TMc993

1997 Carrera - 50K miles.

Yesterday, I noticed that my clutch pedal had developed a bit of "free play" right at the top of it travel. By "free play" I mean that when I press the clutch pedal, I feel about 1/2 inch of light resistance movement then a heavier resistance as the pedal travels to the floor. The pedal does return easily and all the way to the top of it's arc.

It is exactly the same sensation I had in all three of my three other P-Cars with cable actuated clutches, hence my use of the term the term "free play." With cable actuated clutches, you have to have some free play in the cable to ensure complete engagement of the clutch plate with the flywheel..

At any rate, the clutch works fine, there are no noises, and no grinding...Just light resistance followed by heavier resistance...Only thing is, this isn't the way it felt before yesterday. Before yesterday, there was a steady, progressive resistance all the way through the pedal travel.

I've looked at the P-Car site and don't find this symptom...I do find squeaking, noises, rough pedal travel and pedal not returning to top of travel arc, but not just "free play."

I suppose I could start through the lubricate, bleed the slave, replace the slave process...Any better ideas?

Thanks in advance.

TMc

chris walrod

For starters, bleed the slave. This tends to cure a lot of peoples trouble. Next would be to lubricate the pedal assembly, and have a close look for anything broken or worn out. Pedal bushings in these cars seem to last a long time.

After that without luck, way want to look into replacing the slave cylinder itself. If so, please do yourself a favor and replace the rubber line that connects to it. It may look fine on the outside, but they can swell internally, therefore limiting fluid flow, especially on the return as its just pressure plate spring returning it.

Good luck!

TMc993

Thanks Chris...Being short on time today, I decided to do the simplest first, so I inspected and lubed the pedal assembly. I didn't have time for a long test drive, but on the quick run up the road it definitely felt better than yesterday. I guess I'll drive around for a while and see what develops.

Thanks again.

TMc

dclynick

I have the play too - an annoying problem as it actually makes the whole car feel kind of 'sloppy'. Bleeding/replacing the slave cylinder did not cure it.
Upon close inspection of the pedal assembly i've noticed that the play is actually where the pedal linkage 'roller' connects through the hole in the master cylinder plunger - almost as if this hole is actually too big!
I'm guessing that a new master cylinder will cure it- but in the meantime i've temporarily cured it by inserting a small greased ball-bearing in the gap to take up the slack. Big improvement!
Hope this helps...

Monty

That's ingenious, I like fixes like that !!

przt

Yes, i guess have this problem too.

To make sure i have the same problem, i made a drawing with all mighty MSPaint.

I will try to investigate my problem in a few days. The clutch works fine, but the pedal is with two "steps".

przt

any comments?

viperbob

The sort of feeling with a two step clutch pedal as you describe it is generally one of a few things. First and most likely it is the clutch slave cylinder. Second would be the master cylinder (this can sometimes cause the slave to go bad). Third if you have a '94/'95 (I know in your post you say yours is a '97 though) it could be the clutch mechanical arm or kinematic arm in the pedal box itself. These things will generally cause issues you seem to have.

levtron

Bump..

I have a 96 C2 with about 55k. My problem started about 3-4k ago, and its inconsistent, but more often then not. Whats the downside of ignoring this? Will the free play increase over time?

TMc993

Almost 5 years, 27K miles and a clutch replacement after my original post, I still get this symptom every now and then....Master and slave cylinder are good and bleeding them doesn't help...I find that a squirt of white lithium grease on the clutch lever assembly under the plywood floor panel almost always eliminates the problem...For a while anyway...

d ward

Hi, I've just started getting the same symptoms regarding free play, late 97 model. I seem to remember reading in the Porsche work shop manual about adjusting or setting a balance spring on the clutch pedal assembly to balance the return force to eliminate free play ?? I cant check at mo as I dont have the manual with me.thanks