SharkSkin

Slippery slope...

BC

I can see it.

SharkSkin

Yeah, so Clay, how's that CE panel coming along?

gasmanstl

Hmmmmm. Just ducky.

Now that I have my vacuum pot for the "air handling unit" containing the blower motor squirrelcage delivered and installed, and the blower motor itself back from having the brushes done, and replaced into the dash so that I can reinstall he CE panel, and have finally done so (having been preoccupied with shipping off the injectors, and having the intake blasted, and ordering all of the formed hoses for replacement...

I was reinstalling the CE today, so I can crank the motor and do the compression test for the murfercharger I'm contemplating...if I can ever get a response from them as to my request for installation instructions and further info, that is...)

When I was plugging in all of the CE plugs A-W...thinking to myself, "Jesus...these things are hard to snap in. It wasn't THIS hard the first time I undid these and plugged them back in...

I looked onto the floor and noticed that all of the damned little nipples on the bottom of the connectors were breaking off...not going into the little slots they are supposed to, to help hold them in, I suppose.

Furthermore, having become aware of the problem, I then took a new one, and using particularly meticulous attention, tried to get it to snap in the right way, and then IT TOO broke off...now I have like 6 of the things broken.

None of the pins are bent, so I wasn't trying to put them in wrong. It's like the geometry of these clips has changed since the CE has sat out of the car for a few weeks. WHAAAAAAAAT'S going on with THIIIIS???????

See pic for nipples in question - facing upward (bottom of connector)




Slippery slope, indeed.

FlyingDog

Pull the red locking tab outward. It's probably in the locked position preventing the harness connectors from going in.

Alan

Yep exactly what Matt said... remember the locking tab release...? you must have pulled it to get them out...no? I can see its is in fact locked in the photo you attached!

The little tabs at the top are really not that important (I bet a few of those broke off too) but the bottom ones are actually functional - probably not critical but very nice to have for insurance against plug movement...

Alan

SharkSkin

Yep, what Matt & Alan said. The early cars hold together just fine with no retaining clip, nipple, etc. whatsoever.

Quick, finish putting it together before you think of something else to take apart!

gasmanstl

*sigh*......

Locking tab.

Oh.

Hokay. I must have been *really* good to get the whole thing apart twice, and back together once, without operating that thing...I noticed it when the board was sitting out, and just relegated it to the realm of functionless items since it seemed inconsequential to disassembling and assembling the thing.

Yes, it's certainly proving to be an interesting and endless trip, this little tiptoe through the sharky. Then there was the intake bolt I twisted off...boy, was that terrifying...took me a few days (of working an hour or 2) to get that problem solved...soaking in Kroil, grinding a screwdriver slot in it and attempting using an impact-driver, heating with a torch...thank god I had some above the head surface to work with. After wearing it down to scary level, I finally made a little thermal shield for the head out of a piece of thin ceramic with a hole in it the size of the bolt, then welded another bolt to the stud with a wire welder, and then was able to use the impact driver.

Now I just have to cut the pieces of aluminum and make the little gaskets, so I can cover the intake holes, and power wash the motor...

And, of course, I will have to check the timing belt and tensioner while here, as it was replaced last year.

And I guess that body pan thing has to come off of the bottom, if I'm gonna replace the power steering hoses and radiator hoses.

I think the Germans are still getting their revenge over WWII. Working on this thing is like working on an F-16.



I have been quite seriously contemplating a 928 motorsports blower, also; now, with everything already apart, it seems like the most logical time to do a thing like that...but I'm beginning to have some pretty serious doubts about the outfit. I did order a fuel rail pressure gauge from Tim Murphy, which I got in a reasonable amount of time, but I have made multiple email requests, and a telephone request, for more info, and maybe a set if installation instructions to see what I'm getting myself into - but am not receiving any responses. Anybody have much experience with these guys? I wonder, if I have difficulty, what kind of support I might get. But maybe these guys are out racing, or on vacation, or something...

BC

Tim Murphy always will get back to you, I think, if he actually sees your email. I think Carls has been out of town. Carl is a "distributor" of Tim Murphy's 32V supercharger kits, TECHNICALLY, you would need Carl's kit with the different-then-vortech supercharger to have it bolt right up to the 2V motor.

It IS summer in Green bay, the only time humans can actually venture outdoors.

I think its a great idea.

Have you direcly called Carl?

BC

Carl was on this forum this morning.

SharkSkin

Carl just revamped his site somewhat... maybe it's not sending to the right email address. Look for his posts in the "Windage tray -- Road America" thread and send him a PM. He may be up to his elbows in his latest teardown...

Oh, and in the interests of helping you dodge the next bullet... think long and hard before you power wash your engine. The water may end up in places that will make you wish you never thought of it. You can do it if you're very careful, but it might be safer to just go over things with a spray bottle of simple green and a brush, and rinse with low pressure water from a hose. I forget what year started having an opening at the rear of the valley that dumps into the bellhousing, but if you have that you probably don't want to flush a lot of crud down there, and if you don't you're not going to be happy about the swamp that will form in the valley....

gasmanstl

This is taking so long, I am nauseated. If it just weren't for that JOB I have, and all the other crap around the house to do that I have no help with. This is just becoming a summer project. And the title of this thread should be made "CE rehab...and then guess what..."

Well, CE is in, with all new relays (almost - the ones not replaced are "non-critical" and looked fine and got their contacts paper-polished.) I carefully glued all of the little teats back on the connectors that I broke off trying to reassemble the thing in the 'locked' position. 5-min super glue rocks. I don't know what works and what doesn't, though if anything, because most stuff is off the engine anyway, including all of the wiring harness stuff. I have cleaned it pretty well by hand, and encased it in ziplock bags and tape, so that I can pressure wash the engine. I appreciate the advice, Dave...and I surely hope that it doesn't come to pass that water gets somewhere that I really regret...but the whole engine and compartment is soooo nasty and greasy, I'm just bent on it. This car used to be owned by a guy who lived out in the sticks on a country road...not only does it have lots of grease, but the grease encases grimy, gravely dirt. There is just no alternative to powerwashing to get it all off. This is too much work to do it half-heartedly.

I checked the timing belt tension while I have all this apart, and it was fine. I don't know why my belt tension light comes on once in a while when I rev the engine. It's right on the tight side of limits, and the tension sensor thingie appears to be OK, but I didn't completely expose it, because I just didn't have the stomach to take off the alternator and the A/C and the power steering pump and the smog pump. It was great, though, because as I was putting one of the 13mm bolts back in the timing covers, it STRIPPED (although I had, like, 2 ft lbs of torque on it). As far as I can tell, it only has one significant function other than holding the timing cover on, and that's holding the smog pump bracket; therefore, I took off the washer, found ONE good, solid thread left, squirted a ml of JB weld into the hole after cleaning it meticulously with solvent, and tightened the one thread as hand-tight as I could grasping a socket and extension.

I do know, however, where the water will not end up when I powerwash the motor - in the intake ports. I got myself some nice 1/4" aluminum plate and cut covers for the intake ports, and made gaskets out of thick paper, greased them up nicely, and tightened. I think they will work perfectly. Harnesses are all sealed in ziplocks; after power washing, I'll clean their contacts and put stabilant on them.

The intake manifold and the fuel injection rails are off being powder-coated, and should be done at the end of this week. Got my package full of all new hoses and caps, rotors, gaskets, etc. With any luck, in a week or 10 days, I should be able to fire her up. I have lost my stamina for a murferblower - but not given up the idea of another shark for the distinct purpose of one. My next one will NOT be a euro, and I'll probably want a later model. Thoughts?

SharkSkin

So, you must be about done with this by now?

How did the pressure wash turn out?

gasmanstl

Hey Dave...thought u had given up the sharkization or something...musta had a nice long vacation?? <ahhhh>


Done...well, no...the powder coating guy kept the parts for like three weeks, and then I had to paint the Porsche emblem with *good* paint on the plenum for a day or 2...and I've been putting it back together since. I didn't get to work on it this weekend...cuz I was busy going to Austin to buy another shark. Yes, I am the owner of Mark Robinson's first Turboshark. It's an 86.5 S4 in Silver. He's done tons of things to it...and the turbo just rocks. I was gonna put a blower on my 85, and I didn't wanna have it down any longer (and was unsure I wanted to bastardize my particularly nice 85)...so I decided to get another shark to blow...abd found Mark selling his turbocharged shark. Jumped on it... What a nice guy he seems to be. His bud Tom has two Ferraris and two XKE's...had a great time in Austin meeeting them.

But yeah, the 85 oughtta be done tomorrow really, 'cept for putting the hood back on. Gotta have help for that. I'm pleased. I have replaced every rubber fuel line, filter, injector hoses, had injectors cleaned, done the CE, replaced almost every relay, done every groundpoint and put stabilant on it, done every connector on passenger side interior while I was waiting and used stabilant, including behind the rear quarter trim which I had to remove to get to the last groundpoint; done the alarm and the warning brainbox connectors on the driver's side; the blower motor and it's plenum reconditioning...

...and every connector and ground in the engine compartment has been cleaned and stabilant-ized. Power washing went very well, I think. The thing I was most worried about was water in the intake ports, and I made certain that *that* didn't happen.

(Powder coated intake looks real nice. Pics to follow...)

Yes, and now another shark. A slippery slope, indeed.

gasmanstl

Here are pics...just got her running. Just need to put some interior stuff back together, hood back on, and she's ready. Will advise if anything doesn't work.