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Coincidentally, I just messaged Numeric Racing, to see if they could re-institute the forum 10% discount they used to offer.
It's a tough punch to the wallet, but OEM shifter cables aren't being made anymore, and upgrades _start_ at $500. Suncoast has a full Porsche OEM shifter and cable kit for $800! :-(
Mine is an '06 S (they were all S models), with 22,700 on it. But, I have a short shifter already waiting to go in, so I will do cables at the same time. Drove one with the full Numeric kit and it is amazing.
Sorry, I just realized I am digressing this thread. I'll stop now.
Last edited by BoulderGeek; 03-02-2016 at 02:49 PM.
I appreciate the concern, but I think you guys are under the impression that I did all the work right away, then let it sit for 3 years just because I thought it needed some time to ferment. No, that's not exactly what happened. I did the valve cover gasket and removed the old timing belt after about a year, then finally installed the new belt late last year.
There's no way I'm going through all that trouble again for a belt that has 5 months and 2 miles on it. Maybe next year when I have a garage of my own, I'll revisit that, but for now, the timing belt cover is staying on. If the belt strips and my valves get mangled, I promise I'll post your little Ned Stark meme and you can use me as another anecdote. I assume full responsibility.
Btw, I recently did a thorough dig through the service records and found that the old belt had been on since 2004, but it still looked and felt like it was in great shape. I'm sure intact 10-year-old belts are just as rare as snapped/stripped 3-year-old belts, but it didn't exactly give me any reason to panic.
Then your good for two more! I was in the same boat, mine showed 2004. That's 12 years, but looked like new. I know there was no way it was that old. When I say new, I mean just installed yesterday new. Still replacing it. Cause I don't know. It's a pain, true. But a bigger pain to pull the heads and have the repairs done.
I don't think it's as hard on them in a garage, and not being driven. Heat and temp changes I think will kill them faster than anything.
There are some guys run them 80k, it all boils down to how lucky you feel.
Cool. Now that we've confirmed that the timing belt probably doesn't need to be changed yet, has anybody had a chance to take a quick look at the video I posted? Can anyone just confirm to me that it sounds like a simple misfire and not something more sinister? Thanks in advance.
I've been able to get a bit of work done over the past couple weekends. I replaced the fuel lines, distributor + rotor, ignition wires, power steering pump, and shift boot. While I was replacing the distributor rotor, though, I accidentally dropped the little 8mm bolt down into the timing cover. Oops.
That turned out to be a good thing, though, because when I took the cover back off, I found that the lower balance shaft sprocket bolt had come dangerously loose. I pulled the balance belt and tried tightening the bolt up to spec. It just kept turning, though. I pulled the sprocket, only to find that the little woodruff key was completely missing. I don't know if I just didn't install it correctly last time or what, but my progress was halted by a $1 part.
Most of the usual sources (Pelican, 944online, Lindsey, etc.) either didn't have the key in stock or wanted at least $10 to ship it. I found one on Amazon for $4 including shipping that should arrive before next weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to start it up again then. If it still misses after the ignition tune-up, I'll do a compression test. I should probably have the injectors cleaned and tested, too. We'll see.
I don't think that the missing woodruff key would be the cause of rough running, but it would definitely give you some unwanted vibrations...BTW, are engine mounts on your to-do list? Might want to check those guys out.
Solid advice. Thanks. Actually, though, the engine doesn't really feel rough. It just sounds rough. The motor mounts were actually busted when I bought the car, so that's one of the first things I did. It wasn't a fun job. That means the current motor mounts are about 5 years old now. I inspected them briefly last weekend and they looked fine. I believe the replacements I got for them were solid rubber, not hydraulic.
As far as the balance shaft key goes, I'm not as concerned about extra vibrations (I daily drive a Subaru with unequal length headers - not the world's smoothest engine) as I am about that seriously loose balance shaft bolt. Without the key, I think I was just spinning the shaft when I tried to tighten the bolt.
I got the balance shafts all lined up and the belt back on. It looks like the ignition tune-up did the trick, because it's running nice and smooth now. I had a nice little test drive around the city. All the gauges, lights, and electronics worked, the car made it up to temp and stayed there, and the new power steering pump worked great. I came back, parked, and checked for any fluid leaks. Nothing obvious.
Then, after it had sat for about 5 minutes, I heard a loud "pop", followed by the sound of gushing fluid. I looked under the car to find a massive puddle of coolant. Popped open the hood and found out that the rubber hose between the block and the heater control valve was severely kinked and had torn. When I wiggled it around a bit, it tore completely in half.
I ordered a silicon heater hose kit and should have a chance to pop it in next weekend. After that, it's on to the cosmetic stuff. I'm excited.
I haven't updated this in a while. I've been making slow but steady progress, though.
Replaced the brake pads, lines, and sensors. Flushed with DOT 4 fluid. SS brake lines really do make a noticeable difference in pedal feel. Highly recommended.
Got paranoid about the water pump. The old one only had 50k miles on it, so it's within the recommended service interval, but it was installed 12 years ago. I replaced it just for the peace of mind. Had way too much trouble getting the crank pulley on and off and modifying my pre-'87 rear timing cover to work with the new updated wasserpumpe. I need to just get a dremel. Also, unfortunately, I managed to overtorque and break the little hollow coolant vent bolt. It was easy to extract, but I had to special order another one. Does anybody know what the ramifications would be if I just used a normal bolt from the hardware store instead of the weird hollow OEM bolt?
Next steps: Replace the vacuum lines and check for intake leaks (takes a very long time to return to idle after revving with no load), replace the passenger door linkage (not looking forward to that), hatch seal (leaking pretty bad), and finally, cosmetic stuff. This car needs paint bad. Holy oxidation, Batman!
These last couple months have been a roller coaster for me. Early last month, my wife and I were involved in an accident in my Subaru when another driver ran a read light and t-boned us, deflecting us into a street lamp pole. We're both OK, but that car was totaled. We're currently a one car family until I can get the 944 into daily driver shape. I'd buy another more reliable car, but we're also in the process of buying a house (with my own two car garage - finally! ) so we're trying to save money where we can in anticipation of inevitable repair work.
Fortunately, my insurance company let me swap the stock Subaru parts I kept for the aftermarket ones that were on the car (most of the expensive stuff was still intact), so I've been able to sell those in order to cover a paint job and maybe a seat reupholstery kit for ze Porsche. I'll try to do a lot of the prep work myself, but I have no experience with a paint gun, so I'll leave that to a professional.
Today I tallied up everything I've done to my car over the course of 6 years, during which it's only actually been drivable for less than two years. Everything from the timing belt forward was replaced within the past 18 months.
In chronological order, excluding oil changes, I've replaced the engine mounts, front tires, windshield wiper motor, clutch, timing belt, water pump, valve cover gasket, headlight motor, side mirror glass, power steering pump and return hose, spark plugs and wires, distributor cap and rotor, air filter, engine bay fuel lines, fuel filter, fuel injectors, front sway bar bushings, a few water hoses, all four brake pads and lines, front rotors, various intake hoses, hood struts, passenger side door linkage, rear hatch seal, throttle body seals, idle stabilizer valve mounts, air oil separator seals, and exhaust manifolds. Just ordered a pair of headlights and a ball joint repair kit. After that will probably be a new set of tires.
Whew. It's all starting to come together. Running tally, including the cost of the car: about $6000. Learning to work on my own car: Priceless.
Way to go Buthter, good job. I try not to look at the parts list on my 928 I'm afraid I'd get pissed. the 924 on the other hand hasn't been to bad. Looking forward to see your repaint.
Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement. Don't hold your breath with that paint job, though. It's gonna be a while. It's hard to justify spending that much money on this car, even if I am able to keep costs down by doing the prep work myself.
03-02-2016, 02:16 PM
) so we're trying to save money where we can in anticipation of inevitable repair work.
