Gary Knox

Puppy,

Welcome to the 928 community. Sorry you are having this much difficulty in your first days/weeks. As many have said, you will learn a lot if you need to pull the engine and do a restoration mechanically and maybe cosmetically. These are great engines, but the timing belt is critical!

You will find the community the most helpful of any automotive group you've ever been associated with - I'm confident of that. Both Rennlist and 928 Owners Club are invaluable assets for any owner. For info on 928 Owners Club, go to: www.928OC.org .

Hopefully when your service work is completed, you will find it is the great Grand Touring car that those of us who've been driving one for several years have found it to be. I've owned 2 1988 models, and they are really good cars.

Best wishes,

Gary Knox
928 Owners Club charter member and current treasurer

mickster

+928 on the Owner's Club. Join! We'll leave a light on for you (and not a timing light either!)

Puppy

Well just found out that my garage has been hijacked until Sunday by a Honda Element in need of an oil change. My poor 928 is stuck behind a giant blue toaster!

fbarnhill

Hang in there guy, you will get to it. Mine hogged the gurage for almost 18 months. Mine happened during an attack of a very serious type of arthitis and I used it as physical theropy. There is none better. You will be surprised at how many days I got 6-7 hours in forgetting all about the pain. I also went 'chean crazy' and wound up spending much more $$$ than I intended. However, now I have an almost new 86.5 with 1300 miles and it is truely like the 80k super car she was ment to be. Yours will be even better. You just wait till you stomp that beast the first time and she truely responds. Wow is the only description.... I know you are excited. just start planning your rebuild. You can purchase a pair of used heads with valves that are not bent, or just take yours to the shop and have them finished once and for all. I wound up pulling the oil pan, that ment rod bearings, and since I found a small piece of metal in one of them, then it had to come complely apart to check the mains. So I wound up with a complete rebuild. Since these engines are good for so many miles, I just removed the rings, one piston at a time, and cleaned the heck out of everything. I broke a couple of oil rings but you can buy the rings in single sets so It didn't cost too much. I wound up spending the most $$$ on the stuff under the intake and else where that would have already been done if I had bought from a 'R' lister. I am sorry but I sort of feel the guy should have warned you about that belt. Most everyone who knows anything about a shark knows how important the belt changes are. The curring thinking is 5 years or 50 - 60 k miles whichever comes first no matter what the belt looks like. Changing them isn't bad once you learn the tricks. I also used dwanes writeups as well as several others for my rebuild and stil wound up calling Roger many times. Several times he got Sean on the phone and got a positive answer for me. He is a great guy and loves these cars and the community. There are many others also. Welcome to the crowd and good luck with explaining it to my wife. Mine was so gratefull that the fire didn't kill me and that it didn't burh the house down that she has barely mentioned it. If she loves you and sees how much you are enjoing working on it, you will be ok. There really is a sort of zen type thing that happens when you get going.

jeff spahn

Puppy. You are going to need an Angle Torque Wrench to do the heads. Do you have one? I can give you some descriptions of how to do the head bolts. It is very specific. The WSM tells you a lot, but you'll need to be very mindful of how your torque them down.

Puppy

Started work today, has to be water pump/belt. Bad news is now the rubber piece from the spark plug socket is stuck to the spark plug. Anyone got any ideas to get that out?

WallyP

Put the socket back on, remove the plug, socket and rubber, take it apart.

Puppy

Tried that like a hundred times, but the plug won't come out.

Podguy

get a new socket

Bilal928S4

Can you elaborate? Is the rubber boot stuck to the spark plug? Is it for all or just one? Which cylinder?
Wally & Dan,
How do you put a socket over the rubber boot while the spark plugwire is still attached?

Puppy

No it was the rubber washer from the socket, somehow the torque caused it to attach to the spark plug itself. Got it out with a coat hanger.

Bilal928S4

Success?

WallyP

..." it was the rubber washer from the socket, somehow the torque caused it to attach to the spark plug itself"...

Glad you got it off. My usual method:
- Mutter vile words.
- Put socket back on plug with attached rubber retainer, remove from engine.
- Remove rubber retainer from plug.
- Clean outside of rubber, inside of plug socket. Use RTV to glue rubber inside plug socket. Take short break or do something else while RTV cures.
- Finish job.

Puppy

Very successful, and I may end up taking my car to a mechanic (as much as I don't want to). Got quoted $800 for water pump, belt, and possible valve test with a 3 year warranty with a free detail.

Mrmerlin

for a valve job your gonna be into this for about 6K give or take a grand prolly give.

That said if you dont know how a toolbox works you should either learn how and do this yourself,
or sell the car and buy one thats been gone through so you can enjoy driving it otherwise your investment will languish with no reward for your investment JMHO

Oh take that 6 grand and use it towards the purchase of another 928 thats been sorted