replacement retaining ring runs something like $65. could have gone that route but wanted to fiddle with what I had. other than needing my airbag light reset, it was the best 69 cents I've ever spent!

 

Bill: do you or anyone have the PN for the 95 993 repair kit? My DIY hose fix finally died after 3 years! I found this part (993-347-088-01-M100) on pelican but it appears to be for 96 and up.

Has anyone successfully pressed new grommets into their 95 frame?

 

Yes. Removed new grommets from a new frame with a dremel to keep them pretty. After getting the old ones out any way I could, I just carefully hammered the new ones back in. Works like new now.

 

Thanks Jon Paul. Ill follow in your footsteps!

 

Here's another way: Zim's has replacement rubber grommets. $20.
http://www.allzim.com/cgi/sh000001.p...347_2e823_2e00
Boy, I sure hope that's $19.95 for the kit rather than $19.95 each! Better clarify b4 ordering.

 

NC:

Thanks for the link. I was wondering the same thing!! $20 better be for QTY 4!

I ended up trying a different approach to fixing the problem. The nice thing is that its a cheap approach that doesnt ruin any parts if it doesnt work. I found the idea from our boxster friends that have the same problem with their 4 spoke retaining rings:

http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/s...11&o=7&fpart=1

I bought some of the permatex black silicone adhesive sealant and filled in the gaps ON BOTH SIDES of the original grommets on the retaining ring. The black cures to a rubbery flexible material. The idea is that it reinforces the original black grommets even if they are cracked. I let cure all day long.

DUring reinstall of the frame after silicone addition, I discovered that the contact at the 2 oclock position was still very close to making contact with the wheel. I removed the ring again and added more silicone to the grommets with the following procedure: I clamped the retaining ring on a table (airbag side down). This loads up the grommets to provide more standoff of the ring from the contacts. I added more silicone to the the visible side of the grommet only. I tried to fill the gaps in the grommet by pushing the silicone down with a popsicle stick. I let everything cure while clamped.

Horn is working fine after reassembly. Maybe the action of actuating the horn is heavier but that is to be expected.

Hopefully this $5 fix will work for a while. The guy on the link said that his has been fine after 2 years.

I can honestly say that this is the first time that the boxster guys had a tip that I could use on the 993!!

Here is another link for a rubber washer approach that I did not try:

http://987forum.com/forums/showpost....05&postcount=3

 

thought i'd resurrect this. after trying to make o-rings out of rubber tubing (wouldn't allow the horn to make contact-maybe i should have squished them instead of making new o-rings?), i bought another 4-spoke wheel and airbag from a rennlister. the wheel is in great condition (off very low mileage car), but when i bolted everything up, the horn problem is as bad, if not worse. i find it hard to believe the grommets are worn given the amount of use they probably have had. could there be some sort of other electrical gremlin causing the horn to constantly go off? there's a small nick in the horn wire coming out of the contact unit under the steering wheel, but i didn't see any exposed wire. i'm going to try the foam tape method next, then extra black silicon on the grommets. any other thoughts? (it's quite irritating that porsche changed the retaining frame-i've got a my96 993 but it has the 95 era frame).

 

It's not the use, its the age. The rubber breaks down over time.

 

well that sucks.....oh well. thanks for the thought. i decided to try the silicon fix. we'll see how that works.

marc

 

Did the silicone fix on my 98 about a month ago and let it cure for a few days until tackiness was gone. Disconnected battery first and reconnected it last. No issues.

 

My car has started to have the "random horn-blowing issue" and this thread has really helped educate me. I did call Sunset and ordered a new retaining ring, 993 347 088 01. I plan to follow the instructions in this thread but have one question -- after disconnecting the battery will I still be able to turn the steering wheel back and forth in order to remove the T30 torx bolts?

I did a test yesterday (battery still connected) to make sure that I could access one of the bolts with the length screwdriver I have; turned the wheel to the right so the right side bolt is in the "down" position and I can easily get to it. In that position the left side bolt is in the "top" position and it didn't appear that I could get the screwdriver in there due to interference from the dash. I have a magnetic bit screwdriver that can do right-angles but (of course) the shaft is too thick for the torx bolt hole!

 

Any advice on this question?

 

You should be able to move the wheel after the battery is disconnected. I believe the steering wheel lock is mechanical, not electrical. Suggest you not use a short torx bit in a driver. When you put it in the hole to access the screw, the bit may stay in the hole, thereby causing another problem to retrieve. (Don't ask me how I know!). Going to the meeting tomorrow nite?

 

Thanks for the reply. If I can move the wheel I should be in good shape as the torx screwdriver I have is long enough to reach the bolt. I am occasionally driving the car now with the horn fuse pulled as suggested here somewhere but that does make me nervous especially on I-40 in commute traffic.

And, yes, I do hope to get to the PCA meeting tomorrow night if I can get away from work in Cary on time.

 

Reporting in that I was able to take care of my intermittant horn problem over the holiday weekend based on the information in this thread (thanks!) along with looking at pages from the shop manual. Here are a few comments for the next person:

- ordered a new retaining ring, 993 347 088 01, from Sunset for ~$40. I felt more confident replacing the part vs. trying to build up the existing rubber
- after buying a torx allen wrench set I did find that I could turn the steering wheel with the key on and battery disconnected, which let me use a standard torx screwdriver for the screws that hold the airbag assembly.
- I did disconnect the battery and waited 25 minutes as stated earlier in this thread. This gave me time to replace the sunroof air deflector lowering arms.
- while I was trying to figure out which end of the cable to disconnect the airbag, it disconnected itself at the airbag end and fell into the seat. Fortunately, no explosion and yes I was wearing eye protection.
- I learned that I did not have the right size sockets to remove the bolts securing the retaining ring along with the steering wheel itsel. Only took 2 trips to get the right sizes. :-(

When the airbag module fell out, I noticed a small black plastic tab laying inside the steering wheel shell; looked lilke it came out of a small hole in the top middle part under the retaining ring. I pulled the steering wheel to investigate and learned that there are 2 black tabs (top and bottom) attached to the assembly under the steering wheel (the horn and airbag switch assembly?). The lower plastic tab also broke off when I touched it. I can't determine the purpose of these tabs other than to center and line up the steering wheel for reassembly. The tabs are too brittle to glue back so I tossed them.

Everything went back together smoothly, no extra parts, and the horn did not randomly blow during a test drive.