ericinboca

I replaced the bushings and sperical bearings on all four corners of my 986S track car. I was installing solid stuff for track use, but the removal of the bushings would be the same regardless, of course. Harbor Freight and other places have a tool for this. It looks like a big, heavy duty C clamp and comes with "cups" for the bushing to fall into. It works, but is a little awkward, and can be hard. I could get some bushings and bearings out this way, but got tired of it, and took the arms to a friend's house where he has a 20-ton shop press. With that thing and the "cups" with the kit, it was a cake walk to get the bushings out. I also used the 20 ton press to press in new stuff.

Brian, I snapped the head off this bolt one time trying to remove it. I ended up drilling it out, retapping, and installing a new bolt. It took a lot of bits to drill it out and a bit of time and patience. I replaced the bolt with one I got at the hardware store matching my new drilled out size and threads.

I can't count high enough to tell you how many times I have reused my caliper mounting bolts on my 986S track car. Note, however, that I do torque to specs everytime.

It can be caused by air in the system. The 986 is hydraulically activated and shares fluid with the brakes. I'd start by bleeding the clutch. The bleed screw is on the driver's side toward the top on the gear box. Easier with two people, but I did it recently by myself by using a board to hold the clutch depressed at the proper time. Loren has a DIY on bleeding the brakes on a 996 which includes a section on how to bleed the clutch. Those instructions are the same for a 986. You do not have to bleed the brakes....you can just pick up with the clutch bleeding. Here's Loren's DIY. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7064

wow pricey...but we couldn't figure it out; they did. glad you followed up with the answer

These are 17 inch? If so, my PET shows for the '01 these sizes as stock.

I'm sure the DIY will give you more detail, but you take the rear wheels off, rotate the disc so the top lug bolt hole is lined up with a semi cylindrical part with a gear in the middle. This gear and its housing are inside - you may need a flashlight to look in to be sure you have it lined up. Then you use a flat head screwdriver to rotate this gear - that tightens the cable. It rotates one way on one side to tighten, and the other on the other side. You also have to loosen the cable in the center console to have some slack.

I think you made the right call. When the Panoz driving school shut down at Sebring, they sold off the Panoz student cars. I know some folks that bought them. They have not been especially happy. It is really easy for a beginner to put excessive wear on the motor and the tranny.

Brake flushing is pretty easy if you use a pressure bleeder - I do it about 2x a year for my track car. I use a motive power bleeder. You hook this thing to your brake fluid tank, pump in some pressure with brake fluid in the container, and work your way around the car bleeding off the old fluid until the new fluid comes out at each of the two bleeder screws on each caliper. You can also bleed the clutch. Loren has a great DIY on this technique under the 996 section, I think. One note - brake fluid is nasty stuff, that can damage paint. Be careful with it. And be sure you have a good seal between the bleeder and the tank - i had two bad washers from motive, ended up getting a big washer from Lowes to get it sealed. Here's Loren's DIY http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7064

Brake flushing is pretty easy if you use a pressure bleeder - I do it about 2x a year for my track car. I use a motive power bleeder. You hook this thing to your brake fluid tank, pump in some pressure with brake fluid in the container, and work your way around the car bleeding off the old fluid until the new fluid comes out at each of the two bleeder screws on each caliper. You can also bleed the clutch. Loren has a great DIY on this technique under the 996 section, I think. One note - brake fluid is nasty stuff, that can damage paint. Be careful with it. And be sure you have a good seal between the bleeder and the tank - i had two bad washers from motive, ended up getting a big washer from Lowes to get it sealed.

The two previous posters have very good points and questions. Here is perspective from someone with a car that has about 15000 tracks miles, and driven very hard. 10K track miles is a lot - I would think it is a track car, and like a previous poster, would expect it to have substantial modifications. Maybe that's what you want. If so, I would want to know how it has been maintained. How often has the oil and filter been changed? Has the oil gone off each time for analysis? If so, what wear trends do the results show? Same questions for the gear oil, and how does the transmission feel? Other Qs - What is the redline number with a PST2 or Durametric reading? Has the ECU been programmed with performance software? Were there other motor upgrades? (personally, I am not high on ECU software upgrades as it related to motor longevity - that is not based on anything scientific though) I think it would be possible to get a car with 10K track miles that is in really good shape. Mine, for example. :D But I would want to know as much as possible. I'm not sure I would buy a track car from someone I did not know from the track.

Hmm anyone know if Sunset can get that Motorsports AOS and any other additional parts necessary? I'm almost tempted to install that one instead. There is a DIY for a Porsche Motorsports AOS install in a 986 over in the Boxster Mods section. The motorsports AOS is about twice the size of the stock - has much greater capacity. I installed in my 986 because the Gs on certain turns n certain circumstances overwhelmed the stock AOS. There were very specific symptoms for the need. It is not that the stock AOS had anything wrong with it. It is an expensive part compared to the stock part. You'd have to judge if you need it.

I'm giving serious consideration to converting my 2004 986S to a full-on track car. I consider it a dedicated track car now as it is not practical to drive on the street anymore, but I am talking about stripping it of all unneeded items to reduce weight, install a full roll cage, fuel safe fuel cell, etc. I would probably build to SCCA specs so it can be raced. There are several items I would want to eliminate that are ECU controlled or monitored such as: * PSM (but maybe not ABS) * the catalytic converters * alarms, radio, airbags and probably many other things I haven't thought of. I can get a PST2 laptop clone for, say $1500 or so. I am wonderng if the PST2 will allow me to reprogram the existing unit to ignore these things, or if I would be better off, cost wise and from an elegance of solution perspective, to go with a completely different ECU package, such as Motec or something. Thoughts?

This is a limitation of the stock AOS on the track. For some reason, on the exit of left handers, when you stand on the throttle, it sucks in the oil. The Porsche Motorsports AOS will solve it. You must be pretty experienced on the track. Haven't seen it happen except with drivers that have some experience and skill. Many thanks Eric, tomorrow i will buy the motorsport AOS!!!! next month i will test on this track again and i'll report this is the video of my last trackday, the last corner before the start/finish line is where i occur the problem in previous lap. That fits - a left hander, after hard braking, then hard on the gas on exit -- and then a giant puff of smoke. Mugello lloks like a good track for a 986. Nice driving.

This is a limitation of the stock AOS on the track. For some reason, on the exit of left handers, when you stand on the throttle, it sucks in the oil. The Porsche Motorsports AOS will solve it. You must be pretty experienced on the track. Haven't seen it happen except with drivers that have some experience and skill.

Yes - it solved the problem, for me and my buddy with the identical car. I installed it myself and wrote up a DIY you can find under 986 mods.

A couple of these I can address. Pads: Once you get a bunch of experience under your belt, you will not find a single pad that will work for both street and track. MO, you will need a dedicated pad for the track. I trailer my track car, but I see many experienced guys drive to the track with a street pad, and change out at the beginning of the weekend and back at the end. Take a look at Pagid pads. I like Pagid Black and Pagid Yellow. If you are using street tires at the track, then you might want to try Orange too. Be sure you bed them properly or race pads will chunk. (I can explain, if needed, why street pads will never cut it on the track.) Fluid: Definately flush your fluid. Not sure if there are any differences between SRF and GS. I use Ate - cheaper, but I do flush it twice a year, and bleed before every event. A couple of guys I know that use SRF flush at much longer intervals - year or more. Ducts: I use GT3RS front ducts with no modifications on my 986S. My car is lowered, and I do not scrape. If I go agricultural while at the track, I have not lost them on the curbing. The ducts are much bigger than the stock ones. Clearly they push much more air through the wheel - the amount of dust collecting on the front wheels after installing these have been dramtically less. Can these go on a C4S?? Don't know - sorry. On my car, they simply attach to the leading transverse arm. Also, I live in SoFla - lots of hot air here too. Ducting will help, even in TX. You are heating the rotor to, in some cases, 900 or even a 1000 degrees. At those temps, 95 degrees is a cool breeze. Stainless steel lines: I am still using my stock rubber lines. MO, the improvement is minimal unless your rubber lines are getting old and compliant. I would recommend you flush the fluid and get a set of race pads (I recommend you call Craig at rennstore.com; he is very knowledgeable about pads). I think you will find the proper pad and new fluid will make a world of difference.

The Kluber Sytheso Glep is silicon grease and is applied to the O ring on the base of the AOS - and the O ring should come on the part. Spraying with a silicon lubricant should work or using any readily available silicon grease. I replaced my AOS with a Porsche Motorsports AOS (track car) and I reused all the stock lines. I still have one of the lines I ordered in my parts bin, collecting dust. Be sure you get the bottom rubber hose that has a spring clamp on it back on all the way. The other lines have fittings that engage nicely, and you can tell easily with an audible click if they are properly attached.

I use a G-force 5 point harness in my 986S track car with Sparco seats and HANS device. I see a lot of G force at the track. They are reputable. I've been happy with it. Hello Eric, i see that you run on track, do you have starvation problems? i've installed the deep sump kit but i didn't solve the problem I have not had any oil starvation problems... so, that means I really s*ck on the track :) When you say deep sump, you mean the pan depth extender, like what BK sells, or a system like the Mantis Sport deal? I have an X51 baffle, which I think makes a positive difference. Oh sorry. Just saw you are in Italy. In case these companies are not familiar to you - BK is Brey Krause - you will see what they have online at bkauto.com and Mantis is a canadian speed shop that has developed sumps for the Cayman that are longer that the factory ones.

I use a G-force 5 point harness in my 986S track car with Sparco seats and HANS device. I see a lot of G force at the track. They are reputable. I've been happy with it. Hello Eric, i see that you run on track, do you have starvation problems? i've installed the deep sump kit but i didn't solve the problem I have not had any oil starvation problems... so, that means I really s*ck on the track :) When you say deep sump, you mean the pan depth extender, like what BK sells, or a system like the Mantis Sport deal? I have an X51 baffle, which I think makes a positive difference.

Octantman: What you have described here are the classic signs of a faulty AOS. The only thing you haven't done is to check for excessive pressure at the oil fill cap which, if the AOS is shot, will be so strong that it will be difficult to actually unscrew and pull off the cap. However, since you are getting liquid oil dripping out of the exhaust, you have got to be careful not to run the engine because you run the risk of "hydrolock", which could cause major engine damage. This can occur when oil gets sucked into the combustion chamber and the pistons try to compress the oil. Pull off the air intake where it connects to the throttle body and if you see some oil pooled on the bottom of the throttle body, you don't have to look any further. Replace the AOS. Go to Mike Focke's Boxster Pages and you will find a nice photo of the kind of smoke you can expect to see when an AOS goes bad, and some good DIY information, here: http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/airoilseparatorreplacement Regards, Maurice. Maurice and ericinboca: Thank you for the advice, it encouraged me to do this myself. I have the AOS off, and the throttle body and two ducts between the intake manifolds. This item is different, for sure. Did NOT need to jack the car up. I'll post photos and a little of my experience tomorrow, but meanwhile here is the part number for a 2006 Boxster 2.7: 996.107.026.00 No bellows. Rubber "L" tube out the bottom fits into side of engine. Short angled tube fits straight down into the engine. Two machine screws hold the unit to the base. Y tube fots onto side and that into the throttle body. Oil everywhere. I took everything on top off and cleaned well, except the intake manifolds, but I put shop rags on a wire and got a lot of oil out. Hopefully only a small amount left. The car ran less than a minute after the thich white smoke started so I probably am OK. Only faults were misfires in 3 cylinders. There was more oil on the 4-6 side so that makes sense that fault was 2, 4, 5. I am not even a weekend mechanic but it was not a big deal since the posts and photos were good enough to allow me to anticipate the steps. Just tedious and to save $600 or more I don't mind tedious. Thanks again, Alan. Excellent - good news.

Agreed on all points, pooling oil in the y tube. The bottom of my AOS has a tube coming down and turning into the side of the engine. I cannot see 2 bolts holding the AOS to the engine. Will this be easier than the procedure you reference? I looked at it and the unit is different. The round top of the AOS is oriented vertically and the tube to the throttle body is not long, maybe 4" and flex tubing. I'll order the parts and will be able to tell by the new what I will be up against. Thanks guys, you are right on the money. Replacing it is not too hard - awkward, but not too bad. I replaced my stock AOS in my track dedicated 986S with a Porsche Motorsports AOS; you can see my DIY in the 986 mods section. You will not have to do all that I did with the motorsports AOS, but you can get the idea of how to get the thing out and how to put a new one back in. Be sure you get the tube on the bottom back on secure.

Are you down on coolant? What does your oil on the dipstick look like? Oil or a chocolate milkshake? not down on coolant, oil is slightly darker than new, not frothy. Hmm. In my experience, white smoke is coolant being burned. The oil on the floor in the garage was from the exhaust? not from the area where the transmission connects to the engine? or can you see where it is coming from? Correct, in fact it collected in the exhaust tip and dripped out on the front of the tip since it is sloped toward the front, or muffler. Smoke could have been slightly gray but in the mirror it was very white. I turned it off and it began to dissipate and its appearance was hard to say what color it was then. Now the engine ran not more than 5 minutes total for both trips. We need some more people to express an opinion, but I would look inside the air intake distributors for a film (possible heavy film) of oil. If you find oil in there, your AOS (the AOS on top of the engine, not the one in the pan) probably let go. The AOS is supposed to send vaporized oil into the intake to be burned in the cylinders. When it is malfunctioning, it can send liquid oil, which, in enough quantity, can cause a misfire - especially for cylinders 4, 5 & 6...your misfire in cylinder 2 does not match this theory perfectly, but doesn't spoil it either. If you don't find anything there, I would do a pressure test on the coolant system to see if it is leaking. And then compression test the cylinders. I might also drain the oil and take a hard look at it (maybe even send off for analysis - Blackstone Labs does the oil on my track car) to be sure there is no coolant in it.

Coupe is stiffer and safer for the track. I think the 4S allows you to get on the power much quicker and harder on exit than the 2.

Are you down on coolant? What does your oil on the dipstick look like? Oil or a chocolate milkshake? not down on coolant, oil is slightly darker than new, not frothy. Hmm. In my experience, white smoke is coolant being burned. The oil on the floor in the garage was from the exhaust? not from the area where the transmission connects to the engine? or can you see where it is coming from?