Major Repairs on my 997 Porsche 911 Turbo - The WORST Job I've Ever Attempted

[@danletter9357]

The harder it is to do, the more rewarding it is when it’s done. Even makes that late night beer taste better.

[@matt13ross]

True that!

[@Trickniner]

Heroic level of home garage mechanic work here.

[@armando9953]

Thanks for the inspiration brother. Mine has been sitting since the coolant lines failed. Been trying to muster up some motivation to tackle it

[@atrain132]

Do it man! Start driving that car again.

[@matt13ross]

Pulling the engine isn't so bad, go for it!

[@famus801]

Its honestly not bad to fix the coolant lines. We had a 997 turbo come into our shop and we welded the failure points and the car is solid now

[@tiagomanuel2779]

​@@matt13rossu must take the transmission, do not put grease on the spline shatf. It will contaminate the new clutch. Only put light coat on the shat for the bearing place

[@larryvelezbx]

Just found this series about a week ago and was able to purge all the episodes and just caught up to the end, just in time to see the car finished soon. Nice work. So inspiring that you can do all this in a two car home garage. Congrats!

[@matt13ross]

Thanks! And thanks for watching it all, helps a lot!

[@joepaquette7435]

Nice job sticking with it!! Hope that grease stays put, and doesn't migrate to the clutch assy from centrifugal force. A sponsor needs to hook you up with a good transmission jack.

[@kickit59]

Matt I had to like and subscribe. Anyone who could do this job by himself deserves that! I had my Honda in to the local Honda dealer for an oil change. It was just off the factory warranty and every once in a while when I turned the key nothing happened but if I hit it again it would start. Anyhow they wanted $850 plus tax for the starter replacement job. I told them no thanks and went to Autozone & got a lifetime guarantee starter for $298. Since I only have two portable ramps that I put in my driveway I couldn't get the car very high in the air. I could not extend my arms properly like if I would of had a lift which made it a miserable job. It took me the afternoon to get it done but I saved at least $550. I would not want to do it again but it was worth it. Outstanding car content Matt! Thank You!

[@matt13ross]

Thanks so much! And yes, some starters are the absolute worst jobs!

[@RuslanVideoFilms]

Way to go brother. Hella inspirational - keep it up!

[@brandonwade5035]

Holy crap. A clutch swap in the NA cars is so easy. I can feel your frustration through the screen. When doing mine, I ended up putting the support bracket back into position backwards, if I remember correctly, so I had the pull it twice lol. Well done!

[@matt13ross]

I'm jealous lol

[@atanasnakov2243]

M8, I use a motorbike scissor jack on wheels, to place over transmissions or engines when the car is has being just enough lifted to slip the housing under. Cheers!

[@MagnumMuscle1000]

I have to give you a ton of credit man. You tackle jobs I wouldn't and you are super tenacious.

[@Xanderips]

Did this at home too… that pivot pin was the hardest part for me …. keep up the good work👍

[@matt13ross]

The worst!

[@rueliotube]

FYI, the part you referred to as the “dingbat” is the clutch guide tube. Typically it is recommended you replace this even though they look fine is that they have a special coating on them from the factory so you don’t need to grease it and risk grease getting thrown onto the friction surfaces.

[@matt13ross]

The dingbat!!!

[@bigospig]

I feel you. Trans swap in a RAV4 AWD was an absolute chore that I wouldn't wish on anyone.

[@AtownCangri]

I've been working on cars since I was a kid (with my dad), for the past 30 yrs. All of my vehicles for the past 16 yrs have been German cars. Although they're a huge PITA to work on, that satisfaction you get after getting things to work properly is woth the headaches. 💪

[@matt13ross]

I hope I feel that way with the 997 soon!

[@myshots101]

First time watching one of your videos. That looks like a nightmare to do. I do have a tip for you,. You can use a motorcycle jack to hold the transmission. They are low profile VS an actual transmission jack. It will almost keep it leveled for you so you don't have to muscle it too much. You can also add straps to keep it from moving around too. It just makes something like this easier on you. Just in case you ever have to do a other clutch on the floor.

[@matt13ross]

I know one would be great. But man I'm out of storage space in my garage.

[@kimrunealund5575]

This guy needs the 100k youtube plaque👏👏👏

[@matt13ross]

I want it bad!

[@gregglen-hoodedratmedia]

Awesome buddy, she's almost there! Great job Matt

[@garthwebb6418]

Congratulations! And I am still in love with the cars outside/inside color combination. That rare interior color is FANTASTIC!

[@matt13ross]

I love it too!

[@911tbf]

My 996 trans took a few hours also. Then I realized that the engine had dropped ever so little, the housing of the engine had dropped just below the cross brace. After a day of pondering why the transmission didn’t line up its was only then I realized I needed to raise the engine that was sitting on plywood sagged. Raising this a inch the transmission “slid” in

[@0-60Motorsports]

Nicely done!!! Good choice on the clutch. Can never go wrong with protomotive. They have been in the game for a long time.

[@Sp00n3r1]

So glad to see you got it out completed put back together. Can’t wait to see it again.

[@911tbf]

State of mind. Oh yah!!! My issue too. My state of mind had to change otherwise I would have to get the car to a shop and let someone else do it. NO!!! This helped me change the state in mind I was in.

[@thrumyeyesphoto]

Good job man! That looks like a rough job!! I did a clutch on my 987S and it was surprisingly pretty easy. Apparently that's considerably easier than doing it on a 911. Hardest thing for me was getting the input shaft lined up properly.

[@911tbf]

The main seal sits 13mm into its place. The only tool I used was a tap hammer. Slowly tapping it into place. But that’s what a fellow like me can do

[@pdpboy]

Props Matt. Great work and thanks for documenting this.

[@johnniek72]

Well done to you!! That was a massive job! Now the 997 is nearly done, what next? Dump the M3 and a Cayenne project to allow you to loose the hillbilly pick up truck with the piano wheels ??!! 😎👍🏻😎

[@matt13ross]

I really want a Cayman GT4!

[@johnniek72]

@@matt13ross Well indeed, you will end up with lots of sports cars.... But a Cayenne build would give you a more practical Porsche option?

[@andrebrown8792]

Excellent. I love proving people wrong!! Congrats.

[@MrStlvette]

Wow the 997 is really coming together! She looks amazing, can’t wait for next week’s video!

[@DaytonCarCare]

I know your pain. I've done many clutch and transmission swaps over the years but my 1999 Audi Quattro was the worse. I purchased it with a bad auto trans so swapped it out for a "good used one". Keep in mind these are super heavy since an AWD trans and I'm doing it on tall 6 ton jack stands. Well the "good used one" lasted 60 miles and failed. So I said screw it and did a manual conversion. Yes, again removing the heavy beast of the auto trans. Fortunately the manual trans is light and narrower so "easier" to man handle. I'm 60 years old now, I did this back when I was around 55. Needless to say that's the last transmission I'm removing. lol Been repair cars over 35 years now and never used a lift. All on jack stands and mostly outside and on pavement. Did a clutch on my 2002 Audi Quattro on the gravel. Unfortunately had to do it twice because of a defective throw out bearing.

[@matt13ross]

Yup, that sounds awful too!

[@DaytonCarCare]

@@matt13ross When I saw you struggling with it on the jack, I was like "poor guy" lol. Tried that a couple times then bought a transmission jack so I can articulate it to line up. Makes it a little easier.

[@DaytonCarCare]

@@matt13ross Love your content, keep up the good work... and not breaking camera equipment lol

[@DerekHull-er8dd]

Well done Matt, such determination

[@karimhuerta597]

That tape procedure is the cheapest “tool” recommended by Porsche haha, compared to those 200+ dlls specialized Porsche tools 😅😂

[@Slowcarfastbeans]

Not going with the Tilton twin is the right choice. The clutches are not sprung and it’s not an easy clutch to modulate and slip for a smooth engagement.

[@vincentcarrano6329]

Well done Matt, loving this build

[@robgreenstein5917]

That was a lot of work. Kudos to you Matt for tackling that in your home garage.

[@matt13ross]

Thanks 👍

[@bernardthefourth]

Nice work. That clutch fork is so frustrating.

[@hyslopboys9600]

Sunday bored at work, new Matt video.

[@alexandrclimov2980]

Amazing work man!

[@kevinvanniekerk9249]

Hi from Atlantic Canada. Saw your latest and need exactly the same for my '12 997.2 TTM. And so reached out to Todd... Keep up the good work!

[@matt13ross]

Thanks, will do!

[@christurbo951]

I agree it is the most frustrating difficult job. I did it on just Jack stand in my garage and also rebuilt the slave cylinder. A trick to getting the bracket back on the pivot shaft is installing a stud instead of trying to install a bolt.

[@matt13ross]

Stud. Should have thought of that!

[@christurbo951]

@@matt13ross You did a fantastic job Matt!!!

[@antonincerny6684]

Thanks for the video, I actually enjoyed it.

[@StraightLineCycles]

the more you do it the more you become an expert at it, luckily you have a Porsche

[@notnilc20]

I feel you on mounting the trans. I did a rear main seal and IMS bearing on a 996 (I imagine the set up is very similar) I thought I was gonna have a nervous breakdown on getting it mounted again. Anyway. Good work.

[@Jagman2919]

God I hope that rear main seal holds. I ‘ve had bad history with those. Awesome video as usual.

[@matt13ross]

I hope so! May have been done by the PO too.

[@mchstud]

Freakin awesome. Enjoy it immensely watching you crush something that sounds impossible. Sweet tatt, also.

[@sparkplug964]

That looks a complete nightmare job to do, well done for making it happen.

[@marvinvisser5039]

Congrats! What a hell of a job

[@gibby3820]

Love when these videos pop up, what a great surprise for sunday! I have to imagine there is a shift knob coming very soon... 😂

[@matt13ross]

I've got it in a box!

[@bikesandstuff135]

Good job with installing that gearbox. For all the swearing you got a lot more patience than a lot of us.

[@matt13ross]

I almost quit a bunch of times!

[@996Revival]

What a grind! You made it. Bravo! That had to be so satisfying 😊

[@matt13ross]

Yes, as long as it works on the street!

[@BahnstormerUK]

Nice to see seasoned professional swearing at his car when things don't go to plan. I know the feeling 😂😂😂😂

[@matt13ross]

I'm seasoned, but not professional LoL

[@Johnncasella]

12:27 I felt that, using the leg to operate the floor jack, real struggles of doing projects on your own in the garage 😂

[@matt13ross]

Absolutely! I felt like those pro TIG welders who use a foot pedal in all sorts of weird positions lol.

[@charha01]

DUDE!!!! That looked like 10 shades of hell to do. You're a better man than me as I would never have lasted through that. Nicely done. Oh... and new ink on the arm???

[@matt13ross]

It was 11 shades! And yup first tattoo

[@mahdialsenussi3066]

Amazing WORK 👍🏼

[@Jon-ug3le]

Thank you for reminding me why I pay someone to do this stuff. Great job!!!1

[@Zuffenhouse]

The risk of removing the gearbox without dropping the motor you can put a lot of stress on some wiring as well as the motor mounts. A shop did this to mine and within 50 miles I had a misfire due to the wires on the cam position sensors getting tugged. They had intermittent glitches and needed to be replaced. It also smoked my motor mounts.

[@matt13ross]

Luckily mine was fine. Huge pain though!

[@jayceasar2661]

excellent work bro

[@mxracer78]

Thanks Matt this is a great video. Definitely need to find some Poorsche shirts now

[@matt13ross]

Thanks!

[@MrMetsfan67]

Jacking it up with the LEG dude I'm dead - incredible job.

[@matt13ross]

Gotta do what you gotta do! Lol

[@Steve_MFr]

Condolences from a fellow hay fever plagued individual. Have you heard the one about the gynecologist who couldn't find work? He finally took a job as a house painter to help tide him over till he found a more suitable job, After his first day the owner of the painting co asks the other guys how the gyn did. They answered: oh, his work was terrific, but it was kind of weird. He painted the entire entrance hall through the mail slot. 😛 You can do anything you set your mind to but there might be easier methods. Dropping the motor - as you said...

[@martindelrio1891]

the engine of those 911 porsches is just in the wrong place. front engine is okay. mid engine is okay. rear engine is NOT okay. terrible to work on.

[@Steve_MFr]

@@martindelrio1891 :facepalm:

[@martindelrio1891]

@@Steve_MFr why?

[@Steve_MFr]

@@martindelrio1891 Ok, quick answer: aside from the fact that the 911 is far and away the most successful sports car in history (60 years of having the motor in the wrong spot), just look at the 911's racing history. Actually, though the polar moment if inertia makes it harder to drive with the motor out back, for nearly everything else a vehicle needs to do on a track, having the motor out back is good! Acceleration, braking, etc vs the transition to steady state cornering (the hard part). And to top it off, removing a 911 motor is actually not that big a job to do. It's a bigger job in a 997 than a 1971 911T, but it's miles quicker than any front engined car of the same era (that I am aware of). Does that answer your question?

[@martindelrio1891]

@@Steve_MFr i know that the 911 is a very good and successful race car and streetcar of course. but the engine is a nightmare to work on. yes, the best is to remove the engine completely. you dont have to do it very often because those mezger engines are very reliable. but still, for me the engine position in the car is a negative. i want to pop the hood and see the engine of my car. i want to SEE and check if there is something wrong, any leaks or anything like that. pop the hood of the 911. you will almost see nothing of the engine. even changing the header tank is a challenge. i respect those porsche cars. but its not for me. i stay with my front engine car. i dont have to remove the engine to change the head gasket and so on. its so much more simple.

[@2fast2nick]

Damn dude, good work. That clutch pivot pin looked like a PITA.

[@matt13ross]

Sure was lol

[@rivdawg5899]

Great work Matt

[@4444Muzik]

You can call yourself master from now on🙋‍♂️👍

[@ksboi29]

Great work sir.

[@greatonest.vgreatonest.v8193]

Love you grind. Bro 🤙🏾

[@nikisantos.]

Great job man 👏🏽

[@c23cjr4]

Great way to start my Sunday

[@protomotive]

Another great video! We're happy to help. Lol, I normally preinstall those for customers but then you would have missed out on a funny part for your video!

[@matt13ross]

Thanks so much! For my next clutch Please install it for me lol.

[@protomotive]

@@matt13ross of course :). I'd be happy to! And also assist with your next go around of go fast parts and tuning! If you have e85 in your area, we should throw a set of 1100cc bosch injectors and a flash in there. It's amazing the difference between pump fuel vs E85 :).

[@matt13ross]

I'd love to go E85, I have it in my E36! But is it worth it with stock turbos? Also, can you install injectors without pulling the engine?

[@protomotive]

@@matt13ross yes. With E85 you will improve the factor of safety ten fold over trying to make a lot of power on pump gas. These engines are pretty knock sensitive thus octane sensitive. E85 cures both, runs clean, cool and makes more power at the same time :). Lowering the engine on the sub frame allows you to change the injectors from the sides with the bumper/intercoolers off.

[@matt13ross]

Sending you an email!

[@moneymikeslickwill8749]

This build is legit Mann

[@matt13ross]

Thanks!

[@devin3891]

Great job! Inspired

[@DuanDao]

If i could give you more thumbs up i would. That was frickin monumental getting that transmission in that devil fork aligned. Good job brotha

[@matt13ross]

Thanks so much!

[@mikemiklavic1930]

Major props

[@moneymikeslickwill8749]

Bro I felt u on sending the car to the shop if it needs another clutch

[@thierryblanc9000]

Hello Matt very very hard job without good tools Porsche for this work ....hou are an Heroes...

[@S2NAZ]

Matt 😂😂😂 ya just had to try didn’t ya. Hey, at least you finished the job and it works regardless. Have a fun week 👋🏻

[@matt13ross]

Thanks, you too!

[@KB-cu1kj]

Great job.

[@yurcivicsux2245]

Good work.

[@f.kieranfinney457]

If you take on a job like this and then need Porsche to help with a specific task, they won’t. Won’t touch a job unless the car is there and they perform the complete repair. Really sucks.

[@PompeyMatt17]

great effort Matt..agreed that's a ridiculous way to design a clutch fork...and I see you've snuck in some Hex lighting as well..

[@matt13ross]

Yup, see it in an upcoming video!

[@Joe_Bader]

Hey! I'm finally getting caught back up! Shoulda got that transmission jack from HF I recommended ;-) Joking aside, good to see the progress made! Your determination is impressive as always!

[@matt13ross]

Glad you're catching up! I want one of those jacks, but man I just have no storage space left.

[@Joe_Bader]

@@matt13ross I hear that. I'm building my e36 track car in a 10x30 storage unit in Manayunk. I end up keeping the jack under the car most of the time since it's been on the quickjacks for months.

[@OlamideFagbeyiro]

Great job dude!

[@matt13ross]

Thanks!

[@WatchChrisCulpepper]

I love the new hex lighting in your garage! When did you upgrade to that? Do you have a garage update episode planned?

[@matt13ross]

Yup garage update video coming ASAP!

[@Jupiterider1]

Great job Matt! You’re a beast! By the way. KZbin keeps unsubscribing me from your (and other) channels. I constantly have to check.

[@matt13ross]

Thanks! But why the heck is KZbin doing that!!??

[@Jupiterider1]

@@matt13ross I don't know man but it's been happening on other channels too. I have to constantly check on them. You may want to say something on camera so your fans will know.

[@matt13ross]

Thanks for letting me know!

[@RichD-cq2zh]

Matt, love your videos so much - Quick one though….have you considered swapping the ducktail and wing for a 997 Turbo rear hatch and wing? Personally I think they look so good on this car

[@matt13ross]

Used factory rear wings are like 3,000 so I decided against it.

[@RichD-cq2zh]

@@matt13ross Jesus, that’s expensive - with that in mind I don’t blame you

[@AndyfromSurrey]

I’ve been putting off replacing my handbrake cables on my mk3 mr2 as fuel tank needs dropping and I do not have a lift or even a quick jack, just axel stands. But after watching this I think it will be a doddle in comparison 😂

[@matt13ross]

Go for it!

[@chokobodoe992]

well done !!

[@VA-sz6ev]

Excellent work Matt! When did you install that lighting on your ceiling? NICE!!!

[@matt13ross]

In the last week, video on that coming soon!

[@JasonRidesmoto]

This man is putting in THE WORK... All this by himself without a lift even... (and filming and editing which is a bitch too). Started watching you occasionally with the E36 stuff and you've quickly become one of my top 2 channels to watch... Keep up the hard work man!

[@matt13ross]

Thanks for the compliment! Means a lot!

[@artbalitskii]

Wow ! It was definitely was a hard job

[@mattmarshall747]

The swearing clip reminded me of the swearing scene in Happy gilmore 😂😂

[@matt13ross]

Haha great movie

[@jamest5149]

Single mass flywheels don’t ruin drivability, try a GT3 or RS. They add character with the chatter at idle but massively improve engine response and gear changes.

[@matt13ross]

I don't want chatter lol

[@cpy]

Next owner of the car: "Is the pressure plate sorted?" Matt (flashback to standing on it): "Probably?"

[@matt13ross]

Haha hasn't failed yet!

[@jonathasfigaro4992]

You are a tral.warrior sr, hi from Brazil

[@rauhvelt]

Least we can do is like the video, amazing stuff!

[@matt13ross]

Thank you!!

[@Datimdavis2900]

I can’t wait for the mods!

[@matt13ross]

I've had some in boxes for months!

[@DJ_Driven]

Looks like the same Porsche engineers that designed the cooling system glued in coolant hoses are the same ones that design the clutch fork.

[@matt13ross]

That's accurate lol

[@carlosedu9224]

Hi Matt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love all your cars, Keep it up

[@matt13ross]

Thanks! Will do!

[@justinhamill1931]

Your video just showed up in my feed just finished watching this video I subscribed to and liked. You look like me in my garage working on my Mercedes-Benz CL550

[@matt13ross]

Thanks for the sub and like. Glad you found me!

[@grantlingley1385]

You are a beast for sure Matt….yeah dropping the whole thing might have been better but then you definitely would have needed an extra set of hands! A two post with a an engine table, cats ass! I say all of this while I am under my 914 with Jack stands…the fear is real…LOL!

[@matt13ross]

I need a bigger garage and a lift lol

[@JT-162]

The struggle was worth it because you got it done…take that doubters!

[@matt13ross]

That's right!

[@angelyoyoyo]

The reflection on those lights, tone them down a bit ! Especially for camera work Great Videos!

[@matt13ross]

No dimmer on them