mutzman951

I just want to tell everyone who has one of these cars how much i FU**%NG hate the heater valve in this car.

I got my rebuilt turbo back 5 weeks ago from Lindsey, and finally had the chance to put it in today. I drove it for a while, but had some boost problems. I was chasing vacuum lines when I noticed the hose from the heater valve leaking. OK its an 18 year old hose, but it was pissing coolant all over my freshly rebuilt engine.

I spent all day yesterday on my back putting in my improvised oil pan gasket brackets. After my brief test drive today, I wrestled with the heater valve for over 2 hours, and the heater valve won. Working at the back of the engine, trying not to crush the new ($$) sensor wires, nudging around the brown ground wires, and pouring coolant on my garage floor all day just sucked!

I just wanted to rant! My wife left me alone in the garage for most of the day. She deserves accolades. She watched the 11 month old baby boy all day while I came up empty handed in the garage.

I fell much better, now that I got that off my chest!

Doug

P.S. I may be up and running by the weekend of the GTG.

ehall

Hey man, other than being pissed while doing this job, did you learn any tricks/tips to make replacing the valve any easier?
I have to replace mine and there isn't much info on best practices/procedures for doing so.
Thanks,
E

chrly924s

I have mine up on jack stands doing the clutch and several other non ending things. I took the intake off and the heater valve out to get to the sensors on top of the bell housing,(the first one popped right out to give me a false sense of security; the other is still soaking in Liquid Wrench) and to facilitate getting to the AOS easier to replace the o rings. I am going to move the heater valve on mine and I will tell you why! Every water cooled car that I have owned changes its antifreeze right after I have changed it. Doesn't matter what hoses or gaskets are new. It finds another way out; sorta like a baptism with the Finger thrown in . Call it reverse polarity of my karma or the love my cars return back to their benefactor. I'll be Da%$&mned if I am going to let that valve or anything else carrying antifreeze get near that little hole in the top of the bellhousing and pi... rain down on my new clutch. I got the move figured out. As they say...."Pictures at eleven"

ehall

That was a breeze. However this is the only time that I have wished for small hands rather than my freakishly large mits. No need to take of Intake. Just unscrew the hoses, and pull it out.

Zero10

Am I a bad person because I was able to remove mine in less than an hour without so much as cutting myself once?....

I have huge hands as well, small hands would be a good thing. When putting engines together you always have to think about the next job. To get my heater valve out, I used a carburator screwdriver since it was long and very flexible to reach all of the hose clamps, and I pointed them all straight up when I put it together the first time, just incase I had to reach any of them later.
Which hose are you trying to change? I presume it is the one from the valve to the heater core, since it fails the most often. Of course the other one is more difficult to change, so it's hard to guess.

Come to mention it, does anybody know of a cheap source for a new one?
I changed mine because the diaphram inside was toast, and I changed it out for another used one I had. Of course the diaphram in that one failed a week later

TRP951

I found this while looking around it says it works for 944s http://www.928motorsports.com/parts/heatervalve.php

951Tom

One tip I found which helped a lot was to tighten the 2 heater valve clamps and hoses off the car in the correct orientation, then install on the car as a complete unit. This way you only have to tighten the one at the firewall, and the one at the pipe at the rear of the cyl. head. Both are reached with a 1/4 inch ratchet, extensions, & universal joint. Remove the old parts the same way.

Tom
'87 951

Zero10

That steel replacement valve got me thinking. I'm going to go to NAPA with my old one and try to match up a new one. I don't care if it's a porsche valve, I just want the stupid diaphram to hold vacuum, and the valve to do it's job.

Sorry for the hijack

ehall

A new one costs 18 bucks from Paragon. Can't see the value in "creating" one.

SchnellerUmsetzer

On a 1987 951, right behind the cycling valve, there is a little 2 entry valve thing(orange color with to hose plug-ins in it? One of the hoses that connects to it seems to liked to pop off.

I am continually in a process of checking it! That thing pisses me off ! Standing around out side it 100 degree tempature with NOMEX heat and fire proof gloves checking it!

Weston Dillard

I had a '90 S2. They have the valve right at the front between the water pump and the metal line that goes back along the cam tower. I figure if mine ever acts up I'll switch over to that setup. Much easier to access.

West

Zero10

$18 at paragon? Not too shabby.
Around here they are ~$75 in stores.
I have time on my side since I only drive 20-30 miles per week in my 951, so I'll order from paragon. Thanks for the tip!