To car lift or not to car lift

[chunkymonkey1982]

Hi All,

My 997.2 has a coolant leak to the front radiator, ive tried to remove the hose, but its corroded in the aluminum tube. I have the following options:

Get Porsche to fix around 1.2K

Get a specialist to fix about 1K

or fix myself but to fix myself i would need some kind of lift, options to buy or maybe to hire?

what do people think about lifts like this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOBILE-S...407684?hash=item3b49186bc4:g:9KwAAOSwcUBYLvBi

at £500 and around 500 for parts it would come in at the same price as getting a specialist to do the job. I could also use the lift to help replace the corroded heat shields for the spark plugs...

 

[pzero]

Is it worth looking into renting some garage space, with pit or post lift?

 

[Bob996]

In my opinion , the lift you are considering is not strong enough for a 997 you need a 3000kg to be safe. renting some garage space is probably the most cost effective option , or any local garage can probably do the job for less than a specialist .

 

[m1kegibson]

Agree re lift rating. I think a 997.2 weighs in at around 1500kg and around 1000 of that is over the rear axle. A 1500kg lift is not safe. Double that for a safety margin.

Can't you pop the front up on axle stands or are you replacing the entire coolant pipe run?

 

[moorhouse]

If you are anywhere near the NE you can use mine FOC - old two post but carries my 996, Landrovers etc no problem.

 

[2much]

Hi All,

My 997.2 has a coolant leak to the front radiator, ive tried to remove the hose, but its corroded in the aluminum tube. I have the following options:

Get Porsche to fix around 1.2K

Get a specialist to fix about 1K

or fix myself but to fix myself i would need some kind of lift, options to buy or maybe to hire?

what do people think about lifts like this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOBILE-S...407684?hash=item3b49186bc4:g:9KwAAOSwcUBYLvBi

at £500 and around 500 for parts it would come in at the same price as getting a specialist to do the job. I could also use the lift to help replace the corroded heat shields for the spark plugs...

I have one of these lifts and they are perfect for my VW Beetle (classic type) with the flexibility of the tilt and mobility for limited space etc. but.....

Load capacity (as others have said) is too low for 997. Also the tilt action for rear engine car isnt great as will always lift nose up then you need a mate to help you level it out and lock it _ OK on an old Beetle, less easy on a much heavier car - final downer on these type of lifts is great for working on front and rear, when you need access to the middle not great as mechanism in the way.

It has been one of the best purchases for my garage but it isnt ideal for everything.

With all the under floor panels and need to get a bit heavy with the corroded pipes, you need good access underneath and ideally above your head = two post lift at a workshop that will rent you space, you may even find a local small workshop garage that would let you use it out of hours with offer of a few £££

 

[Cannop]

Do you really need a lift? I did all the front coolant pipes on my 997.1 with the car on jackstands, a bit fiddly but nothing exceptionally difficult about the job.

 

[easternjets]

As above you really don't need a lift as you don't need to be right under the vehicle.
The front comes off a 997 in 30 mins max, 15 if you've done it before.
You might need to remove the condenosrs so go to your nearest AC service centre and get them to degas your system, it's very important to do it this way as they will measure the amount of oil etc coming out.
Just jack up both sides, set it on stands or use 2 trolley jacks.
Get the bumper off and all the shrouds that surround the condensors etc.
The rest is fairly straight forward as you can see all the screws holding everything together.
Whilst the coupling going in is Alloy the radiator, female side isn't. You will have plenty of easy access to both couplings and I'm sure a good tug should have them out.
A new Rad is about £180 and a set of condensors etc about £200. Chances are the condensors will be shot if they are over 8 or 9 years old.

When you refill the coolant make sure your car is on a slope pointing nose down the slope and preferably jacked up as well, this allows the air to purge easier, burping as it's called, run the engine at 1500 to 2000 rpm as your filling it.
It really is easier than it looks, or take it to a good local mechanic and they will do it for you, forget going to OPC as they'll charge silly money for a mornings work.
I did my condesors last week and at the same time I had the bumper off I bought some alloy mesh off ebay, £15 for a big sheet. Made some templates cut the mesh fitted it inside the bumper, trimmed it and refitted the bumper. Stops the bugs and chippings getting in and all for £15 and some tie wraps!

 

[TurboRob]

My vote is get a lift - if you're a serial car DIYer they soon pay for themselves, the sooner you get one the more jobs they contribute to.

Two-post lift or a scissor style. I went scissor:

 

[chunkymonkey1982]

If you are anywhere near the NE you can use mine FOC - old two post but carries my 996, Landrovers etc no problem.

Thanks for the offer! Unfortunately I'm in South London.

 

[chunkymonkey1982]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies. I agree that the lift I suggested maybe too weak for a 911.

I have looked online for a garage with a lift I can hire and have struggled in south London but can try the local garage.

With regards to using axle stands, I thought to remove all the coolant pipes as per the pics above I would need to remove the subframe? I thought that may tough\impossible with axle stands.

I heard that the crossover pipes were connected to the car and it would be tough to remove them without access to bolts that could only be accessed when the subframe is dropped...

I would do the job with axle stands if possible...

 

[b8575]

With regards to using axle stands, I thought to remove all the coolant pipes as per the pics above I would need to remove the subframe? I thought that may tough\impossible with axle stands.

People who are far more qualified than me will tell you but I think you can just drop the subframe slightly rather than completely remove it to access the pipe. There might have been a write up on here not so long ago.

If you're in South London you could take an hour or so trip to https://thisisyourgarage.com

 

[easternjets]

In your original post you just mentioned removing a radiator, it's a whole different scenario if you want to remove 'all' the coolant pipes.
Saying that I've not heard of the nylon/plastic junction pipes failing. Normally the Alloy couplings crack and leak on the hoses and it's those that need renewing.

 

[chunkymonkey1982]

Thanks for the advice everyone, based on the fact that if I bought a lift I would rarely use it, right now just need to replace the front coolant hoses and the heat shields around the engine (probably do not need a lift for that) it doesn't make sense to buy one.

Issues with buying one - fear of being crushed! lack of space to store.

I could use axle stands (bigger fear of being crushed) but think the job will be tough, and for 500 pounds of labor I think I will make it a garage's problem - ie ive chickened out.

And also gives me piece of mind that who ever does it will know what they are doing and the car is unlikely to dump its coolant on the road and grind to a halt (maybe if I was to do it!)

I did consider trying to cut out the corroded pipe, but once ive cut it and if I cannot remove the sleeve that sits in the aluminum cross over pipe I would then have to trailer it to a garage. not worth the risk.

thanks to all that replied and hopefully this thread will be useful to anyone else considering the same thing.

 

[darkhorse]

You should try removing a gearbox and engine on a 997 turbo on 4 maxxed out axle stands
It is probably better left to a garage if you are uncertain, but you can jack one side up at the rear to get an axle stand under the front jack point on that side, then do the same on the other side, then use a jack under the front subframe to get the stands to the height you want. As long as the ground is level, the jack stands are good quality, and the rear wheels are well chocked you would be very safe, once you get past the crushing concern.

One little safety check I do when I get the car on jack stands is to always rock it very hard (even up on all 4 stands) front and back to check for stabilityl because I would rather see it fall off then, than when I am not expecting it!

Having said that, modern axle stands are extremely strong and it is more a mental barrier than a risk one in reality if the correct procedures are followed.

But experience is your friend on this, having said that it has to be gained (or earned!).