Vehicle at 70K miles is past due for a belt replacement. Original belt in great condition, no noise . Just time to replace after 11 years.

Other than the belt, assuming the rollers all spin freely, and the hydraulic "shock absorber thingy" tensioner is good - what additional parts should I consider replacing?

My thought is to preemptively replace the hydraulic tensioner hydraulic strut thingy ( and associated bolts) while I am in there even if original unit looks OK. Probably will order the OEM part from Pelican, as it is very significantly less expensive than the official Porsche part ( any views on this?). I cannot see any reason to replace the Tensioner Lever, is there?

Prior write -ups on the replacement of the belt are helpful. I have ordered the Schwaben 26 piece Stubby Socket Driver set (narrow access torx racket set) in case I need to remove the Tensioner.

Any other tips , or advice on DIY'g this job ?

 

I believe you’ll have to remove the tensioner arm to replace the strut since the bottom bolt threads in from back side. No reason to replace the arm itself. Clean off with a wire wheel and reuse it.

The tensioner strut and pulley are an inexpensive DIY project. I teplaced mine a month or so ago. Thought the old one was fine until I put a new on on….my old one was essentially dead.

If your car doesn’t have PDCC theres an idler pulley on top of the engine. No part number listed in the manual or exploded views. You can buy the pulley and the aluminum bracket it mounts as an assembly to for around $100. Kind of sucks cause all you need is a $20 pulley. The pulley is made by INA and has a part number etched on it. However that part is unobtainable for some reason. Even cross referenced with other part numbers and compared this pulley to every other available pulleys…no match. No idea why this pulley is so hard to find. Was going to just make my own but my old one still felt fine so I reused it.

If anyone has a lead on that pulley I’d like to know.

 

Thanks ! Was the pulley on the top of engine you mentioned binding, hard to spin, or noisy? Curious why you replaced it.

I have no idea whether my car has the PDCC, any way I can tell other than looking for that top pulley?

What was the hardest part of the job ? Also, why is it necessary to remove the rear spoiler to replace the belt?

 

Really you don't know if you have PDCC? Do a VIN lookup and it should show it as an option if you do have it. The PDCC bottle is scheduled to be replaced at 60K if you do have the system on your car.

Pretty much everything on the back of the car needs to come off for access to everything. There is one bolt that gets removed that if you don't have a floor jack under the motor it will drop a little which will make getting the bolt back in a bit tough.

There are some really good write ups on how to change the belt which are tried and true.

 

Thanks , yes there is one very good write up which goes through the steps . I just could not quite visualize why the rear wing/spoiler has to be removed- looks simple enough to do .

I did a VIN look up and no PDCC is listed as an option. After a bit more research, my 911 does not have PDCC.

 

just in case, take photos of the vacuum lines you end up having to unplug. theres a decent amount back there and it would be a pain in the *** to realize you missed one after everythings put together.

 

I have 105k miles on my original drive belt and pulley waterpump. I have zero noises or leaks on my car.

I bought this and will have my local indie replace everything this week.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...al-6dk1825kt1\

As well as a water pump and thermostat.

I have a PDCC car and have already done my bottle at 70k miles.

 

Look at the front strut with the wheels turned so you have more space to see. If you see a collar on the front strut with another mini strut connected to it, then you have PDCC. if it's just a standard Roll Bar with no mini strut (Boot etc) then you DO NOT have pdcc.

here's a good pic of a car WITH PDCC.

https://www.elephantracing.com/wp-co...ck-removal.jpg

 

On mine this came under the 6 year service I believe which also included the air filters.

I have also read about some ppl having vibrations caused by non Porsche belt, I can’t remember exactly who or if it was even this model maybe 997, but I definitely read it recently.

 

Here’s the unobtainable pulley. Note that the belt is currently uninstalled in this pic.

 

Thanks! Most useful information on what PDCC looks like.

 

Good photo . Is it common for the Idler Pulley to require replacing when the belt is replaced? Assuming no noise or binding, seems like it would not require replacing?

 

‘require’ or ‘preemptive replacement’…that is the question. The pulleys with sealed bearings are a wear item. Often inexpensive to replace and done as preventative maintenance. If they fail, at best they sound like an angry squirrel chattering. At worst it wobbles and throws the belt.

 

Curious, why did you describe the Idler Pulley as "Unobtainable" ?

Isn't this the part ? FCP Groton SKU: POR-0PB145172

Porsche Drive Belt Idler Pulley Assembly - Genuine Porsche 0PB145172

 

That’s the assembly I mentioned, but I can’t find just the pulley. Seems that item alone should be around $20 and no reason to replace that aluminum casting it bolts to.