Thanks for the reply Wisconsin Joe. It's nice to be able to draw on the experience here, and get things done the right way, the first time. I have seen the copper and the nickel, will have to look for silver.

 

By "silver", I meant the nickel stuff.

I use Permatex myself, but that's just what I am used to. There are other brands out there.

 

Good, now I know what to use. The nickel had the highest heat resistance too.

 

Indeed. Get the seals along with a few extra mylar ones. you might also find yourself needing the Woodruff keys if they are not already included in what you.re ordering.

 

 

Source?

 

​​​​​​Not sure. My last pump I bought was from Zims. My friend has been running dealer pumps on his cars and hasn't had any issues. I'll ask him.

 

 

You do not need to remove the crank bolt to replace the belts. I've done the belts on my own car many times over 31 years of ownership, cannot recall ever having the crank bolt out.

Absolutely use anti-seize on all the fasteners. Doesn't matter its metal base (copper, alu, nickel, etc.). I use Wurth's CU800, but really any kind works just fine. Nickel apparently good for high temperatures and nuclear reactors, neither relevant for present purposes.

Since the car is new to you, my bias would be to focus on the immediate must-do chores and avoid turning it into a long term garage queen of a project. Fix what needs fixing, drive it, circle back to the niceties later. Good luck!

 

Kevin - that is the type of feedback I have been looking for. I picked up an '86 944 with 181K recently but have not been driving it due to many issues. I have almost no maintenance history on it. I want to get the timing belt/balance shart belt/rollers changed immediately due to the damage that can be caused by the belt breaking. I bought all the belts, rollers, and water pump from Zims but am now considering not installing the water pump if the bearings feel solid when I get to it. I have been reading too many horror stories about water pump bolts snapping that I don't want to risk it this first time around if not absolutely necessary. If the pump goes bad in 6 months or starts leaking, I'll deal with it then. I want to focus on what absolutely needs to be done first and have a chance to drive for awhile to see what else shakes out (I have another thread started about the power steering rack leaking). Any thoughts on this approach?

 

Good information. My last few have been through Zim's. Nice to have options.

OPC = ? (I think I can figure out the "P")

 

MAGK944 is an Englishman living Stateside, allow me to translate... OPC = Official Porsche Centre = your local dealer.

 

You are talking about during working on it right? Not while driving... Just wanted to clarify as I have not heard the horror stories...

 

 

Yes, The bolts snap off when you try to remove them.

I'm more up to speed on the 928 than the 944, but in a 928 it is considered really good luck if you can remove all of them intact (presuming typical "mechanic idiocy" from the last install).

There's ways to minimize the risk, but most guys who work on their own 928 have a few TimeSert kits in various sizes.

Edit to add:

To the OP - The water pump is generally considered an "every other" change. I just did my belts and the WP pulley felt really 'good'. No play, axial or radial, spun smoothly but not freely.

So I left it in. As you observed, I may be going in there sooner than I otherwise would have, but I'm comfortable with my choice.