Schabelmj

I just picked up my 88 and driving cross country from nj to Dallas. I can smell that my battery is over charging and I need to replace the voltage regulator. Porsche dealerships seem to be closed for the weekend - so am having trouble finding parts. If anyone has advice on where I might get a quick fix, I'd appreciate it. Please text me: nine-oh-eight 917-6660

Many thanks! Mike

whalebird

Perhaps a generic regulator(external type) from an auto parts store could be wired inline at the battery positive terminal. I would not drive it much at all. Over voltage can cook many expensive part as well as cook every dash light. Your battery could also spill over and rust the battery tray if not discovered. I don't recall the wire routing, but this may be a plausible patch done at the battery positive side in the trunk. Have a voltmeter handy to confirm alternator status and not a shorted battery. There's an outside chance your battery is the problem. Good luck.

On second thought, the main engine wire harness should include the alternator feed. This may be the easiest location to splice a regulator without hacking the harness.

oldskewel

Not much to add to whalebird's excellent answer, but I can report that when I first got my '85 I had some similar smell and leak issues which were fixed by switching to a new battery. I chose an Optima since I wanted to completely rule out any chance of leak.

So the "outside chance" applied in my case.

I'll assume you have a voltmeter with you, but if not, get one ASAP so you can make the best decisions here.

Spyerx

I just swapped in an agm h6 sized battery for the same reason of wanting a sealed setup. Old battery was perfect.

Before going. Off smell alone please check with a volt meter. Could just be the battery. If the regulator find a hotel and wait it out or tow the car. Don't drive like this it will cost much more than a hotel stay.

Part number for the regulator is 911-603-913-01
its on the back of the alternator.
Pelican and rmeuropean show out of stock

Napa shows a part #
Voltage Regulator
Part Number: VR1149
Product Line: Echlin Ignition Parts

Oreilly auto parts shows part
BWD - Voltage Regulator
Part Number: R2089
Line: BWD

Schabelmj

Update: battery was toast. I replaced with an optimum. The voltmeter ran a tad higher than I liked but I think I can get it home. I'm not running lights and stereo just in case...but regulator is first thing on the to-do list when I get it home. Thanks for guidance!

Schabelmj

Well - we're down for the count, stuck in Nashville.

The voltage regulator must have gone south fast and I'm not going to risk any further damage. Hopefully I'll be able to find a regulator in the morning and get back on the road. It should only take me an hour to fix once I get the part.

Unfortunately, all of the typical autoparts stores have to special-order the regulator.

Whalebird: I have Bentley's with me and checked the wiring. It looks like the proper wire goes direct to the starter, which then goes to the battery. I decided that it wasn't worth hacking up the wiring just to save time on the road. I very much appreciate the recommendation, though.

tbanasiak

I had same experience when driving my 89 back to Clarksville tn from texas. Was the regulator. Porsche dealership in Nashville had to order it. Wasn't to bad to replace myself. If your interested you can limp it to my house @ 50 minutes north of Nashville. I would be more than happy to help get you back on your way.

Schabelmj

Thanks for the offer. I'm on the hunt right now for the part. I've replaced them before - its not hard to do. But my guess is that I'm stuck here for another day while I wait for parts - bummer. This was a 1:1 trip with my son, so actually turning out to be a memorable bonding time.

tbanasiak

I can relate to the 1:1, my son and I did the same thing. A memorable experience for sure! Hope you get back in running condition soon and have a safe trip the remainder of the way. Cheers!!

Schabelmj

We're alive again. Thanks to motor city motorsports who had one on their shelves and let me do the swap in their driveway! The missing low-end torque seems to have recovered a bit as well. It makes sense now that the high voltage was playing havoc with the dme. With any luck, we'll be back in Dallas tonight.

Schabelmj

Update: we finally made it home, but not without some additional challenges on the road. After I installed the new regulator, inended up in an undercharging situation, which left me with a bone-dead battery and dying about an hour outside of Memphis. We got a tow and picked up a new battery - and proceeded to drive only during the day with no electronics. I picked up a second battery, fully charged the primary battery, and made it the rest of the way home. At this point, I plan to pull the alternator and take it to an alternator shop to have it bench tested and figure out whether I need a rebuild, another new regulator, or both. Frustrating trip for sure - but the good news is that she now runs like a dream when the dme is not getting exposed to high voltage (I posted previously about weird idle and a lack of a punch at low and high rpm's...I never would have connected that to over-charging, but makes sense in hindsight depending on the internals of the dme which I admittedly haven't explored). Thanks again for the guidance!