New 959 Project - Replacing the Suspension Accumulators...

[Wayne 962]

After months (years?) of working on the 3.4 Boxster conversion, it's finally time to get back to working on the 959. The suspension accumulators are shot on this car, so I will be replacing them. I have had this problem with the car for almost two years now, but just have been really, really busy with the Boxster conversion (see here on the Boxster: Pelican Technical Article: Boxster Engine Conversion Project - 986 Boxster (1997-04) - 987 Boxster (2005-08)

For more information on the problem, see this thread from 2007: Next Project on the 959: Fixing the suspension bounce...

First step, prep the garage and the lift. The 959 has a Nomex underbody, so there's really not too many places to pick it up and place a jack stand. Using a lift is *almost* mandatory for working on the car.



Now, move the car into position over the lift. You have to make sure that you don't scrape anything on the lift while driving it over. The 959 has a suspension that will raise and lower itself (like the new Panamera), so I just put it on "high" and drove it over the lift. This is convenient.




Start the lift and then check to make sure that the pads are aligned precisely with the lifting points on the car. With so much carbon kevlar and very expensive replacement parts, you want to make sure that you get this part right.




With the car still on the ground, you want to loosen up the wheel that we will be working on. The 959 has these crazy-huge center caps. To the untrained eye, they look just like normal 911 caps, but when you look closer, you will see they are about 2X the size. I couldn't find my plastic pry bars, so I simply wrapped a screwdriver with some duct tape to protect the finish of the cap and the wheels. The caps are no longer available from Porsche (I bought the last two they had about two years ago, for use as spares).



Underneath is the center lock nut:

Check this out, the 959 has this really funky wheel locking system. Incredibly complex. You insert your ignition key into the center lock to remove the center holder:


Now, pull out that center holder:

[Wayne 962]

So, the torque on that center nut is so high that you need a special planetary tool to remove it. This tool is a reducer that fits specially into the 959 wheels. You never want to lose this tool - without it, you can never get the wheels off. New ones aren't available, and I would think that if you had one and someone didn't it would be worth several thousands of dollars.

Here's the center nut:


Here's the tool:





Here's how it fits into the wheel:


A big breaker bar with lots of force is required here:



Now that I've loosened the wheel, it's time to raise the car. One more check to make sure the pads are properly aligned:


And up she goes:

[Wayne 962]

Now, with the car up in the air, you can spin the center lock nut off:


and then remove the wheel:


Here's a close-up photo of one of the shocks that will be replaced. The 959 has two separate shocks on each corner:


Tomorrow I will post photos of the accumulator and the process of depressurizing the hydraulic lift system. I will also be installing a pressure gauge on the line in order to test the units prior to me removing them. The method for depressurizing the system involves disconnecting the auto-level sensors and then dropping the car back down again - I hope I can reach in there and do that without having to remove all the wheels (and then put them back on).

Stay tuned!

-Wayne

[sc_rufctr]

I've said this before but that car is so well engineered it makes you wonder if a car like this will ever be built again.

Thanks Wayne. I always look forward to these updates.

[dad911]

Is this the start of 101 projects for your 959?

1- remove wheels
2- Jack up car

99 projects to go........

kidding..... keep us posted..... that gearbox for the wheels is crazy!

[herr_oberst]

subscribing

[TerryBPP]

Even with the low # of 959's produced it may be worth the while to machine out a few of those planetary tools. Make a couple a grand!

[JeremyD]

clean those wheel wells!

[t951]

I love these 959 threads...

I can't wait until Wayne decides to upgrade the.....never mind any upgrades, I just like seeing the engineering....

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by TerryBPP

Even with the low # of 959's produced it may be worth the while to machine out a few of those planetary tools. Make a couple a grand!

Snapon make similar devices but they're hideously expensive.

This one is $2,731.50 USD (3200 ft. lb. Output)... It obviously wouldn't fit the 959 wheel and centre bolt but maybe you could modify it.

YA393, Torque Multiplier, Geared Head, Bar Reaction, 3200 ft. lb. Output

[daepp]

Amazing engineering!

[GH85Carrera]

That is a pretty amazing car. Wayne, you are probably one of just a handful of guys that DYI on a 959.

[nesslar]

....now I'll never get my free coffee mug....

[bart1]

I don't think anybody thinks the 959 is the best looking car on the planet, but the technology, especially considering the age, is incredible.

[nesslar]

Granted.....but I'm sure I've said enough....

[daepp]

It looks great in its rally setup!

[gsmith660]

Thanks for the pics Wayne that car would be a lot of fun to work on too rich for my blood though good luck with your project.

[86 911 Targa]

All we got was a ride at Weissach...............

[ShakinJoe]

Wayne,

Why are there crossover tubes on both top and bottom of that caliper?

[MikeD930]

Wayne,
Thanks for sharing your project on your 959 with us. About the planetary tool it's both ingenious and complicated! I was wondering how you keep the wheel from turning when you loosen the wheel nut but noticed that the planetary tool takes care of this problem.