Pedal Assembly Rebuild, Step-by-Step Options

[Eric_Shea]

Well… pedal clusters seem to be a hot topic lately. We’re getting a tremendous amount of calls for them so I thought there’s probably others out there that are in need or thinking about repairing their pedal clusters.

The age-old adage applies, with a “30 something year old” (car that is) things are bound to begin to show wear. What happens to pedal assemblies often is brake fluid from a leaking master cylinder usually shoots directly into the car from the brake actuator rod. It ends up sitting in the “pan” of your pedal assembly. Brake fluid eats through the paint and works it’s magic on the 30-year-old nylon bushings that Porsche used to make things go smooth. The entire assembly sits under a layer of carpet and the pedal board. Not too many people get in there to check the status of their assembly (maybe this will spur you on). So there it sits… rusting away with crumbling old nylon bushings.

Here’s what it takes to fix it. Let’s take a look at this fairly simple procedure. I’ll start with a list of tools needed:

 Ratchet Wrench
 3” Extension
 17mm Socket
 13mm Socket
 13mm Open end Wrench
 5mm Allen Key or Allen Socket
 3/16” Pin Punch (or, preferably, an air hammer with a pointed bit)
 3/8” Pin Punch (or, preferably, an air hammer with a blunt bit)
 PB Blaster (or other good penetrant)
 Flat Head Screwdriver
 Needle Nose Pliers

Step #1 – Get it Out.

I’ll start with a little primer on removing the assembly. Start the night (or the week) before by removing your carpet and floorboard (now is the time to order your Engman board). Once the board is away from the pedal assembly area, spray the penetrating oil on the 13mm nuts that hold the pan to the floor. Next you’ll need to remove the steering rack cover from under the car. Remove two 17mm bolts from the back of the pan and two small 13mm bolts toward the front. The pan should drop right down along with a ton of gravel and spiders that have been going along for a free ride. Now remove the two 13mm nuts on either side of the master cylinder holding it to your firewall. Pull the master cylinder back off the studs. You may run into a little resistance with the rubber boot that slips around the brake actuator rod. The master cylinder should be fine hanging there with the brake lines attached.

Back inside. Remove the access cover and disconnect the accelerator cable (ball and cup) and the clutch cable (clevis clip). With the clutch you pull the clip off the line, swing it upward and pull the pin out. Take care to lay the cables out so they won’t intertwine when reconnecting. This makes for an interesting display of RPM’s when the clutch is engaged. Pull up on your accelerator pedal and remove the rod that is pressed in the back. Hopefully your penetrating oil has soaked in well and you can now remove the 13mm nuts holding the pan to the floor with relative ease. The penetrant is a pretty important step because you don’t want to be welding another stud onto your floorpan, especially in this fragile area. Remove the assembly. This is a good time to check your accelerator pedal. With the spring encased in the rubber, it usually collects water at the base of the pedal and rusts the spring inside. If you have a wobbly pedal now is a great time to change it out. Again, use penetrating oil and be “very” careful with the 10mm nuts holding the pedal to the floor.

It's out...