What did you do to/with your 996 today?

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Battery Guy
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by Battery Guy » Fri Jan 01, 2021 1:40 pm

DBJoe996 wrote: Fri Jan 01, 2021 10:55 am It is 80+ degrees and sunny. We have the AC on. Finally pulled car out into the driveway and washed from top to bottom, detailed the wheels and tires. Drove around the block and back into the garage it went. Looks beautiful all spiffed up. Happy New Year to everyone!
Sister-in-law and family live near you (St. Augustine and niece and family in Ponte Vedra). Reading this makes me want to visit them for an extended period of time ☀️☀️
1999 Porsche 996 Cabrio
Black/Black/Black
No Options!! (How did that happen??)

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noahsdad
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Location: 1999 996 4/98 build date

Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by noahsdad » Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:55 am

Took my 996 up to Newcombs Ranch New Years day, along with a group of likeminded nuts. This time we went up the back way to avoid road closures. Awesome way to bring in the new year!
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OceanBlue2000
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by OceanBlue2000 » Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:01 am

theprf wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 9:19 am And I will get to start pretty soon...
Image
This took something like 10 hours to do, as I was trying to be very careful not to spill any fluids. Of course, I spilled plenty. If I had just said f-it and mopped up all the spilled fluid after I bet I would have saved 3-4 hours.
Next time I'm just going to get a kiddie pool and set it up under the car.

That Tiptronic is a heavy beast. I bet it weighs as much as the engine. Inital look without taking any of the 4,000,000 parts off the engine suggest leaking oil cooler O-rings as the oil leak source.
Just curious, what's easier -- getting it out or getting it back in? I would think taking the engine out would be easier but maybe with the knowledge of taking it out, going back in goes faster?
Mike
Strange things I have in head, that will to hand.
2000 Ocean Blue 996 Carrera 2
1982 928 (sold)

theprf
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by theprf » Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:10 am

OceanBlue2000 wrote: Mon Jan 04, 2021 11:01 am Just curious, what's easier -- getting it out or getting it back in? I would think taking the engine out would be easier but maybe with the knowledge of taking it out, going back in goes faster?
I find it's easier to put back together. This is because I have cleaned every part so I'm not up to my elbows in grime. I have checked every bolt to make sure the thread isn't stripped. And there are no trapped fluids to pour down your sleeve when taking a hose off.

I did find the oil leak, at least I believe I did. This little welch plug on the bottom of the oil cooler console seems to be the culprit. I am going to build a test fixture so that I can apply air pressure and verify the leak. This casting cannot be removed with the engine in the car, in fact is requires removal of every component atop the engine to get it out. So I want to be sure that I have diagnosed and fixed the leak before I put it all back together!
Image

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Dr_Strangelove
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by Dr_Strangelove » Tue Jan 05, 2021 12:12 pm

Looking good Mr. theprf. As I venture deeper and deeper into doing my own wrenching I have found that "parts cleaning" is a job I can't wait for my son to get old enough to do :D


As for me? I am replacing my "desperate times call for desperate measures" SuperStart® O'Reilly special H6 battery with a DieHard Platinum AGM H7 battery. All of the trickle charging has done a number on the O'Reilly special and it won't hold a charge for more than 72 hours. Looking forward to my car starting reliably for years to come! I'd take a picture but you've all seen a car battery before.

Interesting tidbit is apparently, according to the Boulder City CarQuest manager, AGM batteries are becoming increasingly hard to get. At least in the wild west. (He mentioned they come from "out east" - see: Oceanblue territory.) I called to see if they had one in stock and he said "Hey, let me check, I hide them in the back." When I arrived to pick it up I had to prod that one further.. :D He said he hides them because guys from other shops come to buy them because they can't get them.
2003 Carrera: Dark Teal Metallic

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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by theprf » Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:26 am

Dr_Strangelove (whew!) wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 12:12 pm Looking good Mr. theprf. As I venture deeper and deeper into doing my own wrenching I have found that "parts cleaning" is a job I can't wait for my son to get old enough to do :D
I have no children, so I have no menial laborers to do the dirty work. I get to do it all! I am thinking that a steam cleaner might be the way to go to get some of these parts clean. I have always used 1/2 kerosene, 1/2 gasoline applied with a cut down paintbrush. That just melts grease and grime away. It's good for your hands, too (not).

Currently I am fighting a severe case of while-you're-there-itis. Because I need new turbos, well, why not upgrade? So I called a few tuners that specialize in the 996. None of them thought that adding more power was a good idea based on the miles & unknown history of this car - it's got 166k and I have owned it for 4 months. They both suggested an "engine refresh" with new rings, bearings, and valve guides. Oh, and a rebuild of the Tiptronic.
Sooooooo... hard parts for an engine "refresh" are like $1800 assuming the pistons & cylinder liners are good, and not including any head work or labor. And a tiptronic rebuild kit using aftermarket parts (probably Chinese sourced) instead of OEM Mercedes parts is like $1300, not including labor. For OEM Mercedes German-made parts the cost is about twice that.
It's a bit hard to justify this as the car was running quite nicely except for the oil leaks and worn turbos. I will probably get a set of good used turbos, fix the oil leaks, and keep on driving.

Although, 600HP and 600 ft/lb would be a nice treat. Perhaps if I had more time to mess with it. I guess I will have to get by with 450/450 for now.

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by FRUNKenstein » Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:39 pm

theprf wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:26 am
Dr_Strangelove (whew!) wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 12:12 pm Looking good Mr. theprf. As I venture deeper and deeper into doing my own wrenching I have found that "parts cleaning" is a job I can't wait for my son to get old enough to do :D
I have no children, so I have no menial laborers to do the dirty work. I get to do it all! I am thinking that a steam cleaner might be the way to go to get some of these parts clean. I have always used 1/2 kerosene, 1/2 gasoline applied with a cut down paintbrush. That just melts grease and grime away. It's good for your hands, too (not).

Currently I am fighting a severe case of while-you're-there-itis. Because I need new turbos, well, why not upgrade? So I called a few tuners that specialize in the 996. None of them thought that adding more power was a good idea based on the miles & unknown history of this car - it's got 166k and I have owned it for 4 months. They both suggested an "engine refresh" with new rings, bearings, and valve guides. Oh, and a rebuild of the Tiptronic.
Sooooooo... hard parts for an engine "refresh" are like $1800 assuming the pistons & cylinder liners are good, and not including any head work or labor. And a tiptronic rebuild kit using aftermarket parts (probably Chinese sourced) instead of OEM Mercedes parts is like $1300, not including labor. For OEM Mercedes German-made parts the cost is about twice that.
It's a bit hard to justify this as the car was running quite nicely except for the oil leaks and worn turbos. I will probably get a set of good used turbos, fix the oil leaks, and keep on driving.

Although, 600HP and 600 ft/lb would be a nice treat. Perhaps if I had more time to mess with it. I guess I will have to get by with 450/450 for now.

With 166k already on the clock, that block will need a rebuild in about 250k more miles. Agree with your decision - get it back running and enjoy.
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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5chn3ll
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by 5chn3ll » Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:22 pm

I’m lackadaisically looking for a runner to swap into my ‘99 so I can rebuild/have rebuilt the original. Burning a bit of oil on the pax side - a trivial amount considering how often it sees ~7K RPM (pretty sure whoever installed the IPD plenum also reflashed, but I haven’t data logged to confirm because...I’m VERY lazy).

Understeer: You will hit the wall with the front end.
Oversteer: You will hit the wall with the rear end.
Horsepower: How hard you will hit the wall.
Torque: How far you will move the wall.

Gone hunting with Alec Baldwin and Dick Cheney. Back soon.

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by FRUNKenstein » Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:51 am

5chn3ll wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:22 pm I’m lackadaisically looking for a runner to swap into my ‘99 so I can rebuild/have rebuilt the original. Burning a bit of oil on the pax side - a trivial amount considering how often it sees ~7K RPM (pretty sure whoever installed the IPD plenum also reflashed, but I haven’t data logged to confirm because...I’m VERY lazy).
I know a guy in San Diego who was trying to sell an LS engine he won in a contest . . .
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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5chn3ll
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Re: What did you do to/with your 996 today?

Post by 5chn3ll » Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:15 am

LS? Psh. That stuff is too high-tech...the engine on the stand is built on a pre-smog Camaro block. That's both the awesome part and the rub - whatever it goes into has to be 1975 or older, or it has to be registered for offroad use only.

About six months ago, and old guy named Tom moved in across the street from me in Big Bear. Turns out he's a retired racer from the 60's who still has his auto dealer's license. He has engine fever after seeing it in my garage, so he's been working to find "us" the perfect project car.

There also appears to be some kind of ongoing misunderstanding between Tom and at least one law enforcement agency regarding some cocaine in the 80's/90's - so maybe he'll find us a DeLorean.

Understeer: You will hit the wall with the front end.
Oversteer: You will hit the wall with the rear end.
Horsepower: How hard you will hit the wall.
Torque: How far you will move the wall.

Gone hunting with Alec Baldwin and Dick Cheney. Back soon.

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