To Torque Tube or Not To Torque Tube

[Seiryuu]

Hi All,

So... until today I have been lurking on the board... but now I need some help!

I have an '87 944 (117k miles) with torque tube bearings that are failing. I live in a very small town in Eastern Washington without access to a reliable / honest Porsche specialist. My mechanic I have used for the last five years is in Portland, Oregon (six hours east). There is a local Porsche specialist, but he has not proven reliable with his diagnosis / estimates. So here are my questions:

1) How long can you run on bad bearings? Mine have been growling in neutral after long, hot runs for the last 7k miles (one year). Driving the car locally the sound is not significant. Are there any signals indicating critical failure?

2) Understanding that the transaxle and rear suspension have to be dropped and the clutch changed is this a project that a "good" wrench can handle? There is an honest and consciencious mechanic within 20 miles who will take on the job, but his background is more in VW and Audi.

3) If he takes on the job (including the clutch) would I be able to save him and me some labor hours swapping the torque tube with a low mileage used one? From looking at Clark's Garage it seems that replacing the bearings is time consumptive. I should mention that I am a grad student in Anthropology and I don't expect to see any signficant paychecks anytime soon!

4) If I sell the car when I leave for fieldwork next year, what would a 944 with bad bearings be worth to a Porsche enthusiastic with a good toolkit? In the last five years I have brought the car up to spec mechanically (new radiator, belts, clutch cylinders, wheel bearings, synchros, repaint, and a/c conversion) and it is a solid ride -- it is factory yellow too!

Thanks for the advice and input. I would like to take the car on the road in August... but depending on the response I might be leaving it under the cover and rent a car!

Take care... Tim

[944 Ecology]

Fix it right.

If you leave the clutch alone, you're looking at 4 hours of labor to remove the transaxle, drop the rear suspension and install a used or rebuilt tube.

[924Sman]

Are you sure it is the TT and not the pilot bearing? Previous work(syncros/tranny) done...sure the driveline is inline and in the proper alignment...meaning mounts too low so the engine sits lower dropping the TT angle/alignment, etc.

Dal

[Brando]

Either replace it or take the time to re-do the bearings yourself.

But, you can get quite a bit of mileage out of those torque tubes. My '88 had 264k miles and groweled slightly.

[Seiryuu]

Hi All... thanks for the insight... from the sounds of it I might just drag my feet as long as possible. With grad school I don't really have the funds to do the job right (25+ hours at $50 per hour plus $600 for the clutch kit and bearings) and I don't have the time or facilities to do any of the work myself. I probably will have to sell the car next year when I start my field work in Ireland... . Oh well... it has been a great ride and really has not cost me all that much ($5,000) over the last five years ... can't complain!

Wish me luck... it would be great to get another 10k miles out of the bearings. Thanks for the help... Tim

[earlr85944]

good luck! keep your eyes peeled for a good tube locally, maybe post here they can be found for under $100.