phil0618

Hi all,

I'm getting that loving feeling toward the 968 and want to do some maintenance.

I'm a cruiser/daily driver and not a racer and I'm interested in replacing some worn out pieces that might be contributing to noise and vibration.

The car is in otherwise excellent shape with major maintenance - belts, water pump, clutch, motor mounts, fluids, etc. having been done about 8k miles ago.

Any other worn out items that might contribute to noise/vibration that I should consider replacing while I'm on my quest?

While I'm here, here is my bonus question.

Why aren't wheel bearings (especially front bearings) scheduled for routine maintenance/replacement?

It would seem that they are clearly under a lot of stress, that their life would be a function of mileage (and driving style of course), and that they are not that expensive or difficult to do.

Do ****-retentive types simply replace them at some point or do people generally just wait till they hear strange noises or experience other odd behaviors?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Cheers,

Phil

RajDatta

I think in normal street driving, wheel bearings should easily last 100k. If you track your car, then it would need to be dealt with more often. The fronts are very easy to do and don't require any special tools. Rears are a bit more involved and require a bearing puller.
My cabriolet has close to 120k miles and there is no idication of bearing issues yet. On the other hand, my SY M030 coupe had the rears replaced at 80k. The previous owner used it for DE's and that probably added to the additional wear.
Raj

PorscheG96

Hi Phil, is that your 968 pictured in your avatar? If so - nice!!

There are several folks here in the bay area who meet up to talk about and drive the 968's. It would be great if you're interesting in joining us.

Going back on topic...you should check for play in each wheel to determine if the wheel bearings need adjustment, which is actually quite common for all Porsches. Where specifically are you hearing noise or feeling vibration? I might start with replacing old suspension bushings.

phil0618

Hi Gents,

Thanks for your education and good counsel.

The question on bearings was more hypothetical than anything. I was just curious about bearings as they seemed like an obvious thing to wear out over time. I'll be pulling the wheels off before too long for another project so I'll check the play in them at that time.

My other question which got obscured by my own poor writing was about transmission/transaxle mount(s). I wondered how many there were and where to buy them etc. I looked at the PET and it seems there is one mount so I'll likely replace that. I also notice that there is another piece shown in the PET that seems to rest on the cross member that apparently has something to do with noise/vibration reduction so I'm curious about that too.

Raj, i LOVE the color of your 968. When I first joined Rennlist you were the guy with the Turbo, but I think this cabriolet is an equally good legacy.

PorscheG96 - Yes that is my 968 in the photo. It no longer has the cool 18 inch 3 piece turbo style wheels as the ride just seemed to harsh, but it is still lowered and has the Koni Yellows and the Weltmeister sways. It just rides on Cup wheels now. I might be pursuaded to meet up some time if you have a GTG in the bay area. We have such beautiful roads and who wouldn't like to ride around in the company of a fleet of well-maintaned 968's.

Cheers,

Phil

notthd

Phil- If I remember right there is only one trans mount. As many as I have pulled you think I would remember exactly.... I usually get parts from Pelican, Paragon Products (great guys) or JPAM in vegas- they had trim pieces that were only available from Porsche at half the price. In the three I have owned I have never seen a trans mount wore out, even on my 260K miles coupe.

Love your 968, you wouldn't happen to have the 18"s still you might want to sell?

Cheers, Mike

phil0618

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the scoop. I had heard others say that after 15+ years the rubber in mounts and bushings etc tends to get brittle so replacing them often helps cut down on vibration and that sort of thing. My car does NOT vibrate excessively, but I find that the smoother the P-car runs the more I enjoy it. (OK, I admit it, I'm old and prefer a smoother, quieter ride...) I've put some dynamat in the car and expect to extend that noise redcution effort further in the spring.

The bad news is that I don't have the 18 inch wheels to sell you. The good news is that the ride is greatly improved and that I got real money for them so it was the only time the car paid me back!

I am also convinced that I need a new Avatar as the current one is getting stale so I'll post something new - thanks for the inspiration.

Cheers,

Phil

RajDatta

Thanks Phil. Both my cars are very special to me .
The transmission is mounted to the cross member by one mount and then mounted to the torque tube by 3 cheesehead bolts/nuts and one hex bolt. The mount is actually 3 pieces. There is a piece that mounts to the cross member (metal), a rubber section in the middle and another aluminum section with 2 mounting holes for the transmission. The rubber piece is very robust but you never know. You might be able to determine its condition without needing to remove the transmission. Just drop it a bit while its still connected to the torque tube and remove the four 13mm bolts that mount it to the cross member. The mount should drop and you can examine the condition of the rubber at that point.
If you do need to swap the rubber, its held together to the transmission mount piece by 2 pins that are pressed in.

Raj

notthd

Very good points Raj, the trans will hold with the mount disconnect from the crossmember... brings back drive coupler knuckle bleeding, and the dreded " I forgot to lock the clutch engaged" syndrome when trying to get them off- or was that at the motor side.......either way it is not hard at all.

Chaos

Hmm,getting rid of better looking wheels for better riding wheels? May be on to something !