hwyengr

The electric condenser fan doesn't even turn on until the 2nd white line. If the factory wanted it cooler, well, it would turn on sooner.

I think people have gotten lulled by the fake gauges in newer cars that the coolant temps stay constant all the time. They don't.

Adk46

You are going to enjoy this car, Seth, and the car is going to enjoy you as an owner. Well done.

Ditto on the temperature gage. Modern Porsches display 175F as long as the actual temperature is in the normal range. I would say that all the gages on my 928 are fairly normal, which is to say kinda wonky, at least from a modern perspective. It takes some getting used to.

Imo000

It's not a key FOB, just a button for the small light. You can get the missing parts or a compete best head.

skpyle

Alright, time to update this thread:

It is now early Tuesday morning. I have driven the Red Witch to work last night. Other than the intermittent phantom 'coolant' indicator, she is running great.

I ran her around yesterday showing her off to my cronies.

I now have some good troubleshooting advice for the inop AC system. I will replace the HVAC relay, and add a fuse at the antifreeze switch, as well as relays for the compressor clutch and condenser cooling fan.

Yesterday, I replaced the battery and ground strap. Did not notice any real improvement in starting, which was not bad to begin with.


This weekend sucked rocks for the most part. Nothing went as planned, but I did spend quality time with my family. They 'oohed and aaahed' at the Red Witch, and enjoyed going for rides.
The road trip started poorly, but smoothed out. I did not make anywhere near as good of time as I wanted. That is mainly because I got lost, and took my time at pit stops. The Red Witch ran 80mph for most of the trip. She averaged a little over 20mpg, and sucked down almost 27 gallons of high octane fuel.

So, now I get used to living with a 1986.5 Porsche 928S. I am going to post further updates in my 'Sh*t eating grin' thread or new threads as appropriate.


To respond to all who followed my posts this weekend:

dr bob: Thanks for the vote of confidence. It made me quite upset that the Red Witch was not ready on time. However, I understand why Auto Assets took so long, and am grateful for that kind of attention to detail. Plus, there is now a 5 page list of things they took care of that I don't have to worry about anymore.

My road trip got off to a rocky start, but not because of the Red Witch. I noticed that she just ran. She ate up the miles. Before I knew it, I was blowing through Cincinnati, heading into Kentucky. That was the whole trip. Once we hit the highways, she just settled in and ran.
I will look back fondly on this road trip as the start to a long 928 relationship.



supercedar: well said!



zaevor2000: Thanks! Yes, it was very much worth the wait.



OTR18WHEELER: Thanks Farris! Pics will be coming.



buccicone: Thanks for all the help! I have been having fun since I took the wheel.



marine928: I am definitely now a member of the 928 secret society!
I am not going to say that I will take a road trip for no apparent reason, but this one was not so bad in a 928.



buccicone: Thanks for the info on your console experience. I did notice this. With the AC on, everything on the console got cooler. Hmmm...
Makes sense about the odometer gears.



supercedar: I am a little confused. If I close the windows and sunroof, it becomes quite warm inside the cabin. I don't understand how this will cool the switches and such.



bureau13: Thanks for the experience on engine temp. So far, it has operated like this for the past couple of days. Running down the road, at the first white line. Idling, creeps up to just under the second white line. I will work on being less anxious now that I know this is a relatively normal condition.
I will be thinking about refilling the fan clutch.



zekgb: The cooling system is full of fresh Zerex G-05, distilled water, and Redline Water Wetter. The thermostat and seals are new. However, the fan clutch has probably lost its silicone fluid, and I have not had the radiator out yet. Probably a good idea to check.



Imo000: Good to know, thanks!



zaevor2000: I agree, no better way to get to know a car than a nice long road trip. I did enjoy it, and am enjoying the journey into the Shark Tank!



hwyengr: I didn't know the condenser fan also came on due to engine temperature. I thought it was only for the AC. Good to know.
I know what you mean. Good luck finding an actual set of 'gauges' in a newer car today.



Adk46: Thank you for the kind words! Good to know on the temps.



Imo000: Ah, did not know I could get parts. Yeah, I didn't think 'FOB' was the right word, but I was grasping. I will start looking through PET and see what I come up with.


Thanks everyone!

Seth K. Pyle

dr bob

Seth--

You stated earlier a symptom where the idle fell back when you disconnected the anti-freeze switch. That tells me that the relay in the control head is fine. If it was failing, you would have very low voltage at the switch and the idle booster solenoid already, so disconnecting it wouldn't do anything.

Grab a copy of Dwayne's write-up that includes the diagnostic procedure for the system. Follow that before you tear into anything.

And, while not wanting to throw sand on your new-owner fire, the Most Common Cause of your symptom is leaks in the AC system, causing the charge level to drop and the low-pressure safety switch to open. If the system hasn't been resealed completely, here's the opportunity to fix it once and enjoy it forever.

FWIW, I had the same experience when I took delivery in Denver and drove home to Los Angeles area way back when. PO had the AC recharged for me just prior to pick-up. A couple months later, no AC. At least it worked all the way home for me. Solution was a full system reseal and replace for rubber bits. Converted to R-134a and I've never looked back.

Enjoy the new car!

skpyle

dr bob: Thanks for your advice!
That makes sense. Due to the drop in idle, I believed 12VDC was coming out of the controller.
I am still going to install separate fused relays for the compressor clutch and condenser fan, as well as put an inline fuse at the freeze switch.

You are right. Tomorrow I will get my gauges out and see what kind of refrigerant pressure is in the system. PO had the AC system resealed and converted to R134a back in the early 2000's. Broker topped off the refrigerant earlier this year.

I will check pressures and go from there. If I need to reseal the system, I need to reseal the system. So be it.

I will start a new thread chronicaling my AC efforts.


Thanks again!

Seth K. Pyle

Imo000

If the broker topped off the AC, then the system is leaking. Find the leak and fix it or it will slowly get worse and worse.

skpyle

I agree. I will probably recover what is left in the system, then pull a vacuum on it to see how bad the leak is.

Time to look for a seal kit.


Seth K. Pyle