[ds968]

For non-DIYers, a rod bearing job in these parts at independent mechanic shops will cost anywhere from a minimum of $ 2,000 and closer to $ 3,000 . Don't even ask how much a dealer would charge. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif[/img]

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[flash]

whenever i finally have to do this, i am installing the 3 piece cross member so that i can do it without a front end alignment (scribing marks does not work well enough)

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[Cloud9...68]

<!--quoteo(post=81890:date=Oct 15 2009, 09:45 AM:name=flash)-->QUOTE (flash @ Oct 15 2009, 09:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->whenever i finally have to do this, i am installing the 3 piece cross member so that i can do it without a front end alignment (scribing marks does not work well enough)<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes, I will too. But the first time you do the job, you have to basically dismantle the entire front half of the car to get to the pan, thus the $2 - $3K labor charge DS describes. And that probably doesn't include the alignment, or of course the windage tray. This is why I say it's foolish to go to all the trouble and expense of replacing the rod bearings and refurbing the head, and not just spring for a total rebuild. It's pretty much an all-or-nothing proposition. And with the the "all" probably coming close to five figures if you throw in a few mods, I think I'll keep driving mine until bad things start happening.

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[flash]

while i would tend to agree, the main bearings and rings are generally pretty tough on these engines, and last a lot longer than the rod bearings, which seem to need to be done often at about 100k - that's pretty early for a bottom end rebuild

also, i don't think it's quite that expensive to do the rod bearings - it should only be about 10 hours

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[Anchorman]

Somewhere I have the receipt for the rod bearing replacement I had done at RS Barn a year or two ago. I'll see if I can find it. (My receipt filing started to go awry when I kind of figured out how much money I'd spent on the car - and I started not to care anymore.)

As for the butt meter - mine is also not well calibrated, so I my measuring stick is what top speed I can hit on the back straight at Watkins Glen. I must admit - during my last outing, in September, I could not get to the same speed I'd gotten to in May - even though I'm pretty certain I was driving better, and taking the uphill esses faster. I'll have to talk to Pete about this some day. First, though, I need to earn some money so I can continue doing DEs and keeping the 968 in shape.

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[Scott Collins]

I'd rather spend money (and I have done just that...) on this well-made Porsche and keep it under my a$$ then go out and buy a new anything that will be by the side of the road with a rag hanging out of the window after 35K miles. I also bought a Selmer Mark VI tenor sax, 20+ years old, rather than get a new model. Some things are just made better than others, drive better, sound better, hold up better, etc. Frozen in time, that's me!

Show me a car, 18 years old, still driving around with the original alternator. Don't see many of those Datsun 280Z's on the road anymore, do ya... Nope....Now I know that with lesser cars, I would be paying the price for saying this out loud, basically jinxing myself and asking for a monster break down, but with the 968, I honestly feel that I can absolutely pound away and her response is, "Is that all you got?"

I take pride in maintaining something good rather than discarding it for the next, latest, greatest thing.

Epilogue: just went for a drive, just to be sure. Milk run... Everything still works and there is less rubber than before on the rear tires! 76K miles and going strong.

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[ds968]

Amen, Scott. As much as we all complain about this and that relative to our cars, your post has the right perspective, IMO.

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[Cloud9...68]

Hmm... As much as I love my car, I wish I could agree, but the list of things that are broken or pseudo-broken on this car, that I'm just "living with" (starter that grinds if the car sits more than a day or two, a turn signal stalk that I have to hold in place on right turns, side cladding that's grown mishapen over the years, to name just a few), continues to grow longer by the day. Not sure I would consider the 968 any more durable or well-made than any other car of its vintage, particularly those from Japan. They can be made to last, but not without a significant amount of owner intervention.

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[ds968]

I may be wrong, but I believe only the ( boring ) Japanese "family" cars seem to never break down, with parts that last forever.. ( our Nissan Pathfinder and our Altima being the perfect examples of that - not one single failure of any kind at over 150,000 miles on each ) However, from what I hear the higher performance Japanese cars have quite a few problems, and not all that dissimilar than those of our 968s, or 944s, etc.. perhaps the parts are a lot cheaper though.. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif[/img]

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[flash]

no good sportscar is cheap and no cheap sportscar is good

there is a scale of performance to reliability - the more performance, the less reliability - there are also very real ceilings on any car, and attempting to exceed that only brings frustration

a car that is designed to have 240hp and then is pumped up to 340hp will not be as reliable as a car that is designed with 340 to begin with - the physics just don't work that way

it's all really about how much you want, and if you are willing to spend to get it

that's why, to now bring this thread back on topic (hint hint), it is incredibly important to make sure your car is in top running condition, so that you can get the most enjoyment out of it - if you let it slip, you will get bored, get passed by generic japanese cars, and ultimately lose the love you once had for a terrific car

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[Jamie '92 968]

Following up with some good news, and a data point for anyone interested...

Just had my compression checked duying my visit to RSBarn this week and all 4 cylinders are between 200 and 210 !!
Hard to believe with 144K miles.

Guess I can put that money I was planning to use on a refreshed head toward an RSB header, exhaust, and a stage 2 chip.

Woohoo!!!

Jamie

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[PorscheDude]

Has the head ever been off?

Those are great numbers!!

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[Jamie '92 968]

Never been done, and I've had the car since 20K miles.


I'm a happy guy [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

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[PorscheDude]

I would be too. That says allot about the quality of porsches manufacturing.
Very cool.

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[DaveN]

And possibly your oil brand and regiment of change?

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[Cloud9...68]

Wow, those are amazing numbers! You should be thrilled (it sounds like you are). Could you please find the gauge that was used to do your test and ship it out to me so I can borrow it? At about 100K miles, my readings were all in the 170s [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif[/img] , despite records that show an oil change an average of every 2500 miles since the car was new. Also, my oil pressure at idle is nothing to write home about - well under 2. The car seems to accelerate pretty strongly, but from the objective data (assuming gauge accuracy, of course), my engine is pretty tired. But the good news is that my wife's still-new business (open since May '09) has really picked up lately, so maybe I can at least start thinking about things like rebuilding the engine, and even (dare I even whisper it?) Flash's supercharger (though sadly not in the first batch).

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[flash]

not to rain on anybody's parade, but with that mileage, numbers that high generally actually point toward carbon build up - i would ask pete about doing a full run-rite treatment

170s are probably mostly upper end - at 100k, that's about right - a valve job and you'd probably be up in the 190s

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[Cloud9...68]

"not to rain on anybody's parade, but with that mileage, numbers that high generally actually point toward carbon build up - i would ask pete about doing a full run-rite treatment"

Sorry to say, but I think Flash may be right about this. Those are freakishly high numbers. Did RS Barn indicate that they were unusually high? A Run-Rite treatment would be a good idea - I had one done on the 968, as well as one of our other cars, at a local Midas Muffler shop, so I'd do a search for places close to you that do it, and then repeat your compression test. Your numbers may come down, but hopefully will still be a a good range.

Yes, I agree that my car is probably due for a head freshening, but with it being a '92, I'm on that very slippery slope where if I'm going to go to all the trouble of pulling the head off, I might as well upgrade the connecting rods, especially given my mediocre oil pressure at idle, as my ultimate goal is to someday get the supercharger.

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[94SilverCab]

I agree that these numbers sound very, very high...I also believe that if RS Barn says it is so, then I have full faith that the number is accurate.

Jay

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[Jamie '92 968]

Given recent weather patterns I'd say Flash is SNOWING on my parade...

We replaced the spark plug O rings because there was oil in the plug wells. Turns out the P dealer who replaced them a year ago (and charged me a fortune to do so) didn't install them right. So when the numbers were high we thought there might have been some oil that got into the cylinders. There was some variation and one cylinder as high as 240. After taking the car on a test drive we repeated the test and got the consistent 200-210 result. The diagnosis being that things were good because the numbers were all close to each other, and a bit high which might indicate carbon build-up.
It wasn't until I checked back to this thread that I saw the numbers in perspective.

I'll give Pete a call on Monday, but the obvious dumb question is... if the carbon build-up is keeping my compression numbers high, why would I want to get rid of it?

I do have a complete manifold cleaning in the short term plan.

Thanks for all the input,
Jamie

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