Alright folks,

My 2007S 6MT has had a leaky Rear Main Seal for a few years now, and while it isn't leaving spots allover the driveway, it's probably time to do the job (at least my independent is telling me it's time).

First some Background-

-The car has been great, has 105k trouble free miles, save for a water pump failure last August. I replaced all the belts, pulleys, coolant tank and obviously the waterpump.
- I have a software tune, and am running without cats, but with stock headers and mufflers.
- I daily drive the car and plan to continue doing so.
- I must have hit something on the road and chipped a small chunk out of the oil pan louver fin, so I'll need a new oil pan.
- At 105k miles on the original clutch, it probably makes sense to do the clutch and flywheel at the same time as the RMS.
- I have the warm start issue intermittently, so I'm thinking of doing the starter cable job, but that's on top of the engine and doesn't really save me any labor.

So the questions I have for the group, since there is labor savings while doing the work once the car is already in pieces:

1) What brand of clutch & flywheel. OEM for both? FCP Euro has both the "Genuine Porsche" and something that they're calling OEM "Sachs". It's a big price difference between the two $500 vs $732. I understand that lightweight flywheels are generally a bad idea for the flat-6, and worse for a daily driver.

2) Should I change shifter cables while doing this? I'd assume Numeric.

3) Anything else I should be doing at the same time? Plugs, Coils?

I'm kind of thinking preventative maintenance while doing this large-ish job. The car is running very strong.

Thank you all in advance!

 

I suggest changing Clutch & Dual Mass Flywheel when doing the Rear Main Seal. Also when tranny is dropped have mechanic remove the IMS Bearing Seal for better lubrication.
I buy my parts for past 10 years from sponsor https://rennpart.com/ Great prices and owner Aaron will give you group discount and very inexpensive shipping.

++ on the 105K miles on your car! ---->These cars still look/sound/feel/drive close to new at 110K-175K miles when properly garaged, cared for and serviced.

 

AOS.
Much easier to access with no trans.

 

Brand of flywheel - I think the consensus is to use "Genuine Porsche". I think others would also say to get the other "bits" associated with a "clutch" change - bearing, fork, etc. (anything that could be worn, overheated, bent, etc.). Slave cylinder probably good candidate to change.

I'm not sure there's any advantage to doing plugs and coils at the same time as the clutch - I changed those (as a discrete PM) while my car was on Quick Jacks (and removing just the heat shields). A couple of cylinder positions (#4 and #3, methinks) were pretty awkward (bruises and lacerations heal) but still doable.

 

Pretty much everyone uses the OEM Sachs clutch kit, even the staunch Porsche "good" indies use this. Why?? It is the same. I just did mine 6 months ago (997.2) Sachs kit .

 

Bomba,

Are you doing the work or subbing it out to your mechanic?

I just did the job myself on my 2008 C4S. It was a big undertaking but doable for an amateur like me.

Scott

 

Thanks Everyone.

 

Mechanic. I don't have the time to do much DIY anymore. As much as I like the therapeutic nature of doing it myself, my time is better spent with family and making money.... Plus I sold my house and moved into a condo, so I don't have a garage or space to do the work anymore. Most of my tools all sit in a storage unit collecting dust.

 

Interesting.

My Porsche indy said not to touch the AOS since it's not been a problem, but my gut says to do it.

They also said not to worry about my water pump, then it let go on a trip to the Florida Keys and left me on the side of the road 120 miles from home.

 

Yeah, that doesn't work for me - lol
Preventive maintenance scheduling is a curious quagmire of risk and reward. Certain parts are known to fail, and we should want to replace them before they break.

On the Audi forums, the "When should I replace my timing belt" question comes up often. My smart-azz answer is always "the day before it breaks."
But this is risk/reward based on how much risk you want to take and how long you plan to keep the car. Manufacturer says timing belt replacement at 60k, but they typically don't snap until 100k. Keeping the car to about 150k miles? Take on some risk past 60k and change the belt once at 75k. Not risk adverse? Do the belt at 60k and again at 120k. Paranoid? Change the belt weekly.

For Porsche, you can layer on the absolute necessity of documenting all maintenance down to every car wash lest the car become valueless junk with an unknown history.

The AOS is not terribly expensive and is a known failure item. How long are you keeping the car and how much risk do you like?

 

Exactly. AOS should be a sub $200 part. Kind of makes sense.

 

Sponsor Rennpart.com only sells OEM Porsche parts. He may carry aftermarket but not sure.
Rennpart.com Sach's clutches and proper Dual Mass Flywheel are what I buy when doing clutch & RMS.

 

I would go ahead and replace the AOS. I just did mine on my '06 C4S and it was sort of a pain getting to. I believe that any time you are in a system, change all of the potential wear items. I just replaced the water pump at the same time and replaced all of the belt pulleys while in there. I had one of those fail on my 986 last year and had to be towed home.