sandersd

Yes, extremely heavy.

frisbee91

+1. That's what I did. Just grab the spring by grasping inside each end with pliers and "untwisting" the spring to increase it's inside diameter. It only needs a bit of help to fit in the housing.

wrljet

Not to stick my nose in (again), but that Home Depot spring doesn't look like it'll do much.
(I don't know if that's your intention or what)

Spring rate changes with the 4th power of the wire diameter.
The Home Depot spring is a lot thinner wire than the original.

Bill

sjg1138

Wow sandersd. Your spring was broken into pieces like that when you took it out? Or did you cut it up?

I test drove the car with the Home Depot spring and so far I love it. The clutch is stiffer (i.e. the HD spring helps less) than with the OEM spring but I still have good engagement feel. The clutch is much lighter than without a spring at all. I live in the middle of some steep hills so my clutch is put to the test every day.

wrljet

Have you tried out the McMaster-Carr spring that was discussed years ago?
# 9657k142
It has closed and ground ends like the original.

The Porsche spring is 0.142" diameter wire, vs. 0.120" for the 9657k142.
Overall length is ~ 4-1/8" for the factory spring vs. 3-1/2" for the 9657k142.
ID is 0.79" vs. 0.77" for the 9657k142.
Spring rates are 58#/inch vs. 40#/inch.

What specs do you have (or measured) from the Home Depot spring for comparison?

Bill

sandersd

Unbeknownst to me it was like that when I bought it and I drove it that way for four years thinking that's just the way the clutch was on a Porsche. When I removed the old spring to replace it that was the way it came out.

frisbee91

Yes, that was the point. The Home Depot spring does almost nothing. It has enough force to keep the clutch pedal from wobbling when not in use, and enough force to actuate the microswitch (used to disengage cruise control), but barely contributes to helping push in the clutch.

Perfect.

wrljet

OK, I understand now what you're trying to do.

Bill

zero9

Hello guys... Just read all 26 pages. To keep a 100 year old thread going I have a few questions but first some background. I just purchased my first 911. 03 C4S w/ 78k miles. One thing I liked was the heavy/decisive clutch that had a small range for engagement and felt great (plus who among us that sits at a desk all day long doesn't need to strengthen their non-dominant left foot). I thought it was what a Porsche clutch was suppose to be. It reminded me of the racing clutch I had in my NSX that I loved. Small engagement zone and worked fast. Then Porsche noted on the PPI that it was heavy and needed to be looked at. I did that on my own and bought the spring. So I'm sitting here with the spring in my hand and find this thread when looking for instructions on how to install this bad boy. Now I'm really conflicted.

So first question... anyone have mega miles with the clutch spring delete (not weaker spring but total delete) that can report that they aren't prematurely damaging throw out bearings/clutch/etc. I'd pick a good feeling clutch over cruise control any day of the week as long as I'm not damaging anything on the car in doing so. Plus it's not that hard to use my foot to pull the clutch pedal into place to throw cruise control on. As it sits right now... I can't help but wonder if I might be getting some assist help since I have one installed that's just worn out a bit. Wondering if I should leave it in or take it out. If I take it out might be harder to clutch (but might be better who knows right). Thinking about trying my damaged one out and new one in. If I try it in I can verify that this is the issue and not that the heavy pedal is a sign that I need a new clutch. If I leave it in the bag I can return it and put the $80 into fixing other stuff. Haha.

Second question... If I put the new spring in and it's a cushy/wimpy clutch I read that it can be adjusted. Anyone successfully done that and did adjusting the oem spring make a difference. Ideally if leaving it out can possibly damage something I'd prefer to use the new oem spring and adjust it to be as heavy/decisive as possible. I see guys mention the article about adjusting but no one commenting on if it helped/what it did. I'll likely go experiment on my own but not able to get any of the previous pics loaded so a little lost on it all. Thanks in advance if anyone can shed some light on this topic for me.

DK570

I think what I did was a very good solution. I drove w/o a spring from Dec-April as a daily driver. The feel was great, but I got tired of not having cruise control. In April I put in a lighter than stock spring from Ace which is a happy medium. I'm glad I drove spring-less for 4 months, because my left foot has the muscle memory of where the engagement point is. Now I get working cruise, and while not as great of feel as no spring, I don't need to search for the engagement point, because I remember where it is.

petonic

I run without a spring, and by necessity, as another member suggested, I just zip tied a 3/4" piece of vacuum line to the pedal, right where it contacts the sensor for the cruise control. After a day or two, it wasn't really working because the piece of vacuum line would slip down under the bump on the pedal. So, I took *another* piece of vacuum line and then ziptied that to the first piece. Problem is now solved -- cruise control is 100%. And I'm not running a spring. If, in the future, that doesn't work, I'll get *another* piece of vacuum line and zip tie that to the others, making for one heck of a hack, but at least it's all sprung weight :-)

It was almost comedic when I lost the pivot pin for the spring housing, which forced me down this vacuum line path. Somehow, the little 1" steel pivot pin was stuck on the top of the clutch pedal. In an effort to have it drop down to the floor, I pressed the clutch and then let it go, hoping that it would shoot up vertically, and then land on the floormat. No such luck. In a 1 in a million shot, it went right down the middle of the clutch pedal, which is hollow for several inches at the top. Oh well. It's not worth me fishing out -- my hack works.

bcrdukes

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I attempted this today. It took me about 15 minutes from start to finish. I have included a picture for reference. As you can see, I am Pablo Picasso's disciples.

For those of you with the 996.2 (2002 - 2004) here is what is required:

1. Remove the airduct. You will see it when you get underneath the dash. The airduct has an "accordian" to it so you and pull it out. I pulled on the left side (window side) then pushed the accordian part towards the car. It will pop out. Slide the right side out.

2. Find a hook or nail (or something stiff) and insert it through the hole at the end of the assembly. Make sure it's secure.

3. Take your flat head screwdriver and pop the circlip off the rod. This part should be effortless. (Correction - the clip IS in the photo.)

4. Okay, here's the hard part - use your free hand/arm to push the clutch in as far as you possibly can. Take your flat head screwdriver and pry the rod off (towards your face.) Don't worry, nothing will fall on your face. The key is to have the clutch pushed in as far as possible, enabling you to pry the rod off the holder. Be patient and give it some effort - it WILL come off!

5. Push the assembly TOWARDS the front of the car (towards the frunk.) It should simply slide off. If it isn't doing so, it's likely the rod didn't pop out underneath the holder. If this is the case, get into your seat, push the clutch all the way and push the assembly UP so the rod points DOWN.

6. The assembly should slide off. You may need to fiddle with it, but it WILL slide off.

7. Re-insert the airduct. Installation is the same as removal. Start with the window/left side first. Give yourself a pat on the back and drive the car like it was meant to be driven.

Vendetta NY

I did this mod today. Last weekend, I was under the pedals doing the GT2 slave cylinder conversion - so I was already all too familiar with what goes on down there, but wanted to say thanks for the DIY anyway.

Should have done THIS mod first, honestly. The GT2 setup is soo freakin' stiff that I almost got myself into trouble a few times trying to keep the clutch pedal depressed. So there's a tip for the next guy. Also, might help to have someone else around juuuuust in case you get jammed up. That woulda saved me a ton of frustration and a wee bit of panic.

-V

kkswow12

was the clutch so stiff it was going to overpower your leg muscles? what almost happened

Vendetta NY

Well, see, I had left my x-ray glasses in my other pants, so I was doing this on my back with my head under the pedals so that I could actually see what was going on. That meant using an arm to push a VERY stiff clutch back, over my head or behind my shoulder while I'm already contorted in an awkward position, fumbling with the spring setup in the other hand.

But it all worked out okay, and I got to spare my leg muscles the embarrassment.

-V