R.Pires

That's from where I figured that my car, being an 83 euro model, and engine number 82D0438, has an M28.11 engine and, according with that, the tensioner MUST BE the 928 105 046 06! There are other 3 tensioner options, but they are specific for other engines M28.43, 44, etc.
But I can only read the PET and take my conclusions, the "specialist" is at the dealer....
Sometimes we heard stories about things that happen in official dealers (not only Porsche, of course) and we conclude that sometimes they don’t even know anything about models with 2 or 3 years old, how can we expect they have any idea about a 25 year old car and as complex as the 928?
But they could at least make an effort and read the PET lool!!

Best regards

Ricardo Pires

R.Pires

I was surprised too!
And also the tensioner gasket we can't say it's expensive!
I don't know the reason but could it be that those gaskets aren't Porsche specific and if they sell them for a higher price everyone will buy it anywhere else?
Just a though, but in fact those prices are not "normal" Porsche parts prices!

Best regards

Ricardo Pires

R.Pires

Hi all,

A few minutes ago a received the answer from the official Porsche dealer in Madrid, regarding the belt tensioner.
After consulting the “specialists” what I need is to buy the parts 928 105 067 00 and 928 105 147 03 and…prepare yourselves for this: CUT THE TENSIONER HOUSING TO FIT IN PLACE OF THE OLD ONE!!!
I’m speechless, really, a part that cost me 700 euros and now I have to cut it to fix??
It’s like buying a Rolex, it’s too large on your wrist and the house that sells it tells you to get a saw and fix it!!!
The guy keeps saying that the part 928 105 046 06 (by the PET, the correct one for my car) was discontinued and replaced by 928 105 036 00! How can a part be discontinued and replaced by other that doesn’t fit and as to be cut “at home”?
I’d like to send an email with this entire story to the headquarters of Porsche, in Germany, but first I’d like to know your opinions of what should I do.

Thanks in advance
Best regards

Ricardo Pires

WallyP

I don't know what you should do - but I certainly know what I would do! Send the wrong part back for a full refund, buy the very few parts necessary to rebuild your tensioner, and - if necessary - get a new mechanic.

Jim bailey - 928 International

If you cut the tensioner housing then the bracket which mounts the pulley for the belt driven cooling fan will no longer align with the crankshaft pulley.....that is NOT an option ! I understand that dealers in Europe are not as consumer friendly as they are in the U S ( that sounds odd ) but they really sold you the wrong part.

R.Pires

Thanks for your answers. Can I use all the "interior" parts of the new tensioner, take them out and use them on the old tensioner housing?

Jim bailey - 928 International

I THINK so , have not done it but it should be OK .

Garth S

One could, but IMHO, that is the wrong direction to follow.

The tensioner the dealer sold you is the S4 version .... that has the center bore offset +8mm to the front: this alignes the centers of the tensioner, push rod, dimple in the carrier, tensioner roller, and center of the timing belt. Only a massive idiot would advise one "to cut" a tensioner to fit!!!!!

Look at the first pic .... the carrier arm on the left and pivot stud directly above are S4 parts: the carrier arm to the right ( with your 16valve type pivot bolt above) is a later type that has the push rod dimple +8mm outboard from the carrier arm that I suspect that you now have. If you had that carrier arm, the S4 tensioner they sold you could be used.

The second pic should show your current arm on the left .... and the "+8mm" one on the right, both for the early 16v engines that use a pivot bolt vs stud.

Your current tensioner is top center in pic #3, and pulled apart on the upper left. More (poor ) detail is shown in the last pic.

Unless the internals of your current tensioner are destroyed, I would again strongly advise buying the boot/clamp/O-ring .... and refurbish it: if you are motivated to spend 700 euros for a tensioner that is unlikely needed, you also need to buy the "+8mm" offset arm pictured ...... bet they quote 400 euros for that

Mon ami, I sincerly hope this helps you : please feel free to send it off to the Parts Dummy .... so he can actually learn something

cold_beer839

Order a Porkensioner. Screw that stock tensioner.

Hilton

Ricardo, do not let them do anything to the car - they are prepared to risk your interference engine with hand-cut belt-aligning parts. That should tell you they are not competent at working on 928's, and you should not trust any work done by them as they have no experience with the engine (or common sense apparently).

Contact the Porsche Club Portugal and get the name and number of the 928 representative. Then call him/her and ask if they know of any local independent 928 mechanics in your part of Portugal.

R.Pires

First of all, thanks everybody for the help

Xlot
The problem isn’t with the mechanic, that poor guy has only informed me what he needed to do the job and when I get him the parts he only says “Sorry but this doesn’t fit”! He didn’t even think about cutting the tensioner!
The weirdest part of the story is that who keeps telling me the part is correct and I must cut it to fit is the seller of the parts, the guy in charge for the spares department in Porsche Spain official dealer!!!
If my problem were the mechanic that will be solved in 5 minutes, towing the car to another shop.


Garth S
Thanks for your incredibly detailed explanation and pics!
I must confess that it’s a little too much technical for me, because I’m not an expert, although I understand and see what you mean, but I also can see that the interior of my old tensioner is in a very poor condition. I agree with you, I also thing that is the wrong direction to follow!
I already pay for a complete new one, that’s what I will get, sooner or later, one way or another!
Next Friday I will go to Porsche official dealer in Lisbon, with the 2 tensioners and see what they have to say about it!
Maybe I made a mistake ordering the parts from Spain, but the official dealer in Lisbon doesn’t stock 928 parts. When he as a request he order them from Spain. So I thought I save them the work (and save myself some euros, because on their way from Spain to Portugal the parts strangely increase their value….) and order directly! If only I knew….
I also have send an email to Porsche in Germany, explaining the situation, let’s see if they answer and if they do if they also tell me to cut the tensioner….

By the way, after telling me to cut the tensioner, he said that I needed also parts number 928 105 067 00 and 928 105 147 03. Can you tell me what are this parts and if I really need them or is the guy trying to deceive me again?

Best regards

Ricardo Pires

Hilton

You can search parts at http://www.mailordercentral.com/928intl/ - there's an option to search by item number. Or check the Porsche parts list I linked previously in this thread.

928 105 067 00 is the lower idler assembly - for VIN numbers higher than 0455 on your M28/11 engined car
928 105 147 03 is the centre timing belt cover for cars up to MY82 according to the Porsche parts list I linked earlier in this thread - although there is a note saying this part is needed for the above idler in the parts list.


I can see replacing the lower idler as part of a timing belt job (I did on mine a few months back), but you shouldn't need a timing belt cover as presumably there's already one on your car (unless yours is not there at all?).

For your info, the first 9 digits of a part number identify which part it is, including whether the car is LHD or RHD (928 or 927 part), and which side of the car the part is from if there are left and right-side variants. The last 2 digits are the revision of the part, which changes for the model years, and also improvements made by Porsche to fix original design defects. Thus the centre timing belt cover is identified by "928 105 147" and the 03, 05 etc. are all just different versions of that same part. This will help you in searching parts lists