Can the Clutch Be Adjusted?

Hi, all. I haven't been on in quite some time, but I've finally set aside some time to spend on my 996. As a result, I hope to be posting more often! I want to start with my clutch... I purchased the car close to 10 years ago. Since I've owned the car the clutch has a LOT of travel before it catches. When it does finally catch there is no slippage and it's very smooth. Is there a way to adjust the clutch to reduce the amount of travel, or is it likely that I just need a new clutch? I have the service records back to roughly 60k miles, and as far as I know no clutch was put in since that time (there's about 115k miles on it now). I would assume no clutch would have been needed prior to 60k miles, so is it possible it's still on the original clutch?

Not adjustable.

So time for a new clutch? Never Mind. Looked back through the maintenance spreadsheet and it shows that a Sach Sport Clutch was installed at 90k miles along with an LN Engineering IMS. So the question is, do all 996's have so much travel in the clutch?

Just to be specific, do you mean the clutch doesn't engage("catch") till the very top of pedal travel. Or do you mean clutch doesn't disengage till the pedal hits the floor...? If the clutch slave cylinder is bleed correctly, No adjustments, sorry. If I understand you correctly,,, Its probably time for a clutch, flywheel, slave cylinder and throwout bearing, pilot shaft bearing. while you're in there RMS/AOS.

The clutch doesn't engage until it's almost released at the top of its travel. I edited my last post and you may have missed it, but I did find in the maintenance records that the clutch was changed at 90k miles. The entry at 90k miles states, "LN Engineering IMS, oil change, rear main seal, rear wheels, RH window motor, oil pan sealer, cam plugs, Sach Sport clutch". I have no idea if everything you mentioned is typically done with a clutch replacement, but this is all of the detail that I have. I have an excellent mechanic that I know... best to just take the car to him for a look? I assume he can check to see if the slave cylinder is bled correctly? I've had only one other manual car in my life, and the clutch engaged much earlier than the Porsche (a six-speed 1997 Pontiac Trans Am that I purchased new). When other people drive the car they do the same thing I do--they rev the car higher and higher expecting the clutch to have already engaged.

Quotes source post: 19589866

Yup, did miss that, although the solution seems to still be the same... Well, not engaging till very top of travel does signify worn clutch friction surfaces. If clutch didn't disengage till bottom of pedal travel then bleeding might help. So unfortunately seems your clutch done at 90k has seen better days. What happens if you try to start out in 4th gear from a stop..?

I'll start off veeeeeeeery slowly...? LOL! I'll pull it out maybe tomorrow and give it a try. Any specific thing I'm looking for, or just seeing if it will do it without going dead? EDIT: I assume that the clutch should engage much earlier? Again--this is the only 996 I've driven. How long should a clutch last typically?

Clutch might last 30k or 300k depending on how the car is driven. First I would have your mechanic flush the clutch system with fresh fluid and bleed it. That's an hour's work and if it fixes the problrm, great!

The hydraulic clutch assembly on the 996 is not adjustable per se, the full clamp load is always available at the top of the pedal travel. The "start of engagement" or the "end of the dis-engagement" of the pedal travel or "stroke" is determined by the "marcel spring" The marcel spring is a flat spring steel plate that is between the two friction surfaces of the friction disk. On the standard stock clutch disk the marcel spring is a wavy flat spring surface that makes the disk progressively compressible . This makes the engagement stroke longer ( closer to the floor )for very smooth and easily manageable start offs .. On a Sport Type clutch disk the marcel spring is much less wavy. This allows for faster disengaging and engaging for quicker shifts, but also shortens the pedal stroke making the start/end higher from the floor...( but full clamp is always still at the very top) On a Race Type clutch disk there is no marcel spring . They have no compressibility and are more of an On/Off switch ....This allows for the fastest shifting but has the worst drivability as far as very high engagement and not much ability to modulate the engagement... Also a worn-out stock clutch disk that has had the marcel spring over-heated and flattened out , will act the same with high engagement and not as much ability to modulate the engagement.. PS : remove the Sport disk and reinstall a stock type clutch disk and you will have more pedal travel ::

Thank you for taking the time to explain how the clutch works--I really appreciate it! It helps to be able to visualize things to better understand a situation. Should I go with a true OEM clutch disk? While the clutch is disassembled it there anything else I should have done? In the owner's notes it says that an LN bearing was installed in the car, and I recently realized there are different "flavors" of them. Should I take some photos and post them here to see what bearing was installed, etc.? Should anything else be done while the clutch is being rebuilt?

If you have full clutch engagement, i.e. no clutch slippage, you might want to save your money for other maintenance items and learn to live with the pedal action. FWIW my completely new, completley stock, completely OEM Porsche, clutch + flywheel + slave cylinder assembly has a fairly high engagement point relative to total pedal travel also.

I do wish I had a comparison. As I mentioned earlier, I've only owned one other manual performance car, and its engagement was much lower in the clutch pedal release. I'm sure if I drove the car more (my intention!) I would grow accustomed to the clutch. I've never noticed the clutch slipping a single time, so maybe it's worth living with, as you said. I still need to get it out and try starting off in 4th gear... I assume that will give a good indication if it's slipping?

Starting out in 4th is one way to check for slippage; the car should shudder and buck if there is no slippage. If it moves away smoothly, you have slippage. The same sort of test can also be done a bit less violently while underway; slow down to walking speed on an uphill slope, select a high gear like 4th, floor the throttle. If the clutch is slippiing the revs will rise but the speed will not.

Some "upgrades " actually have draw-backs to them when used on a "stock" car driven in the usual manner... Of course upgrades that address a particular problem are not in this category...( ie IMSS/UAOS/Nikies/ ect). The stock 996 clutches have never shown to be an issue...Yes some people can burn up a clutch instantly when they don't know how to use a clutch.. " Upgrades clutches" are for specific uses ONLY... Using a pressure plate with a higher clamp load on a stock engine for normal use, will only wear the engine internal thrust bearing more..... Using a Sport or Race type disk will only lessen the drivability on a stock engine for normal use... I did do a batch of "Kevlar clutch disks" about a decade ago.. I took a dozen stock clutch disks and replaced the friction lining with a Kevlar friction material for street use that had no draw-backs , but was more durable with higher friction co-efficient and higher temperature resistance.. Sounds like you are content to just put up with the drivability for now...but when the time comes I would suggest just go back to stock clutch set-up, but upgrade to IMSS , UAOS, during the clutch replacement bundle to save on labor costs... Labor cost / repair costs seem to be the most expensive part of 996 ownership these days...