[Mike W]

The last thing I have to do to the 944 is to replace the rear wheel bearings.



1) I wanted to know how hard this job is (I don't assume too bad)/special tools I will need. See question 2 as to why I have no idea what is involved.



2) In order to do it, I would like to get a shop manual, but the only ones I see as available are the Porsche manuals which are a bit pricy and the Haynes which only covers standard NA 944's 83-89. It does not appear that Bentley publishes a manual. Does anyone know of a good manual to get for a late S2?



Lastly, the 911 has been running a bit hot lately and the other day, the alternator light began flickering. I would like to check the belts first. Any other suggestions as to what to look for (is there a check to see if the pulley's are ok)? I assume the "special spanner" for holding the belt in place that is referenced is available from most Porsche parts suppliers?



Thanks in advance for what may seem like obvious questions from the Porsche DIY noob.

[APKhaos]

OK Michael, time to make it easy for you:

1) I wanted to know how hard this job is (I don't assume too bad)/special tools I will need. See question 2 as to why I have no idea what is involved.
>> It's very much like replacing any rear wheel bearings [except the 930 rears, which are in a lower ring of the inferno]. The specific procedure depends on the type of trailing arm you have - steel or aluminum. The tough parts are breaking the axle nut free [350#ft torque - takes a large breaker bar], driving out the old bearings and driving in the new bearings without damaging the trailing arms. The rest is basis R&R stuff. Its a definite DIY.

2) In order to do it, I would like to get a shop manual, but the only ones I see as available are the Porsche manuals which are a bit pricy and the Haynes which only covers standard NA 944's 83-89. It does not appear that Bentley publishes a manual. Does anyone know of a good manual to get for a late S2
>> Ahh, this is where the good stuff starts. How about these:
http://www.clarks-garage.com/pdf-manual/susp-09.pdf for steel arms
http://www.clarks-garage.com/pdf-manual/susp-11.pdf for Al trailing arms
Go look at www.Clarks-garage.com , and take special notice of the Garage Shop Manual. Terrific, DIY-oriented, and reliable info. Its the best there is short of the factory shop manuals.

>> PM me about how to find a copy of the complete factory workshop manuals on CD. Pure Gold.


I'll leave the last question to our many REAC bretheren. I was disqualified from advising on 911s since I went over to the dark side.

[Jazzbass]

By "special spanner" you mean the alt pulley wrench? If you don't have the factory tool kit with one in it, you can get one from most suppliers. Pelican sells them for $32 or so. Call Jerry St Germaine and see what he can do for you.

You'll need the special bearing puller for the 944 rears, just as you do for the 911 rears, AFAIK.

[Vicegrip]

The nut is a bear but a good impact gun will get them. Withoput the gun you have to hold the hub. Set the parking brake and wege a 2X4 in the wheel studs and then against the ground to keep the hub from turning.
944 rear bearings need a puller. You can make homemade and if you heat the arm first the bearings should come out with little force. No need to pre heat with a pro puller. Bill Miller did a thread some time ago on making a homemade puller from Home Depot nuts and bolts.

Install by freezing the bearing for at least an hour and heating the arm up to just a bit too hot to touch. Not cooked, just good and hot, not more than 4 to 5 min or so with a propane torch. Aluminum arms need more torch time as the al. sucks heat up but when heated well the bearing just fall right in. Pre clean the bearing socket area to surgical standards and be sure there are no burrs or crust of any kind before heating. Green 3M scrub pads wetted with some wd-40 works well. Bring the bearing right from the freezer to the heated arm. Carefully line up the chilled bearing up in the socket and slide it home. If it sticks partway you will need to use a press to finish. I recommend that if this happens in an al. arm you only use a pro made press as if the bearing goes out of alignment at all it will gall the socket and you will have a mess.

[Mike W]

Tony - That sight is pure gold, is there an equivalent sight for late Carrera's? You have PM.

Chris - Thanks for the tool info. I do in fact have the tool kit complete with plastic gloves, but only skimmed through it after someone told me they were junk. I'll have to take a second look.

Kurt - Thanks for that info. Sounds a bit more challenging than I am used to, but I have to learn sometime otherwise I will be one poor fellow... oh wait .

Thanks again.

[Jazzbass]

Chris - Thanks for the tool info. I do in fact have the tool kit complete with plastic gloves, but only skimmed through it after someone told me they were junk. I'll have to take a second look.

Don't know who told you that, but they were wrong. In fact, the factory tool kit contains two great tools for working on these cars - the alt pulley wrench (which is a must have) and the factory spark plug wrench which makes changing spark plus a LOT easier than with a std Craftsman style socket.

The rest of the stuff I wouldn't use on a day-to-day basis, but its good stuff to have in the car in situations like this :



PS - No edit to you post, Mike. Still getting used to my new Admin powers and accidentally edited you post instead of posting a reply. Yeah, its been a long day .

[Mike W]

As a follow-up question, how can I tell if I have the Aluminum vs. Steel trailing arms?

From what I read on Clarks the Steel arms use a double roller bearing and the Al uses a single bearing. All the parts suppliers I have checked say that the double is for the early 944's and the later 44's/S/S2/Turbo uses the single. Can I successfully go with this logic, or should I definately check the part #'s on the car itself to see as they used steel or al on all the cars? Or just use a magnet?

TIA.

[Trak Ratt]

Pretty much anything after ’85.5 has the Aluminum. It’s easy to tell, the steel one is painted black and the other is just dirty but silver underneath the dirt and grime.

[Vicegrip]

Two ways to tell

1. The taste. Steel arms have a tangy but slightly oaky note and the Al arms have a citrus note.

2. A magnet will not stick to the Al arms unless they are very dirty.

[Trak Ratt]

Originally Posted by Kurt Mickelwait

Two ways to tell

1. The taste. Steel arms have a tangy but slightly oaky note and the Al arms have a citrus note.

Let me get my, OK Linda’s camera. This sounds like a “Chief Tech Demo” moment.