winter mini overhaul complete
 

Finally about done with my mini winter project task list! Check it out:

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Hmm not sure why it labeled the link as log in. Just a link over to my other post. Lol

Everyone but you gets your logon page....

Glorious! Lol. OK, I guess I'll just start a thread here with the same info. Thanks, Paul!

Ok guys, so here's the rundown of my mini overhaul from the other forum...

Here we go...
I figured I'd start a separate thread to document the Box's fairly minor overhaul over the last month or so.

It wasn't bad but was def a huge learning experience and I know a lot more about these cars then I did even just a few weeks ago. There are some things I really appreciate about this car but also a ton of things that I feel Porsche totally dropped the ball on. By that, I mean engineering decisions so rediculously inept, it was like Porsche farmed the engineering out to a group of special needs people or maybe a class of engineering students at some college somewhere - both of those being essentially the same thing in my experience.

Here's a picture of the car before starting
http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps671a8b87.jpg

I'm calling this minor overhaul #1 because next winter I plan on bring it back in and replacing the clutch again in addition to probably the wheel bearings and ROW 030 suspension conversion.

In the meantime, the other projects that still need done while enjoying it this summer is a 7" touch screen, new exhaust, new seats, and hopefully the electric PS pump install.

Here's the MR2 PS pump that will go in the frunk next to the amp

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps36dc02c5.jpg

Here are the seats I'm leaning toward..

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2c798c3e.png

There are similar style seats for less then half the price but I do like bride seats and they're pretty decent quality. I also like the hard back and side mount design. Its a little more sporty IMO though I recognize in this case its all personal preference since functionality and performance is essentially the same as any other seat.

So anyway... what kicked the job off was the clutch went out late last fall. Initially, it wasn't really a clutch issue as much as the slave cylinder puking all the fluid out all over the ground. I replaced the slave cylinder, bleed the clutch and thought that would be the end of it. Not so. Still wouldn't shift in a usable manner. Bleed the clutch over and over trying to solve the issue. Started to look hard at the master cylinder but saw no indication of failure and am reluctant to just throw parts at a problem. Meanwhile, the seals gave out on the new slave cylinder. Replaced it under warantee. Still no real improvement and bleeding the clutch was still ineffective. Since it was about time to park it for winter anyway, I decided to park it and tackle some other more pressing projects.

About a month ago, I pulled the Box in to begin a mini makeover to get it ready for spring.

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...pseda25358.jpg

The list of tasks that I wanted to tackle during this mini make over is as follows:
1) ims bearing
2) clutch
3) flywheel (maybe)
4) under drive pulley and belt
5) aos
6) water pump
7) low temp thermostat
8) sparkplugs
9) transmission fluid flush
10) repair a seam on the top (or replace the top if necessary)
11) install rear speakers
12) replace passenger side inner door panel
13) check brakes for wear and replace as necessary
14) paint the brake calipers
15) fix/replace anything broken etc.

First thing was the ims bearing which required the removal of basically everything but the engine.

Everything removed and ready to drop the transmission

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps51b45bf8.jpg

Found the clutch was destroyed. Not just at the end of its life but showing rivets and carving small grooves in the pressure plate and flywheel surface. It def had a nice long life. If I had to guess, I'd say it was the stock clutch with 90k miles on it.

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps83081f51.jpg

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2548e6df.jpg

Also found the clutch fork destroyed. No wonder it wouldn't activate the clutch!

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...psa6f415c5.jpg

Meanwhile, the stock flywheel needed at the very least resurfaced (which u can't - Porsche fully expects owners to fork over $700 to replace the flywheel). At this point also learned the stock flywheel is a dual mass setup that is ridiculously massive. I'm guessing Porsche had a bunch of steel left over and decided to dispose of it by adding it to the rotational mass of ever stock flywheel. In addition to that, the test for the elastic polymer separating the two masses of the flywheel is to twist it by hand. It should reach its strongest resistant point at about 15° twist before snapping back. My stock flywheel would twist to about 45° with zero resistance or snap back. It would just twist to a hard stop and then sit there.

For all intensive purposes, I had a super heavy single mass flywheel that just so happened to be sloppy as hell.

At that point I started researching aluminum flywheels. I've always thought theres a lot more performance in the base boxsters and was very interested in realizing some gains and improved driving dynamics.

The best LWFW on the market is arguably fabricated by Aasco in southern California. However, just as I began researching LWFW, I came across what seemed to be mobs of angry Porsche owners whose flywheels caused catastrophic crank failures. Awesome. :mad:

After a quick chat with Aasco engineers, any fears were eliminated and I placed an order with one of their distributors.

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...pse1259e46.jpg

At $650 the flywheel ended up being in the same price range as the stock flywheels.

With the clutch and flywheel removed, it was time to tackle the IMS bearing. I decided to go with the Pelican bearing for $165 and keep the stock cover.

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...psb52d6e2d.jpg

The stock cover has garbage casting. The more I'm into this car, the less impressed I am with Porsche. I'll probably replace the cover next winter with an updated cover/seal just because the casting was so ridiculously bad. Nice QA controls...

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4220340c.jpg

Add the price of the tools $200 and I was ready to go!

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8949e8f3.jpg

I'm pretty sure when I go back to do the clutch disc again in the winter, I'll probably swap in one of the ceramic bearings Homeboy found during his IMSB nightmare with LN Engineering. In the meantime tho, my stock dual row bearing came out without a hitch and was in fantastic shape.

I froze the Pelican IMS bearing and install tool overnight in the freezer, right next to the freezer vent, and then stored it in a cooler filled with dry ice for about three hours before the install. Additionally, I removed the cross member that runs behind the engine as it could be a source of potential obstruction and I wanted as clean and open an area as possible. After removing my old bearing, I installed the new one making sure to smack the install tool as straight and even as possible with a solid hammer. Installed with no issues.

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9233e2bb.jpg

After that it was just a matter of installing the LWFW

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps27ba5e47.jpg

Meanwhile, I was still waiting for the clutch to show up so I moved onto some other projects...

Calipers
http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...psd24f98bc.jpg

UD pulley and idler pulleys
http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps78d05e87.jpg

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/...ps861c8c25.jpg

I discovered both the idler pulleys are available at local parts stores as just a 70mm idler pulley that's used on dozens of Audi and VW products. Cost $17 each vs the $150 that I've seen elsewhere. I did have to use a washer behind them to shim them out to the run on the same plane as the belt.

I also replaced the water pump, installed a 160° thermostat, and flushed the transmission fluid.

Finally, the clutch arrived after 3 weeks and of course, it's a solid disc and not a sprung hub!! Damn it!!

Here's the description (from both the distributor and also spec's own site) of the spec stage 1 sprung clutch I bought:

The SPEC Stage 1 Clutch Kit features an integrally molded carbon kevlar-based, high performance organic lining that offers smooth engagement and excellent life. This lining has an integrally bonded steel backing for strength under high clamp loads and temperatures. The hub is double sprung with spring cover relieves for flexibility and heat treated components for strength and durability. Best for street and many track/off-road applications.

Features
High clamp pressure plate
Steel-backed and multi-compound woven organic material
High torque sprung hub and disc assembly
Bearing and tool kit

One would think this was pretty cut and dry but the fact is, as soon as u tell them u have a boxster, u will be sent a solid disc clutch, not sprung.

The way to get around this is to contact ur distributor and let them know you have a solid flywheel, and u want a sprung disc despite the fact that OEM is a solid disc. Prob not a bad idea to call spec as well and ensure they understand u want a sprung hub. Make sure everyone in the supply chain understands u want a sprung hub, otherwise u'll wind up with a solid disc clutch.

Driving Impressions...

I took the car out last night for some around town driving and found it to be light and rev happy. There's def a more eagerness to just take off when u press the GO pedal. It changes the feel from kind of a fun cruiser to something a good bit more sporty!

The cons:
It's actually a little more difficult to drive. I'll get used to it with a little more time behind the wheel and taking off from a light won't require deliberate thought or effort but for the time being it does force me to pay more attention. What i mean by that is that as rev happy as the engine is now, it is just as willing to lose or dump those revs when enough gas isn't provided. The car is def a lot easier to stall until u get used to how it wants to be driven. I should know, i did it twice on a 15 minute cruise around town. Nothing ruins ur image quite like stalling the car at a light. Haha.

Summary:
The LWFW is an excellent mod IMO. Adding the UD pulley is just icing on the cake. The car still won't push u hard back in the seat like my 2g Eclipse but that's not its intent either. It revs beautifully and is a lot more fun to drive. Much less of a chick car and more of a driver's car! I don't think it'll ever have the power it deserves until I hang a couple of small turbos off it or just take the plunge and install an Audi 4.2 but in the meantime, I can tell I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it.

I drove it out to work this morning (50 miles highway) with no issues or complaints. Ran great and pulled nicely throughout the RPM band. I can't wait to get the electric power steering pump installed which should deliver another 5-10 ponies to the wheels.

Same here! After speaking to Aasco, all this talk about 'balancing' the LWFW is hooey! The factory QCs the balance, and, due to the way they machine the product, there is little chance it is going to be out of balance.

Plus, it looks really cool all shiny and sleek!

So shiny! If only the rest of the drive train could be so well designed and fabricated... I wouldn't spend so much time badmouthing the 'tards working in Porsche engineering! Lol