Lord_Galva

Well hopefully when I buy a new 968 I'll only need to replace gaskets. I do know Arash is very knowledgable about 968 head repair.

968workaholic

Contitech is the supplier that Porsche uses, the difference is the name on the belt. If you did a cut away of a Conti timing belt and a Porsche belt, they are the same. Some prefer the name, kind of like buying generic stuff st the store. It is just as good but doesn't have the major brand name = saving $$.

Lemming

Contitech is what I've gotten from Paragon every time I've ordered

PorscheDude1

I used the conti several times now, I have had no problems.

macadamianut

I decided to play it safe and coughed up the extra for the Porsche parts. Turns out I also needed a front engine reseal. I'm having the service done professionally this time. What's the level of difficulty for the engine reseal as a DIY job?

Had a thorough inspection done on the car with no other major issues to report. It seems like these cars are a little noisy in the rear. Seems to let in a lot of tire/road/wind/transmission noise. Anyone else think so?

RajDatta

The front seals are easier to do that the belt job. Both upper and lower bs belts are quite easy. The crank pulley job can be tricky depending on how much rust and corrosion is on the crank and pulleys. All in all, all 3 jobs are not something beyond the level of a DIYer.
Once you have the timing/bs belts out, you will need to remove the rear belt cover to get to the housings. The rest is all R&R. Same goes for the cam seal as well.
Raj

rdhayward

Raj, are there downloadable instructions available online? Also, should I replace the water pump at the same time, or is the water pump R&R a simple enough job that I can wait for it to be necessary?

Macadamianut, I'm presently staying in South Lyon and painting my car down in Edgerton, OH (the daily commutes are kicking my butt). I feel a need to do this job, as well, though I'll probably do it myself. Let me know whom you take your car to and how much it costs.

RajDatta

I do just about everything myself and have helped others over the yrs.
As far as the water pump goes, I would not change it. Mine has over 118K and its still running strong. The later water pumps seem to be better built.
As far as instructions, I can send you a copy of the workshop manual. That would be a good start. This will give you enough information, just not in much detail. Fortunately, a lot of this work is similar on other water pumpers and claks-garage is an unbelievable wealth of DIY information.
If you have checkec it out, give it a try, it will blow your mind.
www.clarks-garage.com
Good luck.
Raj

rdhayward

I've been building engines a long time. I was into Fiats when I was a kid, and into Jeeps as I got older. One of the things that has attracted me to this 968 (which I got from my mother's estate) is how well designed and bult the engine is: all forged rotating assby components, 11:1 compresssion, 16v DOHC head, and a beautifully machined crank girdle - really cool stuff for a street engine.

Be that as it may, I see this tensioner device for $500 tool on eBay (auction #220191348522) and wonder if I shouldn't let someone with more Porsche-specific experience do this job.

RajDatta

rdhayward, NO!!
Learn to do it yourself. Buy the tool and the savings from doing it yourself will pay for the tool. After the 1st time, the tool will be essentially free for every other time.
Your prior experience is plenty to get you thru. This is not rocket science as many would want you to believe. I have accumulated just about all the special tools for our cars besides the "hammer". They come thru for me time and again.
We are all here to help you if you have questions.
Raj

rdhayward

Sheeeoooot, Raj, I'll just bring the car to your, um, garage (after I've finished painting it), and you can coach me through it. lol