996 vario pads at 82k

Hi Guys I'm in the process of rebuilding my 996 3.4 at 82k and I'm just cleaning up the cam assemblies, check out the wear on the plastic vario chain pads, if you have similar mileage, might be time to get that top end refreshed Sorry, another thing to worry about!! Thanks Lee

I finally got around to doing a bunch of maintenance-type stuff I've been putting off. I posted some of this in another thread or two but I'll put it here to consolidate everything. Hopefully this will give some insight into general expectations for maintenance for owners and prospective owners that want to DIY as much as they can. First up was draining my oil catch can. I'm sure everyone is aware of the kit by now, but just in case here's the info: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...tallation.html Pulling the catch can, draining it, reinstalling it, and topping off the oil takes 10 mins all in. Here's the vid I shot of what it collects: http://vid65.photobucket.com/albums/...42601677_n.mp4 Next came my brake pads. I posted this in my "Tracking your Aston" thread as well: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...our-aston.html Here's the pic of what my front pads looked like, even though they still have material left: Brake pads are super easy to do on our cars and no special tools are needed if you're even a little careful. Intake filters were nice and easy because I already had the front wheels off for the brakes and the undertray off for the thermostat. The hardest job by far was the FEAD belt and updated pulley. There's a thread around somewhere about the squeaky pulley on startup. Aston changed two things at some point. The main thing is the change in pulley design (they added walls to the sides of the pulley to keep the belt in place, which you can see in this thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/GASSING/t...or+belt+squeak The other thing is the change in the belt. I didn't do an exact measurement, but putting them side-by-side I couldn't tell a difference in the belt width or length. Here's old and new so you can see the change in part numbers: The main difference is the belt material itself. Granted, this is comparing an old belt to new, but the old belt actually looks newer (smoother). The new belt looks like it's made of a more textured material. New is on the left, old is on the right: Since I was getting rid of the old pulley and belt, I cut the old belt to save a lot of time and effort removing it "nicely". This job is MUCH easier with a second set of hands, but still a pain because you're working in such a tight space. I can do a write-up for this later, but won't have pics. There's a good video on Youtube that I used as a guide, but there are lots of lessons learned that are worth sharing. Last was the thermostat. I used this thread as a guide: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...rmostat-2.html This was actually really easy to do, I just made it way too hard because I tried draining coolant from the radiator to bring the coolant level down so none would dump out of the thermostat housing. Did not work. Coolant dumped out of the housing despite draining a gallon out of the radiator. The stud-cutting trick made this very easy, and cutting the stud wasn't too hard (just be extremely careful). I used a cutting wheel on a Dremel and it went through easily. http://s65.photobucket.com/user/telu...o.mp4.html?o=1 The housing gasket was in good condition so I reused it. But you can see the failure-prone thermostat gasket did its failuring as expected: Anyway, there are some great write-ups floating around, many of which are in the FAQ sticky. But there are some little things that make these jobs a bit easier, and the lessons learned can be worthwhile. Next up are some carbon fiber trim pieces for my interior and a shiny new set of headers.....

Hmm, based on those pics at only 82k, do you know the full history of the motor?(oil contamination, OCI,type of oil, track abused, etc) And what led you to rebuild it?

Great tips thanks, I cant seem to load the vid ?? Please can you check the link Thanks

I bought the motor from a breaker as my original motor had a major failure so no history, decided to refresh it whilst it's out partly because of the history, had it bore scoped and leak down tested when I bought it, luckily everything looks ok as I have it fully stripped doing replacement on all bearings , gaskets, chains , rings etc, having cylinders re rounded and strengthened, new ims, new water pump and aos, these vario pads do get quite bad!

Quotes source post: 4373389

Quote: Fixed, thanks for letting me know!

Quotes source post: 4161789

Quote: This hasn't been my experience unless oil type and change intervals have been neglected. My guides at 115k looks way better than yours that you posted as an example

Your probably right, I think maybe long intervals between oil changes. Luckily no damage has been done to important parts and I now have the chance to change all worn stuff Main and big end bearing coming out are strangely very good in comparison to the pads??

Your probably right, I think maybe long intervals between oil changes. Luckily no damage has been done to important parts and I now have the chance to change all worn stuff Main and big end bearing coming out are strangely very good in comparison to the pads??

Quotes source post: 4162039

Quote: Your experience has been my experience, too. The pads on the VarioCam actuator that came out of my 02 Boxster with over 200K miles on them didn't look very bad at all. The tech was so unconcerned about the condition of the pads he advised me no need to pull the other camshaft cover and replace the actuator as a preventative action.

Wow sounds like you have done really well there!! I wonder why mine are so bad? Maybe Porsche adjusted the material on later engines as this is a 99 engine? I don't have history on the engine but everything else looks good , mains , big end etc and the oil I drained out looked reasonable, the engine was clean inside, no debris, sludge etc It doesn't look like a neglected engine. So glad I stripped it now, who knows how much longer they would have gone before breaking up?? I suppose when metal chains push agains plastic , eventually the metal will win?? Especially the vario pads, the actuator pushes them hard against the cam chains to alter the cam timing when the solenoid is activated, there must be quite a force to deal with aswell as the chains moving at high speed , even with oil lubing the situation , I can understand it in a way! Maybe the oil is the key, can you tell me which oils you rate guys?? I was thinking of using the dt40 jake raby recommends?? Thanks!

Quotes source post: 4162999

Quote: The chains ride against the plastic all the time. If there was any real wear the guides would not last a day. Ignoring just a bad pad my WAG is what shortens the life is lack of use. The oil drains away over time, then the engine is started and until the oil pressure builds in the tensioners, which happens pretty quick, the chains slap against the pad. This brief but repeated slapping starts to tear up the pad and it can go downhill pretty quick then. IOWs, the pads can take the rubbing (sliding on a film of oil) but they can't take the slapping, the impact of the chain from uncontrolled chain slop. I have run almost exclusively Mobil 1 0w-40 oil my Boxster (now with 282K miles on its original engine and one actuator guide and all the other chain guides), though recently I switched over to Mobil 1 5w-50 (not a typo for 15w-50!). Since it doesn't get that cold where I live and drive but it gets plenty hot (facing another 100F+ high today where I live) I just decided to run 5w-50 year 'round. The next time the Turbo goes in for an oil/filter service I'll have the service department use Mobil 1 5w-50 oil in it too. I change the oil every 5K miles and use the car quite a lot and regularly. Neither car sits more than a few days unused except in very rare and special occasions like I'm away in one car on vacation or business, or out of the country on business, or the car is in the shop for an extended time. (The Boxster was out of action around 30 days a while back getting repaired from a minor traffic accident.)

Old thread, but I'm hoping to still get experienced replies. I just had my vario cam tensioner replaced on bank 1 after a CEL came on. The car was running fine and I brought it in right away to a very well respected indy shop whose lead mechanic was the #1 rated Porsche tech years ago. Anyway, I just got the car back and it's running great. Quieter than ever (and it wasn't loud before, just normal startup chain sounds). The mechanic suggested doing both sides as preventive work, but at about $3,500 per side, that's a lot of coin, so I did the one side. My question is: for anyone who replaced one side, did the other go bad soon after? long time later? never? The top chain paid was very well worn, especially for a 39k mile car. I've only had the car for 2 years and 3k miles. I change the oil regularly and have UOA done every time. Nothing bad shows in the oil reports. Should I worry about the other side? Do it preventatively? Or just keep an ear on it and continue doing oil analysis and frequent changes and maintenance? The car has had all suggested maintenance done, from IMS to AOS to water pump. So it should be good to go without turning in to an expensive paper weight at any moment! lol

The other side won't be far behind unfortunately the plastic on the original pads goes brittle then chips away in little pieces, the newer ones are a revised nylon type material which wear more evenly , that said 3.5k per side, wow I think they having your pants down there !! It's only a valve cover off job not even the head , it can be done in a few hours !!

Quotes source post: 4814829

Quote: I assume they're dropping the engine for this job at that price? That a lot of money to install such a cheap part(s). I'd get another estimate if it were me. And yes, you'd want to change the both banks. Remember, it's always more expensive to do it right the second time!

On the `99 it's not just a valve cover, the cover holds the cams in place. So you need to lock down the cams, lock in the timing, then remove the cams to replace the tensioner assembly (which is $1,300 alone) and then put it all back together. I trust the shop owner - he's a friend and our kids play together. If he said it took them 14 hours (which includes lowering the engine, removing the bumper and muffler) then I believe it. He said the `99 is the worst. The rest of the years, it's just a cam cover, as you said. The cost to do the other side at the same time was a lot more as they would drop the entire engine. Doing it this way they just lowered it. So I felt it was still going to be thousands more to do both sides, so I just did the one side. In looking at the chain pads, they're not horrendous. And the chain tensioner not failed, i'm sure this would not have been an issue.

Quotes source post: 4815022

Quote: Yes, I know all about 5-chain cam installation and timing. A lot different than the 3-chain engines. You have to lock cams and put the engine in TDC on both configurations as well as securing the cams. There are a lot more Porsche special tools involved with the 5-Chain too. Is he charging you $3500 for the other bank too?

Sorry misread your post. Got too many thing going on at the moment. My personal opinion is you'll have the same wear on Bank 2 of the engine that you experience on Bank 1.

Yea, the other bank would be about the same I assume. He originally estimated 22 hours for both sides, which was dropping the engine. Doing one side was lowering the engine but not removing it entirely. But it was 14 hours that way, so not sure how much I saved, or how much bank 2 will cost should I ever need it. But for now, the engine is definitely quieter upon startup. If it gets noisy, I'll bit the bullet and do the other side. I think I'll start draining the oil through a strainer as well to see if there are any small pieces of plastic in there. I had just changed my oil 2 weeks ago, and he changed it again to be sure. They found nothing in it. And when I do the oil changes, I always cut the filter open (I found NOTHING in there) and do an oil analysis, which showed nothing. Here's a pic of the worn chain guide. The bottom is perfect looking.

I just posted a reply and pic. Where the heck did it go?

It didn’t go anywhere...you are a low count poster and posts are moderated and need to be approved before they can be viewed.

Was that just for the wear pads or is the tensioner something else? I have a MY2000 (5 chain engine) and I was thinking of having the pads replaced proactively. But not it it's $7k.

Quotes source post: 4815031

Quote: Ah. ok. "low count poster," I guess I've been called worse ;-)

Quotes source post: 4815041

Quote: Those costs include everything, including the nearly $1,400 (each) for the tensioner assembly, plus misc parts (like the non-reusable bolts that hold the cam gear on, at $6 each) etc). Experts: how bad does that chain guide look?

Quotes source post: 4815043

Quote: Would those costs be incurred if only the pads are replaced?

Hmm. Good question. Obviously, not the $1,400 part. But I'm not sure if you can get the pads off without pulling the cams off. That would make a difference in labor. But it's still a lot of labor to get the cam covers off, which requires locking down the cams. I expect the answer to be: if you are going to the trouble of getting in there, saving money by not replacing the main part would be short sighted. I figure I'll be doing it eventually and just spreading out the cost over a year or so. Maybe I'll look into replacing all the timing chain guides at the same time or something like that, to maximize the labor it takes to get access (ie, dropping the engine).

Quotes source post: 4815043

Quote: NO expert but the guide looks normal/ok to me. The wear tracks aren't even out the end of the pad. I'll post a pic of a new actuator for my Boxster: Now a pic of the used one: I asked the tech about doing the other bank and he said the actuator rails looked normal and the condition of the rails of this actuator didn't warrant replacement. The problem was internal to the actuator and the new rails just came with the new actuator. So he advised as long as the other bank wasn't generating any error codes to leave it alone. I can't recall the mileage now but it was around the 250K mile mark. Drove the car to 317K miles and the other bank (or the bank with the new solenoid/actuator) never manifested any signs of any issues. The chain initially cuts grooves from the chain side plates. Then the chain rollers make contact. They roll/slide over the rail and support the chain so the side plates do not continue to cut (saw) through the plastic guide. Once this state is obtained the pad wear is nil. The first oil change of a new engine or a used engine after the guides are replaced will find a lot of plastic debris in the filter. This is normal.

Quotes source post: 4815093

Quote: This reply is INCREDIBLY helpful and reassuring! I'm so thankful you wrote that, especially the last part about how the first oil change may show signed of the guides in the oil. If I'm understanding this all, and I believe I am, what your tech said makes perfect sense and it gives me GREAT comfort in not doing the other bank when there are no CEL codes, and also that the car is running so incredibly well these days (knock wood :-D) I'm going to continue being diligent with maintenance as I always am, and try to enjoy this car that I seem to be growing more fond of every time I drive it.

Quotes source post: 4815107

Quote: Have to point out I followed the senior tech's advice regarding whether to replace the other bank's actuator rails when I asked him if he thought this should be done as a preemptive measure.. Like I mentioned in a previous post he said "No". The condition of the rails of the bank he was working on didn't warrant any work on the other bank. His advice proved to be correct. But I don't think it fair -- if that is the right word -- to let the opinion of one tech over rule that of another. You entrusted your car to a shop/tech you must trust. If he advises you to replace the other bank's rails maybe you should listen to him? Also, I have to mention even though my tech advised me the work was not necessary and I decided to follow his advice it was my decision. And I was prepared to live with the consequences had the other bank manifested any signs of trouble. The next minute or the next year or the next decade. As it turned out the work was done in I think mid 2012 and I drove the car another 7 years with no issues from the other bank. What also played a role is that doing the other bank at the same time would not have resulted in any savings. For this work the engine was left in the car. Oh, there might have been a small savings as the tech would not have to remove the exhaust to get at the other bank's camshaft cover but essentially if the other bank required attention it would be a separate and probably another $3K job in its own right. I was willing to roll the dice and see if the other bank developed any problems. That there was little risk of the engine suffering any harm should the other bank act up like the 1st bank acted up helped me decide to wait and see.

Understood, and I concur with your decision. When I spoke with my tech, he was also ok with my decision of letting it go until there is a CEL or other warning sign from the other side. Yes, it will cost a little more for doing both sides separately because if the bumper needs to come down twice, well, there's that labor. But if it doesn't need to be done for a year, 7 years, or never, then I put off that expense for that period of time. And like you said, assuming the CEL comes on first before the pad shatters and causes problems like the first side (and like everyone else on the forums) then it's a low risk situation. Until then, I'll change the oil 2x/year, I'll cut open oil filters and even drop the oil pan once in a while looking for signs of plastic hanging around there.