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MY 968 was totaled - Printable Version

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MY 968 was totaled - afpintek - 08-12-2012

THanks,

Do you, or anyone on the Forum, know a good mechanic. That wont brake the bank.

I used to bring my other 968 to Automobile Associates in Canton ct.

In my opinion, any many others, best Porsche mechanics any where. Very Good, But, Very, Very, Very, Expensive.

I am in CT, are you in NY. I am willing to travel that far, for a knowledgeable 968 mechanic, that wont brake the bank.

Let me know,



Anthony

MY 968 was totaled - flash - 08-12-2012

a worst case scenario would be one in which the starter gets jammed up between half broken teeth, and then cracks the bell housing. i've seen that before in early british stuff. it isn't pretty.



i would definitely have somebody pull the starter, rotate the engine, and inspect the teeth. it won't take more than a few minutes, but could save you a VERY expensive repair.

MY 968 was totaled - afpintek - 08-12-2012

you said: a worst case scenario would be one in which the starter gets jammed up between half broken teeth, and then cracks the bell housing. i've seen that before in early british stuff. it isn't pretty.



Is this likely to happen.

I kinda need to drive the car today. But if it is going to ruin the car. I will try and find a ride.



Let me know,



Thanks,



Anthony

MY 968 was totaled - tamathumper - 08-12-2012

SpeedSport Tuning in Danbury, CT was recently recommended to me by the track chairman of PCA. And Advanced Automotive in New Windsor, NY by the president of same. I have not visited either one and can't comment on cost, but they are close to you.

MY 968 was totaled - flash - 08-12-2012

there is zero chance i would drive the car if i suspected a buggered ring gear.



i shattered a transmission housing from doing exactly that. it had a couple of teeth that had worn away, which was a common issue with the early bendix starters in the mgb. i found a temporary workaround by "bumping" the key and putting the starter in a different spot on the ring gear so i could start the car. unfortunately this actually made things worse, as i partially buggered a couple more teeth. then, i hit the key, it lined up wrong, the teeth jammed, and the torque of the starter forced itself against the ring gear. with nowhere to go, and it couldn't rotate, it pushed the bell housing outward, cracking it. in the case of the mgb, it is all one piece up front, requiring a new box altogether.



in the case of the 968, the bell housing is separate, but it is a bugger to get to to swap out, and i'm not even sure you can remove it without removing the engine.



that is why i recommend getting the car in the air, removing the starter, turning the engine around manually and inspecting the teeth. this should not take more than 15 minutes, but can save you a couple thousand dollars in repair.

MY 968 was totaled - tamathumper - 08-12-2012

There are only two bolts to remove the starter and they are easy to get to. Then you just need a long socket to put on the bolt in the center of the crank pulley at the front of the motor. You will be able to slowly rotate the motor and see the teeth on the ring gear thru the hole where the starter used to be.

MY 968 was totaled - afpintek - 08-12-2012

You Said:There are only two bolts to remove the starter and they are easy to get to. Then you just need a long socket to put on the bolt in the center of the crank pulley at the front of the motor. You will be able to slowly rotate the motor and see the teeth on the ring gear thru the hole where the starter used to be.



Hi,



That does sound very easy, but, I have no tools,and am 62 with a bad back.

Does anyone know, if some one on the forum, lives in ct.

If I can find someone in CT. that wants to do that.

I would be more then happy to pay them what ever they want, to do that.



Thanks for all the help,



Anthony

MY 968 was totaled - smshirk - 08-13-2012

Anthony, I am going to say what everyone else reading this thread is thinking. I am about your age, also with back trouble, so I can empathize to a certain extent. I haven't lost my business and I don't have a 10 year old, so I do understanfd your situation is different. The bottom line is if you can't afford to do basic maintenance and you are unable to do any of your own wrenching, you need to sell that car. It will bury you. There are no inexpensive Porsches. It sounds like you've had several. You must know this already. I've had more Pcars than I remember and not one of them was cheap to keep. Flash gave you some sound advice, just as several people gave you advice re the <acronym title='pre purchase inspection'>PPI</acronym> you decided not to take. Given your current situation Porsche ownership just may not be in your best interests right now. If you do bust the bell housing, you're looking at 25-30% of the cost of the car to do the repair, and other repairs could cost you even more. Perhaps you should get a Honda or Toyota until your circumstances are more settled. If that sounds harsh I do apologize, but I truly believe it is good advice.

MY 968 was totaled - flash - 08-13-2012

i have to agree. if you can't do your own wrenching, and you also don't have a fair sized budget, the likelihood of the car being down is high. these are old cars. they need regular maintenance. that either takes time, money, or both. the higher the mileage on the car, the more it will take.



10 years ago these might have been good as a daily driver. i personally thought of the car as "young" when i bought it, as it was less than 10 years old. now, nearly 10 years later, i think of it as old. i am fortunate to have both time and budget for it, but it takes a lot of both, and not many are able to do that. this car really needs to be thought of as a toy nowadays, and not a commuter or primary vehicle.



this is unfortunately going to be an increasingly common tale.

MY 968 was totaled - flash - 08-13-2012

as a side note, i realize that my comments were not terribly helpful to the immediate situation, and they likely only serve to further depress and frustrate you at the moment, but i think they are something to consider carefully after you get past the current problem.

MY 968 was totaled - bombfactory - 08-13-2012

afpintek - if the problem turns out to only be the ring gear, and the car is otherwise solid, you're not in bad shape. If you can source a used dual-mass flywheel in good condition (as previously mentioned, the ring gear is permanently attached to the flywheel), you may be able to re-use your current clutch disc if it's not too worn, and only pay for labor on a clutch job. Which, on the 968, as opposed to the 944, is not a terribly expensive job.



Finding the right mechanic is critical - most Porsche mechanics know diddly-squat about the rapidly aging front-engined water-cooled models, and even if they do, they often don't even want to deal with them!

MY 968 was totaled - afpintek - 08-13-2012

Hi all,

I am bringing the car to Musante Motorsports in south windsor ct.

I called the place in Danbury and this place also.

Both places will charge $100.00 to see if it is the ring gear or starter or what.

I think that is a lot, just to see if it is the ring gear, but I could not find any one else.

They both also said not to worry about starting it and driving it over.

Supposedly they both work and know 968's, and I dont understand why they would say that, if I could hurt the car.

I sill think you guys are probably correct, and think I should have it towed.



Thanks,



Anthony

MY 968 was totaled - flash - 08-13-2012

lol - it's pretty easy. if it starts and doesn't jam up, you get it to the shop, and they get your money. if you jam it up, they figure you'll tow it in, and they will fix it there. if they jam it up, they figure the car is already there and you'll have to fix it there. sort of a "no lose" for them.

MY 968 was totaled - afpintek - 08-13-2012

So, what your saying is tow it there, and don't let them start it until they diagnose the problem.

That is the only way I can see to do it.



Thanks,



Anthony

MY 968 was totaled - tamathumper - 08-13-2012

Well, look at it this way. It will, most likely, have to be started to get it into the shop and positioned onto the lift. If it isn't started and driven into the shop and onto the lift, it will be a major undertaking to push and prod it into place, and that's worth $100. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

MY 968 was totaled - flash - 08-13-2012

there is no practical way to get it onto the lift without starting it, and you run the risk of jamming it every time you start it, assuming it's the teeth on the flywheel. if you tow it there, and push it onto the lift, you have then spent even more money, potentially for nothing, or potentially saving you a bundle. that's a risk only you can decide about.



you are between a rock and a hard place. you either need to get used to it, develop a budget for the car so you deal with things like this, somehow find a way to wrench on it yourself, or move onto something that doesn't cause you problems. there is no magic answer.



but, we're all in the same boat

MY 968 was totaled - mbardeen - 08-13-2012

Would this happen to be your old car?



http://luxurysalvageauction.com/auction/21699112/1994_PORSCHE_968



If so, it's too bad. Looks like it's in really nice shape apart from the accident damage.

MY 968 was totaled - tamathumper - 08-14-2012

I sure hope that isn't enough damage to total the car, but I have a bad feeling it is.

MY 968 was totaled - afpintek - 08-14-2012

Yes that is it.

Maybe I should try and buy it back, for parts for the car I have now.

The pictures make the car look like less damage then there is.



Anthony

MY 968 was totaled - 968Syncro - 08-14-2012

[quote name='tamathumper' timestamp='1344940324' post='131014']

I sure hope that isn't enough damage to total the car, but I have a bad feeling it is.

[/quote]

My insurance adjuster told me that all the insurance companies have gotten very conservative. If the estimate to repair the damage is still significantly under the value of the car they would prefer to total it. They figure that there is always the risk of hidden damage that cannot be known until they start taking the car apart for repairs. They do not want the risk of repair costs exceeding the value of the car, so in effect they exaggerate the repair estimate and just total it.