Clutch Omega Spring Won't Come Off of Pin!

86 911 · 86 911's Garage

I have a 76 911 (with a '78 911 SC engine and trans) and I just attempted replacing the omega spring. I took off the omega spring/clutch release lever combo and immediately realized that the omega spring was not coming off of the pin. With a lot of prying (an even breaking a scewdriver) in the process, the pin that is attached to the omega spring came out of the release lever. So now I am stuck with the omega spring frozen onto the pin. My questions:

1) Did I damage the release lever assembly since the pin came out of it?
2) What is the best way to unfreeze the old omega spring from the pin?

yelcab1 · 11-04-2011, 07:37 PM

If I remember correctly, there is a small circlip at the end of the pin. My memory is rusty on that detail

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Remove clip and use a suitable drift.....

DRACO A5OG · DRACO A5OG's Garage

There is a circlip under the end cap, if you are lucky you can use a pin tool to work it out, if it does not budge you will need to drill a hole and use a screw to pry it out. Needless to say yo9u will need a new end cap, no biggy.

Now take your circlip tool and remove the circlip, the Omega spring should not slip off.

Just take note of the order of assembly, remember there is an o-ring and washers so make sure the items are placed back plus hi temp lube on the new one.

I found using bunch of washer and a c-clamp to press on the new Omega ring to the old pin, make sure the pin is in good shape, if not get a new pin, circlips, o-ring, maybe bearing if it is rough and end cap.

Trick on end cap, the new end cap is designed to be tapped in by a mallet so it can spread out in the housing per Marc Bixen at Redline Tech, worked like a charm, I did not realize this the first time and I lost one on the road

Live and Learn.

Heck will be in Simi tomorrow afternoon showing a house, pm me if you need a hand, can stop by and give you some pointers.

Jim

86 911 · 86 911's Garage

Thanks guys. The little circlip is off the bottom of the pin - I agree that one is easy to oversee. From all the prying, the spring budged a little but is still stuck. Thanks for willing to help Jim - I'll be out all day tomorrow. I'll work on this intermittently over the weekend and if I don't have much luck I'll go down to TRE in LA and have them press it out. I have limited resources since I am in an apartment and don't have a garage.

DRACO A5OG · DRACO A5OG's Garage

Just use a dremel and cut the old one off like Wayne D recommends in his 101 book.

On the new install:

I used about 10 washers, blue painters tape to keep them together, go to home depot and just get the washers with the same ID of the OD of the pin to press the new Omega spring on. Seriously it is that simple. Just not how deep to go and press the same. You want to minimize play after assembling everything back together.

You know this but there is a circlip on the Omega spring side and one under the end cap.

I did this when I lived in my loft downtown on my kitchen counter top

86 911 · 86 911's Garage

Ok great, thanks Jim - I'll go ahead and buy a dremel and cut out the old spring as mentioned in the 101 book. This leads me to my next question: Should the pin snap into place when I put it back into the release lever or is it okay if it freely slides in and out? Reason I ask is that it took a lot of prying force when the pin came out so I am wondering if there is something inside the release arm itself that is supposed to hold it in?

DRACO A5OG · DRACO A5OG's Garage

Matt, I am not sure what you are asking, call me I pmed you my cell.

DRACO A5OG · DRACO A5OG's Garage

OK, I re-read it again. if from prying the pin exposed a bit, one of two things could have happened, the other circlip on the other end under the end cap may have broken, but if it did the the pin and Omega spring would have slipped out.

But because you stated the spring is still on tells me all you did was partially pressed the Omega spring down a bit.

Did I get the jist of it?

Once you cut off the old spring, pressing on the new spring it should only go on the spring so that the washer and circlip can be barely snapped on. With the other washers and o-ring there should be no slack and the Omega spring should spin freely with some resistance. You do not want any axial play.

Question, did you remove the end cap that is on the arm? If so, you would have found under the grease the circlip, washer and o-ring.

Jim

RoninLB · 11-05-2011, 01:01 AM

86 911 · 86 911's Garage

Thanks for the reference, Ron. What has happened is exactly what is shown in Ron's 3rd attached image on the left: the omega spring has come off with the pin attached. Now that I look at the parts breakdown, it looks like the pin is attached with another circlip (#4) at the other end. Unfortunately I do not have a vice to drive the pin down so I'll take the part to TRE (local Porsche mechanic) on Tuesday to get the old spring pushed off and get new 0-rings, washers, and circlips. Thanks Jim and Ron for the great help!