jsacrey

I'm about to embark on the first 911 valve adjustment in my life. If everything goes well and I don't have too many hangups, how long should it take? How long does it normally take for you guys that have done it before?

I have the factory manuals on hand and access to Rennlist at all times, so hopefully it won't be an all-week process!

mojorizing

I'd say 4-6 hours for the first time.
TIP #1 - Correctly identify TDC, rotation, and the correct cylinder numbers.
TIP #2 - While doing the job, don't get cocky and over-confident ( Look at me, I'm a freakin' veritable porsche mechanic !) and start drinking beer. Only the after doing it twice are you a freakin' veritable porsche mechanic.....

elbeee964

(-- no beer?!!) I was with ya, mojo, till you started going all crazy talk.

If you've got the right tools (eg, feeler gauge & torque wrench), clear both encapsulating tins & cat out of the way, and follow past threads regarding feeler resistance -- I found it to be a very cool experience.

jsacrey

I hear ya, I'll save the beer for the celebration when I'm done! I do have the feeler gauge, a nice torque wrench, factory manuals and the maintenance kit from Pelican ready to go.

I've done 4 timing belts on 928's in the past, so I'm hoping my patience from learning that chore will help!

Geoffrey

adjusting valves with the engine in the car sucks, espeically a street car with power steering.

jim_l

the first time i did it doing the valves adj i spent about 4 hrs just doing the valves. checking both back side and normal to make sure it was correct. also when in doubt redo the adj. dont rush through it

elbeee964

ya have extra feeler blades, right?
(I was on #2, or 3, by the time I got done. Something to prop the head off the ground as I laid underneath felt sooo good, too. It's the little things that make some things better.)

All else, sounds like you're good to go.

jsacrey

I'll have to be careful because I've only got one blade....I snagged the tool from my uncle who is a good Porsche mechanic. How hard is removing the exhaust to get to everything? That's got me more worried than doing the valves!

dfinnegan

The only difficult part about removing the exhaust is dealing with rusted bolts. I had to use a dremel tool last time around. I also broke a couple of bolts! Didn't know I could do that. :-)

elbeee964

Guess its a roll of the dice, then.
My four cat bolts were completely red but loosened right up w/o heating, pen. oil, impact wrenches, etc.
Just 3/8-inch breaker bar'd 'em. All four gave away sweetly.


edit-
of course -- it's the water. (More likely it's my car's mostly a sunny day driver.)
Those valve job new-seal kits come with four new cat bolts, (as well as the valve cover hardware). Tossed all those oldies given the choice. b-bye, red bolts!

dfinnegan

Guess that's the difference between a New York/New England winter and Va!
I sorta stretched out the last valve adjustment period a bit. Not too much, but, still, I won't be doing that again.

MitchB

If it's your only car, I wouldn't start until I had -
- Extra blades
- New bolts on hand for any exhaust bolts that snap
- Good portable light
You DO have the gasket kit with all new nuts, right?

I'll agree with the 4-5 hours, provided everything goes smoothly. Remember there is an oil drain/change thats part of this procedure as well. For me, it's the ideal time to replace plugs (also much easier to turn crank with plugs out..) too. All those things add time.

newsboy

If you changing the oil at the same time and have the engine hot. Make sure you let the car sit, or even better overnight so the valves are cold when you adjust.

jsacrey

Only thing I don't have at this point is extra blades for the tool. I'll have to be REALLY careful for sure!

Wachuko

One blade of a first timer... good luck. It is so easy to mess it up when it binds and you pull the tool to get it out... I must have a dozen of those blades... learned the first time.

Once you pull all the covers, the tray, etc. it should be easy. Take your time, clean as you go. The kit should have the Cat bolts and gasket, double check. Make sure you have new nuts for the valve covers, should also be in the kit.

Best of luck, keep us posted. And you know we love photos. So snap a few to share.