[Langley968]

The underside of my hood in that spot is slightly brown. Must be from high temp! Nothing visible on the topside. That is the only reason I have not installed the hood liners I bought last year.

On topic: I was in sixth gear for about 10 minutes today! Since the start of this post, I have been using sixth more often...

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[ds968]

I have used the sixth gear only on those rare occasions where I wanted to test / re-test the top speed attainable in this car..so one or may be two times a year, and obvioulsy for very brief periods of time. I'm surprised the damn gear has not rusted in place by now <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Pretty much the same with fifth, I hardly ever use that one either.. As I noted before I like to keep the rpm between 4k and 5k at all times, even when on cruise control for long distances, but it's good to have those gears there as back up <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

lol - yeah - you're a nut

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[DaveN]

4-5K all the time <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Now there's a guy who loves maintenace <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

I keep mine at 2.5K all the time so I know that the gerbil will be ready when I need him.

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[ds968]

Actually, never needed any maintenance.. the high rpms have had no adverse effect on this engine whatsoever and it's now at 110,00 miles.. furthermore by most others' standards I neglect the car.. I change the oil at 15k, sometimes 20k intervals, I never replace any parts as preventive maintenance until they break down and NEED to be replaced ( yeah, yeah.. don't anyone remind me about the timing belt.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> THAT, I will addrees in time from now on ) so it's a testament to just how ell these engines were built to withstand abuse, IMO.

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[flash]

longevity would be the issue here - it's a pretty basic matter of physics - materials wear at a particular rate, given the conditions to which they are subjected - more rpm means more friction which means more wear - lubrication plays in heavily here - better oils mitigate the wear to some degree - contaminants limit the ability of that oil to mitigate the friction



it will be interesting to see how many miles you get out of the bottom end, spinning it that high all the time, with oil in it for that long - if i had to guess, i'd say 150k-160k, whereas others get over 200k, but i'd be willing to bet you are ready for rod bearings now if they haven't been done

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[ds968]

pretty sure I have the '94+ later version rod bearings, they should be good for at least 250k miles, if not longer, even at the conditions I drive .. My 944 engine lasted that many miles and with even greater neglect ; considering those engines were far, far below the quality and durability of the 968 ones, I'm not too concerned.. ( of course, these could be "famous last words ", eh <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> )

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[flash]

the rod type does not have much of an influence on bearing life - while the stronger rod may lessen the movement, the bearings are still subjected to the same issues



it's important not to compare the 944 to the 968 when it comes to engine life - only the S@ 3.0 would be a comparison - the extra pounding on the bearings, provided by the larger engine size, dramatically affects engine life

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[94SilverCab]

Dan,



You should be thinking about rod bearings right about now...remember the warning you forgot to heed on the T-belt???



Regards,



Jay

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[ds968]

Actually i was observing the prescribed mileage interval on the timing belt, just omitted to pay attention to the age factor as well <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> However, t-belt lifecycles have published guidelines, as well as a bunch of documented failures, whereas on the topic of rod bearings' longevity other than the usual " I know someone who.." hearsay , not much to go on. I'm curious if anyone here who does not track their car experienced any rod bearings failure on their 968s , and if so do we have a count of just how many cases are there ?

Besides, I understand there is warning ( tapping/knocking sound ) when those start to go bad, so any surprises should be avoidable.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Scott Collins]

Hey Cloud,



Could be a weak pump or belt slipping - I'm doing my head gasket in about a month and will replace the water pump "while I'm in there". I'd love to replace the radiator as well, but I don't think the budget has another $400....



Normally, when I run the a/c the engine temp stays cooler and fluxuates very little because the fans stay on continuously when a/c is running.



-Scott

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[Rap]

Since this 6th gear thread started I have paid more attention to upper gear selection and find myself in 6th more frequently. Power of pursuasion or just going faster?

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[94SilverCab]

Dan,



Pete told me 120k was the upper limit and I believe him...go ahead and do it your own way and let me know when your engine grenades <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> .



Jay

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[tamathumper]

I don't think I could stand the noise between 4-5k all the time... I'm more of a high-2's kind of guy.

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[Cloud9...68]

Tamathumper,



You took the words right out of my fingers. To each his own, but the buzz and racket of the engine constantly screaming away at 4-5K would make me want to push the ejector button (with the sunroof off, of course <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />) . I'm with you - when driving around town, I rarely see much above 4K, and like to keep it in the 2-3K range. And I'm in 6th the instant I hit 50 mph or so on any freeway. Now on the track, it's a different story altogether...



Dan,



Take a close look at your oil pressure at idle once your engine is fully warmed up. A healthy engine should give a reading or 2 or above. Despite my little-old-lady street driving style (mixed in with el berzerko track days), mine reads about 1.7, thus part of the reason for the complete rebuild I'm currently in the middle of. Even if you're getting a healthy reading, you may want to take it to someone to apply an accurate external gauge - I wouldn't imagine this would be very expensive. I think this would be the surest way to assess whether you're at risk of your engine grenading anytime soon. Plus, if your readings are healthy, think of the gloating you could do justifying your, ahem, interesting driving style <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> .

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[DaveN]

I have just had a rebuild and my oil pressure dropped from just above 2 to 1.8 at idle and 4 instead of 4.5 at 3K+

That was disconcerting but my P-mech did use 5-40 and I have never used anything below 10 so we will see next oil change.



Back OT.



I used to think OT meant "On topic" until I saw this thread, now I think it means "Off topic" <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[ds968]

" I don't think I could stand the noise between 4-5k all the time "



With a BB catback, the tune produced at those RPM levels is nothing short of heavenly ( well, at all RPM levels from mere idle to 7k+ for that matter, but particularly high ones ) <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Then again, sound is so subjective - for me, if I want an engine I can't hear and the exhaust sound of a sedan, I drive my MBZ





Good point about external oil check, never thought of it. Will put it on the to do list just to see if my pressure reading gauge is accurate. When the engine is fully warmed up , at idle I'm right in the middle between 2 and 3 ,IIRC but I'll double check this weekend. I do know for sure that the moment I touch the gas it goes right up to the very top line and stays there until I take the foot off the pedal.

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[Cloud9...68]

If you're between 2 and 3, you're in good shape. Of course, ambient temperature could have a lot to do with it, as we're looking at a good 20-30 degrees difference between the Bay Area (where I grew up - I miss it so much!) and here in blistering central Texas. But if your gauge is accurate at all, it sounds like you have something to gloat about.



Good point about the exhaust. Mine is stock, so there's nothing particularly endearing about the sound of the exhaust, and the sound doesn't get any better as the revs rise; it just becomes a louder version of the somewhat agricultural-sounding big four-banger. I'm planning to go with some type of aftermarket exhaust as part of the conversion I'm putting the car through, so maybe this will change my "tune."

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[ds968]

" let me know when your engine grenades "



Sheesh, Jay.. you've spent too much time around Pete and Bob.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



   

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[AJG]

[quote name='rxter' timestamp='1308700759' post='111512']

Andy - please post more often. Very very funny stuff. "Driveway speed - and watch the angle"

[/quote]



Thanks RXTER I try my best being a dummy and all. I was hoping Flash would have picked me up on the paddle's issue ( not strictly correct) so that I could retort with more silliness. But alas no! He didn't even bite at "Bash on Rob Falls". I thought that was genius, maybe I'm getting carried away. It was good at least!



Andy

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