22Mar2011
Hello Old Girl…..
Life has not been kind to you. We can change that though! A lot of dash lights on, with an intermittent CEL. Lot of history with this car. Though I haven’t seen the car in years, this is the car that started it all for me. Back when I was young pup (ok, I still am….suckas!), I was finishing up my postceptorship for my D.C. degree working for another chiropractor in town. I was working there during the day, and …
22Mar2011
996TT Work
Last night we knocked out some work on a 996TT. The car had sat for a few months on a trickle charger, but when the owner went to start it, the battery was dead. He tried jumping it, then eventually replaced the battery. Once he got it going though, his radio had no power. First we got it up on the lift and knocked out the 6 month oil change on it. Pretty straight forward. Since the radio had no …
13Mar2011
GT3 Brake Flush and GMG Header Install
My buddy Dan brought by his ’11 GT3 today so we could flush the brake fluid for an upcoming DE event, and install a set of low mileage GMG headers! Up in the air and ready to start. First we started with the brake fluid flush. Pretty standard really…..reservoir filled up with new fluid, and then I use the vacuum bleeder to pull it through the system. Taking a picture of Dan…..taking a picture, lol. Stock headers ready to come …
11Mar2011
Oil Change Day
First thing I knocked out an 86 911 Targa for it’s 6 months oil change. It has likely sat most of the winter, but with 60 degree weather on the way, it was time to get it ready for the season. Up in the air and ready to go. First thing I noticed was oil buildup around the oil cooler and bellhousing. This is typically due to a bad oil thermostat o ring and/or the breather plate gasket. I cleaned …
10Mar2011
996 Buyer’s Guide
I wrote this article a few years ago and posted it over at the old Porsche Forums/German Auto Forums, and I still get a lot of emails every week about it. Essentially, the same questions were popping up over and over, so I compiled some information related to my experiences working on 996’s. Pre Purchase Inspection: I can not recommend a PPI enough, unless you are a professional Porsche mechanic. Typically they run from $150-500, and is money well spent. …
04Mar2011
More Internals
Took a couple of pictures of the camshafts this afternoon. This is the passenger intake camshaft. Notice the missing ring in the middle groove, there should be 3 on each cam. Again, this missing ring rides directly in path where this groove appeared in the front cam housing. And the driver side camshaft. All 3 rings present. And another close up of one of the cracked camshaft housing brackets.
03Mar2011
996TT Top End
Tonight Stephen (PorschePhD) came by with the magical cam tools we needed to pull the motor down the rest of the way for inspection. This evening I pulled the driver’s side apart down to the cams and cleaned everything up so we could do both sides. Glad we did. As many 930 motors as I have pulled apart, I have never done anything internal to the 996TT motors as that was always Stephen’s department at the shop. It was a …
27Feb2011
Cover Me, I’m Going In
Started tearing down the passenger side camtower this afternoon. Found another metal shaving stuck to the cam sensor Cams exposed. Now I have to divert my attention to a 996 PPI. The good phd should be by this week with the cam tools we need so we can pull the cams and see what is going on.
27Feb2011
996TT Engine Continued
Took some time this morning to pull the tranny, clutch, and get the motor up on the engine stand. Now to figure out what is going on in this motor. Again, what is involved in pulling the TT transaxles from the engine. Step 1, remove the plastic vent (3 bolts) Step two, remove the 10mm bolt and bracket. Step 3, pull the rubber plug that, along with the above bracket, hold the clutch shaft and bearings in place. This can …
26Feb2011
996TT Motor Pull
Been slow progress around here as Typhoid Mary brought something nasty home from work, so haven’t been feeling all that great, but I did finally get the motor dropped out of the car for engine work. Starting at the top and pulling lines, compressor, throttle body, cooling hoses, etc. At the bottom, subframe, axles, driveshaft, piping, etc And slowly starting to lower the engine. I had to modify the table to add a little width for stability, but after getting …