[Scott Collins]

First time for everything 968. Got stuck about 1/2 mile from my house in East Windsor, NJ. On my way

to teach a sax lesson, and as I went to pull away when the light turned green, the clutch pedal went to the

floor and stayed there. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Car stalled out and would not go into gear at all.



Now I am sitting in the middle of the road, luckily not a high speed area, hood up, flashers on, trying to see

what is going on down there. Can't see any fluids dropped onto the road. I made a few calls to my

buddies Steve and Raj. Also called my neighbor Chris, who ran down the road with the idea of maybe helping me push the car home. Meanwhile, an East Windsor Police Officer pulls up to investigate, and we roll the car into the adjacent parking lot. I had all of my documentation, but he didn't ask, just said good luck getting it home.



Next thing I know, Chris shows up, and Raj also rolls up in his sweet Royal Blue 968 cab. That car is beautiful! After a few minutes and some tinkering, Raj delivers the diagnosis. High pressure hose probably leaking. Probably not a mechanical problem. Chris and Raj stop traffic so I can start the car, in 1st gear, and I drive home without incident.



Later on, after removing the belly pans, and while Chris is pumping of the clutch pedal, I can see brake fluid squirting out at a spot where the rubber joins with the metal fitting at the top. Quick call to Paragon and that hose and other related "while you're in there" stuff will be here on Thurs - next Thurs. So, it will be at least a week before she's running again. Rats! But at least I know what I have to do, and I'll be searching this forum for the DIY on this.



It's great when you have some good friends who step up in a clutch. Thanks guys! And Happy Thanksgiving everyone!



-Scott

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[Cloud9...68]

Sorry to hear about a your problem, but I'm glad you were able to have friends help you out. High pressure clutch lines failing is becoming a common problem on these cars as they age. You must have missed the threads on this a few months ago, because Flash has created a steel braided high pressure line that's available through RS Barn. The standard rubber one will hold you for a long time, though.



I replaced mine a few months ago as a preventative, and also replaced the master and slave cylinders. I wasn't having any known problems with my clutch, but I was amazed how much firmer the pedal felt after replacing these parts. The job is a little tedious, but not as hard as some people make out. Just be patient, and move hoses and such out of the way. Good luck.

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[Stephenwz968]

Scott,



Sorry I couldn't get to you before you got her home, but glad it all worked out!



Steve

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[94SilverCab]

+1 on the Stainless Steel Clutch hose from RS Barn.



Last Spring Pete replaced my clutch hose and brake lines with S/S lines during my bi-annual brake fluid change.



Nice to know I'll never need to worry about getting stranded by this all too common problem.



Regards,



Jay

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[sasilverbullet]

Cool - "It's not just the cars, it's the people!"

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[Scott Collins]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' post='43894' date='Nov 22 2007, 05:10 AM']Sorry to hear about a your problem, but I'm glad you were able to have friends help you out. High pressure clutch lines failing is becoming a common problem on these cars as they age. You must have missed the threads on this a few months ago, because Flash has created a steel braided high pressure line that's available through RS Barn. The standard rubber one will hold you for a long time, though.



I replaced mine a few months ago as a preventative, and also replaced the master and slave cylinders. I wasn't having any known problems with my clutch, but I was amazed how much firmer the pedal felt after replacing these parts. The job is a little tedious, but not as hard as some people make out. Just be patient, and move hoses and such out of the way. Good luck.[/quote]



Cloud9...68,



Thanks for the tip. I figured that there was something already said/done about this problem, or any other 968 problem for that matter. Just wish I already had a spare in my parts bin. Darn!



sasilverbullet,



You're right about "It's not just the cars, it's the people." Couldn't be more true.



-Scott

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[Scott Collins]

[quote name='Scott Collins' post='43903' date='Nov 22 2007, 09:54 AM']Cloud9...68,



Thanks for the tip. I figured that there was something already said/done about this problem, or any other 968 problem for that matter. Just wish I already had a spare in my parts bin. Darn!



sasilverbullet,



You're right about "It's not just the cars, it's the people." Couldn't be more true.



-Scott[/quote]





Mission accomplished! Finished the clutch hose replacement and system bleed and celebrated

with a victory lap up and down the NJ Turnpike without a speeding ticket. My neighbor, Chris,

took some time away from his beloved VW Corrado to notice that I had loosened the

master cylinder for the install but forgot to put the nuts back on and tighten it down. No

wonder the pedal would not come back up. Duh! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



I installed the SS high pressure line from RS Barn - very nice piece of equipment! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> By the look

of it, I'll never be doing that job again... Thanks!



I had to become like "Plastic Man" in order to fit my hands and fingers in those tight spaces

to get to all connections. What a PITA! And bleeding the clutch? Seems like you only succeed

if the back end of the car is about 20 feet higher than the front! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Crazy stuff, even with

a power bleeder....



Cheers all!



-Scott

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[Renalicious]

yeah, stalling or getting stranded at intersections is NOT fun. If only because it gives people the wrong impression "Smirk, so much for german engineering!" as they drive by <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Have you changed your DME relay too? Or carry around a spare at the very least? Those things don't just die, they die slowly over time, causing stranded cars and more embarrassment <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Scott Collins]

[quote name='Renalicious' post='44073' date='Nov 27 2007, 09:49 PM']yeah, stalling or getting stranded at intersections is NOT fun. If only because it gives people the wrong impression "Smirk, so much for german engineering!" as they drive by <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Have you changed your DME relay too? Or carry around a spare at the very least? Those things don't just die, they die slowly over time, causing stranded cars and more embarrassment <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />[/quote]





Spare DME in the glove box. Spare heater control valve in the back, with tools. -Scott

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