Giz's 996 upkeep thread...oh the fun and games.

This thread started as a shout for help with a seized bolt, but is now where I update any progress on my car. ==================== I need to get my wheel carrier off, seized brake calliper bolts on offside. Anyway, drilled them out and thought nice, on my way. Nope! The brake lines look terrible, will be surprised if they come apart easily, but anyway not even got that far as the speed sensor bracket and the female end of the harness is completely seized on the wheel carrier. I can't even get the sensor harness out of the bracket, let alone get the bracket off the carrier. Any ideas? I have tried to get something behind and smack it, but don't dare give any more force. Last thing I want to do is damage that harness, it looks like a bit of a pig to replace. Thanks!

I had that problem on one of mine and ended up pulling the metal insert out of the connector to get it off. Onnthe downside I can't remember exactly what I did to sort it out, on the upside it can't have been a complete PITA or I would remember. Just a usual problem of taking apart a 996 for the first time in ages. MC

Thanks. I will try and get something behind either side of the metal insert and prise it off from there then. This has been a 'mare. I ordered two CV joints from Design911 to convert it to RWD to try it. I bought the C4 thinking I would do that straight away, but have found it great. However, got a small noise around 60mph, so thought I would remove drive shafts first, see if noise goes. Then remove prop and diff, see if noise goes. The replace front wheel bearings etc. etc. But need CV joints as I would prefer not to split my drive shafts. I called them up, they had stock, I ordered with next day along with new brakes. Waited 3 days and nothing. Called up to find out where they were, they sold one of the CV joints. I now needed to wait between 8-12 weeks for more stock. At least send me my brakes that I ordered? They did after a week. So I thought I would replace the discs, put on the HP200 pads and get that done while waiting. Also, I might be able to feel if the bearing has any noise while changing the discs. The calliper bolts were in there seized. The bottom one I welded onto and the bolt snapped, so drilled the top one out this morning. As I knew I was converting to RWD I bought two C2 wheel carriers and some C2 suspension. I thought I could then sort the C4 wheel carriers out whenever, probably put time serts in, I see many of the race teams do that on Porsches as a matter of course as they have the callipers on and off so often. It makes sense. Anyway, after drilling the bolt out I fist noticed how manky the brake lines were, but then realised C4 and C2 have different hard lines after the hoses, so popped to Porsche and bought those with the brackets. Nice. I could finally crack on. But this sensor had me for over an hour, I wasn't even sure if that bracket was meant to come off the carrier, spent hours searching, but every video is discussing C2 or seized speed sensor, rather than the speed sensor harness. Anyway, I have hit it hard with plus gas hoping that insert has corroded to the screw it is sat over, I don't really want to put heat near it. Maybe it is time to purchase an induction coil heater? Just praying the brake lines come off the hose OK. Is there a brake line repair kit for these? I don't fancy replacing the whole brake lines. The lines look OK, it is just the connectors!

I doubt you can heat it, the plastic is soft. I still have a whine at the front of my C4 after changing the diff. Wheel bearings next for me as well. MC

Can you get a tiny bit of rotation on it just to break the corrosion? I'm thinking tapping or levering, but don't break the harness...

The problem is the whole bracket is fused onto the wheel carrier. That bracket is slid onto the bolt coming out of the carrier and the held in with another bolt at the rear. You then put the sensor harness connector on over the top and go through the v groove into the thread on the carrier with a small M6 bolt. The bracket is fused to the carrier, the bracket has also corroded into the plastic of the harness and it seems the bolt itself is fused to the metal shim that runs through the connector. So no where to really get anything in anywhere to pry it. If I get something under the connector itself, it just looks like it is going to break apart. I think I might just buy two repair kits. I didn't realise the kit comes with connectors and heat shrink. I thought you had to remove all the interior and get back to the connector in the rear behind the passenger side rear 'door' card. Looks like you simply cut 6" from where it goes into the wing, strip those wires back, connect them altogether and then push that into the wing. So less than an hour a side. However, what I am now thinking is while the C2 hubs are out, replace he bearings just so I know they are new and also, check that the abs sensors in there actually come out! And if so pop new ones in. I just don't have a press anymore, which makes replacing bearings an absolute pain. But, will be even more of a pain if I get all this done and there is a noise! :mrgreen:

Hmmm, one thing I had not considered. I see that the oem speed sensors are listed as one for front/rear and left/right and the following... Porsche 996 1998-2001 without PSM Porsche 996 2001-2004 with PSM Porsche 986 Boxster 1997-2001 without PSM Porsche 986 Boxster 2001-2004 with PSM Being a C4 I obviously need a sensor that is for PSM, but wondering if this changed when PCM was released? What I am getting at is whether it is a superseded part sold today, but my new/old C2 carriers could have an original non PSM sensors fitted? I also see that the harness connector itself is a slightly different shape depending on 986 and 996, both work but if you use the 996 one on the Boxster you have to put it in upside down as there is a notch on the upright. Now, I am presuming that the only difference between the harness repair kits, as in C2 vs C4 is that that C4 has an extra grommet for the extra mounting point on the C4 upright? C2 speed sensor repair harness C4 speed sensor repair harness Both 5 wire, both look like the wires are the same colour coding etc. I'm sort of asking these questions out loud so it is documented in case people search in the future.

If you are anywhere near J26 M1 you are welcome to bring the parts over and use my press. One I did ended up pulling the shim out of the connector. MC

Thanks MC very kind of you mate. I'm in Norfolk unfortunately. Was up in Nottingham a couple of weeks back and then just near Oakham last week. But the first time I had been up that way in a long time. From Leicester originally, and went back to Uni in Leicester so spent many a wobbly night in Nottingham in the early 90s. Apparently there is a guy who does bearings, from his garage at home, down the road, never heard of him before, just trying to find out some details. The shim? Edit: Oh the shim in the abs sensor connector. I was thinking there was something else that could go wrong with the wheel bearing for a minute! :mrgreen:

So.........brake line connectors pretty seized up. I have got the passenger side one off, the mainline into the brake hose, the 11mm one. But the drivers side is a pig, just no space. There is the brake hose and the abs wire one side, and of course the strut, and the coolant hose the other side. So I decided best to sacrifice the brake hose and sensor to make sure that brake line is saved, seems to be fuel tank out on the C4 to replace that (sure there are other options, but still...). So cut the flexi hose and clamped that up and out the way. This actually allowed me to get some leverage on the abs sensor and brake hose bracket and start to rotate it. The centre bolt is well and truly stuck on the sensor, but it would allow me to rotate it and get the bolt out of the up right, leaving the sensor in tact. This now means I can actually get the carrier off. So popped the steering rod and control arm bolt off and will carry on on Thursday. With the whole upright and suspension off I should have enough room to get the brake line connector off. I will put some new braided brake lines on. Oh, and a friend called me today, lovely guy, 94 years old, up until recently he was still building himself planes and Stanley steam cars, even built himself a motor trike with a Motto Guzzi engine just before Covid the silly old *****. Lost his TV remote, this is his 75" Sony XF9405, spent till 4am looking for it, can I order him a new TV as "it is the only thing I have left, watching TV!" ? :mrgreen: Bless his heart, lost his wife last year. Ordered him a new remote. Anyway, he has said I can use his workshop whenever I want, got everything in there, including a 20 ton press. But for now I just want the car up and running. So will do the bearings later. But feel like I am starting to get somewhere.

Good work. Getting the old cruddy stuff off is the worst bit. Just make sure to put some protection on it when it goes back together. MC

OK, spent another 7 hours on it today. Still can't get that 11mm brake line nut out of the brake hose. I think I might need to put even more heat on it, but the nut is starting to round, so held back and took the other side off the car. I thought I better have a bash at the brake calliper bleed screws considering how seized everything else is on there. First one sheard straight off, and this was with the calliper in a vice on the bench. Only had a 6" wrench on it. It was on the inside of the calliper. The other 3 took me a good hour or so, loads of heat, lots of Plus Gas, then heat and then cracked it, 16th of a turn, wind back, 16th of a turn, wind back. Got those three out OK, will order new ones. Not sure whether to just let the sheared on be, or whether to try and get it out? Thoughts people? Any ways of doing it with 99% success rate? :mrgreen: I'm wondering of it is just better to run a new brake line from the frunk. I'm not going to drop the tank, so could just make a new line and run it along a new path. Any reason why this shouldn't be done? Also, my ball joint tool, which has always been fine, probably because I am replacing arms, managed to split the dust cover on the first control arm. Anyone got any recommendations for one that is A) slim enough to slide under without damaging the rubber? B) Long enough to get a good bite over the thing and not be half over and likely to slip off? Oh, and the insert from the carrier came off with the track rod end on one of them too. So need to press that out now. Fun and games!! :mrgreen: It does make me laugh when people ask "This 25 year old Porsche for £15k, the pictures look nice, is it a good buy?" They never believe you when you say it could need £5k or more spending on it is to get it right. This whole ball ache started off with me changing brake discs FFS!! :mrgreen:

I changed both front brake lines on my C4, I didn't take the tank out and used the OEM pipes. I had the problem with not being able to undo them. Details here. http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=145605&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=roof&start=100 To be absolutely sure of not damaging the caliper I would probably send it off to get the snapped one out, nice to fet the job done properly. I feel your pain on this. It is a rubbish job to do. MC

Thanks MC. Have you got a ramp? I guess I can do all that on jack stands, but after 20 years with a ramp, I must say I really, really miss it! :mrgreen: Any recommendations on a ball joint splitter tool?

Just read through the rest of your thread. I see you have a decent lift. I think I might have to purchase a quickjack at least. Anyway, guessing I will replace the brake line next week and then put it all back together. Just praying that the abs sensors etc. are all OK and no lights on the dash and more troubleshooting to do. Would be so nice to get this all done and the car be running as expected. I can now see why people who put the time into these older cars end up keeping them. I was thinking of swapping for a 997.2, but many of the threads I have been finding when looking for answers on 'what to do next...." seem to be 997 cars. So I will end up getting this sorted and then walk into a 997 that needs it all doing again. Sod that!