Well, I think I have something to do this weekend.
Driving home yesterday in my 81 928s (US) I heard something that sounded like a piece of paper caught in the fan. When I went to shift, the clutch pedal fell to the floor and stayed there. I was only a .25 mile form my house, in third gear, so I continued home. Once home manually pulled the clutch pedal back up where it it now firmly stuck. It will not depress at all, solid as can be. No dripping fluids in my driveway at least. Any Ideas? How is access gained to the backside of the clutch pedal rod? Will raise the car and poke around this weekend.

EricH
928s
Doylestown PA

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Eric,

Some things to check:

1. Fluid level in brake reservoir.
2. Fluid in the clutch housing. There is an inspection cap in the clutch cover right near the slave cylinder. Might not leak on the ground if the cap is tightly in place.
3. Look at the flexible hose between the body and the clutch cover/starter area. That is the normal failure for your symptom.
4. Look for fluid on the firewall below the brake booster. The clutch master cylinder is behind the brake booster in a recess in the firewall.
You can see it with a flash light and a mirror looking between the firewall and the booster looking in from the engine side. You will need something to stand on to get your head in that far. Or a scope can work.
5. Check the blue hose from the brake reservoir to the clutch master for cracking and leaks.

The reason your pedal is stuck in the up position (almost typed "stuck
up") is that the ball ended pushrod is up on the side of the piston at the pedal instead of down in the seat. That happens when there is a bunch of play. Easily repositioned. There is a rubber boot at the pedal side of the master cylinder. When you remove that boot and check you might see fluid there as well.

Find the fluid and you find your problem.

If you don't find any fluid in any obvious place then pull the vacuum line from the brake booster and use a wire to see if there is fluid in there. That is a common clutch master cylinder failure mode.

Jay K.
79

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Y'all,
My '83 928 stock racecar' clutch is stuck together. It had been sitting for several years and it was time to move it. After charging the battery, it started right up even faster than the often driven '87.

But I could not get the car in gear - lots of grinding. The clutch pedal seems fine with pressure and a good release. I'm not doing any long drives with it, just need to move it around the garage and onto a trailer. Without disassembling the clutch, is there an easy way to free it? I thought about putting the parking brake on and starting it in gear.
Thanks for your help,
Brian '83 928S

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The old mechanic's trick for freeing a stuck clutch:
- Securely chock the front wheels, or put the nose of the car against a tree.
- Safely lift and support the rear so that both wheels are clear of the floor.
- Put the car in high gear.
- Crank the engine and let it idle.
- Push the clutch to the floor, then slam on the brakes.
- If the clutch doesn't free up after a couple of tries, increase the RPM and repeat.

Rough on the driveline, but it usually works.

Wally Plumley
928 Specialists
www.928gt.com