I have the coolant pipe issue and have bee scouring the boards for the consensus, but still seems to be mixed feeling. I am thinking that the sharkwerks method is the preferred. I think that I really want piece of mind, so I am considering dropping the engine to have this done. If so, should I also be changing the water-pump, and all hoses? What about the alternator as I have heard that they can get wet when the line gives (mine had some moisture around it when it happened to me on Sunday) and then they fail. Open to any and all advice and if anyone knows someone in Michigan that has done this repair successfully.

Thanks
-C

 

I think pinning is better than welding because the casting is porous and welding it right can be difficult.

What year is the car? If you're looking at 10 years I would say it's probably a good idea to replace all hoses (boost/rad) as well as doing a boost leak test.

Depending on maintenance history you might also want to do:
- diverter valves
- n75 valve
- fuel filter
- coolant expansion tank
- water pump
- thermostat
- belts and maybe tensioners
- spark plugs
- coil packs
- intercooler hose o-rings
- TB/plenum o-ring
- check your wastegates
- motor mounts

 

Dont forget to do the pipes under the oil cooler and not just the easy to get to ones !!!!

 

I pinned mine, replaced all cooling system parts(tank, pump, thermo., hoses, etc.), cam solenoid brackets, checked plug gap, bled clutch, etc.. lots to do while in there, I'll try to remember it all.
Also did new injectors, wastegates and EPL tune..

 

My timing sucks. I just had almost all the things done that you mentioned and then less than 100 miles later is when my pipe pooped out. Lucky me

 

pinning the fittings keeps them from popping out but as the glue degrades it does nothing to stop any leaks. welding solves any issuers and a competent welder can do this with no problem. all 8 of mine were welded and a single pin hole was all that was found under pressure testing

 

Personally, I would weld them and not have to ever worry about it again. As long as you pressure test the welds, it's easy enough to re-weld a pin hole until it's gone and move on to the next piece. IMO, it's the proper way to do it and should last the life of the vehicle.

 

Might as well get a stronger clutch should you ever want to upgrade turbos as well.

I'm contemplating the pin/weld for my GT3 now as well. Mine on the 6TT popped at ThunderHill a few years back- not good!

 

We have full TIG facilities and I would 100% always bond mine, the epoxy we use has a 4000psi shear strength and theres no chance of getting a leak.

 

I recently had my engine and transmission out and I went with Sharkwerks pinning procedure I am glad I did because the same week my car was in the shop a GT3 blew its coolant lines. Since my engine was out these are the parts I replaced for preventive measures:

Awe Tunning 2.5 Sachs Clutch Kit ($1635)
New Oem 997 Transmission mount ($188)
New Fly Wheel Bolts ($27)
New Pressure Bolts ($29)
New Rear Main Seal ($30.43 mise well Transmission will be out)
New Clutch Fork
Oem 997 Engine mounts ( $318.44)
Pinning all Coolant lines ($580)
New Coolant Hoses
New Coolant expansion tank ($133.22)
New plugs ($47 will check coil packs if any cracks will replace if needed)
New Water Pump ($307.42)
New Serpentine belt ($84.04)
New Fuel Filter ($39.41)

 

I have a Tip otherwise a clutch would make a lot of sense. Has anyone considered the method in this video. they knurl the ends of the tub and then JB weld. They said that they do like to introduce any additional holes.

 

I did this to the one that popped out. I then proceeded to pin the rest! It's a terrible problem and if the car gets driven it will happen. If it's a garage queen you might get lucky.

Since you have a Tip, you might want to replace the two transfer case gaskets while its out. It's a very easy job. I just did mine in the car!

 

Does welding hold up over time as the housing and pipes expand/contract at different rates (because they are different materials)?

 

with all the labor needed to do this method you may as well weld the fittings. by the time your done knurling 8 fittings and applying the jb weld waiting for cure time it can be welded and done. the process of engine removal, removing the fittings, cleaning the openings is the same for both

 

Nobody knows for sure. I have the first coolant hose pop-out failure that I know of - I wrote about it in 2007 and there was no information on it at the time. I replaced it with a new factory oil cooler part. The new part lasted 6 months and popped again on the other side, so we welded them. Welded, mine have held up 6 years/55,000 miles now. I don't think they will ever fail due to the metal differences, but only time will tell. About a year after my failure, a lot of failures started being reported and people started trying different methods of repair...