Bill Ball

Dennis K:

You're right. However, there is no simple procedure for my issues. My 79 needs an electrical genius to help me get the wiring sorted. It looks like a spilled pot of spaghetti at the moment. The rest of the issues are just putting the interior back in. Oh, it was backfiring when I last ran it. Not sure what that is. Maybe related to the pressure cleaning of the engine blowing off a vacuum hose.

Now, I do have SC coming soon for the 89....I need to install that off-site, so to speak.

RichS

Bill, Dave, Robert, Geoff, Nicloe, James, George and Jessa (hope I didn't forget anyone)

I would like to sincerly THANK ALL OF YOU for your experince and help this weekend. Bill your a "freight train", I learned a great deal from you on this project. It was a great day, great company, great food and many stories. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. And last but not least I want to thank Beth for getting everything organized and taking care of business all day. Hope to see you guys soon.

Rich
(Dave thanks for the easy out on the running light problem).

SharkSkin

Glad to help, Rich.... What is the final result on the hatch? Leak fixed? Also.... have Beth go back and look at that crazy acronym I dreamed up... BEFORE her first glass of Napa's finest.... and let me know if it still doesn't make sense.

RichS

Hatch is fine, no leaks....I'll talk to Beth and make sure she takes a look at that thread. Thanks again Dave!!!

RichS

Ok, well Beth just called she's driving her parents around town and belt tension light just came on. That's all I know right now, I'm sure she will get online later.... It must be a sensor or wiring issue I would guess at this point??

Robert_H

Probably that missing part of Bill's tooth preventing a good electrical connection somewhere...

SharkSkin

Pull the connector off of the TB cover, and check to see if that terminal on the TB cover is grounded. If it is, start the car and see if it stays grounded. If it does, the problem is elsewhere in the wiring. Ground the loose connector that you pulled off the TB cover and run the car for 3-4 minutes. If the light comes on it's your wiring.

Bill Ball

Rich:

We repaired the wire where it goes into the harness as well as better secured the clip on the tensioner spade, but that doesn't mean there isn't a break elsewhere.

Dave has given you a good process for isolating the fault. I like Dave's idea to ground the plug and see if the light still comes on. That would be very easy and would immediately point to a problem somewhere in the harness which could be further isolated later. To test the tensioner part of the system you would need a multimeter set to continuity or a continuity tester and plug that securely into the receptacle in the cover to test continuity to ground while the engine is running.

I found the rather large tooth fragment in my pocket, so I don't think that is causing the problem.

Mark87AT

Bill, that must also explain why the timing belt was one tooth off when you installed it!
Mark
PS all kidding aside, hopefully your tooth is ok, or will be made right again soon!

Bill Ball

Yeah, I'm off a tooth, but that will get fixed this week.

Beth & Rich: If you are going to be around, I can drop by this weekend and get to the bottom of the return of the tension warning. It sure seemed we had diagnosed the problem as electrical, especially since the belt tension and condition was near pefect prior to the job. Now, I will say that I did end up with the tension set a bit lower than I found it, based on trying to resolve some of the different readings from the Porsche tool and Kempf tool. One reading on the Porsche tool was low at 4, whicle the Kempf tool still read mid-range.

So, if we can't quickly identify another electrical fault, we will re-check the tension, which we should do anyway. Who knows, I was getting real tired towwards the end and may have overlooked tightening one thing or another.

Ew boy, a TB post-party. This is important and should be a good learning experience for me too. So, let us know.

jheis

Bill:

Looking back on things, the inconsistent readings with the Porsche tool were probably "operator error".

There is a learning curve with the gauge and there is also a "remembering curve" when you haven't used it for a couple of years. I think that I may have forgotten to reset, or zero, the "tell tale" between some of the readings ...

James

Beth

Hi everyone!!!
Thank you everyone for coming to the TB party! Not only did we get so much work done, I really had a great time. My parents have had me running about so this is the first time I've been able to make it to the computer but Rich has kept me posted.

Bill you're amazing, absoluetly amazing. And thanks for offering to help get to the bottom of this warning light problem - and I'll take you up on that - but this weekend it's supposed to rain, and with the physical working conditions at my large estate, the rain shuts us down. What about the first "dry" weekend that comes up? Wanna try for that? I guess it's a good thing I didn't put the belly pans back on . . . . .

So here's what happened: Had to go meet mom for a day of shopping yesterday. Backed the car out of the garage and was smiling from ear to ear! Yippie, I'm going to drive my car. Took off down the street just on top of the world. Made it about 6 blocks (so the car's been running about 5-7 minutes at this point) and that d*mn "!" light comes on with the "TB tension" light. I almost cried. No, I think I did cry. I called Rich and gave him the update. Turned right around and parked it in the driveway where it still sits. Took the boring white SUV shopping. I know the belt and everything is good, but I just couldn't stand to have the warning light on. (I pushed the "!" and it went out).

On a more positive note, I called Rich this morning during the torrential downpour and his car is dry as can be. Thank you Dave, George and Jessa! I just loved how I told Dave and George the rear hatch seal leaks so they decided to prove it themselves with the garden hose. I leave for just a second and when I get back Rich's car is all wet inside and all they have to say is "yep, it's confirmed, rear hatch seal leaks". Men . . . . . . . .

Thanks to James for bringing the official Porsche TB tension tool. And you know, thinking of it now, the differences in the readings were probably operator error by that time . . . . . . . . . . James, thanks also for glueing the vinyl back onto Rich's sunroof panel cover thingy - it looks soooooo much better.

Rob, you're boxter is real nice, it's a good back-up to the 928. Get that battery charged will ya. Or just get another one to add to the collection.

Other Rob, real nice to meet you and thank's for being one of the core members of the TB team. Bill (head surgeon) with assistants Rob and Rich didn't stop all day. Thanks guys.

Mark, I was glad you were able to make it! Nice to meet you and your shark.

Nicole, thank God you were running late! Picking up that part from Devek was awesome. (And thank's Devek for your help too.) My old crank shaft pulley was a goner! Your potato salad and mustard dressing was super too. And I got a great lesson in the teflon stickers that I didn't even know existed.

Geoff - really nice to meet you and hopefully you'll have your shark on the road again soon.

George and Dave, thanks for the pic's. (Although d*mn, I sure noticed how I've got to get my little 'ol self ready for summer again! Too many sausages I guess . . . ) I'll have to look at the one's I took - I haven't had a chance to yet. I'll post any that I think are worthy.

Again thank you everyone, I think the day was a big success. And Bill, if we can fix this sensor thing, life will be perfect.

Bill Ball

Jim;

It would be nice to have had agreement between the tools. Those who have made comparisions before have reported good agreement. If we can find a mutually convenient time, it would be nice to give the two tools another try together. This weekend looks like it will be rainy.

Beth:

Can you report back if the warning comes on always after 3 minutes or so or did it come on just erratically, and not appear for a while after shutting down the car and restarting. The former would point more likely to an electrical fault, the latter to a borderline tension problem. The former could be a way serious tension problem, but I find that hard to fathom. I think the TB job was OK, of course. If you guys want to go ahead on your own, just keep us posted. This really should be easy to resolve or at least diagnose.

Bill Ball

Beth:

Our last posts crossed in the mail. So, I see you were very cautious and have parked the car since the warning. Good.

Yes, let's wait for a dry weekend day.

Beth

Hey Bill, what was the thing I need to order for the fan problem?