Clutch Engagement Point

[1999C4CO]

Hi:

Lately i have feeling as if my clutch is engaging rather late in its travel "stroke" and really only starts to engage with about 1in left in the travel. The amount of pressure needed to push the pedal seems to be normal and to tell you the truth i cant remember if it has always been this way. I know when i bought the car i remember thinking "wow this clutch feels funny" but i would assume that is because my 996 is my first hydraulically operated clutch vehicle. Can anyone here offer your experience on where your clutch engages at. Is the last inch of travel normal??

[Ahsai]

Hi:

Lately i have feeling as if my clutch is engaging rather late in its travel "stroke" and really only starts to engage with about 1in left in the travel. The amount of pressure needed to push the pedal seems to be normal and to tell you the truth i cant remember if it has always been this way. I know when i bought the car i remember thinking "wow this clutch feels funny" but i would assume that is because my 996 is my first hydraulically operated clutch vehicle. Can anyone here offer your experience on where your clutch engages at. Is the last inch of travel normal??

I've driven a few 996's. Engaging in the last inch is definitely too high. The clutch should engage close to the mid-point of the stroke. Regarding the pressure, the easiest is to try another car (maybe at the dealer).

[Chuck Jones]

I had the same problem...high engagement. I bled the clutch using the DIY from RennTech....same procedure as bleeding the brakes....Search RennTech or ask Loren for the DIY link and give it a try. I didn't cure the problem completely, but it did lower the engagement point a bit. The clutch is hydraulic so there's no real adjustment you can make. Eventually the only real cure is a new clutch....but bleeding it has allowed me to extend the time element for a replacment. May not work for you...but it's worth a try.

[1999C4CO]

I had the same problem...high engagement. I bled the clutch using the DIY from RennTech....same procedure as bleeding the brakes....Search RennTech or ask Loren for the DIY link and give it a try. I didn't cure the problem completely, but it did lower the engagement point a bit. The clutch is hydraulic so there's no real adjustment you can make. Eventually the only real cure is a new clutch....but bleeding it has allowed me to extend the time element for a replacment. May not work for you...but it's worth a try.

Thanks for the advice Chuck ill give the clutch bleed a try this weekend.

[Hombre]

Listen to me: You need a new clutch.

I had the same problem and got mine replaced last week and I had only 28,000Km on the clock (it was previously a demonstrator!!). What a difference and very nice bill of only 900€ (which is £600 or due to the week US dollar an amazing €300 including tax!!)

As the clutch is hydraulic you will not notice that the pedal gets stiffer and stiffer over time it's just too subtle but I bet if you go on holiday and come back you'll notice the effort required to depress the clutch the first few times until your leg gets used to it again.

With my new clutch the pedal travel is back to normal/effortless and stop/start motoring is no longer a hassle esp in this heat!!

It's like having a new car. It also feels faster as the clutch is just so much easier to use. If you leave it too long you may damage the flywheel which is very costly.