I am in the middle of a DIY right now and am taking some pictures but I want to be sure I don't destroy my transaxle from oil starvation before I post how I did it. If it works, it will be a way to install a transaxle oil cooler using after-market parts without having to pull the trans. out and weld in 3 bungs as Tom K. did. Should end up with about 1K in parts which is considerably less than the whole GT2/3 parts assembly.

The 2 little NACA ducts in the undertray on our cars provide a woefully inadequate supply of air to keep the oil temps reasonable during heavy duty use.

 

Awesome info and write up - thanks for taking the time! Looks pretty straight forward! Will be doing this Monday night...

 

Where can I purchase an alternator online for a 996 TT?

 

Google Sunset Porsche in Oregon....ask for Jeff Clark in Porsche Parts...they sell for cost plus 15%...I buy all my parts for the 02TT there. Their prices are as competitive as any.

Chuck

 

Any websites that sell them?

 

Just replaced mine - Check your pm's

 

Errrr....Sunset Porsche IS an online website as well as a dealership ....http://www.sunsetimports.com/ If you go to their website they have a clue in the tab marked Porsche Parts...it's a big box that says "ORDER ONLINE". Not really difficult.

 

I have successfully removed my alternator now, thanks largely to Sameer's DIY instructions and pictures. Rep points given.

Comments:

1) I could not easily get at the 2nd hose at the far end of the Y-pipe; the hose that is on the bottom right of the end of the Y-pipe. For some reason it was zap-strapped on (maybe a service tech lost the clamp and used a zap strap? I don't know). Anyhow I didn't feel I could get it off so the Y-pipe stayed on the engine, albeit loosely. I then propped it up not with a wrench like Sameer did, but with the left boost hose(!) The boost hose was stiff enough to hold it up and out of the way enough to take the alternator out

2) I concur about and found that I did NOT need to remove the oil filter bracket. This will save a small amount of work.

I'm now taking the alternator to a local rebuilder to see what they think.

The original symptoms are that:

1) when cold the alternator is putting out enough voltage (maybe 13V)
2) when the engine warms up, I notice that the output (as reported by the voltmeter on the dash) starts to drop. At some point, if I drive long enough, it drops below 11V(!) I suspect at this point, it has ceased to charge the battery and in fact, the battery is supplementing the car's need for electricity--and thus slowly draining it.

I am thinking that the voltage regulator needs replacing. The local rebuilder is suggesting that replacing the voltage regulator may be enough. I am worried that the innards of the alternator would also need replacing (e.g. bearings, brushes, other things(?)) and am wondering if I should just buy a re-manufactured one and turn this one in to recover the core charge.

I have a 2002 996TT and about 60K miles. The rebuilder scoffed when I said I was worried about the bearings and such and said that most alternators last a lot longer that 60K miles (again suggesting that I just replace the regulator).

Some reading on the Internet indicates that new brushes come with a new voltage regulator and so maybe replacing that is indeed enough. I just didn't want to re-do this job if something else in it will go.

Comments? I'll report back on what the rebuilder says.

For those who have done this, is it hard to align the alternator with the bolt holes when putting it back?

I see Sameer used a wooden mallet and a wooden stick. I don't have a wooden mallet but have a rubber mallet. Hopefully this will do.

 

It's not hard to get it aligned. I think I used a wrecker bar as a lever.

I think most of the failures are regulators.

 

Remember some Porsche owners had their alternator on test bench and show no fault. But after changing the regulator it was a fix! And about your question on regulator, yes the brushes are part of the regulator.... And replacing this regulator is realy easy....

 

attempting this on saturday ... hopefully I am smart enough to follow the DIY directions!

 

OK. I am at the point of putting the new alternator in and am have a big issue getting it into place on the right side (the side with the long bolt. is there any trick to this?? thx!

 

Great job, thanks for sharing!

 

I don't remember having a problem. I had more of an issue getting it out. Is it that it doesn't want to fit? I recall it had a bushing or something that had to be pressed in?

 

ok. i got in in finally. not sure why, but i had a hard time with it. All seems to be well but i do smell somewhat of a burning smell ... hopefully that is just the new alternator burning off some gunk.

i could not have done this without the details in the DIY so thank you!