NAM VET

I have spent the morning reading just about all the posts on the sticky thread above. I was well aware of this potential problem before I acquired my '07, 25K mile car a few weeks ago. I am well aware of the "odds" of engine failure, my son's '94 996 Roadster (coming from English Sports cars, TR's, MG's, they are properly called roadsters), lunched his engine at 60K miles out of CPO. Porsche stepped up, and gave him a Porsche Rebuilt engine, he paid installation costs. I think they did this for him because he was about to attend a Porsche driving introduction at Charlotte, and they did want him telling everyone about his engine. He soon moved to a Lotus Elise.

My car had four DE's early in it's life, and has no leaks and a fine PPI a month ago. My son and I are running the Sandhill's Challenge this coming August, 52 miles and then back on winding NE Nebraska roads, as rookies at this event, we are limited to 130mph. Surely this will stress our coolant lines.

I wish I could just pay for a definitive repair now, but that will have to wait a bit, so I plan on soon changing to water and water wetter; i have used the Redline product for years. I do want to to return to the advantages of proper coolant as soon as possible. I am sure I can do the water replacement locally at an Indie garage.

Looking at some of the elegant welded pictures in the thread, i suppose to do such a fine circumferential repair would necessitate removal of those cast parts to do so. More expensive. Pinning would keep the lines from blowing out, but would not necessarily keep them from seepage, necessitating dropping the motor etc again. Expensive. Plus, with the motor out, would be cost effective to R&R the usual consumables.

So i believe the best approach to this issue for me, given the economic constraints now, is to do the water/WW soon, then do the definitive weld repair when I can.

Any suggestions from this forum who within driving distance from Charlotte NC is currently doing such a repair, so I can plan accordingly?

I have had a variety of really great Sports Cars over the past half century, and this one has to be the best of them all.

Thanks, and all the best....

Spyerx

if you do the ww replacement just make sure the garage knows how to get all the coolant out of these things (as much as possible) and knows how to bleed the system of air. Better shops use a vacuum system. There are several pipes to pull to drain out the coolant. There is a lot in this system.

Regarding welding if you go that direction, contact BBI Autosport and order their inserts. Also order the sharkwerks oil cooler elbow pipes. Plan to replace some rubber bits, hoses, and clamps, and maybe the expansion tank.

You are right on the welding. To do it properly requires the engine be pulled and the parts removed, cleaned properly, then welded, pressure tested, then assembled. You must have a welder that is solid with welding aluminum like this. The BBI inserts give flanges to weld to and are easier than using OEM inserts.

TYPE911

NV,
Sent you a PM.

bobaines

My new to me 08 GT3 is currently at Zuffenhaus in Monroe, NC. Motor is out and tubes have been welded. I am sure they would be glad to let you see the work.
Full disclosure I do have a financial interest in Zuffenhaus.

number9ine

This is a hot topic 'round these parts for GT3 folks.

I had my Porsche dealer pin my lines shortly after purchasing my car and discovering a seeping coolant leak.

Here's what SharkWerks has to say on pinning versus welding:

http://sharkwerks.com/porsche/techni...urbo-cars.html

Long story short, they see the adhesive as a better protectant against seepage than a weld, see pinning as a fix to take the stress of the pressurized system off the adhesive, and see other potential problems stemming from welds such as inconsistent thermal expansion between weld, pipe, and housing, coolant seepage through porous welds, and welds not penetrating the relatively hard pipes. I found their logic very reasonable, and after seeing other threads where beautifully-welded pipes were fogging and spraying coolant that was evidence enough for me to pin. I have yet to see a pinned coolant pipe failure here on Rennlist or other P-car forums.

I also had my dealer install the SharkWerks metal GT3 coolant pipes as an extra measure of insurance:

http://www.sharkwerks.com/products.php?pid=386

Depending on your mechanic the total cost should be around $3000. I like my cars stock and made no other changes while she was under the knife, but it's a great opportunity to check the health of your clutch or perform an upgrade on your flywheel while you're in there. Considering the dozens of reported coolant line failures here it seems like good insurance and a contributor to resale.

NAM VET

thanks to all of you, I think I will run up to Zuff now, and see what they do.

all the best...

Juha Pussinen

Hi all,

Do someone have this sharkwerks document where pictures are in. My chrome web browser doesn't show any pics on the web page.

thanks,juha

number9ine

Juha, try it now. I reached out to SW to let them know the image links were broken and they fixed.

bobaines

Here is mine as it sits today.

NAM VET

just walked in the door to be greeted by hot coffee and warm Christmas cookies. Made the drive up to Zuffenhaus near Charlotte, looks to be a real professional operation, lots of mostly Porsche's in various states of illness and recovery. A mechanic, i think Eric (?) showed me around a GT3 motor sitting on a lift, told me they remove the suspect parts, sent them to a chap who welds them all, then they hang it all of the motor and replace the hoses and a plastic connector, and stick it back under the rump of the car. Talked about a fresh clutch and such. Told me costs for it all.

So I think my plan is as my first post, aqua and WW soon, then save up for the whole kit and kaboodle when I can swing it, perhaps in a year or so. I suspect a weld and a pin repair, if done by those who know what they are doing, are equally reliable. If I was on the West Coast I might consider another option, but Zuff is an hour away.

Sunny and cool here, so thought I would come back via the rural roads i used to run to and from when i would take my Superformance Cobra to Rockingham for dragging. I got a bit lost, as I had not been in those parts for about 4 years, eventually found my little winding road thru the forests and along the fences to Waxhaw, running top open, glass down. Took the forested short-cut thru Van Wyck, curves and hills, the Sharkwerks bellowing it's menacing threat to the furry creatures lurking about.

A glorious day in our GT3, so....

All the best....

NAM VET

yup, that is the car and motor he explained to me an hour ago. Nice car, by the way.

all the best..

bobaines

Thanks, good times with yours. Sounds like you had a nice drive today.

TYPE911

NV,
Glad it all worked out. At the very least a drive thru the hills with the Sharkwerks roaring. An intoxicating sound, even my neighbors have begun to appreciate.

Bob,
Car looks great, even as it sits. So clean! Looking forward to running wide open out west with you enroute to Rennsport this fall.

bobaines

Chris, I was talking with Steve about the route and he reminded me about the whooped-de-doos on 120 just south of Mono Lake. We may all lose our splitters on that section so be sure to mount an old used up one for the trip.