[henchpilot]

hey guys......took the 93 968 in for an oil change today and was informed it was leaking oil from both the oil pan gasket and the valve cover. I've never seen any oil under the car so I assume its a small leak. Just wanted to ask if anybody else has had both jobs done by a shop and what a ballpark price for parts and labor.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

valve cover is not a big deal, but the oil pan requires dropping the cross member, which means an alignment on top of the repair - both jobs should be about 6 hours or so, plus an alignment



not long ago, somebody else was having to drop their cross member, and i was slammed for saying that when doing this job, it is a good idea to replace the cross member with the 3 piece lindsey racing unit - cost is about $300, but eliminates he need for dropping it in the future, when something like this happens again, thereby saving money and time in the long run - the primary criticism came from those who said these cars don't leak from the pan often - i've been underneath at least a dozen, and i have seen some form of seeping in all but 2



the same kind of thing happened when i was saying that hydraulic hoses need to be replaced at least every 8 years, and people disagreed - then suddenly a lot of failures started happening, right on schedule



i think we are about to see a lot more pan leaks - it's about that time



some stuff is just inevitable

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Greimann]

[quote name='henchpilot' date='Jan 27 2006, 07:06 PM']....  I've never seen any oil under the car ..

[right][post="15175"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

Trust your own eyes, not the oil monkey at Spiffy Lube.



You may have weeping. That is just a dew like moisture that collects dirt and looks bad, but is not a requirement that you pull the car apart. Bad gaskets leave drips on your garage floor and that is a genuine leak.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[henchpilot]

thanks flash.....also a quick question. I've had my car for about a year and it has 74 k miles....I have record from the previous owner the the belts were done at 56k in Sept 2001. Should I have the belts done or hold off and put a few more miles on it. Also, when I change the belts is it worth biting off $2k to do all the seals and the H2o pump....or just the belts, rollers and main seal fro $800.....Do you think these price quotes are about right for both jobs.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Greimann]

[quote name='henchpilot' date='Jan 27 2006, 07:46 PM']... is it worth biting off $2k to do all the seals and the H2o pump....or just the belts, rollers and main seal fro $800....

[right][post="15179"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

What exactly do they mean by ALL THE SEALS? That is a big job that requires major disassembly.



When you disassemble the front of the motor, you can access the water pump, front balance shaft seals, belts, and rollers. That would be a prudent service at 5 years of belt duty at that mileage.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[BruceWard]

thanks flash.....also a quick question. I've had my car for about a year and it has 74 k miles....I have record from the previous owner the the belts were done at 56k in Sept 2001. Should I have the belts done or hold off and put a few more miles on it.

The official service interval is 8 years or 60K miles. You have 3.66 years and 42K miles to go on the belts.



I agree with Dave, watch for any oil under the car, if you can not find any and your oil pressure is healthy do not worry about the seals.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[henchpilot]

I'm not much of a mechnic, but how it was explained to me by the service shop was the belts and rollers can be changed for around $800...he recommended to change the waterpump/thermostat and crank/cam. and balanceshaft oil seals,etc, a job he considered a "complete front engine recondition," totaling around $1900....is that necessary for the additional cost or just change belt/rollers??

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Greimann]

[quote name='BruceWard' date='Jan 27 2006, 08:24 PM']The official service interval is 8 years or 60K miles. 

[right][post="15181"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

Double check the mileage Bruce, the table I see is 48K miles for the 968. 60K for the 928.

Pages_from_968WSM1.pdf Size: 475.14 KB  Downloads: 31

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[BruceWard]

How man miles are on your 968? Where are you located?



944 Waterpumps needed to be replaced frequently. The 968 has an improved waterpump, there is no need to change it every time you change the belts. Unless you are at a high mileage or they are leaking I can not see any reason to change seals that are in good condition.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Greimann]

[quote name='henchpilot' date='Jan 27 2006, 08:29 PM']I'm not much of a mechnic, but how it was explained to me by the service shop was the belts and rollers can be changed for around $800...he recommended to change the waterpump/thermostat and crank/cam. and balanceshaft oil seals,etc, a job he considered a "complete front engine recondition," totaling around $1900....is that necessary for the additional cost or just change belt/rollers??

[right][post="15182"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]



I think I am going to recant the previous comment. It would be wise to check the balance belt tension, but there is reason to go into the motor now. Your annual mileage is pretty mild. Go with a 7 or 8 year belt schedule. At that time, do the waterpump and seal thing.



Someone else please comment on the crank and cam seal. I am not familiar with anyone having an issue with these, or if they even exist.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[flash]

the manual is wrong then - 8 years is too long for any rubber component, especially belts - the belt manufacturers recommend change at 5 years for good reason



the manual also does not indicate the need for checking them frequently, but we know that to be wrong



the tension spec in the manual is also no longer valid



there is what the book says, and there is what reality is - i have recently come to the conclusion that people who follow the book on maintenence schedule often have cars sitting with blown motors, and that we need to do things more often than what the book says, especially as age and mileage increase



i would change the belts next winter, but check the tension now



on the waterpump and thermostat, the waterpump seal becomes suspect at the same time any other rubber component, but unless it's leaking, i'd wait to do it until you do the belts - also, the cost of the pump is a lot less than the cost to go back in there if you guess wrong - thermostat change is a given at that time



on the oil leak, clean it up, see how it progresses, and then decide - if it isn't leaving drops, then it can certainly wait until the same time as your belts, if needed at all - i would do it, but i don't want any seeping or anything - others might look at it and be ok with it

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[henchpilot]

Thanks for the advice guys,

The cars in the shop now and I'm having both leaks repaired and the belts checked......for replacing them i'm going to hold out til next fall/winter to have them done; that will be just over 5 years and apx 25000 miles. Thanks again for all the advice.....I just want to be confident that i'm no going to run into any serious eng damage..$$$$

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[bob blackwell]

Henchpilot, you are safe with what you are doing. I have always had my belts checked at 15,000 miles and replaced at 30,000 miles but with over four years experience with the 968 I am extending my replacement mileage to 45,000 miles. I will still have them inspected at 15,000 mile intervals. I have never had any problems with belts breaking on my 924s, 944S2, or either one of my 968s. I have had to replace the front seals on the engines of each of my four "water cooled four cylinder" Porsches. They seem to eventually start to leak, but I do not have any specific mileage recommendations for replacement. "If it aint broke, don't fix it"! Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.