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Porsche Tools

Brinskan

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 28, 2009
Messages
76
After only 4 days of Porsche ownership, I have already found myself wrenching on my new-to-me 1991 911 Turbo. This is my first P-car, and I hhave to ask, How the hell do you work on these things? Maybe my hands are too big, I can barely get them in the engine bay let alone with tools.

So, I know some of you have figured out a set of the proper tools: wobble extensions, modded wrenches, crowfeet, flex heads... C'mon share your experience. All of a sudden my tool set is looking very big and cumbersome.

-BS
 
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PorscheTech

Member
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
10
Flex heads, swivel sockets (every socket set you have get a swivel set) short, medium, long, longer and long as all get out extensions, swivels. Just the normal stuff. Lol
 

alberto

Well-known member
Joined
May 28, 2007
Messages
756
I highly reccomend the use of swearing. It has helped me greatly in the times i have worked on Porsches.

It seems to help on Italian, Japanese and German cars. Must be an inflection and emphasis thing, not a language thing. Throwing things while you swear greatly increases the effectiveness, although it can turn expensive depending on what you throw and what you hit.
 

mtkst19

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
1,248
Location
blitzburgh pa
welcome to owning a porsche. as soon as you realize it is just another car it will be easier to work on. don't be intimidated because it is a porsche.

i 100% agree w/ swivel everything. swivel sockets in 1/4 and 3/8, swivel ratchets, swivel spark plug sockets, swivel gear wrench, flexible shaft nut drivers. Further more, i 100% agree w/ an assortment of long *** extensions, but will one up it and say to get locking extensions.

swivel spark plug sockets to remove plugs, to install, i use a cut piece of rubber hose to hand start and then use the socket. the locking extension comes in handy b/c don't have to worry about the socket getting stuck. You want to make sure you don't cross thread the holes-- it can happen very easy hence why i start by hand. also, when you put the wires back on, be certain you hear the "pop" of it connecting to the spark plug. it is easy to not be on.

locking extensions wise, i have the mac 1/4 and 3/8 sets. they were thinner than the snap-ons when i bought them. stuff may have changed since then though.

for doing belts, a good adjustable pin spanner to get on the shroud-- ebay is good for this. to actually get the tension of the belt, well that is trial and error with the shims.

you mention a you own a turbo-- so the intercooler pretty much has to come off to get to everything. flexible shaft nut drivers are nice for the intercooler hose clamps (i have wiha's set), and long locking extension w/ a 13mm swivel w/ some sticky windshield buttle (spelling?) stuck in the end of the 13 helps out. actually, go get some buttle--as you will end up using it as a cheater to hold nuts in place in sockets. buttle is the black sticky gooey gets everywhere on your hands stuff they use around windshield seals. it is more awesome than tape in a socket method.

the 2 most important flex head ratchets i have that i use are both snap on. one is the flex head 1/4 inch ratchet. the other is the exact same body, but w/ 3/8 guts. they are compact enough they go any/every where. if you need to be more shallow than a flex head ratchet, thats where the flex head gear wrench comes into play.

if you plan on doing work to your own car, wouldnt hurt to buy the rear apron fender cover setup. it goes from the left 1/4 over to the right 1/4, and clips inside the wheel well and engine bay. it is nice because you can unhook the ac compressor, and flop it over the left 1/4 on the pad w/o worrying about scratching paint.

assenmacher tools makes a kit that has real shallow 1/4 drive allens/torx/phillips etc that is worth picking up. part number is ast 3000 iirc. or you can buy hazet brand ones for much more money.

other stuff worth having-- bottle of loctitie 574, jb quick, and gray permatex. those 3 items will cure alot of oil leaks if used properly on a air cooled engine. a stock of various copper seal rings helps too.

if you plan on dropping the engine out a low pro ****** jack along w/ a good piece of wood (think butcher block thick) bolted down to it comes in handy to bring engine/trans down as a whole.


that's all i can think of right now.

hope this helps
 
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ovilla

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Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
2,342
Location
Plainfield, IL
I have two 914's (no 911 yet) and just want to say that you should got out and buy every metric socket, metric wrench, and metric allen key set (in all sizes) that you can find. After that, get yourself two floor jacks or get a lift (I have a BendPak HD-9 and two floor jacks). Next up, get a 1/2 impact gun (and a 1/2 drive deep socket impact set in metric) and the biggest compressor you can fit in your garage. Finally, get yourself a couple of good metal wall cabinets and use one for spare parts and Swepco fluids and the other for detailing products. Oh, and don't forget to find yourself a 16 quart oil drain container ASAP.
 

ovilla

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
2,342
Location
Plainfield, IL
Doesn't every Porsche service procedure start with:

1) Remove the engine...

You're thinking of a Ferrari. They actually refer to this as doing a "MAJOR", in which they have to drop the engine and rear transaxle (as one whole unit), so they can change the belts every 30K miles or 5 years (whichever happens first).
 
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Danglerb

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Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
9,736
Location
SoCal
On the upside done right a Porsche goes back together like a factory new car, things fit without slop, and its possible to fully restore original condition and performance.

No offense to the knowledgeable guys here, but the best advice you will get is on a model specific support forum like those on www.pelican.com or www.rennlist.com .
 
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Brinskan

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Joined
Oct 28, 2009
Messages
76
Thanks everyone for the advise. I wish I was using buttle the other day when I lost a nut off the intercooler into the abyss that is my engine bay.

I have a rather well stocked tool set. Been working on VWs and Audis for a while now, but after just removing the fuel filter I realized that my tools just didn't flex enough to work on a 911. I may also need to work on my forearm strength, since leverage is not really an option.

Mtkst19: Thanks for all the detail.

I also post on Pelican and Rennlist, but figured the real tool guys are here and I know a lot of you on here own 911s.

-BS
 

abumason

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
36
Brian,

Can't you just borrow what you need from the MWRT mechanics?

Oh wait - they're probably using all of them to fix the Focus and the RA Fiesta - ;(

Tough year for Ken so far - hopefully he can turn it around.
 

abumason

Active member
Joined
Mar 3, 2010
Messages
36
Oh, and BTW, this should help with the forearm strength...


http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39502&highlight=****
 
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Brinskan

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 28, 2009
Messages
76
Abumason, Yeah the OMSE boys have been hard at work this year, no time for them to spare tools. And to quite honest, I think I actually have more tools then they carry with them. They build those rally cars to be easy to work on, meaning not too many different sizes and well thought out access points for tools since you only have limited time to fix a problem during service.

_BS
 

hammermech53

New member
Joined
Aug 17, 2013
Messages
1
If you (or anyone else viewing this) are in need or in search of Porsche tools (odds and ends), contact me. Here's a few items - Porsche special tools, 356, 911, 914, 924, 924, 944 factory specification booklets
944 & 928 Staeger belt tension tool; like new
P214 hydraulic tensioner tool, P252 transmission tool, others; pix available.
I also have them listed on CL: http://boise.craigslist.org/tls/4008153360.html
 

Jack Olsen

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Staff member
Joined
Mar 22, 2009
Messages
6,678
Location
Los Angeles
Surprised no one has mentioned triple-square (XZN) drivers (maybe they did and I missed it).

For the fasteners dropped in the engine bay, a good head lamp on your head and a magnet on a flex arm will come in handy.

You can drop the engine with or without a lift -- but it's a lot easier with a lift.

12-gauge-garage-19.jpg
 

hoffman912

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Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
418
Location
Columbus, Ohio
I really dont think its that bad. then again i have been around german cars all my life and they just seem easier and more logical to work on. I have a 912 now, and its very simple to work on, though i dont have all the electronics and injectors and everything taking up all that space in the engine bay.. though some things are harder to get to. \

https://sphotos-b-iad.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/s720x720/576331_10151663728540510_992747984_n.jpg

I agree, various length extensions, u joints help. i would start with a metric set of wrenches, sockets etc of various lengths. I hate use 12 pt on anything porsche cause it always seems to round it off.. instead i prefer 6 pt sockets with ratchets that have as many teeth as possible for very fine movement.

someone earlier joked about taking the engine out to do anything. Sometimes, believe it or not, its faster to just take the engine out (or less frustrating). Fastest i have had mine out was 30 minutes. avg time is about 40-45. for a 911 turbo like yours, maybe add another 30 mins. its really not a big deal on a porsche.

If you do not have a lift or room for a lift, get the biggest, tallest jack stands you can (and a jack that will go that high too). I have the 6 ton 2 footers from harbor freight, they seem to be fine, though i wouldnt think a taller jack stand would be out of order if you can get em.

your best friends are a factory service manual, and your forums. Pelican is a good place to start. Rennlist isnt what it was 10 years ago before John Dunkle sold it. If you have a 964 turbo specific web community, search them out and join their ranks. the more model specific community you go to, the better off you are. It's all about people and people helping people and the relationships you forge through your hobby.


Jack is right xzn triple square FTW!!! rarely use them but there are some places they have to be used.

I also second Jack on the headlamp. very very very useful.

get a Jack pad..

a few hockey pucks are good too.. you can lift the entire front end by using the front pan (where the tow hook is smack dead in the middle). you can lift the entire rear end by using the tortion tube or the engine sump plate (the thick rubber of a hockey puck will protect your case).

telescoping magnets are always useful..

if you have a good tool set now, i suggest trying to work with what you have first then as you run into issues buy new tools. for example work on it and if you find you need shorter wrenches in a specific size, go get them as a one off or a set. I have a lot of tools that are specific to certain jobs etc. Like i have one extension i use only for removing the starter hex/allen between the gear box and the starter thats a PITA to reach.
 
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Jagmandave

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2011
Messages
6,299
Location
Overland Park, Ks.
I think they were trying to say Butyl, not buttle for the sticky stuff to put in the socket.

I just use a small strip of tape on one flat of the socket, holds the nut in just fine. Butyl is usually so messy, I can't imagine using it inside a socket.....

I worked on Porsches for about 30 years, and I don't find them any harder to work on than many modern cars - my current Audi and MINI are good examples. You just have to take a lot of stuff off sometimes to get at what you're trying to work on......
 

Zeke

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Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
17,176
Location
Long Beach CA, the sewer by the sea.
This is an old thread, but had I seen it in 2010, I would have asked, "What are you trying to do?" I've done a LOT of work on Porsches and I don't have any more universal joint sockets than the next guy. You don't really need many special tools until you get into the engine or ******. I have a ball joint socket but I've used a home made tool many times before I came across that for a good price.

I recommend Sir Tools and Hazet for some. Factory tools are ridiculous expensive. Pelican has almost all of them, factory and otherwise. Lots for sale used too.
 
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