I recently replaced my engine mounts on my 1989 Porsche 928 S4. It was a complete nightmare. I believe most 928 owners will tell you they are permanently traumatized after replacing them. My original mounts were worn enough that it would cause the floor boards to produce alot of heat. I used some solid rubber mounts that I got from a company called 928 motorsports. The Porsche brand cost over $400 each, the 928 motorsports brand cost around $100 for both of them. On this vehicle you have to support the engine so it does not sink down when you remove the cross member. I ruined several t-shirts due to the mass amount of engine gunk that was on everything. After removing the crossmember I found out I was actually missing two metal plates. Luckily I found some used ones from 928 International very cheap. This was a very hard task to do but I now believe I can replace anything on this vehicle. I did have to drain the oil and remove the filter. I also installed a three piece cross member. This allows for me to replace the gasket without removing the cross member because the center of it comes out. I will be using AMSOIL ZROD 20W 50. This is a high Zinc Oil. The Zinc levels are important on this Porsche Engine because it can prevent alot of wear. When I replaced the oil gasket I was surprised to not see any rust on the connecting rods.
Brake Master Cylinder Adventure – caution about vendors
My Project Car is a 1989 Porsche 928 S4. I am currently unable to drive it because the brake master cylinder went bad.
On a more common vehicle, you are able to go into a parts store and pay less than $100 for a brand-new master cylinder. Unfortunately, this master cylinder is no longer manufactured. A company called ATE originally build these master cylinders. Due to the lack of supply a new unit cost around $400. I prefer not to pay that high of a price for something I feel is worth less than $100.
I contacted ATE to see if there was an alternative part number. They informed me there was not. I did find out that there are alternative reservoirs I can use. The reservoir from Porsche cost a couple hundred but a generic reservoir cost less than $50.
I tried to purchase a very cheap new brake booster pump off of eBay. The vendor had several thousand good reviews. After making the purchase the vendor gave eBay a fake tracking number. When I looked up the tracking number it said a package was delivered to another state. I tried contacting the vendor and his response was very slow. I filled a complaint with eBay but that went nowhere. So, I called my bank and disputed the charge and got my money back. I did some more research on that eBay user and found he ripped of hundreds of people. I was surprised eBay allowed him to continue to sell items.
I also tried to purchase a rebuilt unit that was priced very cheap on a website. It turns out that some scammer owns multiple fake car parts web sites. After purchasing the fake rebuilt brake master cylinder nothing was shipped for over a week. I tried contacting the vendor and there was no response. So, I called my bank and disputed the transaction and got my money back.
I then tried sending the old unit to RockAuto so they can have a company called Cardone rebuild the unit. Cardone was not able to rebuild the unit. I believe they could not due to the cylinder needing to be re-sleeved. I found another company that re-sleeves brake master cylinders, I plan on sending it to them shortly.
After I get the brakes working again I plan on using AMSOIL Synthetic Brake Fluid. I use this in my Toyota Tundra and have no problems. This Synthetic Brake Fluid exceeds a lot of the DOT 3/4 standard specifications.