Turbo Wrenching
03-20-2017, 06:32 PM
#16
Intermediate
I plan on doing the same to my 07 997TT next year. I just picked up a set of the Ranger Quickjacks, got them off Craig's List super cheap. I did a complete engine/ trans drop in my 996 on jack stands and had the car 19.5" off the ground. The Ranger can lift the car 21" high, so I do not see that being a problem to do a complete engine/ trans drop. I used a Harbor Freight 1000 LBS jack cart to drop the 996 engine/ trans out and reinstall.
03-21-2017, 02:31 AM
#17
I dropped the powertrain out of my 993 to do an engine rebuild. It was a tight fit, but it came out in about 6 hours. The 997 looks to be just as tight, but I have the added task of dealing with coolant. My plan would be to drop the powertrain as a unit onto a rolling table. I should be able to do all the items planned without the need to move the powertrain off of that table. It looks pretty straightforward to drop the engine out of the car.
Going back in looks to be more problematic since its a very tight fit. But, if I chock up the powertrain onto the table so that it sits as it came out of the car, reversing the process hopefully will be doable.
With the engine out of the car, I would then pin the coolant lines, replace the plastic coolant fittings with the Sharkwerks stainless pieces, and inspect/ replace every coolant hose on the engine. In addition, I would replace the coolant pump and spark plugs/coils. Lastly, I will split the transmission from the engine to inspect and/or replace the clutch.
And, I'll fix any leaks found from inspection and then clean up the powertrain as a housekeeping item.
With all that done, I should be good to go for at least another 24,000 miles, which for me is 6 to 7 years of driving!
Going back in looks to be more problematic since its a very tight fit. But, if I chock up the powertrain onto the table so that it sits as it came out of the car, reversing the process hopefully will be doable.
With the engine out of the car, I would then pin the coolant lines, replace the plastic coolant fittings with the Sharkwerks stainless pieces, and inspect/ replace every coolant hose on the engine. In addition, I would replace the coolant pump and spark plugs/coils. Lastly, I will split the transmission from the engine to inspect and/or replace the clutch.
And, I'll fix any leaks found from inspection and then clean up the powertrain as a housekeeping item.
With all that done, I should be good to go for at least another 24,000 miles, which for me is 6 to 7 years of driving!
03-21-2017, 03:11 PM
#18
I would love to see some youtube videos of your efforts. Youtube is sorely lacking TT maintenance videos. If I ever get enough money saved up to buy one I'm going to make a bunch of videos. Best of luck!
03-22-2017, 10:04 PM
#19
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by ctony66
QuickJack works for me. Doubt you could drop the motor but it's great for just about anything else.
03-23-2017, 01:36 AM
#20
Other than packaging issues, and the stuff that you risk breaking being potentially expensive, the 997tt is a joy to work on. Just about every part you touch is well made and things were designed to come apart and go back together.
When something on the turbo needs doing, and I have the time (the second part is a big if these days), I'm pretty happy to do it myself. However, I'm also happy to have a dealer with a highly competent set of techs to fall back on. I do actually bring it there for the yearly inspections (which in terms of the service items would be a trivial DIY), just because they do notice things that I don't.
When something on the turbo needs doing, and I have the time (the second part is a big if these days), I'm pretty happy to do it myself. However, I'm also happy to have a dealer with a highly competent set of techs to fall back on. I do actually bring it there for the yearly inspections (which in terms of the service items would be a trivial DIY), just because they do notice things that I don't.