[scaldwell]

Hi

I've checked this forum out and I can't find anything that is quite the same as what I'm experiencing. Since I'm not a great DIYer I'm ready to book time with my mechanic but would like to know what suggestions to make. Here's the problem. The clutch pedal goes to the floor and does not return. I can get it back up by putting my foot under the pedal and pulling it back into position. After doing this the clutch works just fine. It happened once last June, but gave no problem on a 4500 mile cross continent drive. It happened again a couple of weeks ago on an outing but just once. Two days ago, however, on a longer outing, it happened 4 times. I assume that this is a sign of worse things to come so I'd like to get it fixed while I can still drive it to the mechanic. Any suggestions as to what to give him a heads up about?

Thanks

Steve

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[rhudeboye]

http://www.968forums.com/index.php?showtopic=7517&hl=

It's happening to more and more of us. Can be tricky to find old post on these things though. Here is a post of a recent convo on a sticky clutch.



"Finally got my car up to the Barn and Pete broke it down for me. I'll try to repeat what I was told. It had to do with a pin that sits between a fork in the clutch mechanism. After sometime that pin gets corrosion/dirt build up and much like a door hinge, needs either cleaning or a bit of lube so as to function smoothly. He has seen this many times and that normally does the trick."


http://www.968forums.com/index.php?showtopic=7517&hl=

Try to copy and paste as I don't think I inserted the top link right.

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[flash]

definitely check out the high pressure line

however, we also had a similar problem on one car after installing the new stainless line - it turned out that the blue hose was letting air in and no matter how many times we bled it, a few engagements later it let in enough to screw it up

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[xrad]

is there a pedal return spring?

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[flash]

there is - just the other day i posted in another thread what page of the workshop manual the adjustment is on

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[scaldwell]

Hi

Many thanks for the information. This should give my mechanic a great head start at solving the problem.

Steve

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[xrad]

...besides the obvious master/slave check...also check for ballooning clutch line.

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[benspeeder]

Very interesting. I have this problem now. A fellow from the forum came to test drive my blue 968. He ran the car rather aggresively on his test run. We turned around and the guy revved the motor to around 5500 and shifted into third - seemed like he stomped the clutch pretty hard and suddenly the clutch was on the floor.

We got the car home and looked under the hood. The upper clutch line is ballooning and the clutch will not return unless you pull it up with you foot or hand.

I'll go over the suggestions here and hopefully can fix this myself. Needless to say I am rather unhappy with the outcome of that test drive....as we were wailing down the road we passed my wife going the other way. She was FRICKING PISSED at the speed exhibited.

There will be rules for the next person driving my car on a test drive.

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[Johannvb]

<!--quoteo(post=73005:date=Jun 2 2009, 01:45 PM:name=benspeeder)-->QUOTE (benspeeder @ Jun 2 2009, 01:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Very interesting. I have this problem now. A fellow from the forum came to test drive my blue 968. He ran the car rather aggresively on his test run. We turned around and the guy revved the motor to around 5500 and shifted into third - seemed like he stomped the clutch pretty hard and suddenly the clutch was on the floor.

We got the car home and looked under the hood. The upper clutch line is ballooning and the clutch will not return unless you pull it up with you foot or hand.

I'll go over the suggestions here and hopefully can fix this myself. Needless to say I am rather unhappy with the outcome of that test drive....as we were wailing down the road we passed my wife going the other way. She was FRICKING PISSED at the speed exhibited.

There will be rules for the next person driving my car on a test drive.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Not nice, but I guess the hose was on it's way out anyway. I am still dreading replacing my clutch hose with the braided version. For some reason I am really freaked out by bleeding the clutch.

I am following this trhead closely, hoping to glean some tips of it before I attempt this myself. Luckily my clutch overhaul is taking very long and I have time to mentally prepare myself for this step [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

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[flash]

don't be freaked out by the bleeding - it's not that bad

besides, you should be completely flushing all of your hydraulics every other year anyway

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[xrad]

ahhh...the old 'balloon' trick....

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[Ed Russo]

Well my clutch pedal was not returning after being depressed. So after doing my research on our forum I bravely brought it to Autoquest expecting the worst. And hoping for the best. I was told to make myself comfortable and look around their showroom. As I perused the Ferraris and Porshes I came upon a Enzo with a price tag of $998,000. WOW !!! Oh well maybe in another lifetime.
As I patiently awaited the estimate for my repairs I was pleasently surprised to be told the 968 is ready and the total cost is $32.23. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img] All it needed was to have the line bled of air and add brake fluid.
Nice surprised and I got to see an Enzo up close and personal.

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[xrad]

You should ask yourself: 'Self, why would there be air in my clutch line? '

1) you have a leak.....I have seen a ball valve type leak in clutch lines where pedal pressure forces a flap in the tear to close and clutch works, but with negative pressure, the line fills with air (rare, but can happen)
2) you were out of fluid and your brakes may now need bleeding, too
3) dirt in slave or blocked fill hose
4) you have a brake line leak causing the low fluid level
5) freak of nature and the whole bill really is a palindrome(32.23).

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[Ed Russo]

<!--quoteo(post=74057:date=Jun 16 2009, 06:59 PM:name=xrad)-->QUOTE (xrad @ Jun 16 2009, 06:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->You should ask yourself: 'Self, why would there be air in my clutch line? '

1) you have a leak.....I have seen a ball valve type leak in clutch lines where pedal pressure forces a flap in the tear to close and clutch works, but with negative pressure, the line fills with air (rare, but can happen)
2) you were out of fluid and your brakes may now need bleeding, too
3) dirt in slave or blocked fill hose
4) you have a brake line leak causing the low fluid level
5) freak of nature and the whole bill really is a palindrome(32.23).<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
xrad,
all good suggestions,thank you. I will check into it.

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[flash]

even he blue line can let air in - we had that happen to a car here on which we had changed everything - it bled out fine - then as soon as it got around the corner, there was more air in the system and the pedal went to the floor

bottom line, the rubber seals and hoses are WAY past their lifetime if they are still original, and all components should be replaced

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[benspeeder]

So I fixed my clutch problem with a little encouragement from Max at RS Barn. I replaced the bad clutch line and the pedal still didn't recover. I mentioned to Max that I was not putting the fluid in the Motul power bleeder and I had run the clutch dry the first time bleeding it - shame on me for a rookie mistake (wait, first time, I am a rookie!)

Filled the power bleeder with fluid, pumped it up to 20 psi and then pumped the clutch pedal about 20-30 times. Cracked the clutch bleeder which is located up above the starter motor and voila - a big air pocket bleeds out. Shut the bleeder. I pump the pedal a bunch of times. More air. Did this about 3-4 times and its fixed. There is more effort to bleeding the clutch than brakes.

Here's the mistake I made. Reading on the forum I got the advice to buy a Motul Power Bleeder - what a great tool for $60. One member said he was only using the air pressure and wasn't putting the brake fluid in the power bleeder. Sounded like a good idea to me since the instructions said to not store your brake fluid in it and I don't like messes.

That was the mistake because it allowed me to run the clutch dry and get MORE air in there. The beauty of the Power Bleeder is you fill her up, pump her up and then you don't have to worry about adding fluid as you bleed.

What a great sense of satisfaction as I hit some nice windy turns on my test drive - my blue barn find is now fully titled registered and insured, runs great and I still have a total investment of less than $3K into this car.

Next - timing belt - not letting that ruin my day - too many scary posts about that trouble.

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[flash]

i would not have pumped the pedal, but otherwise all is good - pumping the pedal can generate microbubbles, and it can take longer that way to get it all out - doing it on a totally dry cylinder might help accelerate the pressure build up, but it also pushes a dry seal back and forth - if the seal was wet, you probably didn't hurt anything

definitely a great tool though

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[Langley968]

When I bought my 968 six months ago I was glad to find this site, knowing that it would come in handy over time, due to the age of our cars.
Well... it seems the clutch line went on my car last night. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img]
My son went to fuel up the car last night and when he was pulling out of the gas station, the clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there. He was able to get the car out of gear but then was unable to engage the clutch again. I am in Toronto for two weeks - I had authorized him to use the car for the local bi-weekly Porsche Breakfast Run that happens at 6:30 Saturday mornings. When the flat-bed driver arrived, he determined that fluid was leaking from the clutch hose. I think it "balloned" and "popped".
I want to order the parts ASAP. so when I get home on Thursday hopefully the parts will have arrived already. That way I can get the car back on the road by the weekend. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif[/img]
I now need HELP with some related questions:
Do I need to order more than just the clutch hose?
Are there other parts that should be changed at the same time?
Where do I look for the "upgrade" stainless steel hose if I decide to go with that rather than the OEM one?
Is there a recommended hydraulic fluid?

Look forward to your wise/kind advice! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

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[DaveN]

My condolences. 3 days after buying my 968 she went to the floor. Good thing I'm "old" enough to know how to drive without a clutch and drove it to the garage that night with a call in the AM as to why there was a 968 in the parking lot. I ordered the OEM hose not knowing that there was a stainless hose available; I hadn't discovered the forum yet! I did ordered a slave cylinder at the same time and instructed the mechanics to replace that while they were there but they forgot - Doh! Anyway, get the stainless line and change the slave at the same time, it's bound to go sooner or later.
The hydraulic fluid is Super Blue and resists moisture absortion better than DOT 4.

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[Langley968]

Dave - thanks for the "condolences"and the advice.
Do you know where I can get the SS hose?
I would like to "repay" you with a pint one day when I get to Vancouver Island!

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