harris

Hi all...
I am just about to "see" 60.000 or to be more precise 100.000 klms... on the odometer on my 996TT....
car has been running on Extended Porsche Warranty and all services needed included those due to mileage and those of the 12 month period...

my extended warranty will be ending in 10 days...and I will be not renewing it...
is there anything from your experience that I should look at before the end of the warranty...

I will be checking the car through a Porsche mechanic but I want your opinion as well...

thanks in advance


harris

Hoosier_Daddy

Sounds like you have it covered. Just make sure it's a great indy. (you didn't make the clear in your post) I've had a good indy on a couple of occasions go through a car just before a warranty period expired and it was always worth it. Especially an Audi S4 I owned... the dealer ended up performing something like 7k in warranty work with about a week to go.

qirex

hmm...heres some high-mileage stuff that I had replaced.

clutch accumulator
clutch slave cylinder
coolant reservoir
radiators
suspension top mounts
cv joints

Macster

Get the car up in the air and check for signs of fluid leaks. Check the A/C condensors/hoses/connections, radiators/hoses/connections, steering rack/hoses/connections.

Check very very carefully around the front diff/drivetrain components Check CV boots.

Follow/trace the path of every fluid line from up front to the rear of the car as best you can. Some are hidden behind plastic panels. Up to you if you want to remove these for a better view. I've seen some Turbos with fluid leaks and every one the leak has been severe enough to for the fluid to stain the underside of one or more panels, but you only have 10 days.

Examine very carefully too the wheel liners for any fluid staions.

Also check very carefully around the transmission. (My 03's tranny developed a leak around a selector shaft and was replaced under warranty. Had I had to pay to have this leak fixed myself it would have been expen$ive.)

You need a bright flashlight and a mechanic's mirror on a stick/swivel and you have too look along the sides of the tranny, were the shifter shafts enter the transmission housing, as well as the output shaft seals areas.

And check around all the rear drivetrain components.

Give the engine a good going over for any signs of leaks, too.

I assume the vital fluid levels have all remained unchanged? If not then there's a leak (which may not show up as an visible stain anwhere). You'll have to have any system checked that has been producing low fluid levels.

After running the engine a bit shut off the engine and then depress and release the clutch pedal and keep count. You should be able to get to 25 before the pedal's resistance gets quite firm. Then start the engine and let it idle 15 seconds. Shut the engine off. Check the clutch pedal's action. It should be light. This checks the clutch power assist system is working properly.

In short, check the car over like you were going to buy it. Give it that good a going over. Anything you or your mechanic find now the warranty pays for. Anything you find in 10 days you pay for...

Sincerely,

Macster.

harris

thanks for the info...
but from these parts listed...
I doubt that any of these are covered by the warranty.....

harris

harris

Anything you or your mechanic find now the warranty pays for. Anything you find in 10 days you pay for...


this is excactly what I am trying to avoid....

thanks Macster!!!!

harris

T2

Harris,

Check the carden shaft rubber bushing for cracks also. I'd get the tranny and diif fluids changed at this point. Have them pressurize the system to check for any vacuum leaks (or loss of pressure) - have them pressurize the coolant system and make sure there are no leaks (or loss of pressure).

In fact I would have them perform a full PDI on the car and confirm all is ok. Might be a cheap investment for you in the long run.

Good luck.

T2

911SLOW

Pame deytera sto vlassi kati tha vroume na vgaleis eggyisi. : )

Macster

There are a couple of things to consider here:

1) The items may be covered. My 03 came with the 'new' CPO warranty and this warranty is supposed to cover whatever the new car warranty covered. It is that extensive. So far the few times I've had to use everything from a noisy idler roller bearing, a leaking transmission shaft seal, and a busted radiator fan motor were covered.

You need to read your car's warranty coverage fine print to find out what is covered and what is not.

2) Regardless of what is covered, you need to identify anything that needs attention and have it taken care of. If it is covered, then great. But even if not covered you should not let the problem continue.

For instance, a small radiator leak may seem insignificant but this can result in loss of pressure which lowers the boiling point of the coolant and the engine can experience localized overheating, which can result in a more serious problem. Price the cost of replacing a leaking radiator vs. replacing a leaking head gasket (assuming that is all the arises from the overheating) and then tell me you want to risk a head gasket (or worse) for the cost of a radiator.

Sincerely,

Macster.

harris

After running the engine a bit shut off the engine and then depress and release the clutch pedal and keep count. You should be able to get to 25 before the pedal's resistance gets quite firm. Then start the engine and let it idle 15 seconds. Shut the engine off. Check the clutch pedal's action. It should be light. This checks the clutch power assist system is working properly.

this checks the clutch power assit system...
ok but how is it possible to check in particular the master or slave cylinder on the clutch?

harris

Macster

My luck/experience with clutches in general and Porsche clutches in particular has been very good -- with a small exception noted below -- so I have no real direct experience with Porsche clutch hydraulic system trouble-shooting.

My info is there is no way to check clutch free play (which if there were could be a way to determine wear).

To check the clutch's end pedal position and to some extent the clutch hardware, grasp the clutch pedal (by hand) and pull at the pedal, try to bring the pedal up. The pedal must not give way. If it does there can be a problem with the boost spring or in the pedal linkage.

But I would use the same technique I would use on any car with at least the same basic clutch system: Try it.

And as an aside, a check for fluid leaks before and after a test drive is a must. Before to note the absence of any fluid leak sign -- in case the car's been cleaned recently -- and then after a test drive to see if a leak is present.

Now since we are talking about a car you have owned and I assume you haven't been at the underneath side of the car with soap/water all you need do is give the car's underbody a good inspection looking for any fluid leaks at any of the numerous points a fluid leak, any fluid leak, is possible.

Drive the car. Or in your car's case since you have been driving the car reflect back on your experience as you read: If one can move the car from a stand still with the engine (and drivetrain) cold, warm, hot and do so smoothly -- and I might add without a lot of mental effort -- with no clutch judder or grabbing; if the engagement is not too low or too high (unless this is a characteristic of a known good example of this car's clutch system); if the engagement remains smooth and consistent over a test drive as the engine/drivetrain heats up; if one can with the engine idling and the car on a level surface with the clutch depressed shift/select any gear without any excessive effort or any grinding of gears, then the clutch system is ok.

Now the exception I noted above regarding my experience with Porsche clutches, at least my 02 Boxster's clutch, is that upon occasion the clutch's action can become... well, not as smooth, not as linear, with a variable (it seemed to me at the time) engagement point. That is I have encountered this once. But after having the brake/clutch hydraulic system flushed/bleed (at the dealer's service department) the clutch's action was once again to restored to like new.

And has remained like new now since I don't recall when this bleeding was done, but thousands and thousands of miles ago.

Now, my Turbo's brake and clutch hydraulic systems have been flushed/bleed once since I've owned the car -- and I know the car had at least one brake system fluid flush/bleed done by the original owner -- and after me putting around 35K miles on the car since buying it used (with under 10K miles on it) the clutch still feels wonderful.

With the engine/drivetrain cold/warm or hot I can move the car off smoothly with no grabbing or any other untoward behavior. Now I admit I have to focus a bit more on the Turbo's clutch cause its action is a bit lighter than I'm used to and when I move from the Boxster to the Turbo I have to do a bit of a mental reset to pull up from my memory banks the leg coordination necessary to work the Turbo's clutch smoothly. But it doesn't require much mental effort and once done is done until I spend time in the Boxster again.

Sincerely,

Macster.

harris

Hi...
we did all that and I am getting only 15 insted of 25 ..
then the clutch pedal get very stiff.
to be more precise it gets so hard that is almost impossible to press the pedal at all....
car is in the OPC at the moment, and the technician verifies me that this is the way it should work...!!!

is there an official piece of paper that it is clear and written that I shoule be able to press it for 25 times at least???
please help...


harris

p.s does this checks only the clutch power assit system...???
how is it possible to check in particular the master or slave cylinder on the clutch?

Macster

The tech may be right. I related the info as I heard it from my tech. But my hearing is poor and I may hav misheard cause I double checked another source of (printed) info.

The info is in the 996 Turbo factory service manual:

Section 30 01 01 Checking clutch booster circuit.

There's a caution about using the wrong fluid or if too much fluid is added to the system or if the fluid comes in contact with the coolant hoses.

In my own words (to avoid the fractured syntax from what was translated info), the steps are:

Add Pentosin CHF 11 S to the reserviors. Do not overfill. Do not spill.

Turning the wheel or using the clutch with the engine off can change the fluid level in the engine compartment fluid reservior. The fluid level can rise. Therefore, the engine must be run for at least 20 seconds immediately prior to checking the fluid level.

Checking accumulator: Cold start the engine (approx accum. temp 20C) and let the engine run for approx. 20 seconds. Accumulator is full.

Turn off the engine and depress the clutch pedal repeatedly until an abrupt rise in pedal resistance against your foot can be felt (accumulator is empty). Count the number of pedal despressions to the point the pedal pressure rises.

If the number of times the pedal was depressed is over 35 the accumulator is faulty and must be replaced. This suggests that an increase in resistance before 35 pedal depressions is the desired result.

Checking valve (pressure-regulating valve). If there is no hydraulic clutch boost after a hold time of 24 hours at least one of the two valves is definitely damaged. Prior to performing the following check ensure the system is leak free.

Checking the valve (pressure-regulating valve) in the clutch slave cylinder. Warm engine up to 80C. (Operating temp.) The cautions regarding the fluid mentioned above apply here too. After running the engine for at least 20 seconds without depressing the clutch pedal and the accumulator filled switch off the engine and remove the plastic return line from the expansion tank. Collect the fluid which runs out into a suitable measuring container. If more than 4cm^3 is collected after one hour the valve in the clutch slave cylinder is faulty and the slave cylinder must be replaced.

Checking the valve (pressure-regulating valve) in the upper part of the tank. This valve can only be checked indirectly. If the valve is faulty the clutch boost function will not last for 24 hours.

If the valve in the clutch slave cylinder is functioning correctly the upper part of the tank must be replaced.

Sincerely,

Macster.