perryinva

A very old post, I know, but very helpful to reassure that THAT is all there is to checking and replacing the heater core. At least SOMETHING is far easier to do on these cars than any other car!! BTW, there is absolutely no reason to turn your heat "ON" while using an Airlift tool and/or refilling the system or burping the system.. The heater core is never isolated hydraulically from the engine. Coolant runs through the heater core any time the car is running. Turning "on" the heat, simply arranges the airbox dampers to run the air through the heater core. When heat is "off", the damper just blocks it so no air is run through it. Almost all modern cars are that way now. Old cars had an actual valve on the coolant line to the heater core to regulate the heat, and this is hangover advice from that era. Hasn't been that way for many years.

Don't know if it ever re-occurred, but I had a similar, though not as dramatic occasional loss of coolant a few years back, and I accidentially located the source as the o-rings on the oil cooler. Under the right conditions of temperature and pressure, the coolant would slowly seep out, not enough to cause a puddle, but I occasionally got a whiff of coolant in the garage. While replacing my AOS, I noticed dried red coolant on top of the engine when I removed the main air intake plenum. I replaced the orings probably a year and a half ago or more, and the coolant level has never deviated from the same level in the coolant take, for hot and cold. Its a PITA job, as anything on top of the engine would be, but well worth checking out. PIctures in this thread: http://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/730667-changing-out-those-old-motor-mounts-well-worth-it.html

I replaced miy stock units with PSS9s about 2 years ago, and replaced the the upper strut mounts front and rear with stock ones, though on the front ones I used X73 units, which made the alignment easier, as th eoffset for the holes is different, and they are heavier duty than the regular front ones. No problems at all in the last 10k miles or so. There is no choice for the rears, only one part number. At the time I figured it made no sense to reuse 10 year old rubber parts with a stiffer suspension. It could easily be a cheap part that went, but it could also be where the PSS10s are set for height. They are not adjustable to what ever height you want. They are only adjustable over the range specified by Bilstein based on the measurements int he installation manual. If you are too low, then you are slamming the strut mounts against the bump stops via the strut rod, which will destroy them in short order.

"Input code number" is what the stock radio asks when it has been removed, or had the battery disconnected as a security precaution against theft. Your radio came with a 4 digit code that has to be inputted before it will work again. if you do not have it (normally in the manual, written somewhere by a previous owner), you can use the automated code generator that Loren has installed in the sticky above.

Yes, a real experienced Porsche alignment shop can do wonders. I was very pleased to find that after all my careful work measuring and re-measuring the ride heights and balancing F/R relationship, etc, that my shop said they did not have to adjust the height at all, to make the X74 alignment specs I wanted, and matched their recommendation. I had to of course do a coarse alignment after installing the PSS9s, and thought the difference in handling from stock was quite incredible. I could never go back to the stock suspension, it really is, to over use the phrase, "night and day". But the smoothness and neutrality of the handling, the way she handled after the alignment, was similar to yours, a major improvement. I had only waited so long to get it done as I was waiting for the opportunity to put on new N3 PS2's before spending $200 on the alignment, and that was well worth it IMHO.

It is pretty useless when it comes to replacing the AOS or water pump, with the engine still in the car. IMHO, there really is no excuse for them to not actually document these VERY common repairs the way an actual DIYer would have to do it. "Waterpump shown with engine removed for clarity" is useless, as the WHOLE difficulty is removing it with all the crap around it. Nothing worse than a false sense of security and optimism, only to be totally & completely frustrated. Thank goodness for sites like Renntech and Rennlist where real practical advice can be found. I also find their lack of detailed explanation of how to unlatch, unlock, or otherwise decouple the myriad of puzzle box electrical connectors so many european manufacturers seem to love, for what seems like no real reason. I am a mechanical engineer, and have been working instrumentation & controls my whole life, and I am often stumped by how those crazy connectors come apart. When the Bentley (in many places) says "disconnect sensor from harness", which is so patently obvious, but doesn't tell you HOW to disconnect, again, frustration. Nice reference, and a good resource, but way below the level of some earlier Bentleys I've owned, especially for the price.

You are quite correct, that should have read 7/32nds not 7/10ths! Don't know what I was thinking, maybe because mm is base 10? Do they measure truck tires in tenths? Not sure, but, yes, that should have read 7/32nds of an inch or about 0.25" (about 6mm, not 18mm!) not 0.75" Doh! Of course the point is still valid, that tread depth, overall actual diameter and tire squat vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and adding worn tires will vary the ride height measurement, so you have to be careful when looking at the measurement points.

Tossed away the one in my 2002 C2 5 years ago. Makes no difference what so ever. I personally think it was to absorb a slug of water, or provide a toturous path for water that might enter through.

If you look & listen carefully at the video the 'flump flump flump" matches exactly with the lettering of the timing belt in the video, so it is no pulley bearing at all, as they all rotate more than one revolution for each belt revolution. You may have gotten some grease or oil on a section of the belt, transfered by a pulley or something of that order. Remember both sides of the belt have contact with pulleys, so it could be on either side, though I'd bet on the smooth side myself. The belt path is torturous and there are 3 smooth back side idler pulleys. The new WP may not be exactly in line with where the old one was so the belt takes a tiny jog in or out to correct itself each revolution by sliding (flump), since it is for sure not in the same physical contact points that it was originally. If it bothers you that much, try a new belt and really clean the pulley surfaces. It will likely be gone, or changed.

Leaking at 37k? WOW! I pulled mine of at 45k, and they were still in good shape, and replaced them with Bilstein PSS9 adjustable coilovers because the ride & handling are night and day. If you are not concerned with that level of performance (or cost), then the Bilstein Sports are reasonably priced, and still far better than the stock units. I would recommend an all around replacement, though, not just rears, but it's your wallet.

AHH, the relief valve may be stuck. I haven't worked on mine, it hasn't ever failed. It only pumps up the bladder on advance, and releases air to reduce. It is wise to periodically inflate and deflate the bladder, to keep it working. I wonder if there is anything in the Bentley on that? I will take a look. Interesting, though, as I prefer mine almost fully inflated.

Just so you know, the MKII cars (2002+) do not have a bellows, the AOS was redesigned. The picture of the AOS in krazyKs post above is the MKI and the AOS does not look like that where it connects to the engine. It does not go in sideways as shown, but straight down. When you get your new AOS, compare it to the old one to be sure you have the right one, as they are not at all interchangeable. For some very odd reason, Porsche added a small rectangular "U" shaped plastic feature, maybe it is needed for another car, that is not on the original. It is obvious in a side by side comparison. If you do not cut off the legs of that "U", you will not be able to get the last intake manifold bolt in, as it completely blocks the opening to get a socket of any kind in there. Depending on the mileage on your car, if you are going to drain the coolant, it would also be a good time to proactively replace the water pump and put in a low temp thermostat. Does wonders for the car. my '02 only had 48k mile son it, and the original 11 year old water pump already had a slight amount of play in the bearing. When I replaced my AOS and other parts, I found that a number of the pipe supports and such in that area had broken over time, so I padded and tightened them to the support areas with heavy duty Ty-raps, to minimize movement and rubbing. I can easily see what happened to yours.

Ahsai got them all correct. I have a 15 gal (I think), but it is the high pressure Dewalt which pumps the tank to 185psi, and had no issues what so ever. You use the air to make vacuum via a venturi to suck out the air, so it runs continuously for maybe 30 seconds only. I don't think a pancake will do that. You need 1/4" drive regular and deep, with short extensions. Since there are so many different sockets out there, I can't be more specific. Use 6 point ones. That last bolt in the corner is a royal PITA, only because access is so tight. Do NOT use any other sealant. Make sure you get the new metal gasket with the WP & T-stat.. It is coated with a sealant material, and is all you need. You MUST torque the bolts. The torque is very low. OTTOMH, I don't recall the exact numbers. Yes, the current 996 pump is 4 revisions later than the original WP. Porsche doesn't just throw a new rev # on for the heck of it. I ASSUME the composite material has changed (it is a different color than the original) and the bearing, as it looks a little different. Do not use the 997 pump, there have been documented fit issues for some. Good link provided by Ahsai. Also, and this just "depends", the hoses can be a very difficult to remove, even with the correct hose clamp tool he shows in the link, which is a nice cheap must have tool. Got mine on Amazon for around $20. Some have had to cut the hoses in order to get them off the T-stat or pump. I bought the hoses online, as they are like half what you pay at the dealer, and my dealership has to order them anyway and replaced them (since I bought them), but was able to get mine off without cutting, and since I was doing my AOS anyway, the hose was easily exposed. I willl say that none of the hoses I replaced looked like they needed it at all. They were firm, clean and not soft. See also : http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/996-forum/729561-proactive-replacement-of-water-pump.html and http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/996-forum/730667-changing-out-those-old-motor-mounts-well-worth-it.html for some pics and info on other easy to do, well worth it items "while you are in there".

+ 1 also. $1200 for WP, coolant, belt & T-stat is crazy money to me. I did all that (+ a lot more,) at 47k miles on my '02 last year for : Real Porsche WP, Suncoast $250, LT T-stat Pelican $70, coolant, Suncoast $22/gal, and serp belt Pelican $25, so less than $400 in parts. (plus I bought the Airlift vacuum kit, exact same one as the Porsche, plus fittings for any car possible for about $120 on Amazon, what a GREAT tool as long as you have a compressor with decent tank) If that was all I had to do, it is easily done in less than a day, assuming you can wrench, and have the right tools. (2 of the WP bolts ARE a PITA to access w/o the right depth sockets, you've been warned). For me, an $800 payday is pretty good. My pump was find except for the slightest play in the bearing. But that composite impeller had been sitting in coolant for over 10 years, and the new WP are 4 revs newer..

You just need 2 hose clamps. The boots are easily reusable. If you are going to the trouble and expense (parts, alignment, etc) to do the inner TREs, do the outers at the same time. They are half done anyway, when you do the inners, The ball joint tool is like $17 from Napa. I bought the TRW TREs, all 4 parts for around $200 from Vertex, and the inner TRE tool off Amazon for under $70. Piece of cake, with the right tools. Identical to the OE Porsche ones, except they don't bind. BTW, they solved all my rattles/creaks/groans, and made the steering smoooth.