Mrmerlin

Get the new parts from Roger@928srus.com

928Benz

Thanks all for your insight. A lot of useful info from all of you and what to expect with replacing T-belt and motor mounts.

I will see if it's not too late for Sonny to source the parts from Roger. Also, I noticed that there's a Gates Racing Timing Belt offered as well. Anybody use this and if so, can you say from experience that the longevity/durability is better than a factory or standard Gates ?

Alexei, if I get my car back on time, we'll definitely meet up to caravan to Hershey. And yes, crossing Verrazano is the quickest way for me to GS pkway. Trying to get my friend to join us, but he feels embarassed caravanning with us in his yellow boxter. Go figure. It's still a Porsche. Lol.

hacker-pschorr

To put things into perspective, I recently learned to replace a clutch on a late model VW is in the $2,000 range. Those dual mass flywheels are not cheap.

whatudrivin

Same here. I prefer working alone most times but with this car I may be better off if I have some help just because there is a lot that I need to learn. But I will have a beer or 2. But never enough that I start feeling the effects of the beer. Just because I like the taste and I need something to drink.

GregBBRD

I personally believe that for your application, you will be just as happy with the "stock" Gates belt and save yourself a few dollars. "Racing" generally means that it is made for racing use. I know that this can get confusing, as there are unscrupulous venders that will sell anything to anyone, but most "honest" vendors won't sell a "racing part" to a "pure street" user. I'm betting that if you get Roger on the phone, he will "encourage" you to use the standard Gates belt, for your application!

Note that I still believe that your water pump/belt job will "inflate" 20%, minimum, before you are done getting all the pieces you need.

I do find it very interesting that everyone things I'm so "expensive" working on 928s. My "rates" seem to be completely in line with every other "professional" working on these vehicles....I might even be "cheaper" on some jobs. Yes, I can't compete with people doing work at their homes.

I find it humorous that many people will never even ask me for a quote to do a job...because of the "unfounded reputation" of me being uber expensive.

Recently, one of the "parts' suppliers that sold a used transmission to a "lister" encouraged that "lister" to have it installed at one of the local "low overhead we will do anything for a buck" shops. I had inspected that transmission and had told the supplier that the limited slip was very weak....which may have been why he didn't want me to install it....probably didn't want the customer to "hear" that. Anyway, long story short, that transmission got "blindly" installed with the "known weak" limited slip.

Guess what? The owner figured out that it was weak and last I heard, was trying to figure out what to do about having a virtually "worthless" limited slip.

The really funny thing is that it would have cost no more to have all the work done here....except he wouldn't need to do it over!

I think that experience and attention to detail trumps "low overhead we will do anything for a buck" every single time....however, there are always going to be people out there that think it is "cheaper" to do the job multiple times.

To the OP...sounds like you are in good hands, even if the job turns out to be a few bucks more than initially thought. Do it right the first time, and be done with it, forever. You are on the right track with a Gates timing belt and a "plastic impeller" water pump, from Roger. Don't "skimp" on the other pieces. For example, if the cam gears are worn, make sure that you replace all "4" gears....they will have the same wear as the cam gears and if not replaced will "destroy" the new cam gears very quickly. (The "wear on the "drive gear"/ "oil pump gear" transfers to the cam belt, which then transfers to the new cam gears.)

Roger stocks all of these pieces, BTW.

Good luck!

ROG100

100% agree with Greg - standard Gates or the Porsche belt are perfect for this application.

jthwan22

Are the cam gears still uber expensive?

redpathtribe

This is a very interesting issue... I can tell you from experience working with Dan Warner at Exotic Motorwerks here in Phoenix, and I'm sure it's the exact same thing with Greg, the "expert" 928 mechanics know these cars so well, and aren't going to be suprised by anything they come across, that they will do any job not only faster, but it will also be done correctly... the first time! They actually can save you money on doing an hourly job because they can do it faster, because they have seen it all before, and don't have to spend extra hours of time chasing some issue they've never dealt with before. Also I've heard Greg say this, and I know I've seen Dan do it... they don't even charge you for some of the time they are working on the car anyway.

Short term and long run, the "professionals" like Dan and Greg (not the dealer BTW) will save you money and brain damage.

pcar928fan

YUP! At least they were for my '95 GTS!!! I even got a deal on a pair that were only used for testing an engine...less than 100 miles (worth of hours on them)...they still looked brand new and they still cost over $300 each...

Just read Rick's note above mine... His man Dan is who did my '95 GTS in fact as it broke down on his front porch! He worked on it from 2PM Sunday till well in to Sunday night, got the right parts the next AM and had the car back on the road by 4PM Monday! You talk about one great guy! OH MY! The front of that engine was so clean when he got done with it you could eat off it! The work was done SUPER FAST, SUPER RIGHT, New parts where needed and reused those deemed good enough (though with 106k miles, many needed replacing), now I don't worry about that part of the GTS AT ALL!

BTW, Rick is also right about Stealerships... If you look at the receipts (and there is a HUGE STACK OF THEM starting w/ stuff in '99) from this GTS over the last 3 years the PO had the dealer do several different things several different times! Same complaint each time and charged each time and obviously the work was not getting done right as he had to keep taking it back! THAT IS PLAIN WRONG! I suspect, Dan, Greg, Greg and my mechanic Matt would NEVER do that to a customer!!! In fact I KNOW Matt wouldn't!

Imo000

Yup but, that's why they make a single mass conversion kit for around $600!

I've done a couple and they work perfect.

SanDiego928

GregBBRD - Anaheim here I come if I ever need major work done I cannot perform myself. I may increase my AAA membership to 200 miles towing so I can make it to your establishment, just in case. Or, tow it myself. Good to know you are here for us.

Mark

GregBBRD

Until that POS Chinese $600 flywheel without a hardened "torque plate" comes loose and falls off of the crankshaft...ruining the crank when it does.

It's not a matter of "if"...it's a matter of "when".

Then all of a sudden, the "stock" pieces look much more ecconomical....

I'm working on a 968 that had the bolts "dig into the aluminum", right now. Didn't ruin the crank...it had only been on there for about 1000 miles...but it sure wasn't as tight as when it got installed.

And I think that there is a "928 expert", somewhere in the northeast, who sells 928 aluminum flywheels without a hardened "torque plate" for the bolts to tighten on. They will "dig" into the flywheel and come loose. Aasco (probably the largest manufacturer of "US" made flywheels), won't sell an aluminum flywheel without a harded "torque plate"!

But this is slightly off topic. Back to the OP's thread.

hacker-pschorr

Hmm....the price my friend quoted me for the OEM flywheel was just a tad bit less then that. Canada / US price difference? Either way if that is the Canada price for the conversion, you are not saving much over OEM.

As Greg pointed out, not worth the risk.

Imo000

I can't aswer the question if the flywheel centres were hardenned or not. They were cast, that's all I can remember. But they are both holding with 150K Kms each so far. One is a TDI (90hp) and the other a 1.8T (180hp driven by my 65 YO father). So neither of them had a hard life. $600 was the complete conversion kit, not just the flywheel (flywheel, disk, pressure plate and bearings). I beleive the Flywheel is for a VR6 and the pressure plate is a G60.

ROG100

I spend all my money with Sean at 928 Docs as he is the best and on my doorstep. He does not need to waste time understanding an issue as he already knows what it is and how to fix it in the most economical way.
Same goes for Greg Brown, Greg Nettles, David Chamberland, Ray Munsch, Earl Gillstrom, Bruce Buchanan (if I lived in Australia) or Paul Anderson (if I lived in the UK).
These people are uber clever 928 people and will earn your dollars wisely.
There are others of course.