lacast

A few weeks ago I was complainting that my car was very slugish\gas eater, didn't have any top end speed on one situation I was beaten by a 6 cyc. camaro on the top end. Suggestions posted were bad catalyt converter and slack on the throttle cable. I did adjust the throttle and was saving money to replace the cat.. Well, yesterday I took my car to my local porsche machanic to change the cam sealing because of oil leakage and because it was damaging my alternators. "Oil was going into my alternator which gave them 2 month life cycle. We discover that the cam shaft tip was broken. It just fell off when they removed the bolt holding the cam gear.
My question is ... Whould this be the of my problems? Apparently the bolt cam was the cam tip...

Do any of you have a used cam shaft "drivers side" that you sell me for a cheap price... My porsche is the only car I have.. For now I am getting rides from my uncle to get to work...

1982 928 US "Manual tranny"


Thanks

ErnestSw

Here's a pair of camshafts from an 84. Call one of the big three and ask whether they will fit.

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2410730651&category=33614" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2410730651&category=33614</a>

lacast

Thanks
might get the heads too... just incase bad valves....

Jim bailey - 928 International

the cams will work slightly different specs but will work fine . No valves should be bent just throw in a cam or two and run it . Far better than walking or begging rides .... with 8 cylinders all working it should run MUCH better.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Ernest..."Call one of the big three and ask whether they will fit." just a question ; does anyone think there might be an ethical problem with his recomendation ? I find it rather amusing in some ways , less so when all six incoming phone lines are ringing . Knowing the answer to "Will it fit my car" can take years to learn . Funny , no one suggests calling NAPA for that kind of information .

928FIXER

I've got to agree with Jim.I get calls all day long from guys who bought a part from the lowest cost supplier they could find...then call me about info on how to install it or if they can come over and look or go copy my shop manuals.It always seems these people came around and "priced" parts and service on their "p" cars but I never saw any bringing them to the shop for repair work.

ErnestSw

Jim,
During the 26 years I practiced medicine I gave away a lot of advice to people whose trust I had earned.
I see NO ethical problem with my advice. You have established your place in the 928 community with your knowledge. You can lose it by forgetting about customer service. If you can't leave a nickle on the table you'll find the dollars harder to come by.

928fixer,
Until you become a paying Rennlist user I wouldn't complain about freeloaders.
Ernest D. Swersky

Zandramus

ErnestSW

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Until you become a paying Rennlist user I wouldn't complain about freeloaders</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica"><img border="0" alt="[burnout]" title="" src="graemlins/burnout.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[hiha]" title="" src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" />

Jim bailey - 928 International

Ah , Doc if you were in private practice with a large number of patients , in the middle of an examination , waiting room full , phone lines ringing and your receptionist interrupts to tell you . "Joe Smith is on the phone he is a patient of the big HMO but wants to confirm if the prescription he is planning on ordering from Canada is correct " . Now of course you can get on the phone , help Joe with his questions , impress him with your knowledge ( especially , if you point out that the particular prescription might kill him ) , neglect your paying patients in the hope that Joe might possibly decide to switch from the HMO to your private practice in the future . In the mean time , the patient in the examination with his shorts around his ankles is wondering what the heck he is waiting on . The other patients have been on hold too long on the phone they are getting ready to call another Doctor who will give them " customer service " ! Obviously when you first began your practice you may have had nothing BUT time (knowledge)to give away . Were very happy that the phone did ring at all just so you knew that it still was working ! The balance between finding new patients and taking care of the ones you have , eventually becomes an issue especially if you are successful in a very small town with a limited number of people . Perhaps it is not the nickel that you leave on the table but the dollar lost by leaving your patient with his shorts down too long . Customers deserve customer service and a lot of people get an unbelievable amount of "free advice" from all the " Big Three " . I personally enjoy the challenge of helping trouble shoot customer problems , commenting on "community" forums such as this , basically playing with cars . The 928 is not a neccesity but some thing about them just has to make a person smile otherwise there is no point . You might note I had already answered the question about the cam shafts , I simply wanted to point out that the " free advice " is not really free , in the end someone does have to pay for it . We try very hard to not neglect our current paying customers and still be able to give back to the " community " . Which is probably much the way you may have managed your practice . By the way , Joe Smith when he called neglected to tell you all the other medications he was taking and as a result .......... You might also note that I asked the question " Does anyone think there might be an ethical problem ?" Which does not conclusively state my opinion . Thank you for sharing your opinion and thank you for suggesting that " Lacast " call one of the " big three " because sooner or later ( if he is not already )...he will probably be a customer . As an aside , I would not have prescribed chips for a 1991 GT (little if any benefit) but do like the sound of the RMB just keep the RPM under 6,000 and call me in the morning .

ErnestSw

Hi Jim,
I abolutely agree with everything you said, however, when I called Joe Smith back I would not have berated him for calling. Bad PR.
I would not have installed the chips either, but a PO obviously believed that the more expensive the placebo the more effective it would be.
Now, oh, by the way, while I have you on the phone, can you tell me blah blah blah blah?
Ernie

Fastest928

The cam timing is different depending on what year engine. Check the spec books for actual cam timing, get the correct matching cam, otherwise, you will never know where that engine vibration is coming from...

Marc
DEVEK

John Struthers

Jim,
Ah, conflicting consults...
Sort of.
Anyhow, yeah, it's a pain and I too, am guilty of refering folks to you guy's. (Though for part's as well as advice).
When I picked up Pattycakes a few years ago I ended up making three high speed runs from San Diego to your shop for parts to get her 'Right' for the drive back to Texas.
I was impressed with the sheer Quatity of Parts fairly well organized in a middlin' sized amount of space. There was an almost small town gas station atmosphere ie; a little bit of back and forth gabbing, phones ringing, walk-ins asking questions, nebbing around, and buying parts, the disassemblers trotting in with a harvested part for shipment and just plain old fashioned neat stuff lying around in orderly stacks and bins.
I realise from military experience with parts/supply guy's/gal's that the phone never stops ringing, people seldom know what they want - though they have an endless supply of questions- and they ALWAY'S seem to expect YOU to be, part engineer, " Do you know what the torque on this 10 cent bolt is, and can I use it on the muffler bearing assembly as well? And since I have your attention can I use this 2000 watt generator with a rubber friction roller on the driverside wheel well/tire to power up my electrics or should I use this Mack truck alternator - do you have a spacer to line up the dissimilar shafts/pulley's and how would I go about mounting it?".
Life is complicated for a parts guy, no doubt about it.
Conversely, since I am one of your faithful - no big ticket items but, plenty of the piddlin ones-
I, generally, quote item and price from your catalogs. To be fair I do recommend pricing just about all the time. BUT... that in itself is a free referal - get em' in the store and we'll do the rest" - .
The Big Three provide a fantastic service to a 'niche' market. And while I'm sure none of you guy's has a condo in Vail, off shore accounts, and two kids attending Harvard... it is a living.
I don't think any of the sHARk owner's are flipping burgers but some are now unemployed, changing jobs, attending college, retired....what have you. So there is an obvious cash/class stratification in your clientel - don't expect that to change any time soon-. And that part of your customer base is always looking for the cheap way out, or some of that "free" advice.
Couple that with the 'new/inexperienced' owners and the logjam of repetitive, and sometimes
STUPID questions can get overwhelming, for that we are sorry.
However, if I'm looking at the the archived post's correctly it would seem that it is the small to medium ticket items that are the Big Three's bread and butter -could be wrong here -.
Item's from around $20.00 - $400.00 should be a solid range for making a profit -small though it may be-.
So, when you have a guy lookin for a cam and you might be competitive with an Ebay seller, eg;
80'-82- MY, left cam, new -$995.00. Used - $500.
right cam, new -$995.00. Used - $250.
You might or not undersell an available part with the phone call being the only deciding factor.
Especially, when you recommend a tube of inexpensive assy.lube and hardware that the "Pricer" didn't even know about, throw in a torque or two and voila! Ka-Ching$$$
I don't envy you your job, Jim... Have you guy's gone to portable(battery pak) phone sets? I know you are tied to the computer most of the time but at least you can take a smoke, coffee, dump break without being 50 feet from that damned ringing phone.

928FIXER

What does "paying" have to do with stating my opinion or agreeing with Jim Baily?I read and do some post's to "help" you guys....I've fixed almost everything that can break on a 928 and a few things more and have over 250,000 miles of seat time in my personal 928's.I now have time to do more post's and would enjoy that but if people are going to give me grief about stating a simple opinion about something then I can simply not say anything at all.

Jim bailey - 928 International

Ah , Marc if he did not feel the vibration from a Broken camshaft...... was so down on power a v-6 Camero out ran his car ; do you really think it is going to bother him ? if , in fact , it vibrates at all ? he needs transportation sooner not later , sliding in one camshaft running the old belt is a simple , quick , inexpensive fix . But you are correct , it is not perfect .

lacast

I just bought the 928 a few months ago. I am a first time Porsche owner. Perhaps the camshaft was already broken before I made the purchased.... I wasn't impress with the car's preformance. When I test drove it, had problems getting used to the rare shifting compared to a manaul American car so I blamed myself for its preformance... As my shifting got better, I was beginning to think that the 928 was over rated, but perhaps there might be something wrong with it. I figured the cats might be plugged up considering during the short time that I have own my 928 I manage to change the oil pan gasket, oil sending unit, install a water pump, thermalstat, all the water hoses, spark plugs, rotor, dist. cap., K&N air filter, oil change, tint the windows, install a front spoiler and audio system. So I called Devek for a quote on some level II headers and a complete exhaust system. That will give it a boost. Unfortunately, when I took it to the nearest Porsche machanic to change the timing belt, cam gear seals and the oil pump seal, he uncountered the broken cam shaft. Boy, I was depress because I was getting ready to order the header and exhaust from Devek and now I had to attend this problem. Nevertheless, I will buy this package from Devek.

When I first saw the 928 I was in high school 86's. It has always been my dream car but then it was out of my reach "$$$$$" "I was still in high school. Until now my dream came through. Believe me, all my relatives are mustangs and corvette owners with super charges and nos but I prefer my 928.
It is a shame to own a 928 and not love it like your own child...
I thank every one here for the help... because everyone's posted topic is important to me and might help me on the end...

Guards Red.. 1982 US 928 manual tranny