In October of 1999 I missed a shift from 3^rd to 4^th, selecting 2^nd instead. The end result were some bent exhaust valves and broken rocker arms. Even with a factory shop manual at hand this was way out of my league. I had Stoddard Porsche, a local dealership, do a top end job. This included pulling the engine and tearing it down to the pistons. A complete engine rebuild, top and bottom job, would have been needed if the pistons or cylinders were damaged, thank God they weren't! The bottom part of the Porsche engine is good for at least 125,000 miles. My damage was somewhat minor and concentrated up top. I only had 45K miles on the motor so there was no need in cracking the engine halves open for a complete rebuild. Everything from the pistons on up were inspected, cleaned, re-certified or replaced. This included the pistons, cylinders, rings, valves, guides, stem seals, springs, retainers, head studs, connecting rods, valve job, chain, chain ramps, rocker arms, clutch, flywheel and I'm sure many other parts. They installed several new gaskets, O-rings, washers, sealant, nuts, screws, belts and plugs. Stoddard found that my clutch was literally 2000 miles from being shot, the disc was down to the rivets (see above photo). I inquired to several places for suggestions on using a heavier duty clutch, perhaps from a 3.6 Turbo or an RS Touring. I was led to the conclusion that Porsche clutches are generally very durable when used properly and going to anything other than a racing clutch would not make a difference as far as durability. I wasn't interested in the Carrera Cup racing clutch because I would have needed a new single mass flywheel. I read that the set-up makes a lot of tranny noise and often stalls at low rpm, I was turned off to that idea so I retained the stock clutch for my car. In looking at the 3.6 Turbo, the clutch disc and throw out bearing are the same part number as the C2/C4 but the pressure plate is different. I stuck with Porsche OEM parts over aftermarket mainly because Porsche will warranty the parts AND labor for two years. Had I gone with aftermarket I would have gone with two things: the Aasse springs and the bronze phosphorus valve guides. The dealer obviously wanted to stick with OEM.

I visited Stoddard with my car apart and saw the engine on the stand. In the corner was everything that came off the motor. I saw first hand, the bent valves, the broken rockers and the clutch disc. It was explained to me that the rockers in the 911 are a weak point and for good reason as they are somewhat sacrificial, like a sheer pin. They generally are the first parts to break in an over-rev situation, before other major parts like the pistons or cylinders take a hit. I cracked 10 of 12 retainers and the springs were measured at 140 psi and new they are supposed to be 180 psi so the tired springs were replaced.

The Porsche tech also noticed some wet areas and replaced the O-rings at the intermediate shaft cover and another at the oil pressure switch console. I was hoping this would cure my one drip per day on the garage floor dilemma but it did not. I assume my drip is coming from one of the 24 O-rings where the case bolts attach the two engine halves together (very bottom of engine).

With a *MUCH* lighter wallet my Porsche is back on the road and running better than before. Stoddard instructed me to adjust the valves after a 2000 mile break in and that I would likely have to tighten the new belts. You better believe I will be much more attentive on my shifting from now on while at the track or on the street.