[Renalicious]

It's been almost two weeks since I got my car back from the shop where they replaced the oil pan seal to stop oil from leaking. Saddly it still leaks, ugh. Not only that but it appears my power stearing pump is also starting to leak a bit (drops of black fluid on my garage floor). Just to make sure that it isn't left over oil from the repairs, I jacked my car up and spent like 10 minutes washing the underside of the car and engine with water to clean as much loose gunk as I could. So we'll see what happens in a few days.



Hopefully they have some sort of repair warrenty, cause I really don't wanna spend another $1000 to get something this labour intensive re-repaired within a month =/



Times like these I wish I had a decent garage and all the necessary tools to do this stuff myself.



Just out of curiosity, how much do full engine rebuilds go for these days? $10000? $15000? $20000?

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[Scott Collins]

[quote name='Renalicious' date='Sep 2 2006, 01:42 PM']It's been almost two weeks since I got my car back from the shop where they replaced the oil pan seal to stop oil from leaking. Saddly it still leaks, ugh. Not only that but it appears my power stearing pump is also starting to leak a bit (drops of black fluid on my garage floor). Just to make sure that it isn't left over oil from the repairs, I jacked my car up and spent like 10 minutes washing the underside of the car and engine with water to clean as much loose gunk as I could. So we'll see what happens in a few days.



Hopefully they have some sort of repair warrenty, cause I really don't wanna spend another $1000 to get something this labour intensive re-repaired within a month =/



Times like these I wish I had a decent garage and all the necessary tools to do this stuff myself.



Just out of curiosity, how much do full engine rebuilds go for these days? $10000? $15000? $20000?

[right][post="25805"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Recommend you take a good look at the p/s pump hose and clamp. That's

a regular source, unless you already know it's the pump itself. Throws the fluid everywhere, and it's black, so naturally, when you see it you freak, thinking it's oil.



Don't know about the engine rebuild, but I imagine that a dealer would get you

for about $10-$15K, (which is an outrage). I have heard about a dealer

quote for valve repair associated with a timing belt snapping. The quote

was $12,500, from a dealer here in Central New Jersey.



By the way, do you drive it all winter up there in Canada? If so, do you

have a tip on some snow tires, because it's getting to be about that time

for me to put on some fresh rubber for the annual Jersey winter sloshfest!



Good luck.



Scott Collins

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[Renalicious]

Actually, I've never driven this thing in the winter, got the car in this past March. And it doesn't really snow much in Vancouver anyways, at most maybe 2 weeks out of the year. So I really can't help you with winter tires <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/sad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Yeah, I'm thinking it may be the hose and clamp that are leaking. I might have to invest in one of those dentist mirrors and check it out.



Yeah, dealerships are pretty much 75% labour, 25% parts for major work. Which is why that oil pan ended up costing so much. Thankfully there are other options in town which hopefully don't charge $100/h labour heh <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Mark]

I second checking the PS hose as everyone seems to develop that leak.



Scott- Check with Anchorman he drives his year round in that slop you all get. Blizzaks have always been my choice but my 4x4 handles that stuff now.

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[94SilverCab]

Renn,



The shop should stand behind their work if the gasket is still leaking. It is very easy to do this job wrong and over torque the bolts or not use the correct tightening pattern. I believe the bolts are tightened to 7 lbs and then 13 lbs (don't have the spec in front of me). You should confirm that the work was done correctly.



Jay

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[Scott Collins]

[quote name='94SilverCab' date='Sep 3 2006, 07:27 AM']Renn,



The shop should stand behind their work if the gasket is still leaking. It is very easy to do this job wrong and over torque the bolts or not use the correct tightening pattern. I believe the bolts are tightened to 7 lbs and then 13 lbs (don't have the spec in front of me). You should confirm that the work was done correctly.



Jay

[right][post="25812"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Just about every bolt on the car has a torque spec, and you can be sure

that it's for good reason. Second on the tightening sequence as well.



Renn, just out of curiosity, have you ever seen another 968 or 944 being

worked on at this shop? That would give you an idea if they ever work

on these type cars, which have so many idosyncrasies.



Either way, they should stand behind their work for a reasonable period of

time, which would be at a minimum, 30 days.



go give 'em hell!

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[Renalicious]

I haven't seen another 968 or 944 in that particular shop, no. But I know that the front engine guys from around here do go to that shop. I mainly see 911's, Lotus's, and lamborghini's. But I see what you mean. That might think what works for a 911, probably works for a 968 as well. Hmm, I'll be checking in there sometime this week and post an update. In the meantime, I need to get an alignment done. I noticed the inside of the left front tire starting to lose tread.



As for the PS pump, I'm pretty sure it's probably the hose clamp that's leaking. But man, trying to do anything in that part of the engine requires tha hands of a child <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



[quote name='Scott Collins' date='Sep 3 2006, 06:45 PM']Just about every bolt on the car has a torque spec, and you can be sure

that it's for good reason.  Second on the tightening sequence as well.



Renn, just out of curiosity, have you ever seen another 968 or 944 being

worked on at this shop?  That would give you an idea if they ever work

on these type cars, which have so many idosyncrasies. 



Either way, they should stand behind their work for a reasonable period of

time, which would be at a minimum, 30 days. 



go give 'em hell!

[right][post="25821"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

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[bob blackwell]

The power steering reservoir is very easy to remove without disconnecting the hoses. Just loosen up the large clamp that holds it in place and carefully raise it up to inspect the hose connections. Sometimes the hoses crack/split around where the clamps hold them on the reservoir and the leak can be cured by draining the fluid, removing the hose and cutting off the damaged area then reinstalling the hose using a new aircraft style clamp. This has worked for me on two Porsches so far. After you refill the fluid, be sure to bleed the system by slowly turning the wheel left and right from lock to lock a few times. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[flash]

make sure you put the reservoir back where it was - it is very easy to leave it clamped too high and end up with an ugly dent in the hood - even the dealership that worked on ron's car did that - big bummer

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[Renalicious]

So I dropped off my car yesterday and they looked at what was leaking so much oil. As it turned out it wasn't the oil pan at all, but the lower balance shaft. I don't know the exact details as I have yet to go pick the car and talk to the mechanic. But needless to say it's like a $2 part and $400 labour, or something, go figure heh.



I'll update once I know more.

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[coloradocab]

[quote name='Scott Collins' date='Sep 2 2006, 08:04 PM']By the way, do you drive it all winter up there in Canada?  If so, do you

have a tip on some snow tires, because it's getting to be about that time

for me to put on some fresh rubber for the annual Jersey winter sloshfest!

[right][post="25809"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



I have used Dunlop Graspics here in Colorado for two seasons and have been impressed with their snow performance and longevity. Our winters are mostly dry, but we do get a few decent snowfalls each year. Last year, never got more than about 3" at any one time, but some years, it's more significant.

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[ether_joe]

[quote name='flash' date='Sep 4 2006, 02:57 PM']make sure you put the reservoir back where it was - it is very easy to leave it clamped too high and end up with an ugly dent in the hood - even the dealership that worked on ron's car did that - big bummer[/quote]



don't I know it! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[ether_joe]

[quote name='Renalicious' date='Sep 8 2006, 02:37 PM']So I dropped off my car yesterday and they looked at what was leaking so much oil. As it turned out it wasn't the oil pan at all, but the lower balance shaft. I don't know the exact details as I have yet to go pick the car and talk to the mechanic. But needless to say it's like a $2 part and $400 labour, or something, go figure heh.



I'll update once I know more.[/quote]



guys, how about getting the castor blocks checked/replaced? I know my right side one is going because of a PS leak of my own.



If there are alignment issues perhaps this is due?

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[TheMirror]

Upgrade to 944Turbo castor blocks. I have the Part # if need be.



-Mirror

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[Renalicious]

Ok, so after talking to the mechanic and getting him to show me what the problem was (with one of their cut-away 944 engines they had on display), it was the o-ring at the rear of the lower balance shaft. Basically it got brittle and ended up failing, thus spewing out a lot of oil in the process. They had to take the belts off, remove the powerstearing, as well as the exhaust manifold. All in all it ended up costing about $430 after all was said and done. He said that due to the proximity of the exhaust, that ballance shaft o-ring will tend to fail every 4 years or so, on average. The upper one on the otherside of the engine usually lasts a lot longer. I'm sure it'd be easier to replace as well heh. Anyways, the only thing I need to look into now is an alignment, but runs good so far <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

yup - i am just waiting for mine to go,and start leaking - just another rubber part, beyond its life, with immanent failure



comes with the package - at least it's not british, where you live by "if it isn't leaking, it isn't running"

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[Bob Kovacs]

[quote name='bob blackwell' date='Sep 4 2006, 05:22 PM']The power steering reservoir is very easy to remove without disconnecting the hoses.  Just loosen up the large clamp that holds it in place and carefully raise it up to inspect the hose connections.  Sometimes the hoses crack/split around where the clamps hold them on the reservoir and the leak can be cured by draining the fluid, removing the hose and cutting off the damaged area then reinstalling the hose using a new aircraft style clamp.  This has worked for me on two Porsches so far. 

[right][post="25835"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

I agree that it's easy to remove the power steering reservoir... just takes a minute. However, I had no luck snipping the end of my hoses and re-installing. Well, on one of the hoses, anyway. One has a bell-shaped end that you cut right off if you're trimming. I could not get it back on without tearing the remaining hose, so I had to get a new one. Of the two hoses, one is cheap ($25) and the other is expensive ($140). The cheap one is easy to replace, as it goes from the reservoir to the power steering pump. The expensive hose is hard to replace, as it incorporates a cooling loop that installs next to the oil cooler. I replaced both on my car.



--Bob

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[Scott Collins]

[quote name='Renalicious' date='Sep 8 2006, 11:23 PM']Ok, so after talking to the mechanic and getting him to show me what the problem was (with one of their cut-away 944 engines they had on display), it was the o-ring at the rear of the lower balance shaft. Basically it got brittle and ended up failing, thus spewing out a lot of oil in the process. They had to take the belts off, remove the powerstearing, as well as the exhaust manifold. All in all it ended up costing about $430 after all was said and done. He said that due to the proximity of the exhaust, that ballance shaft o-ring will tend to fail every 4 years or so, on average. The upper one on the otherside of the engine usually lasts a lot longer. I'm sure it'd be easier to replace as well heh. Anyways, the only thing I need to look into now is an alignment, but runs good so far <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

[right][post="26030"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



Good thing you addressed that pronto - that oil would eventually soak

your timing belt, and then "pop", and then $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$,

and then <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Why did they remove the exhaust manifold? Sorry if I missed something

on this thread, but that seems unnecessary, to me....



Scott

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[Renalicious]

I'm not sure if it was the manifold or not, but it was some peice of the exhaust that needed to get moved out of the way. But I'm still kind of miffed cause something in there is STILL leaking. At this point I'm not sure what it could be.



Ah well, as long as I don't have to worry about it untill next year I'm fine with it for now.

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[Bob Kovacs]

[quote name='ether_joe' date='Sep 8 2006, 08:43 PM']guys, how about getting the castor blocks checked/replaced? I know my right side one is going because of a PS leak of my own.



If there are alignment issues perhaps this is due?

[right][post="26024"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

I missed this the first time through...



The caster block is really easy to replace but you will need an alignment afterward. There was a how-to article in the Sept 2004 issue of Excellence magazine with the procedure to replace this bushing. It takes only 20 minutes or so and you can do it with the car on $20 Wal-Mart ramps.



You'll know it if the bushing fails, as it will make an obvious knocking noise under the passenger's feet in a left-hand drive car. I assume the noise is under the driver's feet in a right-hand dirve car.



--Bob

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