zcacogp

Thanks for the answers chaps. 

I've called Bilstein and asked about rebuilding the standard PASM shocks and they say that this is not possible and new ones are the only option. These seem to be between £400 and £550 per corner from Autodoc so we'd be looking at adding around £2k to the job cost on parts alone, hence I'm not in a rush to go and buy them unless I'm convinced that they are dead. (An aside but this is a car that only cost me a little over £9k to buy, so as a proportion of value this is bonkers). I'll take the old ones out and have a good look at them. If they are clearly very loose then I'll shop around for replacements but hopefully that won't be the case. 

If the worst comes to the worst then I'll take it apart again in a couple of years and swap them then. An alignment is only just over £100 which is the wasted cost, which isn't huge in the scheme of things. 

Thanks for your input - it's all helpful. 

JonSta and sa utah - I hear you. And agree. However PASM shocks are fiendishly expensive and I have no reason to think that they are worn out. Of course I could be wrong but new ones would more than double the cost of the project and I'm happy to take a chance and save the money for now. 

It's also worth pointing out that the shocks on 987's were (I believe) made by Bilstein and Bilstein stuff is usually excellent and very long-lasting indeed. While I hear stories about old shocks being worn out I wonder how the person knew that they were worn; I wouldn't be surprised if much of any perceived improvement from a suspension refresh is from the new bushes and alignment, both of which which will make a big difference. (For reference, I had some Koni shocks on a 944 for around 100,000 miles and when they came off they were as stiff as new ones when compared side-by-side. I'd suspect that anything from Bilstein is at least as well made as Koni kit and probably quite a lot better.) 

I'm prepared to be proved entirely wrong on this and will be genuinely interested to see what the dampers are like when they have been removed. 

Thanks for your help. 

3 minutes ago, edc said:

The rubber in the top mount delaminated or tears. And yes the top mount bearing is separate. 

Thanks - that explanation helps my understanding immensely!

Thanks for the answers. 

Interesting that the bearing can be cleaned and re-greased. Is the top mount separate from the bearing then? If so then what is it about the top mount that fails? I can understand the bearing being worn, and I thought that it was integral to the top mount hence the need to change them. Is this not the case? 

Chaps, 

Further to my last thread about suspension brands to buy or avoid I have a couple of other questions. (Previous thread is here:) 

While I am in there it makes sense to change anything that may be past it (within reason). Strut tops are one such thing that is probably worth a swap. I notice that there are two variants of the Meyle offering, one with a ballbearing and one without. The one with is nearly three times more expensive but other than that they seem identical. Can anyone shed any light on which one I should buy? I'm not averse to buying the more expensive ones if they really are better, but simply don't know what I am choosing for and against. Details from Autodoc are here: 

https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/strut-mount-and-bearing-10471/porsche/cayman/cayman-987/19546-2-7

What else should I be changing while I am in there? The reason for the work is that the current setup creaks (front ARB bushes I think) and knocks a little. I've done the ARB drop links and the tie rod inner and outer joints recently and have coffin arms and tuning forks from Spyder Porsche waiting to go on. I have no reason to think that the shock absorbers are past it, and as PASM models they will be fiendishly expensive. 

Also, is there anything to look out for when doing the job? I've done a lot of suspension work on cars before so is there anything unusual about 987's? Or do I just unbolt everything old and bolt on the new stuff and then take it for an alignment? Are the torque specs from the manuals about right? Does anyone have any how-to's or helpful YouTube videos they can point me to? 

Thanks! 

As said, it's a fair bit of work to drain the system and get in there to do the work. The extra cost of replacing a couple of old but not quite worn out parts is well worth it in the long run. 

I can't help other than to say that you will regret it if you are into how the car drives rather than how it looks. 

The smaller and lighter the wheel the better almost any car will drive, especially with 987's. Those standard-fit 17inch ones are really the best if you enjoy how it feels on the road. 

As said, you can lower the subframe on the bolts without taking them out entirely and this means that you won't need a re-alignment afterwards. 

It's a fairly involved job but not a hard one. Best advice would be to ask your OPC nicely for their best price and buy everything that could possibly be needed from them with a big discount (they were less than £10 more expensive than the best online price I could find when I did mine), and take back any bits you didn't need at the end of the job. You will get showered in coolant and your fingers will be sore by the end but it's not hard. I did it with a friend with a pit and air tools in a day but it would be quite possible on axle stands. 

Best of luck. Let us know how you get on. 

Depends upon how good your handiwork is. For my money I'd try and DIY it but I know I'm pretty good with my hands. If you are the type whose previous attempts at painting are worse that those by David Blunkett when his guide dog is on strike then maybe put your pennies towards a professional job. 

Just now, Menoporsche said:

edc is Chinese...

I think you may want to re-phrase that! 😆

Already have done, thanks. And have spaced the O-ring out slightly with a spacer behind it and smeared some silicone grease over it all. 

56 minutes ago, red rocket said:

Design911 and Type911 show latest as 99610644704

Interesting - that's a 996 part number. 

Just checked mine and it's 987 106 044 00. 

9 hours ago, edc said:

Totally off topic but did you used to be on clubgti and have a MK1 or MK2 Golf?

Maybe .... 🙃

Last three digits of the cap P/ N seem to be 044. Not sure whether that makes it an 01 or an 04.

Water pump was a Meyle from recollection and was from PorscheShop. Not a cheapo, and I've checked it and around it and all seems dry there. 

18 hours ago, andygo said:

There is a revised 'in the boot' blue filler cap available. Might be overflowing under pressure into the little plastic thingy/funnel and dripping down into the back of the engine bay.To test, put a bit of kitchen paper in the funnel thingy (sure there is a better name, but I'm sure you will understand) and see if it gets wet.

Filler cap is a cheap partr from OPC. Good luck!

Andygo, 

I've quoted your post as it's a good'un - thanks. I had a look in the 'funnel thingy' last night and it does look quite suspiciously like there has been coolant leaking in there, and a close inspection of the back of the blue cap suggests that there may be coolant outside of the ring seal as well. Annoyingly the seal isn't a regular O-ring, rather a rectangular cross-section thing (I have no idea why) so it's not easy to replace. I therefore carefully cut a ring out of card to put in the cap behind it to bring it forward a little and smeared some silicone grease on it as well, both of which should help it seal. 

The car isn't due to be driven for a few days yet but I'll update this thread with any progress. 

Thanks again for your help. 

Andy, thanks - that's a great tip. I'll go out and put some kitchen paper in the service port area immediately. I did almost wonder if there was a trace of redness in there when I last opened it. 

987RG - thanks also, but I did the crossover pipes about 18 months ago, and the evidence of wetness doesn't look like it's blown back from the front of the car. 

56 minutes ago, Davey P said:

Don't put yourself and all the other Boxster owners on here down mate, I'm sure you have all got other qualities to make up for your lack of good looks and sexiness.......... 

>PoliteCough< I'm a fellow Cayman owner. Go a little easy with those words .... 😁

Actually, hang around, which cap? The pressure release one under the engine cover or the fully sealed one under the access cover? 

Thanks EDC. Don't think it's cap or bleed valve as both looked dry. Cracked tank is a possibility. 

Thanks. That's an interesting idea and sounds similar to the method of tracing air con fluid leaks. 

However given the quantity that the old girl is getting through then I'm hoping I'll be able to see it by eye. 

Davey, 

Thanks. Nope, not an air lock; after I changed the water pump I had to top it up a few times as you described, but it was fine after that. It's only recently that the level has started dropping, and I can see the damp around the lower rear of the engine. 

The only difference between Caymans and Boxsters is that one has a soft top and the other a hard top. Oh, and the owners of one are immensely much better looking and sexier than the owners of the other. Apart from that they are identical! 

Don't think so; it failed about 9 months ago and I changed it then. I had a look at it last night and all was dry around it (satisfyingly so) so I am assuming it's coming from elsewhere. Good idea tho' - thanks! 😀

Chaps, 

My 987.1 2.7 has started to use coolant. I put around 250ml in after a 150 mile drive a week or so ago and it took another 200ml or so after 100 miles last weekend. No white smoke, no sign of HG problems. 

I've not had it up in the air yet but have had both engine covers off for a look-see and it is clear looking down through the manifolds that the back of the engine is quite wet, which I presume is the missing coolant. 

Before I dig out the jack and axle stands then can anyone tell me of popular spots for coolant to come out? 

Ta!

6 minutes ago, Clivescoobydo said:

Motorbikes are free on both so I can still rip it up over Chelsea bridge lol............................currently 

>PoliteCough< No they aren't ....

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/motorcycles-mopeds-and-more

ULEZ and Congestion charge are different things. Everything needs to pay the congestion charge (unless it's a Motability car or an ambulance or something like that). Vehicles which are below the minimum requirement need to pay the ULEZ as well. The standards are Euro 4 for petrol cars and Euro 6 for Diesel cars. All 987-series and later Porsches are Euro 4 compliant (the 987 arrived in 2005 which is when mandatory Euro 4 compliance came in for all cars) so won't pay ULEZ but they will need to pay Congestion Charge. 

It is possible that a much newer diesel car will not be Euro 6 compliant so will need to pay ULEZ. I think that Euro 6 only came in for 2015 or so, so a diesel car made before this may well not be compliant. 

12 minutes ago, McDonald said:

There's been major investment in London's busses, they're not the heavy polluters of yesteryear. Taxis are also going electric much more quickly than the national fleet. Old diesel taxis can't renew their licences.

Polution makes the city a very unhealthy place. Traffic moving slower than horses is obviously ridiculous too. It's never going to be popular with petrol-heads but something has to be done.

First point - true, of course. However the pollution contribution from public transport in London significantly outweighs that from private cars. 

Second point - also true, of course. However general statements like this don't further the discussion; while the larger sources of pollution are not addressed then the problem won't get any better. Taxing private cars is merely political gesturing and achieves nothing other than the annoyance of those who own and run private cars; petrol-heads and non. (And, for the record, there are very very few petrol-heads in London).