For anyone interested or considering this job, I have just changed mine on my 2012 Boxster.
It should have been done at the last service (6 years, 60,000 mile) but wasn't and its only done 28k now.
There are a few guides/youtube videos on the web to use but not as many as for the 986 & 987.
The main difference being the removal of the engine steady bolt and spacer that is required on the 981 to create the gap to remove the old belt and fit the new belt
All the guides say stuff rags beneath the pulleys that will stop the engine steady spacer or bolt disappearing into the black hole beneath should you drop either of them. I would say this is a must, just in case.
I found the heat/sound insulation stuck on the engine bay side of the bulkhead a bit of a hinderance around where the steady bolt head is so as mine was half hanging off anyway, I cut across it near where the steady bolt is, peeled it back and stuck it back at the end with some spray contact adhesive.
Some guides say put a cable tie around the bolt when the bolt is half out to help prevent dropping it but I found that fiddly to do so I used two magnets on sticks (the telescopic type) to feed it out of the recess once it was off the threads.
Likewise the spacer, some guides have stated that the spacer is really tight to remove with the fear of pushing out and then down into the abyss below.
So again I used one of my magnets on the spacer, used a long sturdy screwdriver as lever against the bolt bracket and the crank pulley and the magnetic stick pulled it out with ease. No force required.
The old belt was a bit fiddly to get off the bottom of the crankshaft pulley but the new one was easier to get on.
Recommendation is to have a 30mm ring spanner to release the tension on the tensioner pulley, which I thought I had but didn't (I had a 32 but not a 30) so I just used a large adjustable spanner.
Best way is to feed the new belt around all the pulleys except the top idler, release the tension on the tensioner pulley and feed the belt over the idler one as this has no edge lip.
Putting the spacer and bolt back I used the magnets again and it made it very easy.
Obviously you have to remove the catch rags for removing/fitting the old/new belts but then put them back in place for refitting the spacer/bolt, just in case.
The new belt I got from the internet for £21, its a Gates 6PK1768 micro-v (I wasn't aware is was "micro-V" when I bought it).
Now when I compared the new to old, it became apparent the old belt had a deep V profile where as the new was obviously a shallow "micro" V.
Not sure what difference this will make but have fitted it and started the engine before refitting the bulkhead cover and all seems well.
Will post up a few pictures to help.
It should have been done at the last service (6 years, 60,000 mile) but wasn't and its only done 28k now.
There are a few guides/youtube videos on the web to use but not as many as for the 986 & 987.
The main difference being the removal of the engine steady bolt and spacer that is required on the 981 to create the gap to remove the old belt and fit the new belt
All the guides say stuff rags beneath the pulleys that will stop the engine steady spacer or bolt disappearing into the black hole beneath should you drop either of them. I would say this is a must, just in case.
I found the heat/sound insulation stuck on the engine bay side of the bulkhead a bit of a hinderance around where the steady bolt head is so as mine was half hanging off anyway, I cut across it near where the steady bolt is, peeled it back and stuck it back at the end with some spray contact adhesive.
Some guides say put a cable tie around the bolt when the bolt is half out to help prevent dropping it but I found that fiddly to do so I used two magnets on sticks (the telescopic type) to feed it out of the recess once it was off the threads.
Likewise the spacer, some guides have stated that the spacer is really tight to remove with the fear of pushing out and then down into the abyss below.
So again I used one of my magnets on the spacer, used a long sturdy screwdriver as lever against the bolt bracket and the crank pulley and the magnetic stick pulled it out with ease. No force required.
The old belt was a bit fiddly to get off the bottom of the crankshaft pulley but the new one was easier to get on.
Recommendation is to have a 30mm ring spanner to release the tension on the tensioner pulley, which I thought I had but didn't (I had a 32 but not a 30) so I just used a large adjustable spanner.
Best way is to feed the new belt around all the pulleys except the top idler, release the tension on the tensioner pulley and feed the belt over the idler one as this has no edge lip.
Putting the spacer and bolt back I used the magnets again and it made it very easy.
Obviously you have to remove the catch rags for removing/fitting the old/new belts but then put them back in place for refitting the spacer/bolt, just in case.
The new belt I got from the internet for £21, its a Gates 6PK1768 micro-v (I wasn't aware is was "micro-V" when I bought it).
Now when I compared the new to old, it became apparent the old belt had a deep V profile where as the new was obviously a shallow "micro" V.
Not sure what difference this will make but have fitted it and started the engine before refitting the bulkhead cover and all seems well.
Will post up a few pictures to help.
