Uwon

Looks good Lyn. Glad it worked out. Cheers

Lyn, good choice. Look forward to some pics.

Mijostyn, bent wheels are not fun. I have been fortunate so far to have avoided this with mine. With the standard Porsche alignment the tires will not rub even under the deep compression experienced at our home track, being entry to corner #5A at Mosport. The geometry simply will not allow it. I have driven the car over 50k miles with those spacers over some pretty bad roads in both Canada and even over parts of the old Route 66 all the way to California. So from my perspective it works for me and should for most. In the spring we have lots of left over sand and gravel from our snowy winters and, yes, cars get lots of gravel rash. Years ago I tried lining the fender edges of my cars with clear 3M plastic with lousy results. I found out that if the paint has already been marred, then a thin strip of 3M would not hold. I now use Wurth's gravel guard which can be touched up or removed with Varsol and some elbow grease. Works for me and you can't really see it unless you are changing a wheel. I don't particularly care or notice the additional unstrung weight of less than one lb per corner. What I like is how the well are filled and the wide stance view from the rear, especially with the 305's. And about those wheel crest, you caught me on that one. I was recently asked to point the crests down for a photo shoot. Only a car nut would notice! :)

Bill, the 944 has been around twice as long as the 996 and with its relative simplicity, good manners, and, absence of modern electronics, it is understandably a favorite for DIY'rs who have had lots of time to document and share every permutation of the car. Not so fortunate for the modern Porsches with their complex mechanicals and electronics. But what I have found in this forum is a bunch of knowledgeable enthusiasts who have been at the ready to help and guide you with almost instantaneous information and answers. If you have not already stumbled across this thread, here is my own experience and note the timelines. Post #74 may also be of particular interest to your w/p project. http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/43715-clutch-aos-water-pump-thermostat-diy-questions/ Good luck, Cheers....

I want to correct my previous post. I have 7 mm and 14 mm (not 15) spacers with 52 mm and 60 mm bolts. Here are some pics. This is a 2006 2CS Top left-rear profile, no rubbing since installed 3 years ago. 305's Top right-front spacer Bottom left-rear spacer Bottom right-front profile

I have 7 and 15mm on my '06 C2S with 19" lobster claws and 305's in the rear. No rubbing, nice stance. Got the spacers and bolts from H&R. I can post some pics this weekend if you wish.

Hated my Rossos-lowder as they wore and harsh. lowsy wet traction. Moved to Michelin Super Sports and the 295 rears gave me a howl at cruising speed (113-118 Kph as I remember). Based on discussions on this forum I moved to 305's in the rear and now there is no howling. Go figure. Great grip in dry and wet, relatively quiet and good wear. I'm a happy camper now.

Hated the Rossos. Went to the Michelin SuperSports and the 295 rears howled at cruising. Changed to 305 in the rear and I am now a happy camper. Quiet, good handling in dry and wet and long lasting ( relatively speaking). On my second set now.

With the age of the car (I also have an '86), you may also have a broken or corroded wire typically at the socket end. I would pull the light assembly out carefully and examine all the connections and check for continuity between the socket and power wire as well as the ground.

You are describing a typical grounding issue on older 911's. clean all contacts at the light and the ground to the chassis

To add to my previous post, because of the pinging, you should check the vacuum lines for inside blockage, kinks and that they have been connected to the right place. The oil smoke could be caused by a blocked or kinked breather hose. It is located at the top back of the motor and goes to the top of the oil tank. Any left over rags in there from the rebuild? After that and before you embark on a leak down test, I would pull all the valve covers and check that the valve guides are not partially unseated and that the valve clearances are still there. Let us know how you make out.

I trust that you are using the dip stick at operating temp and not the known unreliable dash gauge to check the oil level. Next step should probably be a leak down test before you drop the motor. I would also suggest posting your issue in the Pelican Parts engine rebuilding forum which has an extensive following by air cooled experts. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/911-engine-rebuilding-forum/

I had the same issue with a Volvo I once had and it turned out that two of the tires had a slight sideways wobble so when they harmonized in a particular way the car would rock back and forth. If I made a 90 degree turn and then went at speed it would go away. Volvo, bless their..., changed the worst tire on warranty and it still persisted but not to the same extent. I became a PITA and they changed the remaining tires, again on warranty, which solved the problem. By the way, I had those Rossos and gave up on them. I now have Michelin Super Sports and they are great, quiet and long lasting, relatively speaking.

Interesting but I don't have a burp top hole in my 997.1. I burp by raising the rear when the motor is cold and open the tank. If not already done, I would Check the intakes for debrees and vacuum the rads. Have you checked that the front cooling fans are working on both sides? Stick your hand in the front of the front wheel wells to feel if air is going through when hot. If one of them is not working (you will not necessarily get a dash error code) you may have an electrical issue (do a search here-lots of info available) or you may just have a small stone stuck between the fan and shroud. Turn the steering wheel to the opposite side and carefully use a long thin screwdriver to turn the fan blade counterclockwise which may release the stone if it is there - personal experience. Or, it could be the thermostat which is easy to change.

Hey Doug, I muddied my way through a simpler alternative. See my story at: http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic/43715-clutch-aos-water-pump-thermostat-diy-questions/?p=238953 Cheers......

Hey Tony, got you on the wheels. I use an old wash mit and literally half my arm is inside the wheel. By the way, I have given up on wheel cleaners. I put some maguiers car wash directly on the wet mit and go to it. It does not take the wax off as fast, IMO. jl, I agree that Zymol are great products. Used to use them but then it became hard to get them in Canada so I moved on. I can't say enough about the Blackfire protectant as per my post above.

There are a number of threads in the Pelican Body and Paint Forum and quite frankly opinions are all over the map. The following works for me. 1. Like JFP said, P21S or Sonnax wash and dry with two large micro fiber cloths (MFC). 2. I then continue with Maguires clay bar with their lubricant (good alternative is Blackfire clay and lub.). Wipe clean with new MFC. 3. I Follow up with a 6" orbital polish with Good quality foam pad such as Buff 'n Shine blue or black using as good quality polishing compound such Maguires (I had lousy results with Groits products and instructions on both my dark blue cars). Wipe clean with new MFC. 4. follow that up with Blackfire's Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protectant which is long lasting and provides a great wet look. Easy to apply by hand/orbital if finish is really clean, disastrous if not well preped as per above. Buff clean with new MFC. 5. I finish off with P21s carnauba wax as it is easy to apply by hand of with orbital and buffed with MFC. It does not leave any white residue if you happen to get it on rubber trim. 6. The wax does not last long so I redo this about every six weeks immediately after a wash. Takes about an hour tops with a beer break. The rest I do late fall before the car goes away for the winter and again in mid June. Car is hand washed at least weekly by me only using Maguires wash and two micro fiber mits, one for the wheels and another dedicated for the paint. I use micro fiber cloths exclusely as I maintain that cotton no matter how fine or soft do leave a trace of swirls-my opinion not necessarily subscribed by others. My 997 is not a garage queen. It is driven extensively and I still get compliments even after seven years. A bit obsessed? My wife would agree.... Hope this helps.

Well, I have finally been back at it again to finish off the water pump replacement. There is lots on this subject and I settled on a DYI post that has been frequently referred here and in other forums. http://p-car.com/996/diy/waterpump/ It seemed simple enough and avoided the arduous task of removing the rear engine carrier and cat converters. My car being an '06 C2S appears to be slightly different than the earlier 996's. The issue was that I could not move away the engine carrier far enough back to get the required room to remove the water pump upwards. As the engine carrier is quite flexible, I used a crow bar to gently bend the carrier by about 5 mm and block it to holds its position. I also removed the large black plastic hose guide on the left rear of the engine and tucked the hoses a away as much as I could. The pump came out with ease. The removal of the plastic hose guide is a bit of a PITA as it is held by one bolt tucked between the two hose guides and which can only be reached from underneath with little room to maneuver. Once unbolted the guide can be moved away by pushing it towards the left rear fender to release the two prongs which are embeded in the engine case. The re-assembly was essentially as per the DYI although I did also replace the two corrugated cat pipe clamps which were completely seized up and had to grinded off. One final note on coolant flushing- I used my wet vac on the two coolant pipes at the front of the trani and got out about 26 liters of the stated 28.5 liters without taking apart the front rad, etc. I was quite happy with that.

Grujfo, going at it twice must have been an agonizing experience. You must be a patient person. Can you tell us whether this was your first water pump replacement and did you notice any temperature change with the 160 degree thermostat.

I have now driven the car close to 3,000 km since the job. Clutch great, no leaks, life is good. Thanks again JFP and logray for your invaluable help. Cheers....

I had a similar issue, a loud "crack" comming from the passanger B-pillar area on an intermittent basis once per drive and only without a passanger. Then I removed the trani, etc. (www.renntech.org/forums/topic/43715-clutch-aos-water-pump-thermostat-diy-questions/#entry234912) which required the removal of a suspension cross member that runs accross underneath the trani. On re-assembly I cleaned up the ends which were a bit corroded, cleaned the two bolts, used some anti-seize and retorqued. I similarly treated the eight front trani mount nuts/bolts on re-assembly. Voila, don't know what really did it, but I have driven close to 3,000 km since the job and have not heard it since. Hope this helps.

Now u see now you don't.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqcI6Id7_yA Cheers.....

JFP and logray. I can report that my beloved Porsche is back together and in good working order. First ride of the season was exhilarating. I decided to defer the water pump replacement until May as we have to go for our annual pilgrimage to The Hershey Swap Meet next week (15 years I think). Also, she who must be obeyed was feeling a bit neglected. Your attentive advise and almost instant responses took out allot of anxiety throughout this project. Thanks again. Cheers.....

Thanks logray and JFP. 9.5 liters to get to 1/4 above minimum. Will stop there until I start the motor per logray's instructions. Still having problems with the clutch pedal, which is still knotchy so looks like I'll have to bleed the slave cylinder for the third time.

Thanks JFP. I am now ready to start the motor but I keep getting a low oil level on the dash-below minimum. I have put in 8.5 litres per the manual. Never had this issue before with my normal oil changes that I can recall. Any ideas?