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Finally, a day after starting, it's just past midnight, and I've finally finished the struts!
The Good: The ride is soo much smoother than before I bought the car! It doesn't feel like its gonna break apart over each bump and I even feel a slight difference in the handling. It just feels and drives so much better.
The Bad: I didn't get the alignment perfect(it was my first time tackling suspension work, what else would you expect?). It pulls slightly to the right, but it isn't life threatening or dangerous I'll get that taken care of tomorrow after work.
Up next to work on:
1. Replacing AC/Alternator turn buckle/learning how to properly use turnbuckle.
2. Replacing Alternator belt
3. Repair and touch-up small rust spots
4. Exhaust leak
5. Wheel bearings
So far, I'm on a roll!
EDIT: It also seems that my driver's side middle(where the diamond marker is) jack point has deformed/collapsed. Any way to repair that?? Weld in a plate or brace of some sorts, or am I doomed to never jack up the driver's side again?
WOW I cannot believe the condition of the old struts!
Glad to see it all back together. Good to hear the ride has improved and the noise is better. I'm still shocked at how well they cleaned up after some paint.
Honestly, I was a little worried about the overall condition of the struts when you came up and got them, now I see even after all these years they've held up to the harsh Michigan weather!
I unfortunately have not had time to yank that radio or washer jug yet, just cant seem to get a break lately. I will have some free time I think before next weekend. Looking forward to coming down and seeing the car in person too!
The new struts are like a godsend!
No worries on the radio and reservoir, it's an emergency. I've got rust repair and paint touch-up on my mind at the moment!
In recent news, yesterday my dad and I drove 3 hours to Ohio and hung out with mazdaverx7 and many rotaries and a Miata at his summer get-together! a blast was had and the food was delicious!
My dashboard has been somewhat free of cracks since November. But the heat, and constant parking outdoors and in the sun has made it a little worse. Can't stand to see the cracks forming in the reflection of the windshield.
I thought about simply getting a dash cover, but I don't like the way they look. So what I've done, is I went to Joann Fabrics, bought a yard of black marine grade vinyl, and will attempt to recover the dash myself!
Have I got a single clue what I'm getting myself into? NOPE! But I'm too ambitious not to take the budget learning experience way out of this predicament. And having done belts, cam tower, and struts, it can't get much worse than that, right? *knocking on wood*
Are there any instructions for removing the current vinyl from just the upper portion of the dash, or does the dash need to be completely removed? If it has to be removed to make the job easier, so be it.
I would rather do a dozen timing belts over another dash restore. It's a lot of work, a lot of "steps backward" before you start to see any steps forward.
Recommend you get a donor dashboard, as it's a long job, and you'll want to work on it a little bit each day. There is objectively no way to simply restore an early dash in a day or two, especially if you're fumbling through it (like I was the first time...it was a few weeks of slow but steady progress). Then, just swap the dashes instead of hoping you don't botch the job...which is super easy when all you have is old foam and fiberboard on a basic metal framework.
Btw, get at least 2 yards of fabric. Accomodate for the material you will use as you learn how to work with it, plus the dash is well over a yard long side-to-side...so unless you want an awkward seam down the middle...
Take the 1 yard and just mess with it to learn how it molds around contours, and the best ways to work with it. Then buy two yards when you're actually getting down to business. Dont rush it, it's a job that requires patience and lots of trial and error.
I can try to get a donor dash next week. There are only two known 924 wrecks close enough to get at a junkyard in Detroit, unless they've been scrapped since last summer. 924s, 944s, and any Porsche in general aren't really in any supply here in junkyards. Here's one of them:
The other doesn't look much better than this one. But I'll figure some way to get my hands on a dash.
Since the 944 isn't my only car, I don't mind setting it aside for however long it takes to do so. Judging from your experience, it looks like I may want to make this a winter project rather than a summer week-long project...No worries though!
Part of me regrets not getting a 2nd yard, live and learn I guess. I'll grab a second yard next week as well.
We were chatting about your car's oil pressure - here are the numbers. To idle at ~5 bar, the oil's instantaneous average viscosity needs to be around ~30 cSt (centi-Stokes, a unit that describes viscosity).
In English: the VR1 20W-50 you're using is a higher viscosity than most oils out there, including Mobil 1 15W-50. To be at ~30 cSt, the engine oil temp needs to be around 185-190 deg. F (~87 deg. C). Meanwhile, the M1 15W-50 only needs to be ~175 deg. F (80 deg. C) to get you 30 cSt viscosity.
That temperature difference is true across the whole range of viscosities, they begin to get close when temperatures are closest to operating (hence, why they are both SAE 50 oils). Here's a graph to better illustrate the two curves. You can see how when it's ambient temperature, the VR1 is significantly thicker. Up until that point where the gauge begins to come down from 5 bar (80 deg. C).
That's fascinating! Thanks so much for posting the charts as well! It almost seems like 15w50 would be much better at least for cooler running? I've always noticed cold starts have been harder(slower cranks) with 20w50 compared to 15w50. Perhaps I'll go back to the latter on the next oil change, I don't think anyone makes a non-synthetic 15w50 though.
Also good to know that the jack point is still safe to use!
Yes. The oil's viscosity is its resistance to flow. So when you have a thicker oil, the starter/engine is having to do more work during cranking.
I don't want to drag this into an oil thread, but the 15W-50 will be great for your climate. The first number describes the oil's "winter" rating, which is nominally 40 deg. C for some reason. I've even tried Redline's 5W-50 to see what kind of gains a lower "Winter" rating would bring. It's a great full synthetic but it was a $90 oil change. Ack, plus benefits were hardly noticable. 15W-50 is fine...it's not expensive and it's high ZDDP. I run it to 6000 miles or 8 months, whichever comes first.
I've heard that synthetic is much better. Some people say that it isn't and you should only use conventional. Other people use synthetic blends. What do you say?
I always think of 15W-50 as motorcycle oil, where you have to feed the gearbox and engine from the same sump.
Maybe I would have less oil loss if I bumped up to something that thick.
Ordered a new alternator adjuster turnbuckle to replace my snapped one that I'm still driving on. The only thing keeping it together is the tension on the alternator belt as is!
06-26-2015, 01:12 AM
STRUTS ARE DONE!! :D
