85fortheDrive

I picked up the car from the Porsche dealer a few days ago after its emergency TB/WP repair. While the car is running nicely, I've noticed two things since the fix:

1. The engine rumble is not as deep or as loud (car is normally aspirated)
2. The car seems comparatively sluggish through 3500 rpm. Historically, it has been sluggish through 2800 rpms, but when I would hit 3000 rpm in third gear, it would really wake up and move out. Today, I got no such wake up, though it seemed to wake up at about 4000 rpm.

I did not anticipate such changes. Any idea what might be the deal?

Thanks,
Tim

hacker-pschorr

$5 on cam timing.

Or do the new belts need X number of miles to break in before everything is where it should be?

New question - how much are they going to charge to re-tighten the belt in a few thousand miles?

Jack Riffle

Gotta go along with Hacker. Bet a paycheck on cam timing. Oh, btw, It takes about 5 minutes to re-check and adjust tension on the belt. You can do it yourself, easy.

hacker-pschorr

Non-interfearence motor, if it's running ok wait until you are up here next weekend and we will take a look at it.

I always have enough tools along for that kind of stuff.

Or better yet, get some of your money's worth out of the dealer - insist they double check the cam timing. It takes longer to remove the belt covers than to actually check the timing.

Jack Riffle

Yep, takes longer to get the covers off than to check it but..........if its off a toothe they have a whole bunch more work to do to make it right.

hacker-pschorr

Ah yes, very good point. Clothes pins come in handy.

85fortheDrive

I think I will head up to RA for Labor Day, if I can figure out how to register for the deal. If you wouldn't mind taking a look, I'd be most grateful.

The cost to retension the belt is $160.

BTW, am I married to a sweetie or what. Even after this $$$ TB job, she gave me the green light to do the new Y-pipe.

Bill Ball

How about the distributor and vacuum advance? Either/both could have been screwed up during service.

Jack Riffle

Great Gal. Spend the $160.00 on that x-pipe and retension it yourself. Or, hurry up and put 1K miles on it and let Eriik help you. He works cheap, shouldn't cost you ONE BOTTLE MORE than a case of Hacker-Pschorr.

85fortheDrive

Bill, thanks for the thought - it's news to me. Am I right in thinking that distributor timing is pretty simple to check and reset?

Jack, I wish it were $160 for an X, but it's gonna be $450 for a Y. As for Erik, he's already been a big help. I'm not sure I have the know-how to do the retensioning myself. If it turns out to be timing issues, I'm gonna ring the chime of the dealer to make right by it.

Jack Riffle

Tim, you are very correct. If its ignition (distributor) timing, that's an easy fix, but I am about 99% sure that Erik hit the nail on the head with cam timing, which is very different than ignition timing. From the symptoms you described it doesn't sound like ignition timing. And it's really easy to be a toothe off when installing a new timing belt. Damn, those valve springs have a lot of pressure on them!

Bill Ball

If the shop was able to mess up the cam timing, it could be all the above! Anyway, the distributor and vacuum advance is very simple to check/adjust with a timing light.

hacker-pschorr

Bill,
I might be missing something here. Unless the vacuum line is off the vacuum canaster, what else could be hooked up wrong with the vacuum advance?

Jack Riffle

Okay Bill, I know I am just an amatuer but the ignition timing shouldn't have changed with only a TB replacement. Distributor doesn't have to come out and shouldn't have been moved. Neither did the vacuum advance or vacuum retard lines have to come off. That's why I have to say it's cam timing. It's a bear to keep both those cams aligned with the crank gear when installing a new belt. If I had seven arms it would be a piece of cake.

Bill Ball

Enzo, baby. Hey, I agree you're probably right about the cams. I was going to back up your $5 bet with another $10. I was just throwing out another likely cause for loss of power and change in the power curve. Vacuum disconnected, distributor twisted out of time. These shouldn't have been touched in a TB job, but who knows?