Want to be

Hi guys, I have been considering purchasing a 928S4. My question, Is a 928S4 any more difficult to work on compared to a 951? I recently replaced my HG and the timing belt on the 951. Is it difficult to replace the timing belt on 928? I noticed on Ebay they were selling water pumps for under $200 dollars. Is there a good Non OEM place to purchase water pumps? Is there a location for a 928 DIY info? The 944/951 website seems to have alot of info on 944's, but i can find much on these cars. (example, clarks garage)

The mileage on the 928 is nearly the same as my 951, 133k miles

Anyways, any info would be great

thanks jpc

puyi

928 is much more simple to work on as a 951 is an "usine à gaz".

WP / TB works is very easy on a 928 as well as clutch replacement. Generally speaking, the 928 is a muche more engineered car.

Puyi

Ian928

We have both, my girlfriend have a 951 and I have a 928S. We have changed clutch and timing belt on the 951 and pulled the engine on the 928. Have to say the 928 is much better to work on. The 928 was designed fromo the ground up, the 951 was "made to fit" and this is reflected in the maintenance.

Landseer

Well the 951 must be hell to work on. 32 Valve 928's are complicated. You gotta like that kind of thing.

lrpman

Sold my 951 and it was more of a pain than the 928 is SO FAR. The 951 had it's good points and was a great ride. Got no respect at the local car gatherings since it was referred to as a WANNA BE Porsche. The 928 gets the lookers in the brief time I have had it out (2) days.
I guess since I work on a pair of V12 Jaguars in our collection the 928 is a dream to work on.

catamount

I own a 1987 951 and a 1984 928. So far I'd have to say generally overall, they are somewhat equal. They each have their unique opportunities for challenging your brain, physical abilities and patience.

Personally, I would say between the two my 928 and the notorious 928 electrical issues make it a bit more challenging to my patience. Then again, my 928 wasn't well loved before me while my 951 was well loved by POs.

Also, very, very, very different driving experiences. The 928 is a GT car, it's big and it's heavy. It's surprisingly agile given those points. But the 951 is exceptionally balanced and tossable in a way the 928 isn't. The 951, to me, is much more of a sports car and is much more of a visceral experience.

Tom in Austin

I had a 968 before the Shark, and I would say the main difference is less room under the hood. Can be pretty challenging to reach things sometimes on a 928. Otherwise, fairly similar levels of complexity in the design and materials ...

Larry Velk

The driveline on 928's is much easier to work on. Nine-2-eight timing belt is also much easier. Our 951 has proven to be much, much more reliable, despite having some of the same or similar systems (it has a temp control style heat/A/C, but it works). The clutch master on the 951 was the worst I've seen - until I did the 928. The 928 is much better for shorter drivers and the rear seats are almost usable for thin people on 10 minute drives to dinner. Our 2 cars have similar miles (very low) and have had very few owners - the 951 is tighter and stuff like the power windows seem way more reliable. I can't imagine running a 951 on the track as the underhood and drivetrain are very shaky on design - the trans just barely clears during clutch jobs - it literally scrapes the undercoat from the rear underbody to make it out. No way to drive a 951 in salt as the salt would make all the little strange parts under the engine sieze up and prevent future repairs. We do the opposite - use the 928 as the daily beater and the 951 for special use, despite all the little crap falling off the 928 it is better as an everyday car.

heinrich

Larry this is not what he asked. He asked, is one easier than the other to work on. You are risking devolving this thread into a bashing thread. KUDOS to other posters who have kept very nicely to the actual question asked

heinrich

To answer from my perspective, I agree with the collective answer thus far: About equal, UI have owned more than one of each in the past.

namasgt

Go on the sponsors section and you will find 928 part suppliers, don't buy parts from ebay. I use 928srus or 928 international, there is also 928 specialist.
as far as water pump goes, the genuine Porsche water pump goes for 800 to $1000 with plastic impeller (so if the impeller fails it would not damage the block). the new improved Laso ones are around $220 with a steel impeller (so if it fails it will damage the block and cause future cooling problems).
I would not buy a rebuilt, but you can get them for $120 with core.
just do a search and you will find out how some of the water pumps fail to damage the block.
Also there is a tone of information on how to maintain these cars on this forum, you just have to search for it.

here is an example for pump failure:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...ned-block.html

dprantl

In the ease of working on department, easiest first:

968 -> 928 -> 944 -> 951

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft

James Bailey

What would make the 968 easier to work on than the 944 ?? just wondering....

UncleMaz

+1 I have not worked on any 968's, but given the improvement on clutch access, your order seems about right.

Nothing like Clark's Garage, but a wealth of info available here. Also, I am pretty new here, but I will PM you some good links to some good info that is working for me.

I would also add that it seems that the 928 is more difficult from above (engine compartment) and a 951, with all of the plumbing, is more difficult below the engine compartment (underneath the car).

944 variants have torsion bars. Adjusting those is pure hell (bushing scraping). This is not an issue on a 928 (coil-overs).

I cannot imagine a worse job than a 951 clutch job without a lift. It took two of us about 24 hours total doing it on our back.

UncleMaz

Clutch access.