Got in my car yesterday and my clutch pedal felt soft at the bottom. Like no resistance or push to come up off the floor. Was normal day before. Gets better about mid way up. And now all the clutch is at the very top of the pedal. Drove it for a while and it didn't get better. Put in sport mode and no change. Went ahead and took it to the dealership and waiting for a diagnosis. Only 45k miles so can't imagine clutch is spent. I'm not first owner so can't say that previous owner didn't wear it out. No fluid leaks. Service mgr mentioned slave cylinder as possibility. Any guesses - similar experiences? Thanks for any insight.

 

If not the clutch, the slave was my next suspect as well......

 

How stiff is your clutch pedal to depress. When they get worn, they get stiffer. If the pedal isn't, or hasn't been, on the stiffer side, it's probably the slave.

 

The 997.1 S have an automatic re-adjusting of the clutch. If it happened overnight, it could be the automatic system located in the clutch, compensating for the wear.

From what you are describing, the pedal being stiff and then soft, it is normal as the clutch assistance kicks in after pushing the pedal for a certain length (look for a spring under the dashboard, connected to your clutch pedal).

If the slave cylinder dies, you will not be able to engage the clutch, and your pedal will feel spongy and useless all the way.

I would keep a close eye on it, but not worry too much. If gears pass normally and clutch does not slip, then you should be fine.

Yves

 

Dealership is replacing the slave cylinder and says they think that's the issue - or at least that is the right place to start. We'll see. Thanks for the help and comments.

 

Picked it up from dealer. He said they did a test drive and there was a little "chatter" but wanted me to drive to see what I thought - if it was ok/better. Drove it 20 minutes and clutch started to slip in 5th gear under acceleration. Hadn't done that previously. Called him back immediately and asked how his guy could drive it and not see an issue with it. Now quoting full clutch replacement. Ugh! Any idea what that is going to cost?

 

At the dealer it depends on which one....and if the flywheel is also replaced as that adds $1K to the bill. My local dealer will charge $4k for a complete clutch job (includes flywheel). All (I think) Porsche dealers will give a 10% discount to PCA members....so if you're not a member, join now and get the 10%!

My Indy will charge $3k with flywheel, so you see the markup.

 

I went through that recently and did a little write-up: You can take a look if you want.

http://murenae.com/FTP_Files/997.1-Clutch-Work.pdf

Yves

 

Dude - you must be an engineer or something. If not - you missed your calling. That is awesome.
I LOVE to work on my car but have not done a clutch job on a car in about 15 years. So I know I don't have all the right tools. My dad once told me that having the right tools makes a job easy. And not having the right tools makes a job almost impossible.
I was just in Raleigh this week. I think I can get it over there and with your help we can knock it out!
I think my causes were similar to yours - Hot NC weather, mechanic said slave was pushed against clutch fork. And I do think it is more pressure plate than clutch plate. Thanks for the awesome info.

 

Good call on the PCA membership. I will definitely ask. Thanks!

 

I had the exact symptoms with my clutch at 50k miles, (bought the car in Dec). I was hoping for something cheaper than the clutch, but no. Had to have the clutch and flywheel replaced by the dealer. The dealer quoted a better price than the independents in my area.

 

Had same symptoms, Paid $3452 including taxes and labour in Canadian 4 weeks ago. Dropped the C4S Monday morning was ready at 8.30pm, picked her up the following morning. Car feels like new. All old parts replaced were returned.

Replaced.
X51 Clutch
OEM Dual Mass Flywheel
New Flywheel bolts
Release bearing
Ball Pin
Clutch Lever
OEM slave cylinder
RMS
Gearbox/transmission manual drained and filled with new fluid
All undercarriage cleaned