ymc226

I infrequently come to this or any other Porsche forum but just realized that this is a potential problem on my 2007 GT3.

Can my local dealer (Ray Catena in NJ or Princeton Porsche) pin or weld?

If not can you suggest any local expert shops?

I'm in Central New Jersey (Princeton) near Philly.

Since I drive it only a few thousand miles yearly and will be moving to Los Angeles/Santa Monica in a few years, is there any shop there that you would be confident that they would do a good job?

pissedpuppy

Just had my '07 serviced (24K svc w/ 21K. On the clock) and inquired about pinning. They asked how often I track, which is don't, but it is a daily driver <5K per year, was told to disregard it. So I have now been told that by an Indy and a dealer. TIFWIW. BTW, they fawned over my car saying it was very solid and clean - peace of mind!

The Greek

If you don't mind me asking, what did the 24k service entail? Getting mixed info from different dealers

ymc226

Thanks David. I don't drive it hard at all. Just to work 1-2x/week, about 40 miles round trip from May to November. Hopefully, driving it gingerly will decrease the chances of emergent event.

Spyerx

Regarding pipes see this, 15k 2007 car:
https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...l#post12375767


dealers will be all over map on this. at 4 years / 24k I'd do, none of this is hard to do:

oil/filter
brake fluid flush
clutch flush
tranny fluid change
check / replace air filter (it's cheap)
check / replace drive belt (its cheap)
replace plugs, inspect coils
cabin filter
read codes
general car check
I think on the .2 cars fuel filter is in a different spot
Check coolant, could consider a refresh but probably not needed

Jake951

Low mileage cars or cars driven only on the street are not immune to coolant pipe failures. Failures on the track do tend to have more severe consequences than on the street, but this is not a desirable thing to have happen anywhere.

My independent shop has done several coolant pipe replacements using welding and they have seen issues with the OEM pipes on all the cars, including a low-mileage GT3 that blew out a pipe while in the shop! The others have shown signs of weakening bonds between the pipes and coolant housings, including mine, and/or indications of coolant seeping from the pipes.

Moral of the story: don't assume anything if you want to be safe.

ScottKelly911

If you wait until you move out here to Los Angeles (I grew up in Santa Monica, great place!), then you have a lot of REALLY good options to do the work for you. Among them and I'm sure I'll forget a few more:
911 Design
GMG
BBI
RSS/Stutgart Performance

also if you don't mind driving out to Arizona for a few days, EVOMS is only a 5-6 hour drive. Or go up the coast for a vacation and leave it at Sharkwerks for a day or two. As you see, you've got a lot of really good options here and not too far away from here. But as others have said, do it, them coming apart doesn't just happen on the track, track speeds just have more consequences. However, if it happens as you go around a corner on a canyon drive with a sheer cliff on oneside and boulders on the other, I'm guessing you'll wish you had it done! Definitely read up on the subject in the thread posted earlier. It'd be good to also get your name on there because for some reason Porsche has just taken a head-in-the-sand approach to this issue. I guess not enough people have died for them to take it serious.

number9ine

Pin it! Weepy welds are for wussies.

In all seriousness, I crawled the internet to take in the weld vs. pin arguments, and what it came down to for me was that I could locate no reports of pinning failures, but more than a few welding nightmares.

I had Porsche North Scottsdale pin mine and install the Sharkwerks metal coolant pipes to replace the plastic OEM pieces. Came out great. I suspect you won't have to look far to have a dealer in your area perform the work, especially if it's just pinning. It's well documented.

Agree with others here--pay the price because it's a safety issue and because it's about the only problem you'll see from your car in the long run. Good luck!

seapar

I had my 07 expertly welded by Charles D. of Gerber Motorsport in Seattle. Have photos of the welds and such. That was 1/2013 during the off season. My friend brought his 07 to the dealer (was CPO) in Bellevue who farmed it out for pinning at Cantrell's. Sharkwerks metal goodies added to both when engine out.
Both similar costs. Both well done.
FYI.

ymc226

Thanks all. I think I will need a 24K service prior to putting it away this winter given it's only had oil/filter changes since I bought it in 2007 and I just passed 20K 2 days ago.

If I want to get it done while I'm still in NJ, I guess I'll call Sharkwerks for their pinning kit to see if they would sell it to my local dealer if they are willing to do it.

NAM VET

I think part of the potential failures with welding is trying to weld steel pipes to the aluminum manifold. For our 29K '07 GT3, I elected to have the aluminum BBI pipes welded in, my Independent shop, Zuffenhause near Charlotte, sent the manifold out to a pro, who did a masterful job. Then used the Sharkwerks metal connector, and while the engine was out, belt, fuel filter, plugs and coils, water pump, of course oil and filter, clutch release bearing, slightly weepy rear main seal, and other odds and ends.

I wanted our car set up for the next half decade. I am sure poor welds can be a problem, and likewise while pinning will keep a pipe from blowing out, it may still leak at some time. The best thing is to find a shop that is competent with this repair. A $4K repair is better than a damaged $80K car. I suspect pinning is somewhat cheaper than a proper welding. More stuff to take off the motor.

Enjoy the ride, and all the best....

ymc226

You all have been very helpful. I just spoke with a local NJ indy shop which seems to have generally very good reviews, Provost Motorsports in Bordentown.

They quoted me about 12 hours to take the engine out so about 2100 in labor + 100 in parts with 2-3 days needed to finish the job. I'll speak with Sharkwerks on Monday in getting the stainless steel coolant pipes which come with O rings pre-installed. Are there additional gaskets needed?

From another recent post of mine, my clutch will be looked at as well for a squeaking sound and will have the brake lines flushed.

Have 20K miles, only had oil and filter changed at dealer every year since 2007. What other service would one recommend while the engine is out? Clutch and transmission fluid changed? Plugs changed? Nam Vet mentioned water pump, fuel filter, clutch release bearing.

lmnsblu355

Pinning kit?? There are two metal pipes you xan buy from sharkwerks that replace plastic but that's not the pinning part. The pinning on a 997.1 or .2 is done with 4 mm. Stainless hex head screws, a drill, tap and loctite. It can be done without dropping the engine. It can even be done by a good DIY mechanic for a cost of less than $50 in a few hours. Ask me how I know . No BS. There is a great thread on this here on Rennlist. I spoke to a local indy who has adopted this method and it saves alot of $$. Only drawback is you can't change the plastic pipes but I've not seen reports of many failures on these. Having pinned the metal fittings makes me sleep better the night before track days. Pm if you'd like to discuss.

nzskater

I've recently had this done on my Turbo, and found that all three (there's one extra on the Turbo) of the plastic elbows were weeping/leaking. You should be able to get a borescope in to check them out while the engine is still in.

dave292

I just had my pipes done at Stevenson Porsche in Littleton. While engine was out they replaced the water pump, belt, hoses, rear main seal, plugs, change oil and check the throwout bearing and clutch which were ok. I don't want to do this again and neither should you.