Porsche Repair: Car Acceleration, smooth getaway, clutch components

Question
Thanks for your help. How ignorant of me..I thought the clutch was really only to change the
gears ?-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
I have a manual 6 speed 99 911 (996) with 50000 mile on.

Recently in gears 2 - 6 when I accelerate there is a delay before the
car propels forward..the rev counter goes up and hit 4000 plus
then the car accelerates.

If I accelerate slowly all is fine.  No engine lights are on ?
Answer -
Hi Jamie,

Your description is perfect.    Your mechannic must love the way you describe problems.  

Unfortunately your car is getting tired.  What you've described is the classic definition of "clutch
slippage".  When you press in the clutch pedal, one of the clutch components, the clutch disc,
moves ever so slightly away from the engine's flywheel so that contact is lost and for that brief
moment the engine is disconnected from the transmission.  Imagine two spinning pizzas one
connected to the engine and one to the transmission.   When the clutch pedal is released in gear
the pizzas squish together and become one, actually the disc "grabs" the flywheel and off you go.  
Sometimes we "slip" the clutch on purpose, like when letting out the clutch pedal in first on an
upward incline.  This modulation of the pedal allows the driver to pull away in gear smoothly.  
Unfortunately, each time we try for a smooth getaway like this some of the olives and pepperoni
wear off the pizza.

What's happening now is the clutch is slipping when you need it to grab.  Slow acceleration
masks what is happening but faster acceleration reveals the problem.  Mechanically, the disc is
just plain worn down...it's thinner than it was 50,000 miles ago.  And it's harder for a thin disc to
reach the flwheel and grab it.  Thus, there's slippage between the them when you don't want it.

The fix is to pull the engine.  Yes I know...I hope you are sitting down.  The engine comes down
and out, the new clutch disc, pressure plate and throw-out bearing are replaced and the flywheel
may be re-surfaced.  The job is very well documented and Porsche mechanmics can do it in their
sleep.  The one thing that will cost you is the..."while the engine's out, why don't we check the
XXXX".  This is better known as the..."while we're here it would be a good time to replace the
YYYY."  

Jamie, if money is tight, you could baby the clutch and get a few more miles out of that pizza.  I
can't guarantee it but this is not the kind of problem that'll surprise you and leave you stranded.  
You'll know when you can't eke out another trip to the store.  On the other hand, when you
renew the worn parts that 911 will be as good as new.  What a delight it must be to drive.

Dave

Answer
Jamie,

Nonsense, that's not ignorance...unless you see a clutch in action, which is hard to do and still keep your eyes on the road, you'd have no way of knowing how it works.  And lucky you didn't say automatic transmission...they have multiple clutches and there's a whole bumch of slip designed into them.  That's why race cars all have manual transmissions.  OK, 99% of race cars.

And by the way, here's a website you might find interesting.  I like to read the technical articles offered up by Porsche owners.  You may find some that will be doable on your car.  In the meantime, shop around for a "clutch kit", I'll bet you find a verrry wiiiide range of prices.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/996M/POR_996M_Tclutc_pg1.htm#item0

Dave