Pedal cluster re-build
 

Well, tomorrow is pedal cluster rebuild day for me and my 79' SC. I hope I'm ready and that I have everything I need. I am armed with some good articles and FCP Euro's excellent pictorial. Does anybody have a good schematic cut sheet for the pedal cluster for my year? Thanks in advance!



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I did mine recently and relied on the parts catalogs available direct from Porsche. Just be mindful as you disassemble things and take lots of photos.

And yes that FCP euro instruction is excellent!

Also! Definitely buy a tap for the clutch arm spring pin, I can't imagine doing the job without it, but having it on hand made it a breeze to remove and reinstall.

I will be doing this soon.
Does anyone have the FCP euro instructions to share?

Thank you.

You can google FCP Euro Pedal Cluster Rebuild and you'll find it. Seems in bad taste to link direct when Pelican has their own instructions as well. :D (https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Mult_pedal_cluster/Mult_pedal_cluster.htm)

The hardest task is getting the whole assembly out of the car. There is one bolt under the brake pedal that will have you making up new words if you do not disconnect the brake to master cylinder rod first. I hope your flexible. The rebuild of the assembly is pretty obvious once you have it in hand. As youve probably read and many have commented on the roll pin is a challenge. I read alot about using coins to expand the clutch return spring but found it wasnt needed if you removed it from the assembly once it was out of the car. The pedal moved back far enough to just take it off. You probably dont need the clutch return spring unless yours is broken but since you have it.

The clutch return spring is necessary to take up the slack in the assembly when the clutch is disengaged. In the resting position it actually pulls the pedal up towards your foot. Well I guess it's not "necessary" but it feels wrong having that little bit of play at the top of the travel.

This cut-a-way section diagram from a partial 1977 service manual helped me understand how all the bits are interconnected.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/1076368-brake-booster-lever-ball-socket-worn-out.html#post11081864
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1603491196.jpg
I might be able to find the PDF and email it to if needed.

However, that FCP Euro article is a life saver, and so are the many threads in Pelican Parts.

In the process I discovered that the helper spring back under the transmission was missing, no wonder my clutch was so stiff for years.

Good idea to re-spring back at the engine/transmission area including under the engine and throttle springs in engine bay - while you are in there.

It's the damn clutch cable clevis pin that's killin me right now. I'm planning on replacing the clutch arm anyway. Is there any reason not to just cut the clutch arm so I can remove the cluster and work this pin a little easier. I can't see how anyone can get this thing disconnected? I can hardly see it much less get any tools on it to pop the pin out.

Chances are the hole in the rod that the pin goes though is as worn out and oblong as anything you have seen posted and the whole clutch arm needs replacing, not just the tiny bushing.

Do what you have to, I think you can replace every part on that assembly with new if you have to.

They suggest not reusing that clevis pin anyway, and the rod is usually shot.

I was already planning on replacing the clutch arm so I'm going to try and cut it off. Hopefully I can free the clevis after that. I'm getting no where until I get this clevis pin disconnected.

OK, Clutch arm is cut and the two front nuts are removed but this cluster won't budge. Is there a third fastening point I'm missing?

Does this one get removed too? No mention of it in FCP Euro but the cluster seems to be flexing at that point when I try to pry it up. The bolt itself seems to be welded to the cluster but I can find any nut underneath that needs to be disconnected. Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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Never mind. I missed a step and found them under the belly pan. Duh!

Be Careful!!!

This is where I screwed up.

Jack up the car, remove the pan that covers the fuel pump.

Put a scissor jack or two under the suspension points so the holes remain lined up (or put the bolts part way back in?).

Under the car two nuts on two bolts will be sticking out, this is where I cranked on mine with a 5-foot pipe on the end of my socket wrench and snapped it off - DO NOT DO THIS. Use heat, and penetrating liquids, be patient.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1610736353.jpg

Image above taken from the Fcp Euro article you already have.

I ended up drilling out the snapped off bolt and having my neighbor weld in a new one for me. He did way more than an ugly little tack weld, it's not going anywhere now.

Thanks Kachi. Fortunately they spun right off for me. I misinterpreted his instructions and thought that was only for early cars.

Well now I can see why I had such a hard time getting the clevis pin out. Holy Cow! I guess my timing was right on. Lots of little pieces of broken plastic bushings under there too.



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Yep, that's what 90% of them look like, including mine.

If you put that assembly in a vice to work on, keep in mind that the main open box metal housing is pretty soft metal and is easily deformed.

Good news is that it can easily be bent right back.

I put my bushings and pin in the freezer overnight so they would slide together a little easier.

Lots of time to do that because of the paint prep and lubing process.

This may be the quintessential off-season project. Looking forward to tackling myself at some point. Good on Tommy for jumping right into working on his car like this.

My cluster is recently rebuilt, but wanted to bump with a thanks for the great experiential advice and photos. It’s been stated many times, but the assistance afforded by so many in these forums cannot be overstated.

I'll throw in a recommendation for blasting and powder coating all of the painted parts. All sorts of crap can get down there so there was a fair bit of scratches and rust blooming on my parts.

How can it pull the pedal up when it pulls the pedal down? The spring points are to the rear and its not a compression spring.

Many cut the cable and if your changing the bushings, your cable may be over due anyway. Mine came out with a lot of unique words, several breaks and a whole lot of what the f' were they thinking when they put that in ther.

OK, good progress to this point. Now the issue is getting this roll pin inserted. WTF? Got the assembly anchored well and I have a decent sight line to it but the damn thing doesn't want to go in. The wife suggested coconut oil with a grin but that won't help in this situation;). I guess using the old one is a no-no. Any tricks anyone can share?


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I just did this a month ago. Inserted a pin punch from behind to make sure that everything was aligned. I then used a second pin punch that was slightly larger than the roll pin and hammered it in. It took me 30 minutes and was way less frustrating than the press of removing the roll pin which probably took over an hour of hammering.

I am not the most patient person in the world, so this was good for my personal development.

The other good news is that putting everything back in is far easier than taking it out.

I also replaced the clutch cable and got to take the car for a drive before MN became a snowy mess. What a difference and well worth the frustration.

For putting the roll pin back in, lining up the backside well is important, lube up the pin with grease, then one good smack to get it started was all it took. All in all I spent maybe five minutes on it, so maybe I was just lucky.

There's an inflection point in the arc of travel where the spring starts pulling the pedal on the opposite side of the hinge point, "pulling" it up. You can see how the centerline of the spring goes over the hinge point in the below photo.

When it's all assembled in hand it's interesting, because it turns into a mouse trap. With the pedal all the way up it stays put, but push it down just a little bit and the spring snaps it down with astounding force.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1280180875.jpg

is it possible to reverse the spring for the clutch pedal (cluster)? My mechanic refurbished the pedal cluster and the clutch pedal is a hard press going down. This leads me wonder if he reversed the spring to cause this problem. Anyone?

Thanks
Bob

A spring ether pushes or pulls. In this case, it pulls. Flipping it end for end wont make it do the opposite of what is was made to do and if you look at the close up above, it cant be reversed. As mentioned above, once past the center line of the pivot point the spring pulls the pedal toward the front of the car. With the whole assembly out of the car you can easily put the spring on the pins without the nuts shown by pulling the pedal through its travel till the pins are nearest each other. I suspect you have a cable issue as I had.

I understand what your referring to now. There is little travel, because of the floor, for the spring to pull down after it passes its center line. My pedal was barely to its top of travel but as you mention, it quickly snaps the other way. I put mine back in the car as a loaded "mouse trap" to avoid fighting with it in the car and doing so deserves a word of caution to everyone. Watch your fingers.

Did you put your new parts in the freezer like I suggested a day or two ago?

Every little bit helps.

Kachi - I did. It was a bear to get in but I finally got. Everything is assembled and the cluster is re-installed. I called it a night and will resume again tomorrow if the wife doesn't mind. I've been in the garage almost all weekend and loving every minute of it!

Last tough piece of the puzzle and any help would be appreciated. Cluster is back in place and the clutch clevis isn't even close to reaching the clutch arm. It's also a little askew making it even more difficult. I'm not sure what I could have done to make this happen. Any suggestions? I suppose I could follow the instructions on replacing your clutch cable to disconnect it so it can reach the clutch arm but won't I just be passing the problem off? If it doesn't reach now I can only assume I will have shifting problems? Losing confidence and unsure where to go from here? I come so far and I'm almost there, any ideas on where to go from here would really be appreciated. Thanks.


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To get the tension off the rod that is causing it to retract down into the tunnel towards the rear of the car, temporarily disconnect the helper spring under the transmission.

There is a remote chance that when you drove the devil pin in it was 180 degrees out of alignment with the clutch rod and arm flange. I came very close to making this mistake myself, it is easy to do.

Yes it caught me out once and crunched some knuckles. There's some serious power in that thing!

I can't recall exactly how I lined things back up, but it was a real pain. One thing, though, make sure the throttle rod is in the right spot as well before reconnecting the clutch clevis, or else you'll have to undo things to get it back together without binding.

Don't ask me how I know!

I'd replace the cable since you are there...it is as old as the worn out clutch arm.....and been thru as many repetitions.

I believe in retrospect that I hooked up my cable before bolting down the pedal cluster.

You may have to unbrace and unbolt.

David, that is my exact fear! I know there is a good chance with all of the attempts at trying to connect the clevis and dropping it on one side or another that the accelerator rod and clutch cable could look like a twizzler. I decided to order an endoscope to be sure so that should arrive today.

I also decided since I have to disconnect the clutch cable from the helper spring and the considering the condition of the original clevis pin and clutch arm, I should just go ahead and replace the clutch cable while I'm there. Both of which should arrive tomorrow. With any luck the clutch cable R and R will go smoother than the pedal cluster rebuild and I'll be back on the road by the end of the day Saturday!