Porsche 996 turbo maintenance



Howdy folks - I’m in the middle of a major PM service on the 996 turbo; 2002, 6 speed, 55k miles, stock, mild power mods in the future (intercoolers, tune, possible k16 hybrid), keeping the AWD, use it for occasional commute, a few weekend plus road trips per year in quite spirited driving fashion, 1 week long road trip and 1-2 track days per year. It’s a fun car, and i want to drive it with mechanical confidence and reassurance, in spirited fashion across the western US.



Have the motor and trans out currently, and this the plan/parts bucket thus far:

*3 new radiators

*all new rubber coolant hoses

*all new vacuum lines up top

*new OE plenum

*some new air pump hose components

*new thick Beru coils

*Bosch recommended spark plugs

*new rear axle bolts

*new stock FPR

*new OE trans mount

*new OE engine mounts

*new fuel filter

*new coolant reservoir, cap and level sensor

*Gt2 clutch with the 764 pressure plate and new DM flywheel and bearing

*new air conditioning parts (compressor, receiver dryer, expansion block, service ports)

*new idler and tensioner pullies and SERP belt

*new rebuild gasket set for assembly

*new TB gasket to plenum

*new f pipe and Y pipe and 710N diverter valves

*997 gt3 OE shifter

*having the coolant plugs welded by BBI

*having fuel injectors cleaned by RC fuel injectors

*new upstream 02 sensors

*used Remus exhaust with 150cel cats

*having Bill Rayder Service the transmission



A few things to note:

*plugs and coils are <10k old, but doing them anyway

*water pump and thermostat are 3 year and 8k old

*clutch slave and accumulator are 3 years old



Overall, looking to do make this machine rock solid from a maintenance perspective to take a 2 week road trip this fall and continue annual track days and enthusiastic weekends. Want to get this thing buttoned back up, put some miles and weekends on it, then venture into with tune and intercoolers later.



What else am i missing? What else should I be checking? Trying to Maximize and take advantage of all the “while you’re in there” opportunities.



Looks like 1/2 dog gears are a big chewed. May have GT gears out in as a part of this solution. Also, what diff to put in; Wavetrack or Guard?

 

Wow, that's a lot of stuff. Car will be in tip top shape though!

My oil pressure sender is intermittently failing for a few seconds and up to about 30 seconds. It's a cheap part IIRC, but is much easier to access with the engine out.

Also, check the condition of the A/C condensers up front, if the rads are in rough shape, then the condensers probably are too.

Other than that, it looks pretty damn thorough.

 

Thanks for the heads up, mate! I'm also getting some odd low oil pressure reading dips at lower RPMs, and also have a new Oil Pressure Sending unit for replacement. Forgot to mention that in original listing. At around 1800-2200 the pressure dips from 2+ bar down to 1 bar for a quick fall of the needle, then back up again. Not sure what's going on, hoping a new sender will fix it! But good call!! Any insight on how you fixed yours, feel free to share!

Will keep an eye on the condensers. They look good from afar, but will take the front bumper off shortly.

Looking forward to driving this thing with mechanical confidence on some longer road trips!

 

I haven't actually fixed mine yet, lol. Waiting until I have the engine out for clutch/coolant lines and new turbos/injectors (probably this coming winter).

Oh, one more thing. I would highly recommend upgrading the engine mounts, especially if you plan on doing spirited driving. The car transitions much better and rear end stays more planted. I'm a real stickler for extra vibration and harshness and if there is any, it's extremely minimal. I have the torque solutions units. I also switched to a 997 updated OEM trans mount.

 

I just did basically all this, will get full parts list, also had Rader rebuild trans and put in wavetrack. I'm very very happy!

 

Definitely Bill Rader is the man! He built my gearbox I did Guard straight cut gears for 2,3,4,5 love the sound!

 

i think i replied to you in your other cross thread but didnt see the 1/2 gears comment. only that you were takin it to rader.

i assume you have 2nd gear pop? if so, just one more 02 that was afflicted. my previous 02 car had it too.

if you have any particular questions about the issue, lemme know. i learned a lot dealing with PCNA, the porsche dealership, as well as many g50 rebuilders.

and i did vote for the wavetrac. if your not building a single duty track weapon then 60/40 plate is preferred by most. i installed the w/trac and went rwd. it's sick.