944 Lachlan

Didn't realize that, but I checked the part number of the one I got and it's good through 86. I found another 944 blogger who mentioned having to torque everything down and open it up again three times before the shaft spun correctly. No explanation why the third time was the charm.

Tom M'Guinn

Be sure to follow the tightening sequence and torque specs for the cover and bearing cap, as listed in the FSM and Clark's. The shaft should spin by hand, though new bearings often will have a little more drag than old worn-in bearings . If you give it a quick twist by hand, the shaft should spin a some on its own and not immediately stop when you let go. More often than not, if it's tight, it is the front nose piece that's binding a little. You can isolate where it's binding by taking off the nose piece. If it is still tight with the nose off, then concentrate on the bearing cap and cover tightening sequence/specs. If it spins freely without the nose in place, then try tightening down the nose as evenly and gradually as possible (turn each bolt a tiny bit then move to the next and keep moving around till they're all eventually tight), and rotate the shaft as you go to help the nose self-align.

944 Lachlan

Pretty amazing how much a tiny movement in the snout can bind the shaft so easily.

Tom M'Guinn

Agreed. Did it free up by re-aligning the snout?

944 Lachlan

yes. I had assumed torquing the rear bearing cap was causing the bind, but it turns out it was just properly locating the rear to an improperly located front.