mytrplseven

Found a leaking heater shutoff valve behind the engine on my 951. I also noticed some of the fluid on top of the bell housing. It wasn't there long when I shut the motor down but I'm concerned that some of it went down the rabbit hole into the clutch area. Anyone have any info on what the effects are on the clutch, even if there's just a little that got onto the clutch disc? Can it be washed out with Alcohol or anything else short of pulling the clutch?

lovemyp-car

I don't think you'll have any issues regardless.

Had a major heater core failure on my 86 951 that dumped the entirety of my cooling system capacity on my clutch in about 45 seconds while driving. Let it sit for a couple of days before driving it again, and had no issues.

Pulled the clutch 3-4k miles later (separate, unrelated failure) and the friction surfaces were totally unfazed by the exposure to coolant.

Best of luck,
Ethan

Van

Don't worry about it. It won't harm the clutch disk material or cause much rusting on the flywheel. And the first time you use the car, the clutch will heat up enough to burn any residue off and/or smooth down any rust spots.

mytrplseven

Thanks guys for your positive comments. After all the work I've done to make this car "right" the last thing I wanted to do was do another clutch job. Just waiting for parts now.