Andymuir

Dropping the transaxle was not all that difficult. I made up an engine support from some heavy aluminium channel I had. All four of the bolts holding the sway bar (anti roll bar) to the rear subframes sheared and drilling them out took a lot of patience. I disconnected the drive shafts at the flanges. I'm not sure if that's the recommended way but it was simple enough. I supported the transaxle on a floor jack with timber blocks to lift it high enough. Mines a C4 so I had to dissconnect and remove the drive shaft to the front wheels as well. The support bracket for the front of the transaxle wouldn't come off over the drive flange so it stayed there loose until the transaxle was most of the way out. I was able to reach all of the bell housing bolts with a mixture of 1/2" and 3/8" drive sockets and for the one at the top a combination spanner. Depending on the year you need the right size spline bit for one of the bolts. I've lowered a couple of gearboxed before by basically lying under the box and letting it rest on my chest then kind of rolling it off. DON'T try this with the Carrera as the transaxle is really heavy! I used two floor jacks, some levers and lots of timber blocks. A transmission jack might have made things easier but then I'd have needed the car up higher which would make getting at the bell housing bolts more difficult. The problem I had meant that I had to drop the transaxle trwice. Second time was really straight forward, about 2 hours down and 2 hours back up. I hate to admit it but I had put the clutch plate in backwards! I think the thing with the engine at the wrong end of the car threw me off! All back together now and going fine. Made my first attempt at a donut the other day and the new clutch worked a treat!

2000, C4 Cab Help! I was just patting myself on the back after getting the transmission back in and only had the sway bar and wheels to refit. Decided to check the clutch felt right and unfortunately it doesn't. The pedal is really soft and the clutch doesnt disengage. I didn't open any hydraulic lines but could this just be air? Or do I need to drop the transmission again to check what's wrong inside? If I take the slave cycliner off can I gently press the clutch pedal to see if it drives the slave? As far as I can tell everything went back together OK so I'm stuck...

Thanks for your inout. Different terms for different parts I think though. The sway bar bolts to the carrier for all the suspension links, I called this a subframe but I'm not sure that's the correct name. I think the part you are thinking of is what I would call a cross member. it's a shame because the cross member would have been much easier to sort. Anyway, in the end I drilled out the bolts withe the subframes in situ. Two of the bolts went very well and the original thread was preserved but on the other two the hole I drilled went off centre. I plan to put nuts on the back of all four bolts anyway as the threads are bound to be weaker now. Apart from some tight bell housing bolts everything else went quite well with the removal. Hopefully put it back next weekend.

Hi all Finally decided to do the clutch. Raised the back of the car and removed plastic covers - all good so far. Then tried to remove the sway bar to fit an engine support brace. The bolts holding the sway bar bushes to the subframe all eventually sheared off - even with WD40, tapping with a hammer and heat. It's really frustrating to hit this kind of problem on step 1 of the process! So now I think the only solution is to remove the subframes and get them to a machine shop to have the bolts drilled out. The manual I have doesn't cover subframe removal. Is there anything to watch out for or can I just undo all the bolts? Any thoughts or guidance much appreciated. Thanks Andy

Hi Guys I haven't organised a new hood yet. I have a few contacts in UK from the web and Richard Hamiltons link here adds another option. I have heard that the genuine Porsche hoods are very tricky to fit because of the way the rear screen is bonded in. Perhaps after market designs are easier but I'd still prefer to find a supplier who will fit. Otherwise, if it goes badly it will be hard to sort out (was the hood badly made or was it badly fitted?). There is a company in Mayo who offer suuply and fit but I thought their prices were on the high side and it's probably easier for me to get to UK than up to Mayo anyway. If / when I get this done I'll let you know who by and how it works out. In the mean time I'm still looking for experiences or recommendations. Cheers Andy

Hi Does anyone have recent experience of replacing the convertible top on a 996 in UK? I have found several companies advertising on the web but would like to hear from happy / unhappy customers before parting with cash. From other posts I understand this is not DIY'able? I live in Ireland but options over here are severely limited. Thanks Andy

Well, I fitted the new shocks with the old springs. The rear end feels fine, I'd say a little more supple but that might just be wishful thinking. Just compresing the old shocks on the bench there was a noticable difference in the resistance offered and the one that seemed to be leaking felt rather rough. Also, one of the shocks had about 2 inches more travel than the other! She's going for the road safety test on Friday so hopefully she'll be OK.

Hi all I need to replace the rear shocks on my 996 C4 Cab year 2000. I have mistakenly ordered the Bilstein B4 shocks which are intended for cars with uprated M030 suspension. I'm pretty sure my car has standard suspension as the old shocks had a brown circular sticker. The Bilsteins are about 15mm shorter than the old shocks. I need to get the car back on the road so I'm considering just fitting the new shocks with the standard old springs. Will this cause me big problems? Appreciate any thoughts on this. Thanks Andy

Hi all Year 2000 996 Carrera 4 cabriolet The remote locking is working really well since I did the mod on the antena. However the remote operation of the hood mostly does nothing and when it does start to open or close it only moves for a second or 2. Then I have to get into the car, ignition on and use the dash switch which always works OK. Is the reciever for the remote hood operation the same as for the locking? If so where else should I look for the fault? Thanks for your help. Andy