athenian

Why is the timiming belt and water pump change so expensive???

(I posted earlier about the noises coming from the general frontal area of the car....Sorry if I have double-posted on the topic).

How much is just for the parts and related pulleys, belts, nuts/bolts etc???

I'm talking about doing the entire change by myself.....

Thanks for your input - VK

Tom. M

Yep..lots of stuff to do in there...and much stuff to move and disconnect..

Parts alone run around 400 or so..


Good Luck..
later,
Tom
midlman@rennlist.net
89GT

Andrew Schauer

If you want to replace any seals or old rubber parts, which is probably a good idea, expect to spend a couple hundred more.

athenian

Thanks Tom....

It seems that you've done it yourself....I have read the different procedures on the timing belt/water pump changes and I'm getting myself warmed up for it (although I'm not really looking forward to it....)

VK

gosbollen

It's really not that hard with all the documentation available. Good luck

Jerry 87 928S4

My parts were slightly under $360 and it took 10 hours with the help of someone who had done it before. We also cleaned up other things along the way from the PO.

Just call one of the big 3 and have them tell you what you need.

Bill Ball

It's not a bad task, providing you don't run into broken water pump bolts - the water pump is held on by 16 tiny bolts. If the pump is original you could be headed for this headache. If you don't have a fair amount of experience dealing with broken bolts, this will turn the job into an ordeal. You can get help with that here, but the best thing is to avoid snapping them if possible by being very careful with any that don't loosen easily. Any tight ones should get penetrant, heat, and a rap on the head to loosen corrosion.

The 10 hour quote is if everything is uneventful. The part cost SHOULD be $300-400+ as you should replace all the rollers, bushings and rebuild the tensioner, as well as the belt and pump. Since the v-belts must come off, this is a good time to service them. Finally, since you have to uncover them, the main seal and oil pump seal should be on the list. Might as well do the radiator hoses too.

heinrich

If you had me do it (and I'm a computer guy) I'd charge you more than 1k. When I did my two so far, I remember thinking how bad I felt for ragging on the mechanic for charging me 1100 for my first job .... huge, many hours IMHO.

Kaz

Cost a bit more to do the timing belt on the Audi S4 and requires front bumper removal. Looks startingly similar as well. You need a special tool to pull the cam gear too.

I don't complain about 928 belt service anymore.

athenian

Well, thanks for your thoughts guys....

Heinrich, kudos to you and the others who have performed such a vital but delicate procedure on your own...I have read the online documentation and it looks like a BIG job for even a trained mechanic....

Unfortunately, there's no one around here (upstate NY) with proven experience on doing the procedure...I know Steve C. is close by but he does transmission work on the 928s and he's a member of the forum...Maybe I'll call him on advice. Besides him there's no Porsche dealers around or Porsche trained mechanics....

I'm tempted to do the timing belt/water pump change myself but I have several projects waiting for me to finish....Damn, the summer is going by so fast....

VK

okbarnett

If you get it done for $1000 its gonna be a sloppy job. But then again, if you pay the wrong guy $2000 , it will still be a sloppy job.

UKKid35

A cam belt change is like a walk in the park compared with what you end up doing if you don't do the belt job.

There are lots of online guides and even more people prepared to give invaluable advice, so it's not something you should be too concerned about tackling. Be prepared to either spend a bit more money up front on parts for every eventuality, or allow yourself extra time with the car off the road if you don't. For instance you won't know whether you need new sprockets until after you take the cam covers off.

SharkSkin

Based on what I've read of the procedure online, I'd suggest you replace all the water pump bolts with new, and get a good torque wrench that reads accurately in in/lbs in the range you will be using. M6 hardware is very easy to strip/break!

tuk_928

I wish it was feasible to obtain a Porsche 928-trained technician's / shop's "success rate" statistics (e.g., post-procedure survival data) for the 928 cambelt/water pump (and related procedures) they have performed during their careers. Doesn't this make sense given the risks?!

As you all know...the importance of having this work done correctly is not unlike choosing a good surgeon. We know the risks involved if something is not done correctly here....catastrophic failure.

I've almost decided that for myself a see one: do one approach would be most comforting. My belt isn't due for several years yet so I will be studying up on the procedure and hopefully assisting someone with their cambelt / water pump service...

Tim