My concerns was there was no vendor local to me that has done the welding, nor a competent welder know, nor has the welding been around long enough to know how the two thickness of metals will interact over time and possible thermal weakness presented as the two dissimilar metal thickness expand and contract at different rates over time.

So my (as in me) best option was and still is to pin. I was very comfortable with the method my tech used and he inspected the current fittings and did not see any sign of impending leaks, etc.

I think we are beating a dead horse when someone says one is better than the other. Both have had success and both have had failure. Time will tell, but not enough time has elapsed to say one is bad if they are done right. It seems that most of the issues have been technique not method - maybe I am wrong, IDK.

I think if there was a competent welder with experience in this repair, I would have went that way, but I did not have that option...

If the engine needs to come out next year or two, hey, time for mods!

 

IMO, with welding, all you have to do is pressure test it before installation and you will be all set for the life of the motor....no problems.

 

fair enough. but pieces can be shipped to people who can do it no problem. they are not that large at all.
welding them has been around for a long time, as a matter of fact longer then pinning them. not sure where you get the expansion thing from, but it gets hot in there BUT not THAT hot

figure that same expansion will kill the glue and epoxy you have in there same way it would allegedly ruin a weld. but a weld is much stronger.

when you see leaks its already too late.

So one is better then the other then ?

exactly.

 

Time will tell! There are several applications of glue/sealant being used to seal coolant systems with the addition of mechanical fasteners. Pretty much all production vehicles use that method on their water pump housing and coolant hose piping to connect to the block. So pinning is not that new of an idea per se.

My minivan has a blue sealant gasket around the water pump housing, but it also has bolts holding it together. Now my Porsche has bolts holding it together. Not much difference IMO. As long as there is something holding it together, it does not leak. If it was left up to the blue sealant alone, well you know what would happen. Will it leak over time with fasteners, my van hasn't after 188k miles...

My Porsche wasn't leaking prior to the failure. It was simply not a sealing issue, but a mechanical fastening issue. The pressure became too much for the sealant to hold the two parts together. Would that same issue cause leaking over time. Maybe, maybe not.

I think welding them is a good solution as well. Is it better? Time will tell. I don't really care either way and don't want to get into an argument on something that doesn't have enough data to argue. Just opinions and emotion. We will know the answer in a few years - maybe sooner. I just like to have options and I personally think both are good options.

All I know is I don't worry about my coolant lines now when I step on it! I was involved enough in the process to be very comfortable with what was done.

 

raineycd... You my friend need help... my fittings have been WELDED since 2007... pinning is for the birds.. But you buy repackaged proto parts from a middleman. Tell you what tell your shop to send me the parts and I will weld them. I will bill them and you will be happy because two people made money off you.

 

Have just had mine welded (preventive) 2002 996tt chipped to approx 500hp.
We'll see

 

-Year: 2001

-Mileage on car: 31,000

-Stock or modified? Modded

-Are your lines pinned, welded, or original? original

Will probably have it done when I upgrade the clutch, assuming it lasts till then.

 

I haven't seen any pinned fail threads? has anyone had a pinned cooling solution fail?

 

Being somewhat data driven, I've picked up on the following (please feel free to correct):

1) no one has reported a coolant hose failure on a completely stock car
2) no one has had a welded connection fail (after confirming good welds)
3) no one has had a pinned connection fail (or leak)

Sounds like we need more time to definitively figure this out. Otherwise, this debate reminds me of manual vs. PDK . To each their own....

 

So what kind of oil should I use after my pinning? I keed I keed

 

.... you sure?


pinned cars, leaking couple hours away.

 

So have welded cars... These are installation issues not failures after successful completion.

 

Sometimes I wonder if you have ever actually worked on your car ?

The amount of glue and the quality of glue they used is just not sufficient for cooling on a modded car.... even if you pin it glue will continue deteriorating.

i can see that what i am saying is not penetrating. so i give up.

my car...

 

-Year: 2002
-Mileage on car: 40K
-Stock or modified? Stock + exhaust
-Are your lines pinned, welded, or original? Original (planning to weld with other major work)

 

-Year: 2003

-Mileage on car: 39,000

-Stock or modified? Modified

-Are your lines pinned, welded, or original? Welded

-If pinned or welded, was it preventative or due to failure? Preventative

I went ahead and got mine welded. I don't drive it many miles (5.5 years 10,000 miles) but they are all track miles. I see almost 170 on some tracks and that's not a chance I'm willing to take. Welded over pinning because I didn't think all lines could be pinned with engine in car.

Though now since the engine went back in, I'm having boost leak and misfire issues (P1250, P300,304,305). Hope I don't regret this as I still think my car was low risk (for now) of failure.