Has anyone had a problem with the firewall cracking right where the clutch master cylinder is bolted ?
I thought I had a bad hose because of the spongy feeling in the clutch pedal but when inpecting for leaks realized that the firewall was craked and moving about 1/2 an inch when I pressed on the clutch pedal.Repairing this is going to require removing the brake booster, clutch cylinder and of course welding a plate. If anyone has experience with this issue I would appreciate any feedback.
Thanks
John
Absolutely the first time I've ever heard about this. By all means keep us posted and take pics of your repair.
Tell us more about your car.
Regards,
Jay
I don't have first-hand experience, but Chris Luckett (posts here sometimes) is having the exact same problem in his high-mileage track-car 968. I guess he's been shifting/braking pretty aggressively.... Anyways, he's planning pulling all the stuff in the area and welding the firewall back in it's places -- but that's going to be one of those time-intensive long-term weekend projects.
one guy here had that problem - had to weld in new material
It happens on this model as well? It's common enough on a 914 that there is an aftermarket bracket that allows you to brace the mastercylinder to the steering rack so it can't move under braking pressure. I haven't looked at this area of the 68 in a while so I don't know if a similar item could be created for us. Just a thought though....
--Tony
[
attachment=3516][
attachment=3517][attachment=4053:attachm
ent]Here are some pics of the firewall and the plate that will be will be welded..
seems like the crack started because the clutch cylinder was loose, something to check on all high milage cars..
Thanks for the replies
John
I had this exact problem just after I replaced the slave cylinder because the hose blew. I welded a piece of threaded pipe (ie like a long bolt) between the top of the strut tower to the firewall where the clutch parts come through. You can tow the car with this - it is that strong. Completely fixed the problem.
I had this happen to my former 83 944 several years ago.
We also solved it attaching a 1/4" thick metal reinforcement plate, only it was riveted to the chassis instead of welded. When I last saw the car it was holding up perfectly.
One thing to check though is that the geometry of the master cylinder piston can change somewhat, depending on how you attach the reinforcement plate, so you need to position the clutch master cylinder accordingly for the clutch pedal to work properly.