'99 996 clutch and trans noise - should i be concerned?

I'm a new owner of a '99 996 C2 looking for some advise as to my next step. My clutch pedal is extremely stiff and squeeky. I'm coming from a 2 year old VW Golf GTI 6-speed and driving the 911 with the stiff clutch is very different. The dealer said the previous owner installed a 'racing clutch' so i'm not sure if the symptoms I am seeing are normal or not. When i press the clutch lightly I get a rattle and when i press it all the way down i get a whinny shrill high pitched noise. The car makes some rattling noises when it starts although these seem to stop or at least become less apparent after 30 seconds or so. However this evening i noticed that when parked and running there is a rattle from the rear right of the car that stops for about 15 seconds and then starts again. I am thinking about taking it to the dealer on Monday and have them drop the transmission and check it along with the clutch, IMS and RMS. Does that make sense and is there anything else I should have them look at? FYI, they have already done a major maintenance service on the car which included changing the oil and filter. There was nothing in the oil or in the filter and there are no oil leaks. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

Based on the info in your post it sounds like a T/O bearing is failing. When the clutch friction material is wearing thin the pedal pressure increases. I didn't know a racing clutch would feel stiffer with a hydraulic system. Also the booster spring at the pedal may have been removed to give better feel. I wouldn't compare the Porsche clutch to any other car to judge what is light and what is firm, compare it only to another Porsche of the same series. The rattle could very well be in the exhaust or the heat shield liner near the mufflers. IMS and RMS are internet forum monsters that affect very few cars on the whole. I'm sure most here will disagree, as these issues are what bring us all together here.

Thanks for the quick feedback. Yeah, I've noticed the doom and gloom posts about IMS and RMS failures. Makes it seem like every other 996/997 is going to fail tomorrow! I've also seen a few posts about the booster spring on the clutch pedal being removed to improve feel and was planning to check that tomorrow to see if the previous guy took it out. The car is being used for daily driving only (often in traffic) so the stiffer clutch, while having a better feel, may not necessarily be easier for my uses. I think I will still replace the clutch and so when they drop the trans next week I'll have them check all the bearings and the IMS + RMS since it is not a big deal once the trans is out. They had already told me the pilot bearing likely needed replacing so I ordered one of them already.

Internet forum monsters is putting it lightly.......

Could the previous owner have installed a light-weight flywheel? They tend to to make a bit of a rattling noise...

Good point. Can you find out what the PO did before you purchased your Porsche, might save you some $?

If it was me, Sounds like its going to have to come apart anyway. New Stock clutch New stock Flywheel LNE bearing RMS AOS and then you KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE. Yes its going to cost a few $$ But its a Porshce, Not a chebby. But your reward will be YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE and THAT ITS RIGHT!!!! ane not some rigged Race this and race that....

I totally agree with Shark Attack. As long as you are pulling the clutch, do the items mentioned above and be done with it.

Thanks guys. Will probably go with the Sachs OEM clutch kit. I also found a Porsche tech bulletin regarding a squeaky clutch pedal on the '99 wi a recommended list of replacement parts. Will probably do that as well. Hadn't heard about replacing the AOS before. Doesn't seem like an expensive item so not a biggie. What are the signs, if any, that it needs to be replaced and is it something a regular daily driver needs to worry about? Saw some other posts where it was recommended to replace chain guides and tensioners as well. Would that be overkill? I was hoping to wait for the Pelican IMS kit as this was supposed to be significantly less expensive than the one available now. It is supposed to be in testing with a release scheduled before the end of the year but I don't feel comfortable waiting. Had another post about my AC temperature being very cold. Adjusting the settings from lo to hi changes the blower speed but the air temperature remains the same. No heat at all. With the AC on I was getting water dripping into both footwells when going around corners. This morning the passenger footwell was soaking wet. It took me two entire rolls of bounty to get it reasonably dry. Saw a post with a similar problems that had a clogged drain. Any thoughts? Thanks

the ratttle is your lwf set up i've got one however the screech sounds like a to bearing had the screech in my 76 turbo good luck

When you are shopping this work don't overlook your local P-car dealer. When I had a new clutch installed the dealer was $500 or $600 less than my local indy. I knew I was getting Porsche parts and got a neie new A4 to use while the work was being done.