answers.

I'm running out of time to find a problem with my car and I'm stressing out. I don't want to have to pay to have my gearbox out twice.
 
doesnt your spanned man know what hes doing ?
is this shaft ! on the g box side or engine side ?
 
david_phillips95 said:
Symptom 1 sounds like your gearbox has been shafted without enough lubrication
Click to expand...

Hi David, thanks that sounds like a serious answer. What makes you say gearbox? Is this something that you've come across? Do you think the other symptoms could be related?
 
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gearbox specalist ?
they will tell you
 
chadvaliant said:
Hi David, thanks that sounds like a serious answer. What makes you say gearbox? Is this something that you've come across? Do you think the other symptoms could be related?
Click to expand...

he came across a gearbox that had been shafted.
 
chadvaliant said:
Hi David, thanks that sounds like a serious answer. What makes you say gearbox? Is this something that you've come across? Do you think the other symptoms could be related?
Click to expand...

Sorry it was a bad joke but on a more serious note....try draining your gearbox oil and checking for metal shavings, swarf etc, the issues you list above sound like a box issue or DMF, not a clutch issue. I have added possible faults but this is just possible issues it could be something else

1. Droning noise when I decelerate through 2500rpm - DAMAGED GEARBOX BEARING
2. Occasional rattling noise from the gearbox when I let the clutch out - RELEASE BEARING, GEARBOX INPUT SHAFT BEARING
3. Occasional knocking noise at idle and in neutral - DMF FAULTY OR INCORRECTLY FITTED
4. Clutch pedal shakes/judders and gear lever too. - DMF FAULTY OR INCORRECTLY FITTED FOR PEDAL SHAKE
5. Occasional power loss/surge - POSSIBLE CLUTCH SLIP MOST LIKELY DMF NOT MATING CORRECTLY WITH CLUTCH
6. Stiff gear changes in all gears and sometimes won't go in at all - FAULTY BOX OR CLUTCH NOT FULLY RELEASING

Just a few other questions....were new DMF bolts fitted, should be new ones whenever it is removed also double check all part numbers are compatible with your VIN. Could be a case of the wrong pressure plate, release bearing or DMF

Also I had a few gearboxes through audi when my car was in warranty due to bearing noise, in my experience of running additional power through the boxes I found they had a very limited lifespan so another question I would ask is are you putting additional power through your box and what mileage is on the car?

Thanks,

David
 
bez101 said:
gearbox specalist ?
they will tell you
Click to expand...

bez101 said:
he came across a gearbox that had been shafted.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bez, I appreciate your help. In regards to a specialist, I don't know if I'm dealing with a specialist until it's too late. These cars are quite rare where I come from and finding someone who knows them seems impossible. I went to a so called euro car specialist yesterday and asked if he had the LUK dual mass flywheel measuring tool and he said what's an LUK and what's a dual mass?
 
david_phillips95 said:
Sorry it was a bad joke but on a more serious note....try draining your gearbox oil and checking for metal shavings, swarf etc, the issues you list above sound like a box issue or DMF, not a clutch issue. I have added possible faults but this is just possible issues it could be something else

1. Droning noise when I decelerate through 2500rpm - DAMAGED GEARBOX BEARING
2. Occasional rattling noise from the gearbox when I let the clutch out - RELEASE BEARING, GEARBOX INPUT SHAFT BEARING
3. Occasional knocking noise at idle and in neutral - DMF FAULTY OR INCORRECTLY FITTED
4. Clutch pedal shakes/judders and gear lever too. - DMF FAULTY OR INCORRECTLY FITTED FOR PEDAL SHAKE
5. Occasional power loss/surge - POSSIBLE CLUTCH SLIP MOST LIKELY DMF NOT MATING CORRECTLY WITH CLUTCH
6. Stiff gear changes in all gears and sometimes won't go in at all - FAULTY BOX OR CLUTCH NOT FULLY RELEASING

Just a few other questions....were new DMF bolts fitted, should be new ones whenever it is removed also double check all part numbers are compatible with your VIN. Could be a case of the wrong pressure plate, release bearing or DMF

Also I had a few gearboxes through audi when my car was in warranty due to bearing noise, in my experience of running additional power through the boxes I found they had a very limited lifespan so another question I would ask is are you putting additional power through your box and what mileage is on the car?

Thanks,

David
Click to expand...

Wow thank David, that's great stuff.

I don't know about the bolts, I would hope so but even if I asked I wouldn't know if the answer was honest. All the parts looked correct to me. The mechanic had the old and the new on his work bench side by side and they looked identical. He said he double checked the part numbers too.

The car has done 70000km and it is standard power and standard everything else for that matter.
 
where are you from ?
 
Im sorry but this tread actually make me laugh out loud on the train, people think im nuts. Sorry 2 hear about the issues tho, as this post aint really helping.
 
I've put my popcorn away now.

I cant recall but I know there was an issue of similarity with an S3 shaft/drive, but for life of me I cant remember wtf it was, I seem to recall flange mentioned or maybe confused with another car, sorry not much help atm.

I will rack my brains, maybe S3Alex will pop in to save the day on this one.
 
chadvaliant said:
Wow thank David, that's great stuff.

I don't know about the bolts, I would hope so but even if I asked I wouldn't know if the answer was honest. All the parts looked correct to me. The mechanic had the old and the new on his work bench side by side and they looked identical. He said he double checked the part numbers too.

The car has done 70000km and it is standard power and standard everything else for that matter.
Click to expand...

Things can look identical on the bench but really different when compared dimensionally...a few mm can make the difference between working and not working....Whoever fitted the clutch etc should be looking into the problem as it wasnt faulty prior to he/she working on it..Some recordings of the noises and photos of the old and new parts would also help.

Thanks,
 
In regards to draining the gear oil... The mechanic said he did drain the oil and it was dark but no swarf. I found it strange that it was dark because it was only 9000km old.

Is there a way to tell if the gearbox matches the car? All my problems started after my local Audi dealer messed up my diff. I got it back from them and then the clutch pedal would sometimes only come back half way. That's when I took it to these other guys to get that fixed. They said release bearing but do a clutch and flywheel at the same time as they are wear and tear. I know that one of the staff at the Audi dealer has a modified S3 and now I'm wondering if he has my gearbox in his car.
 
chadvaliant said:
In regards to draining the gear oil... The mechanic said he did drain the oil and it was dark but no swarf. I found it strange that it was dark because it was only 9000km old.

Is there a way to tell if the gearbox matches the car? All my problems started after my local Audi dealer messed up my diff. I got it back from them and then the clutch pedal would sometimes only come back half way. That's when I took it to these other guys to get that fixed. They said release bearing but do a clutch and flywheel at the same time as they are wear and tear. I know that one of the staff at the Audi dealer has a modified S3 and now I'm wondering if he has my gearbox in his car.
Click to expand...

Not sure if there is a way to tell, wouldnt imagine someone at Audi would swap boxes, hardly worth risking your job over a gearbox. I would personally check the gearbox oil myself. Wont be the first time i have heard horror stories of going to change your gearbox oil to find its empty. A gearbox with no oil would give you a few of the symptoms you listed.
 
david_phillips95 said:
Things can look identical on the bench but really different when compared dimensionally...a few mm can make the difference between working and not working....Whoever fitted the clutch etc should be looking into the problem as it wasnt faulty prior to he/she working on it..Some recordings of the noises and photos of the old and new parts would also help.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

You're right they should be looking into it but at one point they told me that all cars rattle and I should just deal with it. The problem I have is that it's in their best interests to not find a problem. That's why I'm looking to find the problem.
 
david_phillips95 said:
Not sure if there is a way to tell, wouldnt imagine someone at Audi would swap boxes, hardly worth risking your job over a gearbox. I would personally check the gearbox oil myself. Wont be the first time i have heard horror stories of going to change your gearbox oil to find its empty. A gearbox with no oil would give you a few of the symptoms you listed.
Click to expand...

They checked the oil and it was dark but no swarf. The oil was only 9000km old but I don't know how dark it was or how quickly it gets dark.

Also... In regards to risking jobs for gearboxes. I got a Haldex service at the dealer and they drained the diff instead. The general manager dealt with the problem and he denied the whole thing and even sent his service manager out to my broken car to hide evidence of their mistake.
 
NHN said:
I've put my popcorn away now.

I cant recall but I know there was an issue of similarity with an S3 shaft/drive, but for life of me I cant remember wtf it was, I seem to recall flange mentioned or maybe confused with another car, sorry not much help atm.

I will rack my brains, maybe S3Alex will pop in to save the day on this one.
Click to expand...

Don't worry Nigel, I sent the shaft .... sorry bat signal Alex's way too ...
 
Guys, the op asked a question, please keep the replies to useful info. Thank you.
 
Sandra said:
Guys, the op asked a question, please keep the replies to useful info. Thank you.
Click to expand...

I actually PM'd people to get the poor guy help with his shaft problem, hoping many eyes and heads on the shaft would cure it.
 
wuta3 said:
I actually PM'd people to get the poor guy help with his shaft problem, hoping many eyes and heads on the shaft would cure it.
Click to expand...

Thanks wuta3, I was wondering what your post meant. I now understand that you sent S3Alex a message. Thank you.
 
wuta3 said:
Don't worry Nigel, I sent the shaft .... sorry bat signal Alex's way too ...
Click to expand...

So did I lmao.

Hold on, it came back from audi with a messed up diff, care to expand a bit on all this story as doesn't seem complete.
 
NHN said:
So did I lmao.

Hold on, it came back from audi with a messed up diff, care to expand a bit on all this story as doesn't seem complete.
Click to expand...

Hi NHN, thanks for your help, I didn't realise you also sent a message for me.

Yeah I went to get my 60000km Haldex service from the local Audi dealer and the drained the diff instead. Then they double filled the Haldex and gave it back to me. It started whining and so I called them and said something is wrong. They sent a service manager out to look at it. He started lying to me straight away. He said it was a common fault to leak from the seals and it had nothing to do with them. He then put an allen key into the Haldex drain hole and quickly opened and closed it three or four times. I asked him what he was doing and he said checking fluid levels. I now know he was scoring the nut as it had never previously been opened. Anyway there was a court case and it was a nightmare. They even went as far as making a fraudulent warranty claim against my warranty company.
 
chadvaliant said:
Hi NHN, thanks for your help, I didn't realise you also sent a message for me.

Yeah I went to get my 60000km Haldex service from the local Audi dealer and the drained the diff instead. Then they double filled the Haldex and gave it back to me. It started whining and so I called them and said something is wrong. They sent a service manager out to look at it. He started lying to me straight away. He said it was a common fault to leak from the seals and it had nothing to do with them. He then put an allen key into the Haldex drain hole and quickly opened and closed it three or four times. I asked him what he was doing and he said checking fluid levels. I now know he was scoring the nut as it had never previously been opened. Anyway there was a court case and it was a nightmare. They even went as far as making a fraudulent warranty claim against my warranty company.
Click to expand...

Sounds pretty bad matey. "Shafted by Audi" is probably a good name for it. Hope you get it sorted.
 
wuta3 said:
Sounds pretty bad matey. "Shafted by Audi" is probably a good name for it. Hope you get it sorted.
Click to expand...

I just want to be clear that I don't think there is any relation between the Haldex service and this gearbox/flywheel problem. The only way I could link them is if Audi stole my gearbox when they butchered my diff. The clutch problem only started after I got the car back from them. I think they are separate issues though, just bad luck.
 
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