I have a 2009 Turbo with ~40K miles. It has an exhaust, intake, and tune. In December I had it out on a cold day and with sport mode engaged I managed to slip the stock clutch at WOT in 4th gear. From what I understand this may be due to lack of clamping force from the stock pressure plate more than worn clutch, but either way it's probably still due for a replacement with a stronger unit.

Local reputable shop is quoting me $2K in labor for the clutch replacement.

As far as I know, the coolant lines have not been addressed yet. From what I've read, I could be talking about several thousand more in labor to pin the lines (I'm assuming I could save some cash by having clutch and lines done at the same time). I haven't asked the shop for a quote on the lines yet.

Let's assume for the sake of argument it would be $6K in labor for the clutch install and pinning coolant lines.

For that money, I'm guessing I could install a lift in my garage, purchase all the necessary tools, do it myself, and still come out way ahead on cost.

Downsides:

• Car is out of commission for much longer than it would be if I have the shop do the work
• This kind of major surgery is way beyond anything I've attempted before, hence risk of making a costly mistake or getting stuck
• Having shop do the work might be better for future resale value
• Not sure I love the idea of giving up space in garage to a lift, but I haven't researched my options there yet
• There is still a sizable cash outlay

Upsides

• Learning is good
• Even reputable shops make mistakes, with many types of DYI you get better peace of mind that it was done properly
• Tools/equipment spending is an investment that allows me to do more DIY in the future
• Good excuse to outfit/upgrade my garage

Looking for input from those on both sides - are there any upsides/downsides I'm not seeing? Perhaps it's worth mentioning I have a brother-in-law very close who's tackled some WAY bigger jobs than I have and I'm pretty sure I could count on some assistance from him.

 

 

Ain't that the truth! I'm reasonably handy - do my own oil changes and that sort of thing, but I've never done anything close to removing an engine/transmission before. I've had the car for about a year and I haven't messed around with anything engine-related so I haven't developed any real familiarity with it.

It would probably be wise to get a quote on handling the coolant lines before making a decision.

Any particular reason you think welding is the way to go? I read the Sharkwerks post where they explained why they recommend pinning and it seemed reasonable - 100% reliable if done right vs. welds that may need to be redone due to pinhole leaks and the chance welds could fail over time due to heat-cycling.

 

 

Thanks! What did you use for lifting the car? Seems like a 2-post is ideal in terms of getting it up high with lots of access. 4-post not so great in terms of dropping the engine, but you can store a car up there, which is nice. I have an 11-foot ceiling so taking advantage of vertical space is appealing. I know there are a lot of other solutions out there that probably cost a lot less though.

 

I just did both on my 997-1 TT, easy job when the engine is out of the car (or the car above the engine).

 

 

As you can see, it was necessary , they poped out just by pulling those two

 

Yikes! How long did the job take you?

 

As others have noted you want to consider several things:

1. First, I thought 2009's were OK for coolant fittings, however if I were you I would do some serious reading to confirm that.
3. I am a firm believer in DIY. I have been doing that since I was in college, and as such have built up a wealth of experience, tools and the skills to research and tackle jobs, including an engine rebuild, suspension and clutch work. Even now though I run into either new or unexpected issues, so keep that in mind. There is also the old adage: "If you want something done right, do it yourself".
4. Doing this will require some time, which I have since i have more than 1 car to drive. If this is your only car then you need to take that into consideration since the car will potentially be OOS for a while
5. There are many good resources here and elsewhere to help you, gather them all and start filing them away. I grab any DIY's already done, put together my own by copying and pasting from posts and have purchased other sources for various vehicles as they are needed/available. There is no such thing as too much information. Sometimes you will have to decided which direction to go on a procedure since there may be more than one way as the manual may say one thing and BTDT's say another (or even more than one other)
8. Get ready for some significant investment in tools/accessories. A lift could cost upward of 3K. Tools could run into the thousands depending upon what you have already. Even unexpected items like lighting could add to that. Try and get an idea of what all that is so you can make a good value judgement. In my mind I have always considered these an investment since I can do future tasks on the 911 or other vehicles. My wife occasionally rolls her eyes though, so I have to remind her of the tens of thousands of dollars I have saved over the years.
9. Even as frustrating as some tasks can be (stuck/broken bolts are the normal frustrations) there is nothing better (in my mind) that tackling a task and succeeding. It's what keeps me wanting to do the next thing (which by coincidence is a coolant line pinning and R&R, though on a 2007 997 which is known to have these issues). I will be dealing with that one once I finish some work on an '08 Audi S6

Whatever you decide, good luck!

Ed

 

Thanks Ed! That's a lot of good food for thought. I had not heard that the 2009 cars were any different but if that's the case it might shift my thinking. I'll hit the google and see what I can find.

 

It appears that the 2009 cars (and many of the 2008's) had an improved epoxy process implemented by Porsche to address the issue. I haven't been able to find anyone who complained about a catastrophic failure in their 2009 but there were very few cars built for that MY relative to the others so that could explain the lack of reports.

Either way, glue is probably more prone to failure than welding or pinning.

The plot thickens!

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-turb...l#post14169604

 

Yeah I kind of agree, glue? I am a firm believer in mechanical connections. I save my glue for my scale models!

Ed

 

I did mine cheaply with jackstands and a big transmission jack. It really isn't too bad, the engine is designed to come out like that to be worked on frequently.

 

I agree
6-7 hours the first time you lower the engine being carrefull
1 hours the cluctch job with the engine down
2-3 hours the pining only as there are some stuff to remove in order to access some spots ( there are 7).