Something just snapped in my clutch.

[yelcab1]

The hole wearing out into an oval is pretty common. Welding works there (with the pedal shaft out of the car). Or, a $35 replacement also works.

It's time for a cluster rebuild, I think.

[autobonrun]

Better ask you guys before I screw up. I've got the clutch spring off and the vertical brace loose. I found out the bolt that holds the brace is 8mm hex if anyone else needs that info.

I removed the clip from the brake master cylinder pushrod, but there does not appear to be enough room for it to slide left (see photo). Is there anything else that holds it in place or do I need to loosen the nut at the top of the collar? I don’t want to loosen anything I don’t have to so maybe everything goes back in the same position after rebuild. EDIT: Got the brake pushrod off. I didn't realize the clutch pedal assembly slides left within the tube. Gave me room to slip it off.



In the second shot just above the worn clutch arm is the accelerator linkage. How is this linkage removed? Do I just need to back off the nut on the cable that goes to the engine compartment? Will it stay in place or is there some tension that will retract it into the central compartment tunnel if I don’t hold it in place with something like vice grips?




thanks for the input.

[Jim Chambers]

Ooops, as is occasionally the case, I have been giving advice on something I don't know enough about! I only play with old Porsches (73 back). Clearly the cluster was modified a bit in later years, particularly the clutch spring system. However, I am quite sure you can just snap the throttle cable off the lever and it will not disappear (except downward). Note its orientation to the clutch cable. It is possible to twist them in the tunnel and create some new problems. If in doubt when you reassemble, use a mirror and a flashlight to check.

[autobonrun]

No problem Jim, I appreciate the effort.

I finally got the whole assembly loose. I need to remove the two bolts on the inside and the ones under the car and the cluster should come out. I'm not sure this is the correct way to remove the accelerator linkage, but I removed a cotter pin from the shaft that holds the accelerator linkage to the cluster. The whole linkage just slid out with everything still attached. My goal is to get the entire cluster out tonight. Now to get the car up on jack stands.

I now know why they call this assembly a "cluster".

[Jim Chambers]

You could have just disconnected the throttle cable and removed the lever/shaft with the cluster. Your new bushing kit will include two for the throttle shaft. Two nuts under the car at the master cylinder and two on the floor inside and you should have it out.

[autobonrun]

What was supposed to be the easiest part of the job turned out to be the most difficult. Every instruction book I have says to access the two nuts under the car holding the pedal cluster in place, remove the four bolts holding the stone pan. What none of the instruction books (including Bentley) mention is that these same four bolts hold the sway bar in place. With the car up on stands, there is quite a bit of tension on the sway bar. The front two nuts are not a problem but the rear two bolts support the sway bar and its tension. The first time, I did not support the sway bar, removed the bolt all the way, and almost never got the bolt centered again in the threaded socket. What I ended up doing is placing a bottle jack under the sway bar to hold it in place while the rear two bolts were removed. Unfortunately you have to completely remove the rear bolts because they go through holes in the stone pan. In my opinion, this is a mistake by Porsche since there is no reason you should have to touch the sway bars just to remove a stone pan. So, using my Dremel, I cut the back section of the hole out so it can merely slip over the bolt. If I ever have to remove the pan again, all I need to do is remove the front two nuts, support the sway bar in position, loosen the rear two bolts, and slide the pan off. As long as there is a washer on the bolt, there is plenty to hold the pan in place. I was pretty much worn after this effort, so I decided to take advantage of Pelican's rebuild service and sent the whole assembly off for them to do. While they rebuild the cluster, I'll start replacing the clutch cable and helper spring. Here’s my modification to the stone pan.

[autobonrun]

I got my rebuilt peddle cluster back and Pelican did an excellent job on the rebuild. Much thanks to John Chi. The rebuild has brass bushings, a new clutch arm to replace the one that was worn out and a paint job to boot. Now, I'm having a problem removing the old clevis fork off the clutch cable. I've backed the nut off the back, but I'm having a difficult time turning the clevis fork on the clutch cable without the cable also rotating. I've got it soaking in PB Blaster. Maybe when I get back on Sunday, it will have loosened up. However, I'd like to know if there is a way to hold the clutch cable while rotating the clevis fork. If the Porsche engineers had put a slot in the end of the bolt that the clevis fork screws onto, the problem would be solved. Hint, hint.

By the way, here's a shot of the rebuilt unit.

[Randy Webb]

Seems like somebody ought to just duplicate the pedal cluster with Al pedal shafts & pedals. That would last a lot longer than the steel, which is in a terribly rust prone area.

[geof33]

My pedal was sticking for a bit and I found the main shaft to be split and the clevis on the way out... A full rebuild is the only way to do the job right. It's a pain getting it all in, but if you ever need to do it again it's a snap...