The reason that I am asking:
I have a new TT in my parts bin. By new, I mean it came out of a '92 S2 with 5500 km on it. Yes, it has been in storage since '92. The rest of the car was used as a donor to support a CanAm team here in Canada.
I am prepping to reseal the bottom end of the engine right now. And according to the "while you are in there" mentality, should I replace the TT since I am in there?
There are currently 200k km on the car, and the last 6,000 km have been the hardest since the new turbo and other work has been done. For arguements sake, last tune, the dyno showed 400 rwh and 350 ftlb torque.
I really like the idea of installing the new TT, but if I also believe "If it's not broke, don't fix it"
Sooo....opinions?

 

Well for reference, mine lasted about 140,000km (including 4 years of heavy track use) before one bearing failed and another was on the way out.

 

I would take one of two paths:

1. Rebuild it using Constantine's bearing kit
2. Leave it alone

The bearings that are factory in these torque tubes are basically no longer available, and even if you find some you have to carefully cut apart the pucks they are encased in, put in a new bearing, and then rivet it all back together. Even if you manage to do that, you may damage the inner/outer parts of the puck during removal and installation.

Constantine's super bearings are a significant improvement. For some reason i recall he doesn't like using the S2 torque tubes though (you'll have to check into that if you go that route).

 

So I am to understand then, that the S2 TT isn't as robust as the Turbo model?

 

The bearings ARE available. But, yes it is a large job to replace them and use need to use the old carrier. What is not readily available are the carriers or the bushings. The bushings can be bought from Jager or fabricated on a CNC lathe, but the carriers are more difficult to replicate. The carriers normally have issues with the rubber band around them that can be damaged upon removal and reinstallation.

If you have a low km example from an S2, why not just swap the whole TT when yours begins to fail? This would be much easier, and you would likely not have a problem for a long time.

 

I believe the TT from an S2 and Turbo are the same. I would suggest rebuilding it with Constantine's bearings as you will never have to replace them again. I had mine done 3 years ago on my race car. If that isn't possible I would swap the "new" one in since it would not be a fun job to have to do it later and the new one has to be in better shape than the one you have. Better safe than sorry.

 

Hard to say how long they will last.. my 924S had over 100k and no noise. My n/a 944 had around 60k on it and it was making noise. Sold the car with almost 100k on it and the noise never got better or worse (this was with like 3 seasons of auto-x!).

My 951 at around the 120k mark started making noise.. replaced it with a tube rebuilt by Constantine.

Hard to say if you should do it or not. Replacing the torque tube is sort of a 'standalone' job from the work you are thinking of doing (unless your planning to do the clutch also); what i mean by that is in my opinion its not a 'while your in there' type job. Be warned that the torque tube is a b*tch of a job.. by far the worst i have done on these cars and i have mostly done it all. If your thinking of going through the trouble to do this, i agree with what has been said to get your tube rebuilt by Constantine, and never worry about it ever again.

All the torque tube bearings have 20-25 year old grease in them. For the labor involved, i would hate to put one in and have it making noise down the road.

If i were in your position, i would leave it alone until it starts making noise. When and if that time comes i would then make the judgement call of rolling the dice with the low mileage tube (probably will be fine) or go with a rebuilt tube. The rebuilt tube is $$, but like i said.. when you factor in the amount of time, plus a wheel alignment to swap out them out its totally a do it once and do it right type deal.

 

Okay, the bearings are available, but not in the C5 clearances that Porsche originally used. Unless you know of a source...and if you do, you should probably snap them up and sell them, those things are gold.

They're not, the S2 torque tube has a split down the middle that runs almost the whole length. From what i've read on here it was done by Porsche in an attempt to decrease vibration, but some feel that it really just lets in dirt and grime and decreases the life of the bearings.

 

Porsche used C4 in the later torque tubes - these are available.

 

Mine has 170k on it and I'm pretty sure it's starting to make noise. Getting rebuilt this winter.

 

Constantine responded to your post in the other forum:

 

Related topic:

My TT is original at 185k miles and no track time. It has been making noise for probably 10k miles. When will I "need" to fix it and how will I know?

I do plan to do it once and do it right, I'm just not looking forward to it.