G50 clutch pedal not returning upwards when released

[andyt11]

Car - 1988 stock 911 coupe.

Last fall I removed the engine and gearbox for some work I needed to do to the engine. I unbolted the slave cylinder from the gearbox and did not disturb it in any way shape or form.

Tonight I finally got it all back in and now I appear to have a problem with the clutch. The pedal can be pressed to the floor and all gears can be selected. But, when you take your fooot from the pedal it doesnt return to the top of it's travel like it used to. It only returns a couple of inches. There are no leaks that I can see. Not sure how air could have got in either.

The clutch is relatively new (last 5000 miles or so) and is a spring centered clutch. The revised cross shaft has been installed a long time ago (tabs have been drilled) and actually since then the needle bearings that the Porsche fix came with have been replaced by metal bushings.

I installed new bearings in the flywheel and pressure plate and applied a very small amount of optimoly grease to the cross shaft bushings prior to reassembly.

Why does my pedal not come back up? Do I need to bleed it? Looks like a pain with then engine in place. And why would this happen after sitting for 6 months? Any help appreciated.

Andy

PS - I don't know if the clutch will slip. I haven't started and run the car yet as I discovered a small fuel leak before I got that far.

[wildcat077]

Yes you have to bleed the clutch slave cylinder !
Best way i found is from the left rear after removing the wheel,it's fairly reachable with your left arm.Did it last year when i flushed the brake fluid,wasn't too bad ...
You will need a 7mm wrench to turn the bleeder although you have room for a six point socket to break it loose.

Cheers!
Phil

[andyt11]

Thankyou Phil, any idea why this has happened? I have seen no leaks and havnt disturbed the system at all either?

Anyway, I guess I'll get some fluid. Will read the bently on the procedure. Thanks for your thoughts, bleeding it isnt as bad as it could be!

[DailyDriven'88]

Last time this happened to me, the clutch master cylinder was bad. I replaced it (left the slave alone), bled the system, and all was fine again.

Prior to changing any parts, the tip off for me that there was a hydraulic issue was that no matter how much fluid I pushed through the system, it always came out discolored. After the master cylinder change, the fluid was clean after a few seconds of bleeding.

[andyt11]

Could it go bad over the winter from a lack of use?

[johnsjmc]

Yes It can go bad just sitting.. If the fluid is a couple years old it absorbs moisture from the air and internal parts (seals and metal parts) slowly degrade with time.It,s a good idea to flush the hydraulics(brakes and clutch ) every couple years at least. I had the same problem with my 993 and bleeding it fixed it for several months. The pedal hanging up returned and I replaced the slave and that fixed it again. The 993 has a known issue with pedal hangup with a revised lever at the pedal to fix it. The first thing to try though is bleeding the system.

[andyt11]

ok. I'll bleed tonight and see if that improves the situation.

[andyt11]

so this evening a buddy and I bled the clutch (the traditional way) for a couple of hours. A lot of air came out and eventually after about 4 or 5 full cups of fluid in the bleeding cup, we now have a pedal. It has a dead area for about half an inch and then starts to operate the clutch fork.

Part of the trouble is I cannot remember what it should feel like because the car has been stood for the last six months.

sitting in the car, I can select 3 4 5 and reverse with or without the clutch pedal pressed in. No 1st or 2nd. Not feeling very confident that all is well.

Will get the engine running tomorrow and I guess then we can really find out. Any input appreciated. I don't really understand master cylinders and such. I only know how to bleed brakes. the bentley book assumes you have access to a pressure bleeder for the clutch and is therefore not a lot of use.

[andyt11]

FYI, using a mirror and my triple jointed wrists and arms, I can see the slave operating the clutch fork as expected.

[jm993rs]

anybody have pics of this work ??

my 993 always have the same prblem the pedal cluch no make the total rear return.

[johnsjmc]

You will need to drive it to know if it,s working properly. These cars are prone to sticking clutch after prolonged storage. Either the throwout bearing sticks on the guide tube or the disc hangs on the splines or both. Either caused by a little rust or dried grease I,m not sure but it does happen to other cars also. Driving will usually free them up but occasionally not. I am at 110000 mi and am about to replace my clutch for the first time on my 993 The clutch is getting stiffer and does drag slightly although the pedal does rise properly.

[jm993rs]

I ride my car every day, is not for storage.

the cluch work perfectly but the pedal semetimes not make total return when the engine works soft.


when the engine works hard the return of the pedal is perfect.