Porsche 996 Turbo Clutch Slave Cylinder Replacement 2001-2005

A faulty clutch slave cylinder is a very common problem with 2001-2005 Porsche 996 Turbo.  When the clutch slave cylinder goes out the clutch pedal becomes hard overnight and you will probably notice some fluid transfer from the power steering reservoir to the clutch reservoir.  Most people find out that they have an issue with the clutch slave when the clutch fluid reservoir overflows.  When the clutch slave is replaced it is also recommended to replace the hydraulic pressure accumulator.  

Before you start be sure to depressurize the clutch system.  Pump the clutch pedal with the engine off until the clutch pedal becomes very hard.

Disconnect the battery, jack up the car and support it safely on jack stands.

1.  Remove the cross member and the plastic shield that is attached to it.

2.  Disconnect the driver's side axle shaft.

3.  Move the axle shaft out of the way for more clearance.

4.  Unbolt the coolant hose bracket.

5.  Tie the coolant hoses off to the side.

6.  Wrap all of the rubber parts in plastic.  If you spill Pentosin on rubber parts, wash it off immediately.  Pentosin will swell up the rubber.

7.  Remove the hydraulic pressure accumulator.  Very is no space for a regular wrench up in there so I purchased a 27mm wrench, cut it in half and ground it down to make it thinner.

When unbolting the accumulator be sure to have a drain pan and some paper towels ready, some Pentosin will spill out.

8.  Disconnect the hydraulic line from the clutch master cylinder.

9.  You will need a special tool to disconnect the low pressure line from the clutch slave.  This is a standard power steering line disconnect tool available from most auto part stores. 

10.  Disconnect the low pressure line.

11.  To disconnect the high pressure feed line I had to slightly bend my 14mm flare nut wrench.

12.  Unbolt the clutch slave cylinder from the transmission.  Leave the bracket attached to the transmission.

Here is a picture of the clutch slave removed and the bracket still attached.

13.  Attached the rubber line to the new clutch slave cylinder.

14.  When installing the new clutch slave make sure the actuating rod is properly seated in the clutch fork.  You can stick your hand up there and wiggle the rod until you feel it seat in the clutch fork.  Once it is properly seated, loosely thread the top bolt to hold the clutch slave in place.  You will have to push the clutch slave towards the back of the car in order to align the lower bolt holes.  It is not possible to push the clutch slave and thread the bolts in with one hand so Porsche recommends removing the starter and pushing the clutch slave in with one hand from the passenger side while threading the bolts in with the other hand.  I found that it wasn't necessary to remove the starter if you have skinny arms, I was able to reach the clutch slave without removing the starter. 

15.  Torque the clutch slave to transmission bolts to 45Nm.  Connect the hoses and install the new accumulator.  Reinstall the axle shaft and torque the bolts to 81Nm.

Don't forget to refill the power steering reservoir and bleed the clutch.