gmshtr

Well, I've dreamed of owning a 928 since I was 11 years old.

I finally bit the bullet and flew to Atlanta to buy a 1986.5 928S. It had a clean carfax, auto check, etc. Only 83K miles, decent maintenance records, with a recent water pump, timing belt, and most hoses replaced.

It was re-painted the original color, but looked pretty good...new tires, new updated black porsche wheels.

I test drove it with no issues, bought it, then drove it from Atlanta to Virginia. No issues whatsoever...even managed to get decent MPG at high speeds.

I get it home, and after closer inspection find the following:

- Right tail light and side marker lights out (brake, signals, reverse lights all work) I've checked the fuses and the bulbs...no luck.

- Discovered a fuel leak today...hopefully it's nothing complicated. Looks like it's coming from the tank, but after reading through these posts, it's probably coming from the fuel filter. It only leaks when it's running.

- Cruise Control doesn't work...that's actually the first thing I noticed when I got on the highway from ATL. Fuses all OK....

- Passenger window is very slow to lower and raise

- Ridiculously dark instrument panel...dimmer doesn't seem to work

- "D" doesn't light up when in gear

- Gear lever will move through all gears when car is turned off and key out

- The lugs in the rear passenger wheel are way longer than the others...I think...or they have different lug nuts on them.

- The power lock button on the center console doesn't work at all (fuse OK) The previous owner put keyless locks with a little remote, but the driver's door doesn't lock/unlock...although it tries.

Unfortunately, my lack in mechanical skills is only rivaled by my lack in electrical know-how and my tools available at my disposal.

Sucks....

FRUNKenstein

Similar experience when I bought mine in September. The car has good bones, but has lots of minor stuff to fix, almost none of which were disclosed. My fault for not doing a PPI.
Without going into detail, I spent the past couple of months working on the car. It's now roadworthy, but still has plenty of needs to address before I'd consider it sorted out.
But, that being said, it is truly a unique car, and successfully fixing it and getting it back on the road is it's own reward.

Crumpler

Welcome aboard.
You just purchased a 28 year old supermodel with crazy eyes and unpredictable mood swings...
You will get to know her quite well.
Good news is that you will have a support network here.

82Porsche928

There is no such thing as a 928 without a to do list. This doesn't seem like a bad one either. Most all 928s have their electrical gremlins. Clean all grounds very well, and all the fuse holders, 14 pin connector. Use deoxit on everything you clean. I would probably remove the keyless entry, and inspect all wires that have been cut or tapped. Instrument clusters aren't very bright, and can be updated at not too great a cost with led! Take a log off the two different wheels and inspect size, could just be the nut size - cheap replacement. Cruise controls are known to fail. 928intl is really the only place to get a good working one, and they are having their 1/2 off sale now, so it's a great time to buy! Everyone on this forum is very helpful in providing fixes to all the problems you are having! Don't feel remorse, most the reward comes from these small fix victories, and create excellent bonding with the car. It sounds like it is in good mechanical and cosmetic shape! Please upload some PICTURES!!!!

Mrmerlin

gmshtr welcome on board,
My suggestion,.......your first step for you should be to to read the FAQ at the top of this page.

As others have pointed out,
you just bought a very expensive extra car that was top of the line when it was new,
and it cost top of the line money to keep it that way.

Now over the years lots of things have been deferred.....

So a savvy owner will take some time to evaluate his new acquisition,
make a list of whats found deficient and work methodically through the car to restore the various systems.

So far everything you have found has been covered here many times.
Use the search button, read the FAQ,

Quickly buy some used parts at 928INTL half price sale till DEC 24 mention the half price.

Once the minor issues you have found are fixed ,
you will then be able to explore what you have ,
as you have no idea what this machine is capable of,
and how well it can perform once its treated to maintenance.

Goodluck with your new project.

Bmw635

Small issues so it should be easy. I just replaced the D light shifter, add Monokote on the 3 reflector in the cluster, and use all incandescent bulb as LED seems to have issues in some of the write up.

I bought my 928 on impulse and it had more problems than yours but nothing couple hours each cant fix it.

Bucko74

Dude, if thats your list at purchase then you're doing alright.

I think everyone who buys a 928 is a perfectionist.....lets face it a 928 was the epitome of perfection in the day. So we all want our sharks to be perfect, and they rarely are....with so much electronic control using '80s components, there will always be something thats 'playing up'.

My list is so long I stopped making a list....just concentrate on items that might keep your shark off the highway, followed by those that annoy you and you will eventually fix everything or at least make peace with the items that are 'just to hard'.

And have fun doing it...............

oldfrat

Unlike that woman you lusted after when you were 11-18, your 928 can be made to look and perform brand new. If you can't do the work yourself (as I can't), you can find others who can do it for you. (Hint: Philadelphia is probably not too far from you and Mr. Merlin really knows 928s if he is willing to take your project on.)

When it is all done, you will own an incredible machine and probably at a total cost that is far below much lesser cars that you lusted after in your youth. If you doubt that, pick another three cars you dreamed of in your youth and research what good ones are going for today.

Sounds like you had a good experience driving back from Atlanta. Wait until you've had a chance to open the car up on country roads. You are in for a real delight!

I'm hardly an expert, but your to-do list thus far does not sound at all daunting or depressing. Your glass is more than half-full. Heck, the car of your dreams is sitting in your garage ready to be made perfect again.

Brad

Jaeger

Oh man, those aren't big problems when it comes to a 928! In fact, those are hardly problems at all. Now sacrifice your spare tire to the 928 Gods and count your lucky stars it wasn't one of those problems that has the TBF acronym!

Welcome to the nut house!

Captain_Slow

+1 to what others have said. As I read your list item by item I was waiting for something serious...but all you have are what most of us consider annoyances. Except the fuel leak. Trace your fuel lines from the tank area to the front. The fuel lines in the engine compartment need to be checked immediately (most will tell you to replace them first thing).

And check for red fluid leaking ANYWHERE. No point in telling you where to look as you don't know the car well yet. If you find red fluid dripping or clinging anywhere, report back with the description of where you found it. The red fluid is automatic transmission fluid. It's obviously used in the transmission, but it's also used in the power steering. And, the transmission cooling lines run from the back of the car to the front and into the radiator. There are rubber hose sections in the lines over the catalytic converters that will leak. ATF is also flammable, so this is something to check to make sure you don't have a fire.

Captain_Slow

Oh...about the buyer's remorse. I know that feeling. It's taken me three 928s to get over it.

M. Requin

Whereabouts in VA are you? Lots of help and/or advice around here (like Jon above, and a bunch of others). And really, that's a short list, not too serious (except for the fuel line issue), so don't be discouraged!

AO

I've said it before and I'll say it again here.

928 ownership is an adventure. Some people rise to the occasion of 928 ownership, others are just visiting.

Jetdriver69

In the big scheme of things, you should be very thankful for the relatively minor list of things to do.

It could be much, much worse and much, much more expensive. About every single owner on this site has a similar experience.

Just for example, the dim instrument cluster can be easily fixed by either buying a new rheostat, which is a little pricey or simply removing the probably failed rheostat and connecting the wiring together for full bright all the time.

Of course the real fix is to remove the pod and install LED background lighting, but that is another write up to research.

These little tips can be found within the FAQ or by using the search mode. BTW, get a WSM on disk and read up.

Good luck and look at it as a journey, not a trip.

Niles

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