Dan Cobb

Although I have been fortunate enough not to experience the 'thrill' of needing to replace my relay (as of yet anyway!), I was wondering...

1- Has anyone uncovered the typical fault(s) that render them useless?
2- Are they DIY repairable?
3- What SHOULD a replacement relay cost?
4- Should one buy rebuilt (if available) or only new?
5- What else might I want to learn about this 'magic box'?

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KC911

I purchased a spare DME relay (from Pelican) for around $35...you're not talking about the Motronic DME unit itself are you?

Keith
'88 CE coupe

84_Carrera

Dan -
Upon the advice of those here, I recently replaced my DME Relay. Literally a 2 minute job.

The relay is under the seat in my 84 Cab, next to the DME box itself. One bolt / nut held it in place (10mm?)

I had a spare in the glove box, but I also bought a new one from Pelican, PN C-618-154-00 in my case, for $35.45.

I was starting to get an occasional "sputter" or skip. I have not had it since replacing the relay, and have driven about 500 miles.

For $35 & 2 minutes, I wouldn't be looking to "repair" the relay, if that's what you're getting at, but that's just my opinion.

Dan Cobb

I'm simply trying to determine if purchasing a 'spare' is a 'one-time' expense and if replacing it after failure with a 'routinely recycled' unit is an option.
Again, I realize that sitting on the side of the road instead of shelling out $35 is absurd.
I simply wondered if it was possible to repair it and placed in the glovebox as a replacement after the initial failure.
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Sonic dB

It sounds good to try and fix it...but at what time and effort? If it were me, Id buy 2 new ones and always keep the spare in the glove compartment. Never leave it at home on the kitchen countertop because your car may die on the day after Thanksgiving causing you to pay $180 to have it flatbedded 27 miles home and AAA only picks up the first 7 of those miles. Dont ask me how I know this.

KC911

So how do you know this...do you by chance have a friend with a 911 ? In my case, I just purchased one new relay, and keep my old one as a spare since it's still in good working order.

84_Carrera

Gotcha Dan.

I figure it's probably a once-in-your-ownership kind of thing. IIRC, it's a sealed unit, so once you break the seal you'd need to deal with that. would probably be a bad thing to let condensation in it.

Mine:
20 years, 4 owners, 54k miles before changing the 1st one after a few warning signs. PO bought it & threw it in the glove box, I used that one & bought another to replace the spare. From the records I have, this is the 1st swapout of my relay, but it's a cheap ins. policy having another kicking.

I did save the original one & threw it in a drawer at work, just in case.

Good luck with the rebuild.

Bill Gregory

Although in a different location, 964's also use a DME relay, and, like others, I carry a spare in the glove box.

Dave Thomas

Steve Wong, the 911 chip master, did a post on Pelican on this very subject:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showt...ight=dme+relay

Dan Cobb

Thanks Dave, that made for an interesting read.
BTW, I just ate at your restaraunt yesterday
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jimcabc

Hmm, been following this thread. What are the symptoms of a failing DME relay? I doubt the one on my '87 Cabrio has ever been replaced. Sounds like I could need one some day!
Jim
'87 Cabrio
blk/blk/blk

Dan Cobb

I believe a myriad of symptoms can be traced back to a failing DME relay.
For starters (no pun here) poor starting, hesitation, sputtering, poor throttle response, or simply will not run (also controls the fuel pump power).
Did I miss any?
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Dave Thomas

Hope you enjoyed the burger! BTW, I'm dead.

imcarthur

You didn't happen to leave any body parts laying around your restaurants when you went did you?

Ian

afinepoint

Fred,

Mind describing this sputter?

I have a low end miss right now in my 84 Targa 3.2L. And ~2000 RPM and 2nd gear acceleration can cause some real bucking until engine speed climbs above 2500 or so.

Reg