The Kraken - A Restoration & Modification Diary
10-10-2012, 09:15 PM
#106
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
10-11-2012, 11:26 AM
#108
Former Vendor
That's what I am trying to do in the 928OC events forum. It is so much more enjoyable being at the track with your own kind.
Besides,I'm getting tired of beating up those tail draggers by myself. Mike sure helped out this weekend but there are too many of them!
Besides,I'm getting tired of beating up those tail draggers by myself. Mike sure helped out this weekend but there are too many of them!
10-12-2012, 11:46 AM
#109
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
All of the Watkins Glen videos in one place. I wonder what it will sound like if you hit play on all of them together... [edit: it sounds like my very own NASCAR race!]
03-26-2013, 02:08 PM
#110
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
3/26/13 update - been a while!
Another track weekend under my belt and I gotta say that I'm totally hooked. Here's a thread I started upon my return,
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...our-928-a.html
and some videos:
Roof view:
Day 1 Session 2, pt 1:
Day 1 Session 2, pt 2:
Day 1 Session 2, pt 3:
Day 1, session 2, pt 4:
Wheel view
Day 1, Session 3:
Side view
Day 2, Session 1:
Cockpit view
Day 2, Session 2, pt 1:
Day 2, Session 2, pt 2:
Day 2, Session 2, p. 3:
Before I could get there, of course, the Kraken decided to be, well, the beast from the bottom of the sea that she is. Took it in for pre-race tech, and to see what they could do about it running a little hot on the track, and that turned into a wild-goose chase, ending with a $3500+ repair bill! Ouch.
Replaced and repaired:
timing belt (Gates) & water pump; Porkensioner added
Crankshaft oil seal
Replace right tie rod end
two wheel alignment
axle shaft assembly and boot
R&R intake manifold and all seals
Oil breather hose
knock sensor
oil change
On the way down to VIR, the odometer decided to stop working, and then after the first track day, an apparent power steering leak that I think SSI caused turned into a power steering fluid gush. Awesome. Going back to the shop soon for them to decide if they caused it or not. Plus it still ran hot on the track, so I'm thinking I'll delete the AC, and perform some radiator treatments; this has been extensively discussed in the other thread. It's looking like the Kraken will become the Trackin' Kraken, ultimately, as I really don't enjoy driving it around Baltimore much anymore. Too many potholes and traffic cameras. The other big issue is that to really finish the car, it needs a lot of body and paint work, and some interior work as well. And if I do the paint job, I'd probably never track the car, but then again, I'm averse to doing paint jobs at all because pretty much every time I drive the car I end up behind a dump truck spilling rocks and dirt. Still debating the final call, but I think the AC will come out either way as I never use it anyway.
Current needs: oil pan gasket soon but not imminent; repair power steering leak; resolve track overheating issue; replace coolant expansion tank (developed hairline cracks from the overheating), and yank AC.
Another track weekend under my belt and I gotta say that I'm totally hooked. Here's a thread I started upon my return,
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...our-928-a.html
and some videos:
Roof view:
Day 1 Session 2, pt 1:
Day 1 Session 2, pt 2:
Day 1 Session 2, pt 3:
Day 1, session 2, pt 4:
Wheel view
Day 1, Session 3:
Side view
Day 2, Session 1:
Cockpit view
Day 2, Session 2, pt 1:
Day 2, Session 2, pt 2:
Day 2, Session 2, p. 3:
Before I could get there, of course, the Kraken decided to be, well, the beast from the bottom of the sea that she is. Took it in for pre-race tech, and to see what they could do about it running a little hot on the track, and that turned into a wild-goose chase, ending with a $3500+ repair bill! Ouch.
Replaced and repaired:
timing belt (Gates) & water pump; Porkensioner added
Crankshaft oil seal
Replace right tie rod end
two wheel alignment
axle shaft assembly and boot
R&R intake manifold and all seals
Oil breather hose
knock sensor
oil change
On the way down to VIR, the odometer decided to stop working, and then after the first track day, an apparent power steering leak that I think SSI caused turned into a power steering fluid gush. Awesome. Going back to the shop soon for them to decide if they caused it or not. Plus it still ran hot on the track, so I'm thinking I'll delete the AC, and perform some radiator treatments; this has been extensively discussed in the other thread. It's looking like the Kraken will become the Trackin' Kraken, ultimately, as I really don't enjoy driving it around Baltimore much anymore. Too many potholes and traffic cameras. The other big issue is that to really finish the car, it needs a lot of body and paint work, and some interior work as well. And if I do the paint job, I'd probably never track the car, but then again, I'm averse to doing paint jobs at all because pretty much every time I drive the car I end up behind a dump truck spilling rocks and dirt. Still debating the final call, but I think the AC will come out either way as I never use it anyway.
Current needs: oil pan gasket soon but not imminent; repair power steering leak; resolve track overheating issue; replace coolant expansion tank (developed hairline cracks from the overheating), and yank AC.
07-13-2013, 09:55 PM
#111
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
7/13/13 Update
My last post suggested remedying the PS issue, and the track overheating issue. The PS issue was resolved a while ago, and fortunately I ended up not needing a new rack; just a new pressure side line.
The overheating, though, had gotten progressively worse since VIR. My coolant expansion tank had developed hairline cracks, probably because it was the original, and then subjected to racing conditions. While driving home from VIR, the car ran fine, even cooler than normal. But in the 1,000 or so miles since (odometer gear broke on the way to VIR, so my best guess as to how many miles on the car is based on my typical gas consumption and the number of fill ups since the break; 5 fill ups = rough est. of 1500 miles) the car would run hot when pushed. Made me weary of driving it.
I considered deleting the AC (since the condensor is directly in front of the radiator and the AC system currently is non-op), as well as numerous other possible explanations for the hot running (clogged radiator, expansion tank, bad coolant?!). I was definitely scared that it was a head gasket, but the car never consumed coolant (other than on the track when running crazy hot, but I thought that, too, could be a head gasket symptom) and the dipstick was always clean, the coolant tank always clean, and I wasn't crop dusting. Head gasket coolant has to go somewhere...
Well, today was a big day. I'd ordered a 928 Motorsports All Aluminum Radiator, as well as one of Carl's aluminum expansion tanks. I'd also ordered larger fuel injectors, but then forgot to bring them with me to the shop. Oops. My brother, as many might know, recently purchased a fixer-upper 928 (Hai Gebeissen; my apologies if misspelled) that came missing its radiator, and needing fuel injectors, among other parts.
Upon removing the stock radiator, I was impressed enough with its condition that I decided against deleting the AC. I think I still might, but at a minimum, I can snip the AC compressor drive belt while I decide. Didn't do that, either, though. Still might try to make the AC work. Feeling a little bi-polar on this! Cold feet!
Anyway, while I'd planned to install all of the above, I'm glad I forgot the injectors today. We would never have gotten to them. Installing the expansion tank was insanely difficult. First off, it's gorgeous. Removing the original was a PITA, which came as no surprise given my research. I was able to remove it while leaving the stock air pump fuel pressure regulator looking thingy in place (yeah, scientific term), but not without moving part of the charcoal canister system. I was able to remove the tank with the lower hose in place somehow, and as is typical, the infamous third bolt in the back wasn't there. Phew.
But my fun was just beginning. To even get the aluminum tank into position, I had to remove the aforementioned air pump fuel pressure regulator looking thingy. No way the new tank would have fit with that there, at least not without removing it first. I also spent a good hour trying to slide the lower hose back onto the metal hose from which it had come. Once completed, I realized that while I thought I'd tightened the hose to the bottom of the unit, I hadn't. When I tightened the other end to the metal pipe, the tank end seemed to wiggle a little. Yeah, the hose clamp was loose. Much cursing was enjoyed by all. Starting over, I fortunately spent only 20 minutes reattaching the hose to the metal line after tightening the hose to the bottom of the expansion tank.
Once that was all set, I set about reconnecting the two upper hoses to the reservoir. The nipple extensions that come with the kit are plastic, with two inexplicably large ends. I have no idea why they are this large. On the 928MS website, they are also metal. Either way, they do not like fitting into the stock hoses. After battling with the rear-one for an hour, I removed the nipples from the unit and tried to just press them into the hoses, and then thought I'd hold the hoses steady while threading the nipples into the reservoir. One of the nipples slid in with no trouble, but the other would not fit without modification. Jay, my brother's business partner, cleanly removed the offending nipple end with a whizzer. Even with that removed, it was still a tight fit for the stock hose. But I got it in, and my plan of threading them into the reservoir thereafter worked. All in all, it took 6 hours to R&R the expansion tank. My hands still hurt now, even after two bourbons.
Next up came the radiator. It's a gorgeous piece, as you can see below. But it doesn't come with any of the stock screw on fittings; of course, it's intended or expected that you're replacing an existing radiator, and can reuse those items from the offending radiator. My brother is lacking a radiator entirely, so hopefully he will be able to source these items. After pillaging my old radiator for the missing items, the 928MS radiator appeared to fit like a glove, until I realized that the hood would not be able to close. The
radiator went in without issue, but the lower rubber bumpers had to be folded and pulled out of place for it to go low enough for the hood to close. Once the radiator was successfully lowered, everything was hooked up. Went on without a hitch, and it looks amazing.
Installing the twin screw fan was another fun experience. The stock lower bracket screws were too long, and I thought I'd punched a hole in the lower portion of the radiator after tightening them. Fortunately I hadn't. But MAN that was a nice little heart attack near the end of a very trying day.
We swapped out the screws for shorter units, and got the fan back in place.
We then went to fill the coolant system with the 75/25 water/coolant (zerex G-05 + water wetter) mix. Because of the possible leak, I poured in just distilled water; 3 gallons worth. No leak. Phew. But this left no room for coolant, as we didn't drain the system entirely, apparently. Stock capacity is 16 quarts, or 4 gallons. We pulled out some of the water, added some of the water wetter, and took a test drive.
Ran far cooler than it ever had before. SCORE. What's to blame? Honestly not sure. My gut at the start of the day was torn between a bad radiator cap and the obviously bad expansion tank itself. The existing radiator was in remarkably good shape, and will go into my brother's car. I had some fun driving home, including a tangle with a Viper, but all the while the car ran cool. Indeed, better than ever.
There's plenty more to do, and this was a VERY rough day of wrenching. But I'm resolved to press on, and excited for what lay ahead for me and this car.
My last post suggested remedying the PS issue, and the track overheating issue. The PS issue was resolved a while ago, and fortunately I ended up not needing a new rack; just a new pressure side line.
The overheating, though, had gotten progressively worse since VIR. My coolant expansion tank had developed hairline cracks, probably because it was the original, and then subjected to racing conditions. While driving home from VIR, the car ran fine, even cooler than normal. But in the 1,000 or so miles since (odometer gear broke on the way to VIR, so my best guess as to how many miles on the car is based on my typical gas consumption and the number of fill ups since the break; 5 fill ups = rough est. of 1500 miles) the car would run hot when pushed. Made me weary of driving it.
I considered deleting the AC (since the condensor is directly in front of the radiator and the AC system currently is non-op), as well as numerous other possible explanations for the hot running (clogged radiator, expansion tank, bad coolant?!). I was definitely scared that it was a head gasket, but the car never consumed coolant (other than on the track when running crazy hot, but I thought that, too, could be a head gasket symptom) and the dipstick was always clean, the coolant tank always clean, and I wasn't crop dusting. Head gasket coolant has to go somewhere...
Well, today was a big day. I'd ordered a 928 Motorsports All Aluminum Radiator, as well as one of Carl's aluminum expansion tanks. I'd also ordered larger fuel injectors, but then forgot to bring them with me to the shop. Oops. My brother, as many might know, recently purchased a fixer-upper 928 (Hai Gebeissen; my apologies if misspelled) that came missing its radiator, and needing fuel injectors, among other parts.
Upon removing the stock radiator, I was impressed enough with its condition that I decided against deleting the AC. I think I still might, but at a minimum, I can snip the AC compressor drive belt while I decide. Didn't do that, either, though. Still might try to make the AC work. Feeling a little bi-polar on this! Cold feet!
Anyway, while I'd planned to install all of the above, I'm glad I forgot the injectors today. We would never have gotten to them. Installing the expansion tank was insanely difficult. First off, it's gorgeous. Removing the original was a PITA, which came as no surprise given my research. I was able to remove it while leaving the stock air pump fuel pressure regulator looking thingy in place (yeah, scientific term), but not without moving part of the charcoal canister system. I was able to remove the tank with the lower hose in place somehow, and as is typical, the infamous third bolt in the back wasn't there. Phew.
But my fun was just beginning. To even get the aluminum tank into position, I had to remove the aforementioned air pump fuel pressure regulator looking thingy. No way the new tank would have fit with that there, at least not without removing it first. I also spent a good hour trying to slide the lower hose back onto the metal hose from which it had come. Once completed, I realized that while I thought I'd tightened the hose to the bottom of the unit, I hadn't. When I tightened the other end to the metal pipe, the tank end seemed to wiggle a little. Yeah, the hose clamp was loose. Much cursing was enjoyed by all. Starting over, I fortunately spent only 20 minutes reattaching the hose to the metal line after tightening the hose to the bottom of the expansion tank.
Once that was all set, I set about reconnecting the two upper hoses to the reservoir. The nipple extensions that come with the kit are plastic, with two inexplicably large ends. I have no idea why they are this large. On the 928MS website, they are also metal. Either way, they do not like fitting into the stock hoses. After battling with the rear-one for an hour, I removed the nipples from the unit and tried to just press them into the hoses, and then thought I'd hold the hoses steady while threading the nipples into the reservoir. One of the nipples slid in with no trouble, but the other would not fit without modification. Jay, my brother's business partner, cleanly removed the offending nipple end with a whizzer. Even with that removed, it was still a tight fit for the stock hose. But I got it in, and my plan of threading them into the reservoir thereafter worked. All in all, it took 6 hours to R&R the expansion tank. My hands still hurt now, even after two bourbons.
Next up came the radiator. It's a gorgeous piece, as you can see below. But it doesn't come with any of the stock screw on fittings; of course, it's intended or expected that you're replacing an existing radiator, and can reuse those items from the offending radiator. My brother is lacking a radiator entirely, so hopefully he will be able to source these items. After pillaging my old radiator for the missing items, the 928MS radiator appeared to fit like a glove, until I realized that the hood would not be able to close. The
radiator went in without issue, but the lower rubber bumpers had to be folded and pulled out of place for it to go low enough for the hood to close. Once the radiator was successfully lowered, everything was hooked up. Went on without a hitch, and it looks amazing.
Installing the twin screw fan was another fun experience. The stock lower bracket screws were too long, and I thought I'd punched a hole in the lower portion of the radiator after tightening them. Fortunately I hadn't. But MAN that was a nice little heart attack near the end of a very trying day.
We swapped out the screws for shorter units, and got the fan back in place.
We then went to fill the coolant system with the 75/25 water/coolant (zerex G-05 + water wetter) mix. Because of the possible leak, I poured in just distilled water; 3 gallons worth. No leak. Phew. But this left no room for coolant, as we didn't drain the system entirely, apparently. Stock capacity is 16 quarts, or 4 gallons. We pulled out some of the water, added some of the water wetter, and took a test drive.
Ran far cooler than it ever had before. SCORE. What's to blame? Honestly not sure. My gut at the start of the day was torn between a bad radiator cap and the obviously bad expansion tank itself. The existing radiator was in remarkably good shape, and will go into my brother's car. I had some fun driving home, including a tangle with a Viper, but all the while the car ran cool. Indeed, better than ever.
There's plenty more to do, and this was a VERY rough day of wrenching. But I'm resolved to press on, and excited for what lay ahead for me and this car.
07-13-2013, 11:04 PM
#113
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
07-15-2013, 10:26 AM
#116
Developer
Nice write-up, Courtshark.
Yes, when installing our radiator, we expect you have a stock radiator to remove the upper vent fitting from and just transfer over tot he new rad. Didn't know you needed one - we keep them in stock. I could have saved you a headache.
Looking at the close-up of the fins all clogged and stuffed in your old radiator - no doubt that was a big factor in your previous high temp problem. Glad its fixed!
Yes, when installing our radiator, we expect you have a stock radiator to remove the upper vent fitting from and just transfer over tot he new rad. Didn't know you needed one - we keep them in stock. I could have saved you a headache.
Looking at the close-up of the fins all clogged and stuffed in your old radiator - no doubt that was a big factor in your previous high temp problem. Glad its fixed!
07-15-2013, 11:28 AM
#117
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Nice write-up, Courtshark.
Yes, when installing our radiator, we expect you have a stock radiator to remove the upper vent fitting from and just transfer over tot he new rad. Didn't know you needed one - we keep them in stock. I could have saved you a headache.
Looking at the close-up of the fins all clogged and stuffed in your old radiator - no doubt that was a big factor in your previous high temp problem. Glad its fixed!
Yes, when installing our radiator, we expect you have a stock radiator to remove the upper vent fitting from and just transfer over tot he new rad. Didn't know you needed one - we keep them in stock. I could have saved you a headache.
Looking at the close-up of the fins all clogged and stuffed in your old radiator - no doubt that was a big factor in your previous high temp problem. Glad its fixed!
Any explanation for why the expansion tank nipples are so oddly shaped? And plastic?
And yes, the clogged fins -- basically the lower 1/5th of the radiator -- was obviously obstructed. My brother plans to go to town on it to clean it up and hopefully be able to use it in his S4.
07-15-2013, 12:14 PM
#118
Developer
Ah, I understand. No, we do not automatically provide those hose end adapters, they are considered part of the hose - not part of the radiator. You were correct to remove them from the old radiator and move them over to the new radiator.
I do carry some good used ones in stock for those customers that (for whatever reason) can't recover theirs from the old radiator or just don't have them.
Please let me know if there is anything else you may need.
I do carry some good used ones in stock for those customers that (for whatever reason) can't recover theirs from the old radiator or just don't have them.
Please let me know if there is anything else you may need.
07-15-2013, 03:45 PM
#119
Carl, do you know if the oil cooler line fittings that Mike had to transfer over to the new radiator are unique to 1987 and newer, or can I find these on an older 928? My car is getting his old radiator, so I need these fittings (as well as the aluminum bracket and clips for the expansion tank to radiator hose that runs across the top of the radiator). Thanks.
07-15-2013, 04:28 PM
#120
Developer
I think you are talking about PN 900 915 003 02 "screw socket" and if so, those on earlier rads will fit later rads too.
If you dont have them and need them, I have them here.
I also have special adapters if you would rather convert to all stainless steel braided lines:
http://www.928motorsports.com/parts/...g_adapters.php
If you dont have them and need them, I have them here.
I also have special adapters if you would rather convert to all stainless steel braided lines:
http://www.928motorsports.com/parts/...g_adapters.php