no doubt

Thanks! Maybe that link will help the next Shark-Restorer.

I spliced in my $4 Auto-Zone antenna cable/jack "extention" and today I have a working radio because of it! The trick is to make two connections using the center insulated wire and the outer ground shielding, each going to their exact mate on the OEM windshield antenna cable...then electrical tape both independently.

HUA!


Now while driving today I can listen to Wall Street melt down as Congress fidles. Oh boy!

no doubt

Hey! My "Coolant" light works!

I must have drained enough coolant (though it didn't seem like much) to trigger the light when I was swapping out my heater control valve.

Easy fix. Just added coolant.

Also sprayed some Marine "Corrosion Block" onto the fan/injector fittings on the positive (+) battery terminal connection, which seems to have eased the load on my alternator at idle now that the RPMs are down in the 900 to 950 range.


In the meantime, got some unsolicited, positive comments from a man in a pickup who loved seeing my black/tan 928 on the road, and really dug hearing my exhaust note!

I've put 600+ miles on my 928 since my odometer gear fix, and that seems to be holding up just fine. That pleases me greatly!

Nice to have radio tunes finally to drive around to with the antenna cable fixed, too. Still need to replace the Driver-side door check, though. Maybe install the synthetic nickel P O R S C H E letters on the rear, too. Might be worth taking a pic of the car at that point.

no doubt

Whooo Hooo! Turned down (machined smooth) my OEM rotors and installed my Axxis Metal Master brake pads front and rear.

No more brake squeal! Now I've got to bed them in properly (an excuse to drive slow, then average, then fast/slow).

no doubt

Well, my in town gas mileage has now gone from 14.6mpg to 17.1 mpg after running through 1 tank full of Techron fuel injector cleaner.

Not too bad...

no doubt

Added a cheap Class B and Class C automotive fire extinguisher to my shark today. Fits in the driver-side armrest snugly: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...29#post5867029

That's a 1.33 pound charge! Wal-mart's got Amazon.com beat on this one...$26 on-line: http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-466310-A...002789&sr=1-18

...instead of $9.28 at Wal-Mart.

Also wrapped a small can of starter fluid in a towel and stored it behind my toolkit...and did the same with a new can of fix-a-flat and a fresh roll of heater hose duct tape.

Added a small Red Cross "Rechargeable Battery Charger" model ARC1011 to the glove box: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W33WU0?...0&linkCode=asn

I've actually got room for it behind the center console tunnel underneath my CD player...as it is small (but supplies 300 total Amps in charging times varying from 10 minutes to 40 minutes via your cigarette lighter). So maybe I'll move it there one day.

I wonder if companies are using recycled NiCad cell phone batteries to make these things now? Anyway, it was just $24 at Wal-Mart.


Then I put a $10 first aid kit into the passenger-side armrest compartment. You just never know. Anyway, it should add a little sound dampening on that side as a free side-benefit.

no doubt

Installed synthetic chrome P O R S C H E lettering from Jager today...also put a tire plug kit in the rear tool compartment.

no doubt

Disconnected the battery and then proceeded to unbolt and clean/spray the connections on the + battery hot points that are behind the Common Electric (CE) panel in the passenger footwell.

Used "Corrosion Block" on those posts as well as behind the few relays in the CE that were easy to remove by hand.

Went for a 3 hour drive on highway, then in stop-n-go traffic on a farm to market road and the alternator definitely held up better today. The one problem area seems to be when the cooling fans kick on, as there is a substantial voltage drop at that point.

Could be the fan control module, fan amp, or just dirty old fans, I guess. I'll have to see what is easy to take apart to clean/spray with more electrical cleaner/contact enhancer to see if that reduces the voltage drop when the fans kick on...otherwise I'll either need to rebuild or replace the actual engine fans.

One thought did cross my mind to use some of my old cell phone batteries and chargers inline with the fans to act as UPS supplies...that would most certainly reduce the initial current spike as seen by the alternator/battery. Would take a bit of circuit work though, so I'm not *that* motivated to do it...

Hilton

The fans are rebuildable with a bit of determination - look for a thread by 928Myles on rebuilding them, he and another guy posted some good pics and info in the thread.

Great thread - keep the updates coming.. good reading

Mrmerlin

if your getting voltage drops you should check all of the grounds and the hot post connections ....... work on the elex system with battery disconnected, if you dont have a hot post cover you should a cover from a 1988 S4 fits perfectly

no doubt

Sound words, and you're probably right, but my own thought is that the initial voltage drop/spike is from the fans resisting turning somewhat... right at startup.

Get them going and they're fine, so to speak, but getting them going is drawing more current to "break free" of 2 decades worth of owner neglect.

Some "Pap" place online lists new replacements at less than $200, so I'm looking at some pretty friendly rebuild (928Myles' thread)/replace options if that's the case.

Of course, I'll be looking for bad electrical connections in the meantime.

no doubt

So I go to drive my shark late last night. Wife's asleep. Kids are asleep. Time for a midnite cruise. Start up the 928. VRRROOOM. Nice.

Turn on headlights, not so nice. The lights came on, but were spotlighting UFOs in the sky. The headlights hadn't popped up.

So much for my cruising idea.

Woke up today and checked under the hood. A c clip had come off one of the headlamp motor arms at some point, and one of the headlamp motor arms had rotated into and punctured an end U-tube on the middle (presumed oil) radiator.

Cleaned and JB Welded the U-tube/hole. Perfect. JB Welded a rim where the C clip used to hold on the arm (in the same C shape and size). Perfect. That arm is not coming off! Still rotates just fine, of course.

Start up my shark. VROOOOM... Turn on my headlights.

Spotlighting UFOs still. Arrrgh! Turned off the car.

OK, checked headlamp motor fuse 27. Good.

Pulled the XXIII-XXIV headlamp relay.

Started car. Turned on lights. No lights. No motor. As expected. Cleaned the contacts on the headlamp relay and then coated them with "Corrosion Block" contact enhancer. Reinstalled that relay.

Turned on my lights.

Success!

Lights turned on and raised. Turned the lights off and then they lowered.

Examined all 3 radiators for leaks. None noted. Checked temp on dash. Perfect. Tested AC. Cold. Checked oil pressure on dash. Perfect.

Sweet.


Total cost of repair: $0.

Mrmerlin

total cost of repair is a lot more than you think, it sounds like the arm went through the AC condenser. bummer

no doubt

JB Weld is still holding on the radiator and headlight winder arm today after some decent driving (pic).

Recessed my driver side door lock by adjusting 1 bolt...the lock itself was left extended out of the door a good 1/4 inch by a prior owner. Easy fix.

Added 1 OEM lug nut to each wheel so that I've got a full house of 5 on each wheel now. I'd guess that a prior owner lost the lug key and destroyed the OEM lock nuts in order to get them off to change the tires. Easy.

Installed the front defroster relay, as I had used it for the horn relay that a prior owner had left empty.

Pulled the electrical plug connectors to the engine fans. Their metal contacts were brown! Cleaned them and applied "Corrosion Block" contact enhancer. Did the same for the fan power amp, though the metal contacts looked fine on it.

Much less "noted" voltage drop now when the fans initially kick on, but similar current draw as they stay on.

no doubt

My second doorstop arrived! Here's where I installed one on the passenger side: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...46#post5843746

This evening I installed my new door check on the driver side. Now my driver side door opens, stays open, and closes properly.

This is not a difficult do-it-yourself (DIY) job. Three 5mm allen bolts and slide your hand inside the door panel.

no doubt

Installed my two new hood struts today!

Whoo Hoo! My hood now fully closes. Prior owner(s) had two different shocks on the front hood, both different lengths, and both incorrect type/part-number.

So before today my 928 hood had a huge bend in the middle of the front hood. I was afraid that it might be difficult to even straighten out. You could see the engine even with the front hood "closed."

Ridiculous.

People do stupid things.

Those two new struts, the correct parts, cost a grand total of: $21. Combined. People spend more on downloading songs or buying CDs in a month.

So at least one and possibly two prior owners spent some amount of money on *incorrect* struts to have a hood that looked shoddy, when $21 would have fixed it properly.

Did I mention that people do stupid things?!


I can't fully describe how good it felt to see my hood close properly and tightly the first time I closed it after installing the new hood struts this morning! The hood straightened itself out by itself!

Wow!

Now my 928 no longer looks like a seized vehicle at a sheriff's auction.

To think what prior owners did to this poor S4, though. Ouch!


*also, JB Weld is still holding on the radiator and headlight winder arm at D-Day +2 after some more driving