Belt adjustment help near Connecticut?

[TheSecondChris]

Hi - I was wondering if there's anyone here in the Connecticut area that has experience with timing/balance shaft belt adjustment. My belts dont have a lot of miles on them, but I think I'm a little bit out of time.

I know there are a lot of great online resources for DIY and I'd definitely like to be able to service the belts myself but it would be cool to have some guidance the first time from somebody with a lot of experience. Just thought I'd ask! Thanks.

[jeff968]

I do much of my own work but not that one. Plenty of good Indie shops to help out. Have you joined the Porsche club yet? Always like to see another transaxle car. Good luck.

[TheSecondChris]

Thanks Jeff. I will ask a shop for help this time. Yes I joined PCA. Are you in CT?

[jjeffries]

Proper pro mechanics in Conn:
Auto Associates in Canton: big name shop, but that doesn’t mean they are overly expensive. They repaired the 915 transaxle on my SC and were both reasonable and totally cool to work with. Ask for Scott.
Dan Jacobs in Oxford: I don’t know him but friends do and he/his shop has a stellar reputation.
There must be others between New Haven and Fairfield but that’s not my part of the state. You may find better local knowledge of Rennlist, or go on the 911 section here on PP and start a thread there asking the same, disclosing it’s for your 944 .... that section gets way more traffic than this one.
But go to a shop that knows WTF they’re doing. Ultimately you will save by doing so and having them as a go-to in the future will be useful when you’re next in a jam.
Best of luck,
John

[pfarah]

Hey Chris,
I'm not sure if we discussed this already but you are welcome to my home in Plymouth, MA. I've got a complete setup (including lift) to help you out however; the car has to sit overnight before the TB can be tensioned properly. I may be a bit too far from you but the offer stands...

[TheSecondChris]

Thanks Patrick, I appreciate the offer and could probably make the round trip drive in a day. I didn't know that the belts needed to be tensioned on a completely cold engine. Chris

[wildcat077]

It’s pretty straightforward after you do it a few times ... i bought the Arnnworx tool five or six years ago when i got my 944 and the only thing i use from the kit now is the flywheel lock and offset wrench for tightening the rollers.

The one thing that is a little complicated is when you replace all the belts and you need to line up the marks for the balance shafts.
I would jump on Patrick’s offer to help you do it yourself !

[TheSecondChris]

I found a great shop in Hamden, CT. They inspected and tensioned both belts and found the balance shaft belt was loose and lower gear was also 2 teeth out of time. As you can imagine, it is a night/day difference driving the car. The cost was 3 hours shop time, which I felt was very reasonable.

[pfarah]

Good to hear that you had someone look at the car.

[TheSecondChris]

Thanks a lot, Patrick. It's very very nice having no vibration occur at 4K rpm. Prior to yesterday I've never exceeded 4000rpm due to the vibration, so the engine now offers a lot more thrills than before and I'm going to have to re-learn how to drive the car. Having said that, I still haven't exceeded 5K rpm. When I hear the engine getting all wound up, I can't help but to think "I should shift now" and not "let's take this all-the-way to the limit."

My car is apparently 'chipped' to allow for 7K rpm instead of 6K, but I don't know if I see the purpose of that.

It would be great to drive over to Plymouth and work on something together, so keep in touch if you have any ideas.

[pfarah]

If you're interested in a nice early drive, there's a group that meet every Saturday morning in Dennis, MA (on Cape Cod) around 8:30 am. I'm typically the only 944 that shows up so it would be great to see another one. And yes, the group does adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Three Fins Coffee Roasters (parking lot)
581 Main St, West Dennis, MA 02670

[jjeffries]

I was in Eastham/Brewster last week. Amazing to think about the Pilgrims landing there. Strange summer overall on the Cape, though.... I’m glad we were even able to go. John