[Whefour]

i looked at a 31 open listed for sale that has a knocking sound coming from the starboard engine when at idle. Sound disappears when put into gear. I'm told the noise is coming from the transmission and is a clutch spring and is not an issue and is common. Anyone have this same condition?

[Uhehner]

Sounds like the damper plate assembly ( P/N 97334 ) has a broken or collapsed spring. You need to pull the transmission and flywheel housing and replace the damper. Yes it's fairly common. A rough idle or miss will also cause the noise as the plate tries to smooth it out. Capt.  George

[DavidB]

Get a good survey and negotiate the repair as a needed repair before the sale.  That way common or not it is fixed before you have to deal with it.