My first shark, finally a project I can sink my teeth in to!
01-02-2009, 05:31 PM
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My first shark, finally a project I can sink my teeth in to!
Hello forum-goers,
My father and I have always been gearheads, and have spent several years working on cars together. It's been awhile since we had something to work on however, and on a trip to visit the family we got to talking about cars we'd like to learn about. Inspired by such, we resolved to have a project car and diligently got about scouring the internet and classifieds for something to satiate our desire for something to tinker with.
He came across a 928 on Craigslist, a 1982 Black/Black 5-speed. It needed work, but the price he had talked him down to was ridiculous. We couldn't afford to not buy it.
The car had been sitting for a year. The owner had received it from his father (did not ask the specifics of this, whether it was a gift or inherited) and it was apparent while the PO had liked the car, he was neither mechanically inclined, nor liked it enough to learn a lot about it. We were either buying someones problems, or getting a great deal. I imagine it is a little bit of both, but the results are still up in the air.
Point is, we have a car to learn about, and so far I'm in love. After getting rid of the bad gas, putting a good fuel additive in there with some new fuel, cleaning the car up, checking the fluids, the car is running decently on the road, sounding much better and all in all, we did get a hell of a deal and a fun car to work on.
I don't have great pictures of her, next time I head up to DFW I'll be taking better photos of her.
before wash
after wash
So I've fallen in love. I've been bitten and in a near-masochistic state I look forward to spending the next however many months finding problems, swearing, fixing problems, swearing, drinking beer, swearing, finding more problems, swearing. I've been spending a couple weeks trying to find the answers I need to get this back to acceptable mechanical condition, but I haven't quite found what I need.
Brakes: My biggest priority on the car, they're soft. Not soft in a "Oh, well, just be careful" kind of way, soft in a "This car doesn't have ABS and I can not lock up the brakes by smashing the pedal doing 40" kind of way. We tried bleeding the brakes rather thoroughly to get the air/moisture out from the car sitting, but still to no avail. If you turn the car off and pump the brake pedal twice, it firms right up, but if the car is on it just feels mushy. It also makes a constant, very quiet hissing noise when depressed. My thought is the master cylinder. The seal between the reservoir and the cylinder is leaking and while I'm not sure if that would cause a lack of pressure in the system, I think this is where the issue is, but I don't know.
Electrical: Battery still dies overnight. We currently disconnect the negative when we have it sitting. Something is pulling 2.5amps from the battery while the car is off, so says the multimeter. I haven't had the time to try pulling the relays/fuses, nor have I cleaned the grounds to try and further diagnose this. Car currently resides in Dallas, and myself in Austin, so I'm just trying to plan all this out before the next trip. I was just wondering if anyone could get an idea of what could cause that amount of drain.
Suspension: Passenger front tire was destroyed on the inside like it was running a ridiculous amount of negative camber. I know we can just get the car aligned, but I'm wondering if there is something that could have broken/worn out in the suspension that would cause that to happen?
Transmission: Slight leak, haven't identified just where yet, but the highest dirty part of the transmission was the grommet you pull out to inspect the seals right where the transmission connects to the driveshaft tunnel. Have filled the transaxle with 75-90 oil, but once I get this leak diagnosed will put in the good stuff per this board's recommendations. As it stands, the tranny grinds a tiny bit when cold going in to 2nd and 4th. Once the car warms up to operating temp, no problems whatsoever.
TB/WP: WP leaks. Car came with a box of parts, and inside, a new WP! The old man is going to the DFW gtg and hopefully someone there can tell us whether it's a quality part, or better off getting another one. Sooner or later we'll have to do this, and since we don't know when it was done last, well, sooner is better. I'm hoping with the persuasive power of beer we can convince some locals with experience doing this to help us on this venture when we decide to do it.
So that's it for the mechanical bits. I've got lots of little projects outside of this, lots of little things that need fixing. One I would like to ask advice about is the carpets. We pulled them all out of the car because the rubber backing that keeps the jute in has been worn off in some places, and resulted in a jute-explosion in the car. Problem is, the top, that carpet itself, is in really quite good shape. Is there anything I can do to somehow refurbish the carpets, fix em back up? I'm not looking to make this a concourse car, I just want a fun weekend project, so I'm not looking for like-new condition, just nice
But that's it. I am incredibly excited to learn everything I can about these unique and interesting cars, and look forward to the scraped knuckles, burned hands and grimy fingernails that comes along with working on autos.
P.S. Yes I have the service manual and a torque wrench.
My father and I have always been gearheads, and have spent several years working on cars together. It's been awhile since we had something to work on however, and on a trip to visit the family we got to talking about cars we'd like to learn about. Inspired by such, we resolved to have a project car and diligently got about scouring the internet and classifieds for something to satiate our desire for something to tinker with.
He came across a 928 on Craigslist, a 1982 Black/Black 5-speed. It needed work, but the price he had talked him down to was ridiculous. We couldn't afford to not buy it.
The car had been sitting for a year. The owner had received it from his father (did not ask the specifics of this, whether it was a gift or inherited) and it was apparent while the PO had liked the car, he was neither mechanically inclined, nor liked it enough to learn a lot about it. We were either buying someones problems, or getting a great deal. I imagine it is a little bit of both, but the results are still up in the air.
Point is, we have a car to learn about, and so far I'm in love. After getting rid of the bad gas, putting a good fuel additive in there with some new fuel, cleaning the car up, checking the fluids, the car is running decently on the road, sounding much better and all in all, we did get a hell of a deal and a fun car to work on.
I don't have great pictures of her, next time I head up to DFW I'll be taking better photos of her.
before wash
after wash
So I've fallen in love. I've been bitten and in a near-masochistic state I look forward to spending the next however many months finding problems, swearing, fixing problems, swearing, drinking beer, swearing, finding more problems, swearing. I've been spending a couple weeks trying to find the answers I need to get this back to acceptable mechanical condition, but I haven't quite found what I need.
Brakes: My biggest priority on the car, they're soft. Not soft in a "Oh, well, just be careful" kind of way, soft in a "This car doesn't have ABS and I can not lock up the brakes by smashing the pedal doing 40" kind of way. We tried bleeding the brakes rather thoroughly to get the air/moisture out from the car sitting, but still to no avail. If you turn the car off and pump the brake pedal twice, it firms right up, but if the car is on it just feels mushy. It also makes a constant, very quiet hissing noise when depressed. My thought is the master cylinder. The seal between the reservoir and the cylinder is leaking and while I'm not sure if that would cause a lack of pressure in the system, I think this is where the issue is, but I don't know.
Electrical: Battery still dies overnight. We currently disconnect the negative when we have it sitting. Something is pulling 2.5amps from the battery while the car is off, so says the multimeter. I haven't had the time to try pulling the relays/fuses, nor have I cleaned the grounds to try and further diagnose this. Car currently resides in Dallas, and myself in Austin, so I'm just trying to plan all this out before the next trip. I was just wondering if anyone could get an idea of what could cause that amount of drain.
Suspension: Passenger front tire was destroyed on the inside like it was running a ridiculous amount of negative camber. I know we can just get the car aligned, but I'm wondering if there is something that could have broken/worn out in the suspension that would cause that to happen?
Transmission: Slight leak, haven't identified just where yet, but the highest dirty part of the transmission was the grommet you pull out to inspect the seals right where the transmission connects to the driveshaft tunnel. Have filled the transaxle with 75-90 oil, but once I get this leak diagnosed will put in the good stuff per this board's recommendations. As it stands, the tranny grinds a tiny bit when cold going in to 2nd and 4th. Once the car warms up to operating temp, no problems whatsoever.
TB/WP: WP leaks. Car came with a box of parts, and inside, a new WP! The old man is going to the DFW gtg and hopefully someone there can tell us whether it's a quality part, or better off getting another one. Sooner or later we'll have to do this, and since we don't know when it was done last, well, sooner is better. I'm hoping with the persuasive power of beer we can convince some locals with experience doing this to help us on this venture when we decide to do it.
So that's it for the mechanical bits. I've got lots of little projects outside of this, lots of little things that need fixing. One I would like to ask advice about is the carpets. We pulled them all out of the car because the rubber backing that keeps the jute in has been worn off in some places, and resulted in a jute-explosion in the car. Problem is, the top, that carpet itself, is in really quite good shape. Is there anything I can do to somehow refurbish the carpets, fix em back up? I'm not looking to make this a concourse car, I just want a fun weekend project, so I'm not looking for like-new condition, just nice
But that's it. I am incredibly excited to learn everything I can about these unique and interesting cars, and look forward to the scraped knuckles, burned hands and grimy fingernails that comes along with working on autos.
P.S. Yes I have the service manual and a torque wrench.
01-02-2009, 06:14 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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Wow that looks like a nice car. The paint looks very good are there any signs of a repaint? I have an 84euro that I got for a good price but needed work which is an ongoing process but it is a driver when I am not involved in a project. I did a TB/WP, oil pan gastket, steering rack boots, Motor mounts, and many other small items. It is definately fun to work on a car that does not have to start up and drive Monday morning to drive to work.
01-02-2009, 06:56 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Congrats... My first 928 was an 82 5-speed. Looks like you have a Competition Package which has the spoilers and better brakes.
Brakes: Sounds like you have a brake master vac leak. When you replace this you should replace the clutch master as it sits right below it and more than likely will need to be replaced. At a minimum replace the "blue hose" that feeds fluid to the clutch system.
Electrical: Check the simple stuff first like are the little red door lights turning off when the door is closed? Clean all the grounds, replace the fuses with quality fuses as cheap knock-offs don't always fit properly.
Suspension: Inner tire wear is common with a bad alignment. These cars cannot be lifted before the alignment. If you do some searches on alignments you will find out more information than you could dream of. I suggest checking your lower front ball joints as the early cars had aluminum joints that can fail. Simple upgrade to steel will solve the problem and give peice of mind but hurt the wallet.
Transmission: I'd double check and make sure that the clutch isn't dragging. If you start the car with the clutch in you should be able to shift into reverse w/o a grind. If you hear a crunch adjust the clutch before you do a lot of driving as you will add stress on the synchros. A fluid change may also help this. I'm not sure about the leak but it sounds like a half shaft seal.
Check the New Visitor's thread at the begining of this section and welcome to the insanity.
Brakes: Sounds like you have a brake master vac leak. When you replace this you should replace the clutch master as it sits right below it and more than likely will need to be replaced. At a minimum replace the "blue hose" that feeds fluid to the clutch system.
Electrical: Check the simple stuff first like are the little red door lights turning off when the door is closed? Clean all the grounds, replace the fuses with quality fuses as cheap knock-offs don't always fit properly.
Suspension: Inner tire wear is common with a bad alignment. These cars cannot be lifted before the alignment. If you do some searches on alignments you will find out more information than you could dream of. I suggest checking your lower front ball joints as the early cars had aluminum joints that can fail. Simple upgrade to steel will solve the problem and give peice of mind but hurt the wallet.
Transmission: I'd double check and make sure that the clutch isn't dragging. If you start the car with the clutch in you should be able to shift into reverse w/o a grind. If you hear a crunch adjust the clutch before you do a lot of driving as you will add stress on the synchros. A fluid change may also help this. I'm not sure about the leak but it sounds like a half shaft seal.
Check the New Visitor's thread at the begining of this section and welcome to the insanity.
01-03-2009, 12:11 AM
#4
Nordschleife Master
Welcome to the club.
We have a little local (Austin) 928 GTG planned for Jan 20th at the Rudy's on 620 (near 2222) at 11:30... Be there or B-square... I am in Cedar Park and as you can see from my pics I have a few of the breed...
Good luck w/ the car... Just about everything you need to know can be found here.
We have a little local (Austin) 928 GTG planned for Jan 20th at the Rudy's on 620 (near 2222) at 11:30... Be there or B-square... I am in Cedar Park and as you can see from my pics I have a few of the breed...
Good luck w/ the car... Just about everything you need to know can be found here.
01-03-2009, 12:30 AM
#5
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Join Date: Dec 2008
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when we got her, and it looks like she was under a tree, I get the impression sap and dirt accumulated on the paint and there are what looks like tiny circles where the paint is flawed. It's worst on the front of the hood. Then again, the price we paid, I'm ridiculously happy with the paint.Wow, thanks for the good info! I was wondering what the option for the spoiler and wheels was. I'll be sure to grab the options and run through them to see exactly what it came with, and if it was an actual comp package car, or just with the pretty parts put on. Time to scour the service manual about clutch adjustment.
Welcome to the club.
We have a little local (Austin) 928 GTG planned for Jan 20th at the Rudy's on 620 (near 2222) at 11:30... Be there or B-square... I am in Cedar Park and as you can see from my pics I have a few of the breed...
Good luck w/ the car... Just about everything you need to know can be found here.
We have a little local (Austin) 928 GTG planned for Jan 20th at the Rudy's on 620 (near 2222) at 11:30... Be there or B-square... I am in Cedar Park and as you can see from my pics I have a few of the breed...
Good luck w/ the car... Just about everything you need to know can be found here.
Of course since the car isn't local (yet) I'd have to show up in the beater, but I'd love to meet the locals and talk about them And yes, I've been spending the past few weeks trying to sponge up everything I can about the cars here on Rennlist.Edit: So the two front tires are going to have to be replaced sometime on account of one being devoured. The car had 225s stock, and the back tires are now 245s. Can we toss another set of 245s on it, or should we stay with 225s up front?
01-03-2009, 01:00 AM
#7
Ok, sorry no one from the DFW crowd has dropped in to say hi, so "hello from the Texas gang"
On the car, looks great on the outside, sounds like it needs some work on the internals. I can say from this part of your post
"So I've fallen in love. I've been bitten and in a near-masochistic state I look forward to spending the next however many months finding problems, swearing, fixing problems, swearing, drinking beer, swearing, finding more problems, swearing. I've been spending a couple weeks trying to find the answers I need to get this back to acceptable mechanical condition, but I haven't quite found what I need.
You are going to fit like a glove in this crowd.
On the car, looks great on the outside, sounds like it needs some work on the internals. I can say from this part of your post
"So I've fallen in love. I've been bitten and in a near-masochistic state I look forward to spending the next however many months finding problems, swearing, fixing problems, swearing, drinking beer, swearing, finding more problems, swearing. I've been spending a couple weeks trying to find the answers I need to get this back to acceptable mechanical condition, but I haven't quite found what I need.
You are going to fit like a glove in this crowd.
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01-03-2009, 01:03 AM
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Oh, and we will be happy to help you. 
01-03-2009, 01:31 AM
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01-03-2009, 08:23 AM
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The DFW crowd will be there unless James changes it to a Tuesday 8>)
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__________________
Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission?
George Layton March 2014
928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."
Does it have the "Do It Yourself" manual transmission, or the superior "Fully Equipped by Porsche" Automatic Transmission?
George Layton March 2014928 Owners are ".....a secret sect of quietly assured Porsche pragmatists who in near anonymity appreciate the prodigious, easy going prowess of the 928."