Well, I took the 944 in to have the timing belt and balance shaft belt done. I also had a pretty good oil leak from the camshaft tower, so they were going to do that too. I have too many projects going on to tackle it myself, so thought I would just pay my Indy shop to get this project done. Got a call yesterday and they told me that the #5 roller is chewed up pretty bad and the camshaft is also damaged. Quoted me $900 for the camshaft and $250 per roller. Has to order from Germany and a two week lead time. I am going down to the shop to check out the damage today. I assume that someone makes aftermarket camshaft and rollers? I haven't even looked yet, but will research today. I have only had this car for 6 months. Anyone else had this roller and. Camshaft damage before? The car seemed to run fine, except for the oil leak before, and the mechanic said the same thing.

 

Rollers made by ina which are also factory oe should be in ~$70/piece range.

 

That's interesting... because a 944 engine only has 4 "rollers" unless it's a 16v engine (944S/944S2/968).

Find some time to do it yourself.
If you are decent with a wrench you can do a 944 timing belt job in 2-3 hours.
And the whole parts kit (belt and all rollers) is barely $250.

If you really need a camshaft (how would they know the cam is damaged without removing it?) you can get a good used one for about $50.

 

I hate auto shops, DIY only way to go. Most of them will concoct a way to empty your wallet.

 

I suppose the cam can get damaged from someone overtorquing the sprocket bolt but that can usually be filed out. Used cams are cheap, god knows why they would want to buy new.

Rollers wear out but how do they get "chewed up?"

What sort of 944 do you have? Have you looked at the cost of rollers from typical non-dealer sources? Or a quality kit?

If you are making his boat payment he should at least take you fishing.
-Joel.

 

Something is being taken for a ride, and it's not the car!

So the question is now, do you have time to have $2000 sucked out of your account?

Auto shops do suck, that is why we have communities like this to assist folks in fixing their car, and by helping others with the knowledge they have gained fixing their own/other peoples 944.

Take the car out of that shop and fix it yourself, as V2 said, timing belt change with rollers is a $250 max job and in an afternoon you'll be done.

Camshaft ruined, I find that highly unlikely if the car was driving fine. Did they tell you "man, you dodged a bullet. If you have driven this thing another second, you would need a new engine for $15k"?

Scumbags

 

Agree. That shop sucks.

I wish more shops in the US would do like they do in the UK with reasonable fixed-price services. Not the cheapest, but at least you know what you will pay.

Like this:
http://eliteporsche.co.uk/servicing/944/index.html

 

It may be counter intuitive, but you're far more likely to get a fair price and better quality work from a real Porsche specialist shop. Go to the www.pca.org (Porsche Club of America) region you're in and see which shops support local racers and host local meetings. This will be a shop that knows 944s inside and out, and who will be fair because their reputation relies on it in the P-car world.

 

shameless plug -
here in CA I do timing belt jobs for $600 including the parts...
water pump+timing belt jobs for $900 including the parts...
head gasket replacement + water pump+timing belt job for $1500 including parts and rebuilt head...

 

Trust me on this, give Rennsport KC a call. They're in the KC area. The owner is a long time rennlister (PorscheDoc) and a great guy who knows 944s better than anyone.

 

Ask them to send you a picture of the damage to the cam and roller. We'll help you size it up. I wonder if he's talking about a damaged hydraulic lifter? Normally, "rollers" refer to pulley-like bearings the belts roll over, but they are cheap, and aren't numbered, and you'd have to count creatively to get to 5 if you counted them. Rollers are readily available everywhere, like this kit that includes all four for $180:

http://www.944online.com/cgi-bin/ASI...ercooling-9441

Lifters, on the other hand, can be referenced by number and are no longer available in the aftermarket, and Porsche indeed wants over $200 each... If that's the part you need, consider a "rebuilt" lifter from 944online:
http://www.944online.com/cgi-bin/ASI...skukey_1000751

Stock cams are a dime a dozen in good used condition, and generally last a long time. Brand new performance cams are available for less than $900...

 

^^^ This

 

Exactly. I kept thinking - what the hell is a roller? These cars do not use rollers in association with the cam. Lifters, yes.

Good luck sorting this out. This is one of the many reasons I let no one else touch my vehicles. Not that any are all that special - but at least they get fixed right and I know what I am paying for.

 

I think what we are asking you to do as a collective group is let us help you out. Either with diy or with recommending a shop.

Or ship the car to V2 and let him do the tb job, it will probably be cheaper

 

Thanks for the great replies. I normally do most of the irepairs myself but I am doing some home remodeling and have other vehicles to work on too. I went to the shop and he did show me exactly what was happening with the car. I was mistakenly calling them rollers, when they were the lifters. He had all 8 laid out on the bench with the camshaft. The #5 lifter did have a little distortion to it and was not like the others. The cam shaft lobe that pushes #5 had some pitting on it. He said that if I didn't change the camshaft and at least the #5 lifter, then it would end up ruining the lifter and the cam eventually again. He was looking for aftermarket lifters and a camshaft, but hasn't had much luck as of today. The lifters for the 1987 N/A are more expensive than for the turbo. This shop is pretty well known and they do work on some high end cars. Has a great reputation, and he took me back into the shop and showed me exactly what he was seeing. Yeah, I am paying for his labor, where I could proabably do it myself, but I just need to get the project done and move onto my other vehicles and projects.

If anyone has some good intel on the Camshaft and Lifters that would be very much appreciated. Thanks again.