Well yes obviously it is why else would Porsche put it there. But ...........

When refitting the covers after replacing the thermostat (trying to solve my continuous overheating problem) I found that this bolt can not be tightened, the bolt is fine so the thread in the head must be stripped. I decided not to take any change of it getting in the way of the timing belt so I just left it out.

Your opinions will be appreciated.

 

I had the same problem last week when I was swapping engines in my track car. I left it out for last weekends race with no problems. However, now that I have time, I'll tap it and put in a new bolt. Pretty easy to do, so why not do it.

 

Well... Just make sure the other two are fine and you'll be ok.
I drove without a Xmember bolt for about 5K miles. So I'm sure you won't miss that little thing.

 

I've never done this but I think its high time I start.
Like I said the bolt is in perfect condition, does this mean I must use a die a little bigger and then put a bigger (thicker) bolt in?
How do I know which die to use?
Do you buy it in sets and what must I look for when buying?

Sorry if its a stupid question, like I said I've never done this before!

Johan

 

Hey, maybe we should combine this with the "how light can you make your 924/44" thread. How many bolts can you remove before you regret it?

 

Drill, tap, Heli-coil (or equivalent).

 

You will be fine without that bolt. Before drilling tapping etc. find the same size bolt - just a few mm longer. The hole may very well be tapped DEEPER and thus have more threads further inside. A longer bolt might be a fix. Also if you do not already have, get a torque wrench. Some may disagree with me, but a torque wrench will let you know when it is tight. Then you develop a feel for the different size and type of fasteners. Get a TW with a good range. in/lbs and ft/lbs. Also good practice is put antisieze on all fasteners regardless of size, job, location etc. The next tech/owner will thank you and regard you as a concientious owner as you will be.

 

oh, one more thing. Check your cooling fan operation for the over heat problem. Search Rennlist for diagnostics on the cooling system

 

You can do without that bolt. I would use blue loctite on the other one as a precaution.

 

I'm trying to remember...I just had that all apart a few months ago.

There's a short bolt and a long bolt. The long bolt goes in that hole because of the alignment sleeve. IF you put the short bolt in there, it won't grip anything because of that sleeve.

I seem to remember having the same problem.... I had short bolts left in my bolt bucket, and 1 oddly long one. I put it in that hole, and everything else went like it should....(My car is an N/A, so yours may be different, but I would check it out)

 

That commonly strips out, and it's OK to leave it out. Last time this happened to me, I drilled the hole and tapped it for an m8 bolt... The larger bolt head didn't have a whole lot of room but it worked.