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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:34 pm Post subject: 997 gen 2 drive belt Tensioner failure .
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See the image below ..
No.1 . T50 bolt that locates it.
No.2 the pivot , it looks like a washer but isnt .. its a pivot .
No.3 the 30 or 32mm nut you adjust it with , i forget which size off hand.
You move No 3 .. if the bolt moves then No.2 is siezed .. you need the top part of the tensioner replaceing .
The lower damper only needs changeing if its leaking , again the roller pully is optional .
Damage can occur if its left .. think of the bolt doing up or unwinding as it moves , and this is what happens .. 4k RPM and it lets go .. expensive .
i dont want to scare but i have seen an engine replacement due to this .. only once and thats since the Gen 2 came out , but it snapped the block fixing for this part ... ( warrenty )
I will say that a lot of mechanics out there dont realise this ... a lot do .. but not all ...
Its an easy check to prove as above .
Just an advise as its a silly item that can be easily be over looked .
Gratitude to Windy101 for the image .
EDIT .. bolts are T50 not T30 .. for some reason i had it in my head they were T30 .. geting old i guess  _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
Last edited by deMort on Fri Feb 22, 2019 8:19 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Windy101 Spa-Francorchamps

Joined: 05 Jun 2015 Posts: 282
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:01 pm Post subject:
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I would just like to add my sentiments to those many others have already expressed.
deMort, you are a total gentleman and helpful beyond measure.
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HSC911 Long Beach

Joined: 23 Jul 2014 Posts: 6727 Location: Bedford
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Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 1:20 am Post subject:
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Windy101 Spa-Francorchamps

Joined: 05 Jun 2015 Posts: 282
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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 8:20 pm Post subject:
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Edited my original post to reflect the bolts are T50 .. no idea why i thought they were T30 .. getting old i guess !! _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
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MarkC4S Monza

Joined: 05 Jul 2016 Posts: 198
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 9:18 am Post subject:
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Thanks to Iain for his wise and informed advice on this issue.
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Windy101 Spa-Francorchamps

Joined: 05 Jun 2015 Posts: 282
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Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 10:34 am Post subject:
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MarkC4S wrote: | Thanks to Iain for his wise and informed advice on this issue. |
My problem was subtly different, my tensioner was slow to return, I guess it was partially siezed.
Thanks again DeMort for the help and advice.
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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 7:41 pm Post subject:
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A slightly better picture of the tensioner i took from a 991 ... you can see the Torx bolt , the Washer which is a pivot and the " 30 " mm head size to move it .
Once again , 30 mm spanner and turn the tensioner .. if the torx bolt moves then its seized and needs replacing .
I'll just add .. Boxster / Cayman and 991 don't tend to suffer from this due to the protected location .. Gen 2 997 do though . _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
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hermes Silverstone
Joined: 08 May 2017 Posts: 122
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 5:11 am Post subject:
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So would this also apply to the Gen 2 3.8 in the Cayman GT4?
Should I be asking the OPC to check something?
Cheers
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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:15 pm Post subject:
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hermes wrote: | So would this also apply to the Gen 2 3.8 in the Cayman GT4?
Should I be asking the OPC to check something?
Cheers |
Yours will be the same , pretty much gen 2 onwards uses this system but its only the 997 gen 2 that seems to suffer from a seized tensioner ..
My last post above mentioned this
It's probably due to the fact all the other models have more protection or basically .. lumps of metal in the way of the tensioner that stop water ingress and these corroding .
There is nothing you need to do or have anyone check imho .
Every garage should know full well about this problem by now but owing to the fact i've had a couple of messages about these still being overlooked when a service or a belt change has been done then i keep banging on about it
Prevention is far better than a fix afterwards !! _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
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hermes Silverstone
Joined: 08 May 2017 Posts: 122
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:06 am Post subject:
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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 7:14 pm Post subject:
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Just an update with some better pictures to explain this fault .
Yup i've seen yet another one of these being seized this week .
Images below explain it , i marked the bush that should pivot so you can see it moves ..
This car i moved the tensioner and it stayed where i moved it to .. belt was very slack as after this .. it was seized ! _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
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PJ997 Newbie
Joined: 30 May 2016 Posts: 37
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 2:03 pm Post subject:
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What is the part under of the actual bit that gets seized (i.e. the bit I need to order)? I ask as the is says part 9A1 10221100 is a roller, rather than the metal pivot thing. Phil UPDATE . . . . ignore me. It also says 'Lever' so I'm being stupid.
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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:45 pm Post subject:
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Its number one .. i would change the bolts as well just to be safe .. any obvious leaks from the tensioner and that as well .. tensioner is no.3 . _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
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P9XX Newbie
Joined: 04 Oct 2018 Posts: 23 Location: Hertfordshire
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Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 9:23 pm Post subject:
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Checked mine after visit to Precision Porsche last Saturday.
Unfortunately, turning the 30 mm hex clockwise, the pivot bolt turned as well.
Therefore seized but not broken yet.
The tensioner had to be turned back with the spanner, it should spring back.
My car is 2008, 40,000 miles.
My local indie has seen several instances of completely snapped off tensioners.
Bolt No. 4 in the parts diagram snaps behind the tensioner.
Worst case, the whole water pump and housing to which the tensioner lever is attached has to be replaced, due to damaged threads.
New tensioner to be fitted next week. _________________ 2008 997.2 C2S PDK Basalt Black
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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2019 7:19 pm Post subject:
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And this is why i keep banging on about this fault .. excellent news you checked it and found an issue .. well not excellent but better to find out before something happened !
Air box removal wasn't hard i take it
Btw .. a pleasure to chat on saturday , hopefully you enjoyed the chat and the look around the workshop . _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
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PS1000 Newbie
Joined: 25 Nov 2016 Posts: 40
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 3:06 pm Post subject: Thanks Iain
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Extremely helpful post as always. Checked mine today and all is well
(Dead easy to check folks - really recommend doing it just in case)
Regards
Pete
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PJ997 Newbie
Joined: 30 May 2016 Posts: 37
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 9:24 am Post subject:
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Have you got any tips on reinstalling the tensioner and lever? Getting it out was a complete ball ache as there’s hardly any room to get the two bolts out. For reinstalling I’m thinking the belt needs to be off the roller so that there is absolutely no tension in the mechanism, I loosely put the top bolt in, then lift the lever up and down while trying to locate the bottom bolt . . . sound right? I’m dreading it!
In terms of tools . . .. .
I had to grind a torx bit down in order to get the top bolt out (ring spanner, with a bar to loosen, then slowly remove using mole grips)
The bottom bolt was a torx bit taped to a ring spanner, with a bar to loosen, followed by torx in ratchet spanner (taped one side to stop it falling out) taped to a big screwdriver . . . removing a click at a time!
. . . . has anyone got a better suggestion in terms of tools?
Any help appreciated.
Phil
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deMort Dijon

Joined: 21 Mar 2015 Posts: 7580 Location: Brighton
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Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:10 pm Post subject:
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Sorry for the late reply ... i'm afraid i work all day and as such am only ever here for 2 hrs of an evening .
The belt should be well out of the way when refitting the tensioner . its basically a case of screwing in the top bolt loose then crawling underneath and fitting the bottom tensioner bolt .. i can just about get my hands in there so dont have too much trouble .
A cut down torx and i use a spanner on it to undo .. then wind out with fingers ... A pry bar levering the engine carrier bar to give a few more mms of clearance also helps .
To refit the belt then you use the 30 mm spanner to move the tensioner down and then pull the belt over the idler wheel .. you have to make sure the belt is seated in all the pulleys otherwise you won't come close to refitting it . _________________ .
My Daughter's Crowdfunding has hit the target .
Thank you all so Very much .
She's not going until july 2020 though .
7pm - 9pm
Now At An Indy.
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PJ997 Newbie
Joined: 30 May 2016 Posts: 37
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Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2019 8:09 am Post subject:
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Cheers DeMort . . . . you're a star. I didn't think I could get the bottom bolt from underneath, but you can (just about - and after removing a H&S exhaust hanger).
Thanks
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