indian porker

Just had major suspension work done on my 8k miles run C2 Tip... Bilstien HD's, M030 springs, bushes, drop links, ball joints, tie rods. That was two months of importing parts and finishing the work in parts as we discovered more replacements but wow - what a difference to the ride!

While in there, finished routine work such as oil change, belts, distributor caps, air & fuel filters...

Now, after her glorius return - there's a new problem. No a/c cooling - probably gas leakage and more worryingly, rattle from the engine above 3k rpm.

Sounds like valve lifters but at such a low mileage?? Power is also significantly down. The thought of her going back to the garage...

Can anyone think of any other possible reason for the rattle? Sounds tappety but also more like a little pinking noise from knocking but the knock sensor should adjust that right?

Help please!

No HTwo O

Loose wire on the dist. cap?

Stealth 993

Vacuum leak, wire loose/off some where. Hook up a scanner & see if there are any stored codes. You might need to do a whole 30k service on it, even with the low miles. No use is some times worse then high use.

You might also have rust stuck in your fuel filter, I know that plagues low use older cars.

matt777

They should have taken it for a test drive and noticed this. Does it idle properly?

• wire off - arcing perhaps. That sounds like a ticking
• Did they change the distributor belt? (probably not at that mileage)
• Wires mixed up

berni29

Hi

I am sorry to hear of your woes, I do not believe in coincidence. Something has been disturbed during the work.

Berni

g_murray

I did the same thing when I got my current C2 -- doctor's car (infrequently driven) which had only accumulated 19,000 miles over ten years.
I had the 30,000 mile service (and then some incl. new tires, new ViperBob Bilstein HD/M030/beefy swaybars (lowered to RS-height), all fluids changed, all belts, hoses, plugs, etc. etc. etc.) done on her. I figured -- bugger the 'low mileage' -- this is a TEN YEAR old car - so THAT'S my deciding factor in changing things never mind if it "still looks good".
(Best thing I ever did ...even tho' the bill was north of nine thousand.)

So yes, IMHO, you did the right thing.

As far as your problems are concerned I'd start with the simple stuff -- get the A/C 'recharged' since (if memory serves me) the compressor will NOT 'work' if there isn't a minimum amount of fluid/pressure in the system.

Rattle-wise -- you need to isolate whether this 'clatter' is coming from the engine itself - or is simply something OUTSIDE the engine that is vibrating. A ton of things come to mind - exhaust clamps, heat exchangers etc. I've no doubt you'll track it down.

Enjoy your 'new' ten-plus-year old car!

Cordially,
Gerry

indian porker

Many thanks for all the replies guys. I definitely agree that something has been disturbed during the work. My problem is there is only one OPC in Mumbai which opened 2 years ago so 997's are about as far as their expertise goes :-) so I use an independent garage who has done work on this car for the last 5 years, mostly after extensive briefing from me, in turn mostly briefed by Rennlist!

I am going to check the distributor cap and wires.

Can't be rust in the fuel filter - that was changed.

She idles perfectly - in fact upto about 3 - 4k rpm, there are no issues.

The rattle definitely sounds like its from the engine although there is also a low level rattle ( metallic sound ) over bumps when you drive ( driver's side, right hand ) the car near a tall barrier which reflects sound back to the driver's ear. Both seperate sounds as the engine sound is much louder and increases post the 4k rev range.

What is strange is I drove the car just after the suspension work was completed to have alignment done and the engine had never felt better - responsive, no rattles - absolutely perfect. Its only when we finished the other work, belts etc that this issue has occurred.

Is it worth ordering the valve lifters at this stage or more digging around is required? The vacuum test is definitely required.

indian porker

Sorry, forgot to mention what I've already had done from a 30k service :-

Change Oil 5000 - Y
Replace Oil Filters 10000 - Y
Replace Air Filter 30000 - N ( K&N filter, cleaned and oiled )
Replace Fuel Filter 30000 - Y
Replace Spark Plugs 30000 - Y ( last year )
Replace Caps & Rotors 30000 - Y ( cap only )
Replace Gear Lube 30000 - Y ( last year )
Check Brake Fluid 5000 - Y ( bled and replaced )
Check Wheel Bearings 15000 - N
Inspect Battery 5000 - Y ( changed )
Inspect V-Belts 5000 - Y ( changed, not all )
Inspect Tires 5000 - N
Lube Door Hinges 5000 - N

No HTwo O

Check your MAF- mass air flow sensor. Part #99360612301.

NP993

Get rid of that K&N filter, which is terrible for the MAF.

And as general advice, I'd stop changing out parts. Tie rods, etc don't go bad from sitting. They're a wear item that should be perfect on an 8K 993. You're just throwig your money away. As with your engine problem, you should do a proper diagnosis, not just swap out endless amounts of parts.

indian porker

Thanks guys - will check all of the above and hopefully return with good news :-)

Boston911fan

Hey at least you have a nicer suspension now. I had the same experience. I bought mine with 20k miles on in when it was 12 years old, and immediately changed to ROW MO30 springs and Bilstein HDs and the car actually felt a lot smoother over bumps. I'm guessing the bump stops dried out. Plus, from the beginning, I have had small holes in the top from where the guide pins poke through because of some elastic straps that got dry that are supposed to pull the canvas away from the pins. Arg! No joke about having to use these cars!