Hi there,

I just picked up a 996TT, with 74k on the clock. It's had the clutch done and now has a steel single mass flywheel and from what I understand, a gt2 clutch.

The only problem with the car is that the clutch pedal throw is very hard... I've had 1000+ hp triple disk stuff that was nothing compared to this. It's inconstant from one time to another, making it hard to leave the line smoothly. Sometimes it pops a little bit once it's about 2/3 of the way down- sometimes it doesn't. It does feel bouncy / choppy on the way down.

I've done some research and it sounds like it may be an accumulator- however my car feels exactly the same, all the time. It feels no different in the morning / when it's not running, compared to when it is. What do you guys think?

It's not puking fluid out of the reservoir I don't think it's mixing the power steering and clutch fluid.

Thanks for any help guys, I'd love to get this squared away so I can start enjoying the car- it's a bit of a brute to drive smoothly at the moment.

Cheers,

Pete

 

Do you know if the hydraulics for the clutch were taken out? Some people do that mod because they don't like the "light" feeling of the stock 996TT clutch. Just asking because you mentioned that you have a GT2 clutch.

 

Check the power steering reservoir. It might be low. My guess would be accumulator, but if you say it has a gt2 style in it.... Get under there and check for yourself if there is an accumulator ball.

 

When my accumulator went bad the pedal was very stiff consistently all the time, like yours. When I changed to the GT2 conversion it was actually lighter.

 

When my accumulator went out the clutch was very stiff until you started up the car. After the engine was running, the clutch seemed fine. Maybe, in my case, this was just the start of the accumulator failing, and it would have gotten worse? It was replaced under CPO before it got any worse.

 

It is important to find out if the previous owner has done a GT2 slave conversion. If this is the case, you will be adding brake fluid rather than Pentosin underneath the hood. If he has done the conversion and bleed the clutch correctly, it should be fairly heavy but very consistent on engagement.

More likely the slave and accumulator are going bad. The stock clutch hydraulic action on the TT is very light. When the accumulator fails you get the symptoms described above of a heavy clutch before starting the car, but then a normal clutch action after it is running. When my accumulator failed, not only did it exhibit this symptom, but also the clutch engagement was really inconsistent and felt rotten to drive.

When the slave begins to fail, it slowly transfers fluid from the power steering to the clutch. This isn't necessarily an instantaneous thing. When mine began to go bad, I would pull out a little fluid form the clutch reservoir each week and top up the power steering. If I let it go more than a week I would get an eruption at the clutch reservoir and a drip on the garage floor. -- this is not ideal as the Pentosin is fairly corrosive to rubber.

As many owners, me included, find the clutch too light, they look for solutions. One of which, and one I don't necessarily agree with, is to remove the assist spring from the pedal. If this has been done to your car, combined with a failed accumulator, you might experience the exact symptoms you describe. Just a possibility

Sorry to be so long winded. Good luck diagnosing the problem,