Dan Martinic

Watch Van's video (3 parts series) on Youtube. Van makes it look so easy! These are a good example of how things don't always go as easy for you: I have been struggling getting new races into the hub. I heat the hub, hammer away, and only get them down 2/3 of the way. Also, the bearing install tools kit I bought (cheap) has disks that are too fat and rub against the inside of the race when hammering. Good thing these are spare hubs I'm using to practice. My next move will be to make a press like the German guy's video--seems much more civilized and easy. Have to source a nice M16 fine-pitch threaded rod first.

The PET will show you all the parts you need so you can compare to Zim's kit. Of course, the kit won't have the one small 10mm bolt you dropped and can't find or the 12 point "triple square" male socket for the Cam bolt or the... well, you'll see

Seattle 993

Front wheel bearings. Either heat the hubs in a BBQ (hint, you’ll have a tough time with a torch) and freeze the bearings. Or, do what I did. Found a shop that dropped mine into a bath (use no corrosive chemicals - they are aluminum and will expand with heat), dropped the old races out, dropped the new races in. $20. My advice, find a transmission or radiator shop. Easy. Once the races are in, proceed, the rest is easy.

Rob 3

Nevadarain72, regarding engine mounts, I researched the boards and my take away was the OEM last longer than aftermarket. Another aspect I keep in mind is OEM parts go through design and durability testing that aftermarket may not see. OEM are more expensive, particularly with the Porsche name on them, but that is what I put in my car keeping longevity in mind.

Chapman951

Post some pictures of the car.

Do you really want the cruise control, air condition and rear wiper? That money could get allocated somewhere else.

Are you trying to create a reliable daily driver? Track car? Concours car? Maybe not sure yet?

I deleted my cruise control, have no need for air conditioning living in the cold, and the rear wiper has been plugged. Wish I had manual steering and no sunroof.

odurandina

ahh, your first trip out to the Manson Ranch (ehh rookie).
Geeze, seeing the thread header, i thought it was something serious.....
like a 2nd consecutive failed rebuild/thrown rod w/ no actual street/track time logged.

odurandina

See the guy on the LS forums w/ 110k miles logged on his $17K LS 944 swap.
*changes fuel/air/oil filters, crankcase/tranny oils, etc.
spark plugs, O2 sensor/s coming due in ~2038.

Dan Martinic

"More expensive" is a relative term: normally, paying reasonably more for better parts is a no-brainer. The issue with the mounts is that they are *significantly* expensive. Up here, OEM currently run $450 CDN EACH. Aftermarket are around $89 CDN. What is needed is something to fill the middle ground.

black944 turbo

DO NOT BUY NON OEM MOUNTS!!!!! I did and it was the biggest mistake I have ever made with this car. It was never correct and a waste of over a $100 in parts and probably close to 10 hours of my time. I bought new OEM mounts and the car is perfect again, $525 is ridiculous, but when you drive it back to back it is so worth it. The thing that upsets me the most is that I threw away great condition OEM mounts because I was "in there" and figured might as well replace them due to age.

As for your situation, how much do you like the car? Is this a car you have always wanted? I can say that they are incredibly reliable and rewarding to own once they are caught up on all of the differed work.

Nevadarain72

-Odurandina: yeah, pretty mild in the grand scheme of things for sure, but being new to the mechanic/project car scene it was unanticipated. But I'm learning!

-Chapman951: I would like all of those things to be functional once again; I have no interest in a track car; my goal is to have a not-quite daily driver. 90% of the time I'm commuting/running errands in our CX-5, but if my wife needed the car or it was a nice day, I'd like to be able to hop into the 951 and not have to worry about whether she'll start or make it home. I also have a getaway with some friends planned on Labor Day this year that I'd like to take her to, and that's a 600mi round trip on the highway.

-Dan Martinic: exactly my thoughts when I was researching part costs. Why is there no middle ground between $150/pair and $600/pair? Annoying, to say the least. I saw that LR has what they call "Ultra Mounts", but I don't know much about them.

Chapman951

If I was in your shoes... I would write down how many miles are on the odometer and track how much oil your are going through every 1000 miles. Then I could start to determine the severity of my oil leaks. ** I would check it frequently to make sure your staying near the full line)**

I would start checking my power steering and coolant levels on a regular basis. My power steering leaks also but it’s slow. I have had to refill the reservoir once during 20 months of ownership.

If I had a 600 mile fun-run coming up, I would replace the (ignition switch) and the (fuel pump+strainer+gasket+Rubber hose.)

Just my plan of attack. My car is 30 years old and ~160,000 on the odometer. I have a strong history of receipts but there are a few unknowns like the ignition switch and fuel pump that I need to replace eventually.

I have a yearly budget of 2k set at the moment. It gives me some framework to work with.

Enjoy your fun-run. These cars are are 6flags theme park when dialed in.

Seattle 993

Nevada, if you want a near daily driver without stranding your wife (not recommended &#129301, there are a few things to really pay attention to. I’d go back to MAGK944s list. First, the front end - leaks develop over time and you want to keep your belts clean - oil or coolant (or a failing water pump) can cause the belts to slip or fail on an interference engine. Second, brakes/wheel bearings - definitely safety items. Third, buy a DME relay and keep it in your glovebox - these can fail and your car won’t start without one. Fourth, these cars at this age can have no start issues which can be hard to track down, including speed/reference sensor failure, failed wiring to the DME, the DME itself, etc. Really no way to prevent this unless you become proactive and stock parts. Just part of the game but I’ve only had a no start 2x, one was a fuel pump and the second user error - I did not fully seat a temperature sensor after doing work (my bad). The other items, can wait because they’re not related to reliability. Having said that, if your car has been sitting for a year, definitely run that fuel out of your tank and change the fuel filter. The failed motor mounts, over time, can damage your drivetrain, exhaust, and oil pickup tube which requires a long job (oil pan gasket + rod bearings since you’re ther and @ 170K miles). Really the best mount is the Porsche mount but if you drive 2,000 miles a year Meyle motor mounts may last 5 years at that usage...but it’s a matter of how much you want to spend. The Lindsey solid mounts allow vibration (meant for track usage). A/C is a comfort issue but if your compressor fails you may need to flush the lines and I wouldn’t want to dig into the dash to potentially replace a part...better to make sure that you don’t engage the A/C clutch. The other thing to consider, is that due to age and heat, watch the oil pan gasket...they are known to fail and when they do may drip onto your exhaust crossover pipe and smell as well as present a fire hazard.

Good luck with this and as many have said, once you get this sorted it is an E-ticket ride and if you do these things and maintain it is very reliable.

black944 turbo

Great suggestions above except Meyle mounts. Mine failed in 1 year and 1500 miles. Not a fun job and not worth the savings.

odurandina

fantastic post. seeing you've included a few items consistent with 968 ownership....
i should (eventually) add to my 968 buying guide......
https://rennlist.com/forums/968-foru...l#post16842408

Millermatic

Prior to buying my 951 about two years ago... I hadn't even changed my own oil on a car.

I've now done everything on your list (and then some). New rod bearings (while replacing oil pan gasket), rebuilt shocks, rebuilt turbo, head and waste gate (OK... shocks myself, I removed the heads, turbo, etc., and someone else rebuild them). Replaced every seal and hose. New races and bearings. Replaced radiator. Engine mounts. Wiring harness (ugh). Water pump. Turbo water pump. Gutted the interior. Reupholstered the seats. Recovered the dash. Dropped the transmission. The only real failure (so far) was rebuilding the steering rack. Darn thing leaked worse afterwards. Ended up buying one from Zimms. Which didn't fit. The replacement for that leaks... but not nearly as much as the original. Or my self-rebuild.

I've lost some blood in the process... but I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Engine started on first try after partial rebuild.

As others have said... there is a wealth of information out there. From Pelican Parts tutorials to Youtube and this forum. I've paid for the car twice considering the new parts. But I saved easily 10K in labor. And it's _my_ car now.

Essential tools... Good socket set. Couple of digital torque adapters. Good hex extensions. Mulitmeter. Good jacks and stands (no Harborfreight recalls). Good supply of beer and your favorite toons. Patience. Bandages. WD-40 or PB Blaster. Rubber hammer. Contact cement for the interior. Arrnworx Tensioning tool for belts. Lots of replacement metric bolts and nuts. I like BellMetric. Can even get them in cadmium coated. Or whatever the more environmentally friendly replacement is. On the more advanced list... Tap and die set if you aren't lucky. Threaded inserts if you are less lucky. A mig welder if you are really screwed. I had to build up a bolt that sheared in my head to get it off. That was scary.

Good luck

944M3

Like many that have posted, I started with zero experience other than changing oil. I purchased a 951 that had been sitting for years, paid almost nothing. At first I tried to nickel and dime my way through it, doing small jobs just to get it running. It was very frustrating. My advice, if you want the car and the adventure that comes with it, just pull the engine. Just rip the bandaid. I've now pulled 2 turbo engines and one NA engine. The last time took me 1 day. With the engine out, you have easy access to everything. Plenty of DIY information and Youtube videos to help you.

These engines are really easy to work on. The frustrating part is dealing with rusted hardware. Buy a used grinder and a Dremel to easily cut bolts and nuts. Expect to deal with broken bolts that will need extraction (but you might get lucky in that regard).

If you are committed, it can be easily done. It beats sitting on a couch over a weekend watching sports. But if you have doubts and are on the fence then take advice from jimbo111 and sell the car. If you are not committed, the car will be nothing but a source of frustration.