I just sold nearly all of that to a guy last week

 

Is this applicable to 997 TT too ?

 

Yes. 996tt, 996 GT3, 997.1tt, 997.1 and 997.2 GT3.

All cars with the water cooled Mezger engine.

 

The idea of pining just prevents the insert from pulling out and dumping coolant, right?

I wonder if continued use will ultimately lead to a leak from weakened glue.

 

Here is my take:

Seems like cars have been getting pinned for several years now, and we don't have a single report of a leak. Could be circumstantial as every case is not reported here, but I doubt it (read on) I think the fittings are tight enough to prevent leakage as long as they stay in tact.

We also haven't heard of any cars that start to just leak coolant, they are all catastrophic failures, so it seems as if as long as the connection stays together it will not leak.

If I'm not mistaken, the ONLY reports of just leaking (dripping) that we have are from cars that have been welded and then sprung a leak. This means that the clearances are quite tight, in many cases, the only things holding that stupid connection together.

I'm not for over engineering a solution. My car sits (a lot) and I will check it religiously for between sessions and my garage floor between events.

IMO as long as you use some of the really good locktite and lock them down, you should not have a problem.

 

I don't think welded fittings are "spriging a leak". If not checked for pin hole leaks before installation, there is a risk there may be one from the welding process before installation, in which case you re-weld that spot. If there are no leaks when installed, I don't believe a leak will ever develop on a welded fitting. IMO, it's a permanent fix.

 

John, I understand your point, I guess what I'm saying is that you are more likely to have faulty welding (since we can't all have them welded by the same person) than a leak related to pinning based on what we've seen.

Also re-welding does not sound tasty at all. Either you got in the compartment hot or pull the motor again, talk about frustration (and $$$).

Based on the real world information we have, there are a lot more cars pinned than welded, however more cars with welds leaking (2 or 3 that I've seen) than that have been pinned (0). And people are doing the pinning themselves on top of that and they still haven't started leaking.

I'm not against anyone welding, but there is zero evidence (only theory) to suggest pinning is not a sufficient fix. So I will have mine pinned asap.

 

I agree with everything you are saying and feel that most likely you will never have a problem with the pinning. If the engine is out and in pieces, I would weld and pressure test. Without the motor being apart, pinning is the way to go. It's too bad this is such a problem...

 

So do you need to buy extra pipes or take the rubber hoses off and weld the existing pipes on

 

I welded the original pieces - did not buy any fittings...

 

Subscribed! Great wirte up! Thanks for sharing!

 

I made a promise to sunnyside (Frank) to try to remove the brackets (4) that hold the coolant pipes (8) without removing the engine. Just lowering it a little bit (4 inches) to get more room. Sorry Frank I cannot hold this promise. Only after removing the a/c pump, steering pump+reservoir, alternator, Y pipe, I have found so many things wrong that the complete removal of the engine is a must....Brackets broken, little pipes completely dried and fragile, screws missing, coolant leak at 2 separate places and finally wire for the N75 valve damaged. The a/c pump was probably replaced by the previous owner. The mechanic who replaced the pump had the N75 valve wire stuck between the pump and the forward bushing of the mount...Not too impress.....I will only be able to do a proper inspection of the complete engine only if it is on the ground. Sorry again Frank but I would like to get the job done only once

A couple of note: An easy task was to remove the a/c pump and attach it outside of the engine compartment. No refrigerant liquid lost , no servicing required. But I guess you already know...

I know some of you would like me to do the GT2 slave modification but $1000.00 is a lot of money and I would like to replace the rubber coolant pipes + all the o-rings required for the reinstallation of all the brackets that will be removed for the welding job of the inserts....Over $300.00 of parts + fluid + welder....

Tomorrow some more inspection and coolant draining....

 

J-P,

Sorry to hear about all of the other things you found. That is one of the hidden costs of these repairs - the little things that are waiting to be found when you get into it.

But didn't you have your motor out before? You've posted lots of photos of a motor outside the vehicle.

Jon

 

JP - if those problems were not present would it be possible to access all of the fittings for pinning without engine removal? I would imagine the 3 on the water pump housing could be done or the housing removed. The pipe with the coolant temp sender with 1 fitting should be accessible. Removing the power steering pump bracket would give access to 1 or 2 fittings and the coolant manifold has 2 or 3 - not sure how many, but this may be the challenging piece. If you think it is possible I may attempt and put a DIY together for others to follow.

 

I know for fact that the whole coolant housing can be removed without completely removing the motor, you can just drop it some. I ha e no idea how to do it but have seen it done.