clutch problems

[carreraaficionado]

help please!!!

i have a 1999 996 carrera 2 with 82,000 miles and have recently replaced the clutch, pressure plate, and release bearing. i performed the work myself. and went by the clutch changing procedure in the factory repair manuals. everything came apart and went back together smoothly. i also followed the steps in order to bleed the clutch. and while the pedal seemed a little softer then before the clutch change, i still took it off the lift and made a test run down the highway. i could shift through the gears with no problem. but the pedal did feel noticably lower then before the change. my father, a veteran garage mechanic, said i likely still had air in the clutch lines and maybe after driving it for a few days the air might work its way out. so i did just that. the clutch still didn't feel right. and i confirmed my belief that it wasn't right when i noticed the cruise control wasn't working correctly. (there is a microswitch at the top of the pedal travel that turns the cruise control off when you depress the clutch)

the clutch pedal isn't returning to the "top" of it's travel.

i have tried to bleed the clutch again and still have the same problem. i used a brake bleed kit to bleed the clutch and noticed what i would call microscopic air bubbles in the line but nothing that would obviously appear significant. but i need some help. i have asked other people about the problem. and have heard everything from the slave cylinder on the side of the transmission bell housing to the cap on the brake fluid resoivor.

has any body had this problem before and if so, whats the weak point here? i would hate to believe the slave cylinder could be the problem when it seemed to work properly prior to the clutch change.

[RFM]

Are you sure that the push rod between the slave cylinder and the clutch fork have still his plastic top?

[1999Porsche911]

There is a new design for the release lever and slave. If you changed the clutch, you should have completed the TSB instructions for replacing the release lever. The height of the pedal is controlled by the boost spring on the pedal assembly which is also know to cause problems. Don't forget to pull the pedal all the way to the top after bleeding.

[carreraaficionado]

Are you sure that the push rod between the slave cylinder and the clutch fork have still his plastic top?

yes, it still has the plastic top on it. i was told today that maybe my problem is coming from bleeding the clutch using by pulling a vacuum on the lines instead of pushing fluid through the lines using something like a "brake bomb" which forces fluid through the lines from the fluid resoivor. thoughts? haven't tried anything yet.

[carreraaficionado]

There is a new design for the release lever and slave. If you changed the clutch, you should have completed the TSB instructions for replacing the release lever. The height of the pedal is controlled by the boost spring on the pedal assembly which is also know to cause problems. Don't forget to pull the pedal all the way to the top after bleeding.

do you have a copy of the tsb? anything you can link to me? is anything adjustable under the dash behind the pedal? i'm thinking i still have air in the lines and just haven't got it all out.

[Loren]

do you have a copy of the tsb?

(All) TSBs are available here to all Contributing Members.

[BillWilliam]

Yes those tiny bubbles are part of the problem. Keep bleeding until they are clear. Remember to top up the fluid. Some times when using a vacuum bleeder some air will come around the bleeder valve that looks like air in the system but it's not. Finish the bleeding operation by pumping and holding the pedal and continue until clear. The pedal not coming up is the return spring on the pedal is not hooked up. It's back there among all that wire. When you hook it back make sure none of those wires rub, through the full stroke of the clutch. DIY is fun look at all the new things you learn. I have been turning wrenches for 40+ years and I still learn something new when I work on my car.

Good luck,

Bill