JFP in PA

As you have to change the clutch fluid (which must use the PIWIS) twice for every time the gear oil is changed once, the dealer (or indy with a PIWIS) would be the safer bet.

I would tend to agree that 12years/120K miles is a long way to go on any lubricant, particular one that is keeping a $17K gear box alive. Porsche is using the PIWIS to control how the lubricants are moving inside the gear box while setting the correct fluid level, and in particular the clutch hydraulic fluid. I would be concerned that skipping that step could lead to either an over or under fill condition, either of which can lead to problems. The PTX gear oil is a conventional overflow type fill like those found on regular manual gearboxes. You should also note that both lubricants where initially difficult to find over here, and were only available from a dealer. As the current dealer standard procedure for dealing with a PDK that is acting up is to put a new one in the car, which is fine while under warranty, you really don't want to find yourself having to buy one. Like most sequential manual gearboxes on the market, there is no field service for these units, hurt one and they have to go back to the factory.

Depends, as you will need the PIWIS. The PDK requires two different lubricants, one for the wet clutches, the other for the gearbox itself. Both should be changed. As very limited information is available for the PDK, the OEM lubes whould be the best choice. From the manual: PDK transmission oil - approx. 3.12 quarts / 2.95 liters ATF transmission oil Mobilube PTX Formula A (SAE 75W-90) GL 4.5 - change at 120K miles or 12 yearsPDK clutch oil - approx. 5.49 quarts / 5.2 liters Pentosin Gear Oil FFL 3 - change at 60 K miles or 6 yearsThe following procedure is from the 2009 Technik Service information book:Oil fillingThe correct hydraulic oil level is important for operating the transmission withoutrunning into problems. The following preconditions must be met in order to check orcorrect the oil level:• Engine must be idling• Vehicle must be horizontal in both longitudinal and transverse axis• Hydraulic oil temperature between 86° F. and 104° F. (30° C and 40° C)• Selector-lever position “P”• Clutch cooling volume flow must be switched off (using PIWIS Tester in Oil fillmode)• Retain the described states for approx. 1 minute to allow the oil to settle• Open screw plug on oil overflow bore and collect emerging oil until only drops ofoil are emerging• Once there is no more oil emerging, top up the clutch fluid until oil emerges atthe oil overflow bore• To avoid damaging the clutches, the procedure must be completed within 5 minutes(PIWIS Tester exits Oil fill mode automatically after 5 minutes)The correct oil level is also important to avoid damaging the gear wheels in thetransmission. There is also an overflow bore for this, which is located on the oppositeside. The oil level can be checked in the usual way here.

The longer dwell time under vacuum is purely a “belt and suspenders” method to test for any possible leaks; it is the perfect time to do it, especially if you had taken various parts of the cooling system apart. It is nearly impossible to get all of the coolant out of these cars; there are just too many spots in the system where it can be trapped. On average, using the standard service procedures, you probably get 80-90% out at best. For car where we are forced to get everything out (e.g.: those that have suffered an intermix), we use an external pump system to force water or water/cleaner mixtures through the system for several cycles to push out the contaminated coolant before refilling.

It would be best to start by replacing the AOS and carefully checking the oil level in the engine first as these are more common issues. The scavenging pumps are mounted on the ends of the cylinder heads, and are self contained units that are driven by the cams. A lot like light bulbs, they either work or they don't. To check them, they have to be removed. Here are what one from an X51 M96 look like for example, you can see the drive tang that runs them: There are two pumps, one each on opposite ends of the engine, and they are removed from the outside of the engine. If you have to get into them, remember that the two are not the same, they are specific to the cylinder head they came out of: I would do the AOS, clean out the accumulated oil in the intake system and check the car's oil level before even thinking about the scavenging pumps.

You have a lot of oil in there, which is not a good thing. I would be looking at the AOS, but also checking that the oil scavenging pumps in the heads are working properly, or that the engine is not drastically over filled with oil.

Try 8261 or 8271

Jake (and LN) seem to be moving away from "retail" (read DIY) sales as the required support rapidly becomes overwhelming, particularly with something that has one way to do right, and an infinite number of ways to get it wrong....

This is a lot like the switch to the large diameter bearing in 2005; the only way to know which one is in a 2000-01 engine is to take it apart and look at it............

A simpler, if not as elegant, tool can be made from a 4” CPVC pipe coupler (this is a straight sleeve with a small ridge halfway through for the plastic pipes to rest against) found at any Lowes or Home Depot. Use the original flywheel bolts that are finger tightened until they rest on the center ridge, then use a cross tightening pattern until the correct insertion depth from the flywheel flange is reached. A around $4, it comes as a ready to use tool for the DIY’er that will probably only use it once in their lifetime instead of the $500 OEM tool……

No idea, you may want to drop Charles an email...............

Jake has commented several times that the dual row LN ceramic update has been so problem free that the "solution" update is probably not required. There are also a lot fewer OEM dual rows cars still running around.

No, it is only for the single row engines, which began in 2001. According to Jake, the single row design is much more prone to failure than the double row.

Jake Raby recently released photographs of his long rumored IMS Solution upgrade for the early M96 engines with the single row OEM IMS bearing: This system uses an oil pressure fed non-roller bearing in place of the conventional ball bearing unit. This is projected to be a permanent fix for the weakest most problem prone style of IMS bearing, rather than the maintenance replacement approach of the ceramic LN replacement. In essence, this new system converts the single row engines over to a similar design as that used in the Turbo and GT style engines. At this time, installations are only available through Jake’s shop (FlatSix Innovations in Cleveland, GA), but will also become available through other shops as he rolls out his installer training program in 2013. At this time, no retail sales (read DIY) kits are planned.

Only comment on your procedure would be to let the car sit under vacuum for at least 5 min. before commencing the system fill. Reason for waiting is that holding that car under vacuum (The vacuum level on the gauge should remain unchanged during this wait) will show if there are any leaks in the system before the often expensive coolant goes in.

As your car is well out of warranty, the dealer will probably not see their way clear to replace the engine unless they do it under "goodwill", which is completely discretionary on their part. Some owners have been able to extract limited concessions on an IMS failure, usually in the form of some cost sharing formula, but this approach is not always common in these cases. If you can approach your dealer in a conciliatory manner, rather than an adversarial approach, you may be able to reach a mutually acceptable understanding on the issue; but history has demonstrated that opening with threats of legal action have typically led nowhere.

http://www.rivetsinstock.com/tool-kits/rivet-nut-kits-w-tool.html

You may need to run the the car's VIN past a good parts person at the dealership to check which type is in the vehicle.

On cars with body kits, we use these (they are by BendPak): Because they are adjustable, we can taylor the height to clear just about any body kit side pieces, and they are almost as large as the adaptor pads above, the car remains very stable while up in the air. Big time saver around the shop.

More years ago than I would care to admitt it, I bought several of these: At the time, they were reasonably priced, but have since gone up considerably. They still show up from time to time on fleabay. They are metal with a rubber pad around the center locking tang that locks into the jack points. Once mounted on the car, you have four 6 1/2" diameter metal pads for the lift to pick up the car. These also work well with floor jacks: One benefit, besides never slipping, is that they never mar the underside of the jack points, something some of my customers worry about.

I'm sure it could be fabricated from any suitable material capable of holding the clip in compression until it is inserted into the wrist pin opening on the piston, as it only has to do it six times, unless you are a professional engine builder. The trick is knowing what the OEM tool looks like, and what it has to do, so that you can whip up a cheap substitute for the $300 "factory" tool..............

Logray, that is exactly the "low bucks" approach we need to see more of; thanks for the idea. :thumbup: For those that have never assembled this part of an M96, this is the tool with the clip inserted: And here is Jake Raby using the above tool on the end of the "insertion device" to pop the clip into a piston: And the clip installed in the piston: Because you are "building a ship in a bottle" so to speak, when the clip holder gets stuck, it can be a major headache............

Before I would jump to a 5W-50 weight oil, I'd try a quality 10W-40 full synthetic, providing your ambient climate is not frigidly cold. The slightly higher "W" weight typically offers a bit better film strength, particularly at start up and low oil pressure situations, such as at idle, which can help with the noise.

If you are using a quality full synthetic oil, and the engine is running fine, no additives of any kind are necessary. If the car is showing signs of high mileage (poor leak down values, noise, oil consumption, etc.), no additve is going to help...........

The dual mass flywheel is the only source of harmonic dampening in the engine, removal of that capability can lead to serious issues, like cracked (or worse) crankshafts. These engines are not particularly well internally balanced from the factory, so the dual mass dampening is rather important. More than one leading Porsche engine builder has recommended against using single mass flywheels unless the entire engine components and the flywheel are properly rebalanced as a unit. A second consideration is how well the single mass itself is balanced; we have seen several that were 10 grams (and more) out as delivered. These flywheels are also difficult to have accurately balanced; only a handful of machine shops can do a proper job. And even after one is correctly rebalanced, they still can be a bit of a pain to drive on the street due to clutch chatter related issues.