perrys4

Wish I had seen this before i called Rob to hear they were up there already elbow deep! I would have loved to help Ryan with this job since my car also needs the same done to it.

Ryan, I thought you had sold the car and the buyer was picking it up Thursday?

Rob Edwards

Hey Bob, did you know the fuel cutoff in your car is right at 6800 rpm?


Actually, I babied it home in the right lane, like that scene in Risky business, wtih bikers passing me. Bob's car is the nicest S4 Auto I've ever driven, a lot less frenetic than the GT at 70 mph. Must be the new rear wheel bearings Bob's car has.

RyanPerrella

Tried that, no worky.

Thursday was supposed to be pick up day but he just came and looked at it and its supposed to be picked up by this coming thursday now..... we will see

If/when you do your mounts let me know, i will lend a hand

perrys4

I will, if I can keep the car. I have enough cash to get by for a while but if necessary then I will have to sell.

the flyin' scotsman

Ryan.......do you have pics of your engine supported from above and the method of re-installing the x member?

I'll be doing my OPG in the next week or so and while primarily doing the work solo I'm hopeful to persuade a helping hand for the install........I remember only to well the struggle when I did the MMs.

Rob Edwards

Malcolm-

We used my engine hoist bar, the one that Carl sells. The 4x4 + chain methods that people have posted is fine too. Pic below:

RE: getting the crossmember back in, we struggled with it, even with 3 pairs of hands. It's tricky getting it all up and in given the motor mounts, the power steering lines, and ESPECIALLY gettin the crossmember above the rear ends of the lower control arms. Since Bob's impact wrench was sitting right there, it occurred to me to just remove the lower shock absorber thru bolt on the driver's side, which allowed me to rotate the LCA completely out of the way. Takes 30 seconds and makes it a lot easier to get the crossmember back up.

RyanPerrella

Yes, another great tip

Removing the lower control arm is really quite simple at this point, you just loosen the bolt and pul it, then the whole arm swings away. Then it takes all of maybe a minute of extra time to put the bolt back in and torque it to spec.

dr bob

Of course a day late, I used the floor jack to push up on the rotor end of the arm when I did mine single-handed. Bottom of the shock is the fulcrum, inner end goes down to make room for the crossmember. It's not too tough getting one end of the crossmember up, then put just one of the long bearing cap bolts in a few threads to keep that end of the crossmember from falling out. Then it's a matter of sorting the heat shields and MM's into place as you bring the other end up. With the inner end of the LAC lowered however you do it, the crossmember will swing up into place. Take a picture of the PS hoses, and the alternator and battery cable harnesses in plce before you start removing the rack. Helps you remember on assembly later.

Once it's lined up and a the bolts are started, the impact gun does a great job snugging things up quickly. Don't really tighten with it, save that part for the torque wrench.


One more kudo for pressure-washing all the slime off the bottom of the car prior to even starting the work. A bit of time spent pre-washing saved a lot of time later, and a lot of the misery part of the job also disappeared.


Ryan--forgot to ask if I hit the marks in the steering shaft. Got a chronic right turn when the wheel is in the middle?

dr bob

For the crossbar, this is by far the most elegant way to manage the engine weight. When we needed to pick the motor another half-inch to make more room for the mounts and thecrossmember in install, just twist the handle while holding the j-bolt underneath with a wrench. Came right up to where we wanted it.

Stacked 4x4's would do it too I guess. Use a long piece of big all-thread with a hook on one end, and a load/bearing plate on the top for a few greased washers to sit on, then a nut. Hook the all thread through the front bracket where the chains are in the pucture, tighten on top to raise it. Going that route. you'll want to put a spreader block under the oil pan, and actually do the lifting with the floor jack from underneath. Tension the bolt on top, then lower the jack from underneath to let the 4x4's carry the weight. Knowing what I know now though, the brossbar that Rob has makes this a snap, and seems just ever so slightly safer working underneath.

UKKid35

It's even easier if you put a taper on the bolt itself.

UKKid35

It was really good to meet you all, thanks for inviting me over.

I was really impressed with the rear wheel bearing tool, I won't be intimidated by that job again thanks to Dr Bob.

It was also interesting to see (and hear) what happens when you put some really smart looking 19" wheels on a 928 - thanks Ryan!

One last point, Dr Bob's spotless garage is actually larger (and probably cleaner) than the apartment where I live in London, and the view from his house is spectacular. As I drove up the private road to Dr Bob's I was greeted by the sight of his beautiful black 928 surveying all below - very impressive!

dr bob

Paul, it was a pleasure meeting you and having you visit. You may possibly hold the record for total distance traveled to a 928 motor mount clinic.

That 'spotless' (you are way too generous...) garage is getting back to normal now, after we finished Rob's wheel bearing last evening. Tools are cleaned and put away, floor is scrubbed clean and shiny, Karen's car is washed. Rags are cleaned and folded again. Ryan's greasy sock-rag-things are on their way to a landfill (sorry Sierra Club...) All is wonderful again.

Rob and I were talking last evening some about the bearing tool. The functional difference between the Sir Tools kit and the $80 Harbor Freight kit is the frame used to extract the hub from the bearing. You can use a slide hammer for that task as many have done. No difference after that first step. If I was going to need this thing more often and was budget-cramped, I'd buy a short section of iron drain pipe to fit over the hub and against the upright, and weld a thick crossbar with a hole in it across one end. The jackscrew would go through that for pulling the hub out. There would need to be a couple reliefs for the supports for the parking brake, but it would be relatively simple and would save a pile of $$ over the full kit. The Sir Tools kit travels to the SF bay area next month for a clinic with Bill and Nicole and a few others. We'll get more feedback then I'm sure.

Oh, the car was parked up in our 'overflow' area. For cars that are in the way in the driveway (mine) and for guest cars that have oil seepage problems (a Very Brown 928, not going to mention any names for fear of making Jim feel funny...)


Again, thanks for joining us!

RyanPerrella

OH WHATEVER!

You loved my old socks/rags! I better not see you wearing them next time!

Oh and as for the steering wheel angle, I told you it was offset in the wrong direction, so i think you would have solved it had i told you the right direction, as it stands its worse LOL

But its very easily fixed, just gotta disconnect the battery pull the wheel and adjust. I need to pull the pod to do something about the cracks anyway....... because

As it stands, it seems like i will have the car a bit longer. My buyer apparently wasnt as liquid as he had thought. I am ok with it though. He forfeited the deposit, I can now sell the much more expensive 19" wheels, replace with the stock factory items, probably sell the audio gear and just run the speakers off the HU and I will also re-dye the front seats and try and do some of my magic on the dash crack and the pod cracks before polishing, and taking new pics and relisting.

Bummer, but I actually think i will turn out ahead doing all that stuff. I had other potential bidders that were turned off by my forward suggestion that the mounts should be replaced. Now they are so that should eliminate that question from ever being asked again. Its funny i think 80% of cars had collapsed mounts...... whatever, this one doesn't anymore!

Oh and i also found a replacement starter.......

UKKid35

Just a little follow up, and a reminder that we met back in 2009.


Thank you so much for this:

That made me focus on a single cylinder as the problem, previously I had assumed that it was a brutal head skim that was causing the pinking, but in fact it was simply a faulty injector.

Now that my Cerbera is no longer trying to destroy itself, I should have more time to focus on the 928. I decided that since I'd paid for the Cerbera's injectors to be tested and cleaned, I would do the same with a spare set that I have for the 928, so I will be fitting them shortly.

I suspect that without your insight my Cerbera's life expectancy would be much reduced. Thank you most sincerely.

dr bob

Thanks for bringing back the memory! A whole lot has happened in the intervening years. We sold the little bungalow on the bluff there in Glendale, migrating north to a much more sedate place in central Oregon. Downside is that We are no longer on the southwestern flank of Angeles National Forest and pretty much year round access to some of the most fun driving in SoCal. It will take a while to build a new network of 928 enthusiasts here too. I confess that it's almost completely my fault though, having done virtually nothing so far to improve the situation. No clinics, no fun drives, and barely any driving since we arrived here.

Of the other players that day in Glendale, Paul continues his ownership experience in London. Rob Edwards is in the middle of his latest resto-recovery project with William A.'s OB. Ryan is at Porsche Beverly Hills last we spoke, and that's been a while; his GT moved on to a new owner shortly after the clinic in 2009. Jim Bailey came by that doy to visit, and to share that he had parted ways with Mark and 928 International, and since then has gone on to find his passion both in front of and behind the TV camera.

Ron Perry was going through a rough patch, and ended up passing his S4 on to Jeff S. in Nebraska. I haven't heard from him in a long while. He's one of the most quietly enthusiastic 928 owner's I've ever met. That's even more impessive when you consider that in his time as a photojournalist for R&T, he was exposed to an amazing array of supercars.

Paul, great to hear from you, and again thanks for bring back this memory! The cars are cool, but the people are what makes it all the most fun.