SpeedyC2

Similar in nature to another recent thread, my 993 is having issues with the clutch pedal. In my case, the pedal has some "slack" when first driving the car (and it is very hard to modulate take up and release smoothly), but after things have warmed up it seems to work fairly normally.

Most recently, the pedal went down quite low - but not to the floor - though it still functioned. I pulled the pedal up and it was fine the rest of the trip. I've had these symptoms on other cars; a repair is clearly in order now before I'm left on the side of the road. So I have a couple of questions...

My first is to ask if there is a procedure for diagnosing the problem, to determine whether the issue is with the master cylinder, the slave, or the kinematic lever? It seems if I have to go through the process of removing the pedal cluster, replacing the master cylinder and lever "while I'm in there" makes sense. Is there anything else which wears in the cluster worth replacing?

Replacing the slave looks to be relatively straight-forward, though a real PITA due to access issues.

I'm an average mechanic, at best, but it's time I start getting to know this car in detail so I am planning on doing this work myself. (Note: I have no lift.) Any tips or suggestions for me on getting started would be greatly appreciated!

Finally, in looking at parts on Pelican the FTE (OEM Supplier) master and slave cylinders are significantly less expensive. Is there any consensus on whether or not the Genuine Porsche parts are a must use in this case, or will the FTE parts function just as well?

PelicanParts.com

That part is the OEM supplier part and we give it a good rating. We also have a good number of orders on it with no returns. It also comes with a 24 Month / 24,000 mile warranty for ease of mind.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/...pg4.htm#item21

SpeedyC2

Thank you for the feedback!

JB 911

As someone noted in the other thread, I would consider to bleed your slave cylinder before diving in with a bunch of parts. My tip would be to use a power bleeder wet rather than dry to do this task. THe pickup point on the clutch circuit is high in the reservoir and easy to suck in air if you use your bleeder dry, which otherwise would be fine for an annual brake bleed (not flush). After bleeding my brakes a few times, it really makes zero sense to bleed your brakes and not the clutch slave also, while you are in there.

Mostly I disagree with the notion to replace parts just because they are old and 'probably' need it. That said, with our cars around 20 years old, I think the expiration date is ticking for both slave and master cylinders. Still, a bleed of the system, will get you familiar with it and help you decide if the parts swap (if necs) is a job for you or your trusted indie.

mpruden

+1

Totally agree with JB 911 here. Bleeding the clutch slave cylinder can really improve clutch feel and is a quick job if already bleeding the brakes.

There's no risk in putting fresh fluid in the system before disassembling anything.

SpeedyC2

I agreed with both of you. I will absolutely look at maintenance before repair, and I'm also a firm believer in in "don't fix it unless it's broke" with the exception of getting into something which is a real pain to access and in those cases replacing all wear items "while your're in there" so you don't have to go back.

I will start with a bleed of the slave cylinder (and the brakes, too) and see how things go. It is a relatively simple task and if it brings results I will be more than happy to not have to tear into anything else. I have owned the car for about a year now, and there can certainly be no harm in replacing the brake fluid at this point.

Thanks for the advice!

nine9six

I also concur with bleeding brakes, ABD if present, and clutch slave. I also believe if it aint broke, dont fix it...With one exception.

Age, heat and use, take their toll on components; especially rubber/rubberized parts and seals.

On a 20 yr old car, any time you're in there and have the money to refresh old/worn rubber or seal parts/components, its probably a good idea.

Brake fluid, at a minimum, should be changed every 2 yrs. More often, if tracking, DE, AX'ing.