DIY maintenence on antique GT3
 

Ok you antique GT3 owners, how realistic is doing DIY maintenance, what-have-you, on a 997 or 997.2 GT3? I'm coming from the perspective of a 997 C2S owner who tracks his car frequently and performs all routine and other maintenance on his car. (I am doing my retirement financial planning and see a GT3 in the future...he he he.)

not sure if 2008-11 cars can be labeled as antique yet... that would make me basically pre-historic.

In my humble opinion maintaining a GT3 barring severe problems is not that much more difficult or costly than most cars. Spark plugs, oil, filters, coolant, suspension and brakes are all reasonably accessible. Sure there are some components that are GT3 specific and cost more, for example rotors are not cheap, but pads are just like any other cars.

I do all the routine maintenance on my GT3 as I have done on all my previous Porsches. It is not a particularly difficult car to work on, just take your time to do it right. The things that I do not have the tools or expertise for are done at Goldcrest Motorsports which is local to me.

This Summer I removed and reinstalled the starter after having it rebuilt and later did a 40K maintenance - changed the brake, oil and transaxle fluids, cleaned the MAF sensor and replaced the air filter, spark plugs, brake rotors and pads and refinished the wheels. It took two days working slowly and I saved LOTS of money. The end result was satisfying because I knew everything was done correctly. My dad was a GM engineer who had me doing oil and spark plug changes when I was 12 years old and later on I was an Army aircraft mechanic/Crew Chief when Uncle Sam called me to duty in the '70's. You definitely learn the value of doing things right when you are airborne at 2,000 feet in the Huey that you just worked on.

Batman, since you self-maintain your 997 C2S, I doubt that you will have any problem doing the same stuff on a GT3 and it is a LOT more fun than doing yard work!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...31ced23cdf.jpg

Thanks for the helpful responses...exactly what I was looking for.

"Antique", as opposed to the 991 cars that apparently are nigh impossible for a DIY'er to work on...at least that's what I have read.

So far, I've done pads, fluids, exhaust, 3rd radiator, water pump, thermostat, trany and motor mounts (multiple times), cold air intake, steering column extension, shifter bushings, shift cable ends, brake ducts, and other routine maintenance on the 997 CTS and enjoyed every second of it and hope to be able to wrench on anything I replace it with. Not only for the enjoyment of it (I've a mild case of tinkeritis) but I love thinking about the money I've saved as a result of a little self-reliance. Springs, sway bars and drop links on the C2S's docket this winter and likely new rotors after a few more track days this spring

Thanks again.

Bruce

PS Great lookin' car and wheels, Jack.

Batman / JackB: Please post DIY instructions and pictures of things that you end up doing. Unlike the air-cooled forums, where I came from, there is a paucity of "how-to DIY" threads in the 997 GT3 forum.

Agree completely with above. Even if you're not previously experienced with vehicle maintenance (which doesn't apply to OP based on C2 history), if you're willing to spend some time researching RL for advice, you'll learn a bunch and ultimately enjoy maintaining your own car. And saving lots of $$ and knowing it wasn't rushed by a young, potentially inexperienced, and over-burdened rookie mechanic is just icing on the cake.

Also, don't forget you can justify your 'need' for new tools by reminding your wife "I bought xyz tool(s), and STILL came out $xxxx.xx ahead." :cool:

Ha! Antique furniture reproduction was my main hobby before this...acquiring the appropriate hand tools was half the fun...just like this hobby.

I'll be glad to once I acquire a GT3.

The only pics I took were mostly "before" and "after". There are some really good and informative DIY posts here on Rennlist and also over on the Pelican Parts Porsche forum. The only notable "after" shot was a closeup of the left front wheel showing the new brake rotor. The maintenance stuff I did was relatively straightforward and was covered on the DIY's I mentioned. The only really aggravating thing was removing the transaxle fill plug as the access was very limited and a 10mm short arm hex wrench (that I didn't have) was needed. You also need a 27mm open end wrench to stabilize the removal of the dry sump oil tank drain plug.

Here are a few DIY's I found using a Google search: That works better than searching the forum, IMO.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...-securely.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/gt2-and-...ferential.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...-on-1-gt3.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-gt2-...s-learned.html

And here's the new LF rotor after the installation. The picture in my original post shows the original rotors.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d39a4d6fff.jpg

PM me when you are ready, I may be putting mine up for sale in the Spring. I have my eyes on a friend's 997.1 RS that may be on the market then.:icon501:

Regarding tools...

- For transaxle plugs (especially the fill), I've found the SIR 3061 hex set much easier to use than other options I tried.

- For engine oil, you'll need 27mm (as mentioned) for the nut anchored to the oil tank, and 19mm for the actual oil tank drain plug. The other oil drain plug (on the engine crankcase), is 15mm.

Of note, I use an open crowfoot (in 1+1/16th"...same as 27mm) attached to 1/2" ratchet to hold the tank, and another ratchet with 19mm socket on the plug. Line them up about 15deg off from each other, and squeeze them together. This negates any possible torque on the tank. You could do the same with a combination wrench (in place of crowfoot). Probably overly-anal as the tank isn't made of beer cans...but it is expensive and an engine-out procedure to replace...so why not.

I believe it was in another thread on this forum where I found and bookmarked this tool:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4044386b3d.jpg
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00271PB..._D1XcCbMKDM9WQ

That is the short arm 10mm hex wrench used to remove the transaxle fill plug.

Batman, if you get a .2 you'll need the giant torque wrench for the centerlocks and the silver grease. Wrench is about $300. The nut comes with the car.

Thanks. I already have the nut. One of my cats is sitting on his lap as we speak.