Just got back from a 'spirited' drive. Actually two.

While idling, the car seemed to run "hot" (according to the temp gauge.) I tried:

- squeezing upper radiator hose to "burp" air out of it.
- squeezing lower radiator hose
- running the car for ten minutes, heater full blast, coolant reservoir cap off
- driving hard (rev up to 6krpm)

I think that "burping" the car did something since I had to add a 1/2 pint of coolant to the tank. However, temp gauge still all the way to second white line- and it is 20F outside. It never read that hot except on very hot days.

...and better still, the whistling noise is back. It is a faint whistling noise. Not as bad as the first, but still there.

...and better still, after applying Dynamat to the door panels, resoldering speaker wires, cleaning and lubing the lock mechanism, thoroughly testing the central locking (it hadn't worked in six years and was working perfectly!), putting new door panel clips on the doors... the driver's side lock decided not to turn- after I buttoned everything up!

Banner day for my 86.5. It is a great car but it can be frustrating.

 

Regarding the engine temp, are you sure that it is running that hot?
You can confirm that with a temp gun.

You changed the coolant temp sensor? Right?
Maybe something's wrong there. Or the temp gauge itself.

 

Connector to the temp sensor nice and clean?

 

I didn't change the coolant temp sensor, but I cleaned the cr*p out of it. Perhaps I damaged it in my zeal? I will buy an IR gun tomorrow to check temperatures.

 

i "burped" mine by loosing the sensor to get the air out of the bridge. Was not much, but might do the trick. :-) the connector on mine was trash too, corrosion was up the wire. Could be the same for you. And it damaged maybe? The wire that is

 

Glad you have the engine running,
replace the temp sensor.
cut off the female connectors and installing new connectors,
cut back the wire till you find fresh wire
solder them on, then heat shrink the connectors .

NOTE the female connectors are 2 different sizes so they can only go one way.

Did you replace the rear thermostat seal?
Swap out the coolant bottle cap with a factory part?
The system is self bleeding so no hose removal is necessary.
run to temp with the heat on then drive it for 5 miles,
then let it cool off with the cap on,
then top up as necessary.

For the door locks 2 things can cause it to bind one is the lock **** surround if its too tight will cause the lock to bind try loosening it half turn ,
it should be just past snug with the palm of your hand.

Next the lock **** itself could have been overtightened try loosening the screw a few turns.

Its a good idea to lubricate the lock mechanism prior to install of the water drip panels and the vapor barrier.

 

Thank you Stan for your hints. I actually read up on your tips from previous threads, so I did everything you suggested already, except replacing the temp sensor, which I will do.

I did this, although I crimped instead of soldered.

Yes, I replaced all the seals in the coolant bridge and thermostat seal.

Yes, the coolant reservoir cap is six months old and is a factory part.

Yes, I did this. I will do it again tomorrow.

I took the lock surround off and it is still binding.

I took the lock **** off also.

Still, the same result:
- When pressing the central lock button in the center console, the locks lock, the driver's lock clicks, and then the locks unlock.
- When attempting to lock the driver's side lock, the lock will not turn.

I cleaned out the lock mechanism with Brakleen, dried, and then lubricated with white lithium grease.

 

Thanks for your post, Ducman. There was tons of corrosion on the connector, and I ended up cutting the connectors off, and crimping brand-new female spade terminals on. I put heat shrink on before crimping, and after crimping used a barbecue lighter to get the heat shrink to hug the new terminal.

 

Wire look ok?

 

The terminals looked f***ing awful when I pulled them off.



I cut back enough wire to get a nice copper color.

 

Yup, looked like mine did.........

 

I would install new connectors and solder them on to good clean wire,
its a sure bet the wire you crimped is corroded and not making good contact

 

You may actually need to replace portions of the harnesses with corrosion like that. I did. A bad harness can cause all kinds of problems that will have you chasing your tail.

 

I brought it into the local Porsche shop, and with the help of a smoke machine, we figured out that the two hoses coming out of the Idle Stabilizer Valve needed to be clamped in better. I was a little gun shy tightening the hose clamps on the ISV because of this thread which I started. For other newbies like me: make sure you tighten the hose clamps good and tight, otherwise there will be a whistling noise that will drive you crazy.

The other thing we found was that there was smoke escaping, of all places, the oil dipstick. I ordered new O-rings for both the dipstick and dipstick sheath. I hope this will help.

As for the temperature issue, I discovered that one of the lines to the coolant reservoir was routed in a way that water could not travel to the coolant bridge. I rerouted it.

This post from Borland was extremely helpful to me.

I just drained the coolant reservoir and was shocked that only about 3.5 gallons drained out (even though the coolant reservoir was filled to the 'full' line.) I must have had an air pocket, which would have exacerbated the situation.

 

Sounds like progress. But - I doubt you got 3.5 gallons out of the reservoir.