1983 928S
 

New owner here, just picked up the car a couple weeks ago as a project and I could not take this on without some of the great resources online. I've been working out some electrical gremlins and ended up doing an LED lighting conversion except for headlight and fogs. It needs a fair amount of work just to pass inspection, it seems as though virtually everything is original meaning dry rotted brake hoses, loose tie rods, ball joints, wheel bearings etc. I will be replacing all fuel hoses, water pump, belts, weeping cam seals, and some fun stuff like electric fan conversion, air pump delete, and full exhaust.
The engine runs great but on a cold start the idle revs up/down continuously between say 800 - 1800RPM until it warms up and then it has a steady idle with a stumble here and there. All vacuum lines have been replaced. Could this be caused by a bad "vacuum limiter" valve?
Another odd thing, this is a manual and I've replaced the shifter bushings and rear shift coupler which had no bushings left and the stick leans to the right. It takes the normal amount of tension to bring it to the middle and then double that to go full left to shift into rev or 1st. Has anyone experienced this? Not a huge deal but weird. Thanks in advance and for the awesome how-to's on here.

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Wow !
Great looking car, congratulations ! ! !

Welcome !!!!

the shift coupler in the rear needs to be rotated at the shift rod it adjusts both in and out as well ....you are probably hitting the console when you go for 1st-reverse...

Well even at the transaxle input shaft it stays rotated. You know how you let go of the shifter in neutral and spring pressure should move it between 2/3rd? It is as if my springs that should oppose each other are on the same side. Hard to explain.
Oh another annoyance, the blasted early style seat switches! Lots of info on the later four way style but I haven't found anything about these. My driver seat only moves back. I've opened, cleaned, and fiddled with the little leaf springs inside but cannot get them working 100%. I know the motors all work by using a good switch from the passenger seat. At over $70 bucks a piece someone must have figured out how to fix these.

Congratulations, on your new acquistion.

Brian.

It's 100% correct and normal for the shifter to center in the 4-5 gate.

Hugo

Oh really? Is that a trait of dogleg gearboxes in general?

Good question, I don't know. I believe the later 928's with modern-style synchronizers center in the 2-3 gate.

Hugo

Nice looking car. I recommend getting the fan shroud. Your venturi intake tubes right now suck hot air straight from the engine bay. The upper shroud part has vents for the tubes to attach to, and pull from above and in front of the radiator where the air is cooler. 928 International sells them used.
As to your cold start idle issues, not sure what is going on there. I do not believe the L-jet uses a cold start injector, but I do not know for sure. My 78 is a mechanical CIS injection system (K-jet) that uses a cold start injector, and what you describe is what happens if that injector goes bad. You have a MAF I believe, and so your issue could be related to that. Hopefully somebody with more knowledge of the 83/84 will chime in.

My old merc used to have the cold hunting issue and this was caused by the idle being set too high, the ECU sees the idle position on the throttle but too many revs and thinks its in overrun and cuts the fuel until the idle drops. This only happened at idle and cold when more air is being added by the bypass valve as well. Could be a big vacuum leak or badly adjusted idle bypass screw.

So I am in teardown mode. I wasn't planning on going as far as I am but the further I get I think "well, while I'm in there..." The steering rack developed a leak while the tie rods were hanging overnight, so I have a rebuilt rack coming, power steering pump rebuild kit, and hoses.

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It looks impossible to replace the exhaust manifolds without removing the center cross member so now I will be changing the engine mounts and dropping the oil pan since it is leaking. Oh and as it turns out I have the dreaded aluminium lower ball joint mounts. So were these officially recalled but some people never went to get them replaced?

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Now I've got a couple questions, I found this plug or cap on the ground and if it belongs on the car maybe someone will recognize it.

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While taking out the clutch slave I found this kind of toothed washer loose in the viewport. How critical is this part?

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thats the washer that keeps the boot on the slave.

A- Ha ! ! You have found the "While-You-Are-In-There" rabbit hole ! !:cheers:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...83d12b8964.jpg
There are many different entrances to the 928 Rabbit Hole. I found mine by way of a cam tower leak.:roflmao:
Have fun, take your time, and ENJOY the trip. If you start getting frustrated, just take a deep breath and think about how AWESOME your car will be when you get finished :thumbup:

Good luck ! ! !

Dan

Hmm I don't see it on the PET. Looks like I'll have to drop the clutch housing to get it out though, the clutch release lever is in the way to come out the front clutch slave port.
EDIT: I have found it looking at pictures of new clutch slave cylinders, I wonder how it came out.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...34a05d2f63.jpg





Yeah it is a rabbit hole, I've now spent as much on parts as I paid for the vehicle but I see it as a good cause. I can tell there is a lot of deferred maintenance when I see made in West Germany stamped on parts but I am pleasantly surprised how easy it is to work on a vehicle of this age. I seem to be constantly battling seized bolts on vehicles that are only a few years old. So far so good.

So Ducman82 you were right on. My clutch slave cylinder must have been replaced because it had its own 'toothed washer' in place. I dropped the clutch inspection cover which was remarkably easy and the stray part fell right out.
Next I removed the old upper A arm ball joints which I thought would be a major battle, again I found this satisfyingly easy. The old epoxy chipped right out. Since the A-arms are coming out to replace the bushings I will wait to install the new ball joints so I can clean up the A arms.

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Then I was able to completely remove the air pump system :evilgrin:

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I took off the passenger side rear cam cover and found the bolts very loose but I have a question, there were only three bolts but there are four holes in the cover. Also, made in Canada? Has this been replaced in the past with the wrong part? I haven't taken the driver side cover off yet to compare.

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I've also taken out the passenger fuel rail and injectors and if you look closely at the one on the right it is a different style with a pin sticking out. Is this non OEM and should I source a correct injector?

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That's all for today.

cover is used on both sides. so it as a hole for each side, with one un used.

So another productive day is done. I've got the intake spider off but I'm concerned about lots of carbon buildup in the legs. I had a hard time trying to get a clear photo. The intake ports look a bit better.

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I got the injectors off the fuel rails to send them to WitchHunter for rebuild. This was really tedious using only wire cutters. I see that the one injector is not different but actually the pintle cap is broken. Not sure if that had any effects but clearly they are in need of a cleanup.

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Then I drained the coolant and what came out is a disgusting murky brown liquid with lots of sediment. So that meant the radiator comes out and reservoir. Once everything is buttoned up I'd like to flush out the engine as best I can, are there any recommended products for this?

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Here you can see the staining and sediment behind the water pump. A previous water pump started to bore into the block but this one was tight with no wear on the impeller. It probably didn't have many miles on it but I don't know the history so out it goes. The wear is barely discernable by touch.

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I'd like some advice, the cam sprockets are shiny but the shape is still good and the old belt, though I don't know how many miles it has looked great. Am I OK for the two to three thousand miles I will put on it this summer? In the fall/winter I have all the time in the world to replace them.

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I took off and changed oring and seal on oil pump, everything looked good there, no play at all.

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Wow! You are ambitious and it would appear, moving forward. Keep up the good work!

Although the timing gears are worn, they will not disintegrate in 3,000 miles. Kind of like brake pads on a rotor below minimum specification....might as well run the pads until they hit metal....isn't going to hurt the rotor any more than it already is.

Run them, fix later.

That black cap in one of your first posts, if you haven't figured it out, is for the brake pin that removes the caliper. There's two rubber boots on each side....the cap plugs the rubber boot to keep moisture and dirt out.

Great, the car has 73k miles so I'm sure they are original sprockets. I carefully rotated the cam twice around so I know it is non interference. And about the cap, I recognized the "Alu" mark on it matched the mark on other parts so I new it came off the car but could not figure it out so thanks!


Now the vacuum decel valve; I suspected it was the cause of my up-and-down idle problem at startup. I took it off and was going to cap the ports but out of curiosity I played with it a bit. At first when I put vacuum on it I couldn't blow through the big ports but after a few cycles it started to open up right around 20 in. Hg. Anyone know if that is about right? Is there something I can spray in to juice up the seals? And if the ports were stuck closed before the cause of my problem is somewhere else I think.

So I didn't have much time yesterday since I had to replace the wheel bearings on my daily driver but the accomplishment was that I got the crank pulley off. It was on there pretty well and so I had to sacrifice the washer behind it and use a two jaw puller.

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The seal was definitely the cause of most of the oil leaking, the belt was picking it up and whipping it around. I was going to replace all the front cam seals but I'll leave them alone for now. It was nice of them to leave a channel to remove the crank seal but it wasn't helping much so I did it the easy way; the old drill a hole and insert a screw method. It popped right out.

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Now it's time to cut some 4x4s to support the engine following the guide at dwaynes garage so I can drop the cross member, oil pan, remove upper A arm, and replace engine mounts.

So I notice the clutch arm bushing is totally missing.

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Here is my engine support system. I was able to avoid removing the hood by tying a rope to an overhead beam and around the latch.

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Here is the cross member out:

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The engine mounts were pretty tired, especially the driver side.

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Even with the cross member out it is going to be a pain to get the exhaust manifold out. Two studs are missing and I tried the easily accessible one at the front and it was not even finger tight, though only half came out :(

Nice work MM, but close off those holes while doing work! I noticed on one of the above pictures where you are pulling the crank pulley off, and there is a gaping hole in the oil pan where the tube was removed. That hole is just waiting for a washer or a bolt to fall in there, without you even knowing it😩 I always close off holes into the block as soon as I open them. Paper towel, cardboard cut out whatever.

That's correct, only opens at the extreme most vacuum when you shut the throttle to keep the RPMs from falling too rapidly. All cars do this, controlled by the ECU instead of a vacuum system.

Without the decel valve, anything but a "speed shift" the RPM's will fall to or below idle before you let the clutch out of the next gear. This can be very annoying in street driving since you should blip the throttle before letting the clutch out to match RPM's. These clutches are not cheap, no sense in beating it up with every "normal" shift.......

On a 100% dedicated track car, that's a different story. For street driving, you gain nothing by removing it.

With the valved removed from an L-Jet car, you should also disconnect the idle switch. That switch cuts fuel momentarily so the injectors are not spraying on decel wasting fuel and will also cause that "snap/crackle/pop" Camaro sound as that raw fuel is ignited in the exhaust. The combination of no decel valve and disconnected idle switch can also cause the engine to stall in between shifts.

linderpat do not worry, the oil pan is coming off for a good power washing and new gasket ;)

Hacker-Pschorr what you describe is how the engine was acting before and I was having to blip the throttle between shifts because the revs dropped so rapidly. I think this was because the valve was not opening like it should have. Thanks for the advice, I will put it back on since it has unseized and appears to be operating as it should.

MM,
Congratulations on jumping right in there to correct the deferred maintenance on this car.

I would use the silicon rear cam cover gaskets from Roger.

Also, if you are not done already, don't forget to raise your engine about an inch before attempting to reinstall the crossmember. You will need that additional space dealing with the new motor mounts.

Good job and good luck.

Rear cam cover gaskets are already done. The previous owner had silicon gaskets from an outfit in Tennessee I think. There was an orange label inside.

Yeah I raised the engine about 3/4" already but probably need a bit more space.

I meant to post "NOT done already" :) Corrected my post, but not before you quoted it. Sorry.

If you raise the engine as high as it will go (the limiting factor is typically the firewall at the bellhousing), it does make it much easier to fit the motor mounts and the crossmember back in place.

So I am debating complete engine removal, the exhaust manifolds are giving me a good fight and so far three exhaust studs are broken - and I didn't do it! They were finger tight and the broken ends are dirty. There is just not enough room in there.
Then if I am this far I might as well do the headgaskets and piston rings but I really don't want to go that far. I'm still in good spirits but I just got deeper into the hole.

Are you planning on removing the cam towers anyway? With the cam towers removed, you gain a lot of access to the exhaust manifold bolts.
They are prone to leaking and Greg makes an upgraded rubber gasket over the factory paper one.

Once in that far, if you still decide to remove the heads, your most of the way there already.

Did you do a compression or leak-down? This isn't an iron block Chevy, unless there are compression issues people rarely do a ring job. I replaced the head gaskets on my 81 prior to supercharging and didn't touch the rings.

However.......doing the cam tower gaskets is a lot easier with the engine out of the car but it isn't necessary. I recently replaced the gasket on my passenger side cam tower.

With the proper two tools it's not the end of the world taking them off with the engine in the car:


http://www.928motorsports.com/parts/camtool.php


Had it been mentioned to upgrade to the stainless manifolds from an 85/86 car? I did this in my 81, you have to elongate a couple of holes on the manifold (the front ones I think) and add a spacer to the passenger side between your CAT pipe and the manifold. About 1 1/2" if memory serves.

No I was not planning on removing the cam towers. They still look well sealed other than the rear covers which I did already. The engine ran smoothly before so I will leave the internals alone.
I have 928 Motorsports headers coming that's the only reason I am messing with the exhaust.

OK engine is out. About midway through some crazy thunderstorm came through and seemed like a bad omen but it went smoothly. I battled a bit yesterday with the intermediate shaft moving back with the coupling but finally separated the two and dropped the clutch out. It looks to be pretty fresh and I didn't take much time to mess with it but how does it come apart? I'd like to juice up the throwout bearing.

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Here it is on the way up

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The bright side is I now have plenty of access to replace the front shifter cup on the torque tube.

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I also removed the exhaust manifolds which are surprisingly heavy and removed the studs that were left. That was easy as could be when you have plenty of room. The studs appear to be high quality so I don't know why four of them snapped off.
Any suggestions now that the engine bay is wide open? The clutch and brake systems operated well but there is a blue cloth covered hose that is ratty looking.
Oh and my 'green wire' connector disintegrated when I unplugged it and I just about got sick when I saw the price of the replacement. Crazy glue will do for now :p

Huh, I never knew that trick. One more for the cranial tool box. Nice!

Great posts btw way. Love all the detailed pics. Keep up the good work!

I'm glad I could give back and show someone a trick. Just go slowly to avoid damaging the bearing or surfaces behind the seal when the drill breaks through.

Moving at a great pace. Congratulations on a nice looking car.
Now is the time to change the infamous blue hose for the clutch system with the new "black" covered blue hose from Roger.

Brake booster looks very clean and shows no signs of leaking around the rubber seals and grommets from the pic, so I would leave it alone.

Have you checked the vacuum of the heater valve?


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Clutch disassembly is covered in the WSM. V2, page 30-17. You have the shims in, so it's pretty simple.

Ah I knew it would be good to ask, I'll check the area more carefully, the blue hose is a hydraulic line right? I know the heater valve is brand new, replaced by the PO but I have no idea if the mechanisms that operate it work. As an aside, the AC system is charged but blows warm air.

So press down on thrust washer and remove snap ring, that sounds easy enough.

I can now see why it is known as the infamous blue hose, I can't even see where it goes and that's with full access sitting in the engine bay. Everything looks good though.

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I looked at the heater valve and the connector to the vacuum tube was so loose it fell off and that is now fixed. Now the one eyesore on the car was the radiator support that someone tried using as a jacking point and bent. I was able to persuade back to level with a piece of 2x4 and a 3# hammer.

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Lastly I found evidence of a furry friend living in the torque tube:

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That's some good work with a 3# hammer!!!

Things are going well, I received the headers and Y pipe, just waiting for the Borla cat-back portion of the exhaust.

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My neighbor helped me pull the engine outdoors so I could power wash the caked on oil and more importantly the coolant passages. This worked out really well and took a while for the water to start coming out clear.

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I've dropped the oil pan and am happy to find no sludge at all.

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I also received my fuel injectors, they weren't too bad but three were rated with a fair spray pattern. Now that they are clean I see 1 through 8 numbers etched on them, was that done from the factory?

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I've got to do some more cleaning but I'm pretty excited to flip the lever on my wrench to tighten bolts and reassemble.

So yesterday started off well, I reinstalled the cleaned up oil pan.

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Then I attacked the broken exhaust studs. The only option was a bolt extractor and the first two came out alright but the extractor broke off in the third and my drill bit broke in the fourth. I was very careful since I knew the risks. I'm not going to worry about it, there was no exhaust leak before and now I will have two more new studs. If/when I rebuild the engine I will let professionals in a machine shop handle it.

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I replaced the main fuel hoses, this was the easiest task on the car so far. I used the hacksaw method to get the fittings off.

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Then I took the opportunity to replace the shifter ball cup with the unit from 928 Motorsports. This was quite a frustrating task even with the torque tube left to hang down and me sitting in the engine bay. I wasn't able to get it adjusted as tight as I would like but it will have to do.

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Killer progress as always! Sweet engine hoist BTW.

Good work!

So I was away to visit family but I'm back and rebuilt the power steering pump. The outer O-ring was trashed so this should solve the leak.

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You jumped right in . Very impressed . You need a Temp 2 sensor for your idle most likely when cold .

I do need to take readings from the temp sensor and thermo time switch and see if they are in spec.


I tinkered a bit today and my perfectionism kicked in and I revisited the front shifter ball cup. This really has me stumped. I reluctantly removed the shifter and destroyed a couple of the plastic bushings I had just replaced to try and spin the rod but with the shape at the end being off axis to the rod it is not possible to turn it more than about 45 degrees to each side from center till it hits the foam insulation thing. Even if that was removed I think the torque tube would be in the way. There is the alternative of using the stock cup with a new bushing.


Looking ahead I think it would be easier to install the center cross member then dropping the engine on it.
Can anyone recommend a shop for alignment around the Easton PA area? I am willing to drive about 50 miles, the suspension will have to settle anyway and I have new front tires to be replaced.

Let me know if I can help with the adjustment of our Shifter Ball Cup.

Thank you for the offer. I went in determined to work non-stop until it was adjusted to my taste. It took me two hours and wow did my legs hurt when I got up but I got it perfect. I do not have nearly so much exposed thread as the above picture, the lock nuts are only about 3mm from touching, but the shifter is just right in the car, a few degrees back from vertical.
In my opinion this would be impossible to install without at least dropping the front of TT as I did. Although I cannot drive for a real test, I can say that the shifting action feels way more direct even though the stock ball cup and bushing had very minimal play.

Well said. Yes, you can adjust the drag on our ball cup so you can get it very "right" and remove the play that even a brand new nylon cup has.

And Yes - it's a bear. We do recommend either that you replace the ball cup when you do your motor mounts (as you can lower the motor with the mounts out and then can access the ball cup from the top, under the air filter then as well as the bottom) or when you drop the TT for some other reason. Can be installed and adjusted in the car, its just harder.

I made good progress last night and today. I checked resistance from the temp II sensor and got 1925 ohms at about 80F so that looks good. The thermo time switch however should have no resistance at this temperature from each terminal to its housing but it read 63 and 109 ohms. Between both terminals was 63 ohms and it should be between 25 - 40. A new switch is in my future but I can live without it for now. Still doesn't solve the up/down rpms at idle though.

I was able to button up the front of the engine. The timing belt goes on really tight and when I finally got it on and thought "I'm glad I won't have to do that again for a while", of course the cam sprocket was off a couple teeth. That took a bit of learning by doing and fiddling around till I got it right.

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I power washed the center cross member and engine mount parts and some of the paint came off so I hit it with a wire brush, rust converter, and brushed on rustoleum wherever it was needed. I am letting it all dry overnight for installation tomorrow.

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Then what turned out to be a pretty time consuming job - the upper A arm bushings and ball joint. My neighbor helped me out with his shop press. This went pretty well.

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And the ball joints. This is easy until you get to the circlips. I had to tighten my C-clamp as tight as possible and force the clip into the groove with a screwdriver leveraged against the clamp. Once all done, one ball joint is very tight, not really able to be moved by hand and the other is kind of loose, but there is no play at all.

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It sure feels good to be tightening bolts for a change :D

Today I installed the center cross member and wrestled with the steering rack. My rebuilt rack came with new bushings but I had solid ones so I figured now is not the time to compromise. I used a flat screw turner and hammer to pry up the metal edges and a C-clamp to press them out.


Everything else went pretty well till it came time to insert the steering shaft into the steering column. This was really hard getting the old rack out and the new would not go in more than about 4mm. I had to resort to setting the knuckle on a 2x4 to support it while I hammered a screw turner into the expansion slot. Don't be gentle, it takes a lot of force to spread it open. Then I was able to hold the knuckle with one hand and hammer the steering rack with a rubber mallet. After a dozen good whacks it was all the way home.


Now the odd thing, the steering rack was centered and shaft/knuckle alignment was perfect but I ended up with my steering wheel a perfect 180 degrees upside down. It was perfect before..? I pulled the steering wheel and set it correctly.


Oh I tried greasing the upper ball joints and it cracked the epoxy and started coming out the top. I don't think I mixed it well enough.

One question, do the front most upper A arm studs not use a washer? This seems strange but I didn't have any.

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That's a lucky 928 to have such a capable owner.

That is a great compliment for an amateur as I am, but it is too early yet to see if my work was any good ;)

You may find it easier to refit the engine with the motor mounts attached to it rather than the crossmember.

So I am in a real bind. after installing the headers I discovered there would not be enough clearance to install the lower bell housing cover. Not a big deal, I loosened them up and fitted the cover. Now I have been battling getting the engine back in all afternoon. soontobered84 you are correct about the engine mounts but I had already installed the steering rack. Anyway, millimeter by millimeter I've gotten to the point where I could bolt up the TT to the bell housing but I didn't think about the coupler, I have no access because of the bell housing cover and I can't remove it because of the headers in the way :banghead:

I guess I have to somehow loosen up the headers, at least they have new exhaust studs.

I had a goal to have the car back on four wheels by Independence day and as that date is getting near I took today off for a full day of wrenching. Things started pretty well, I supported the engine from my crane and removed the engine stand for access to the flywheel. Since there is no way to lock the engine from turning and I work alone, I wired the flywheel to the lower bolt hole for the bell housing, it worked great. Alternatively I could have removed a spark plug and fed some clean rope into a cylinder to jam it.

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Then I replaced the rear main seal and pilot bearing, this is easy when you have the real tools for the job. The seal appeared to have been weeping oil and the bearing was a bit 'grindy' so well worth changing.

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New seal and bearing:

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Then I installed the headers but I had to grind down the second exhaust stud for clearance, I think they are longer than stock. As you may have read in the above earlier post I found that the headers interfere with the installation of the lower bell housing cover and as it turns out I mistakenly installed it.

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Now it was time to drop the engine in. I really should have bought a 2 ton shop crane for the extra reach, this one doesn't really cut it and I battled for hours trying to get the engine in till it dawned on me "how am I going to install the torque tube coupling with the lower bell housing on?" So the good news is that the headers have much more room to get at the exhaust studs with a wrench so it won't be a problem but a thunderstorm came through, it was getting dark and I don't have much for lighting so I called it a day.

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This is pretty much how I left it.

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A few set backs but I would not learn anything if it was all easy :bigbye:

+928

For me it was electrical gremlins. First it was a never-ending dying battery story.

Love this thread. You're an inspiration.

When I'm installing headers, I shorten all the exhaust studs in the heads. Just makes it easier. But no matter - you are past that.

You only need to loosen the header on the right side (passenger side if LHD) to swing the header out a little at the bottom to get the lower bell housing in and out. Easily done from the bottom with no steering column on that side.

No need to remove it. Just about a 1/4" on all the nuts is enough.

PS: When lifting the engine diagonally across the motor like that, the engine will have some yaw to it during installation as you can see, making alignment with the TT a bit of a bear.

Put a block of wood atop a floor jack and under the oil pan and you can easily level the motor out while you are under the car.

Why did you pull the timing belt covers off again..?

Carl Fausett you are 100% correct, I did loosen up the passenger side header before I quit for the day but I am glad to hear confirmation that I won't have to do the other side. The yaw and getting the angle front to back correct is a major headache. I did use a jack to try and level the engine on its descent but the oil pan was getting hung up on the engine mounts and the cam 'ears' on the cross brace mounting tabs. I did pass those hurdles though, literally mm by mm for fear of even scratching anything.

Mark R. that is why I removed the timing gear covers, its only one long 10mm bolt that holds them on each side and I did not want to risk cracking the plastic.

I have something wrong in my head because I can't wait for tomorrow night for round two :D

We agree. We pull 928 engines often enough that we have made several versions of bolt-on lift hooks that allow us to lift and lower the engine flat side-to-side. We have learned that a flat lift is worth the time to set up, it saves time later.

Moose, another "trick" with headers is to give up on the two forward bolts on the lower bell housing. There are 6 short bolts that hold the lower bell housing up to the bell housing, and if the car has headers, we skip the forward two. The early lower bell housing has locating pins to keep it from shifting anyway.

This is the way I do it. I've never had a problem doing it this way, ie. no sealing issues to date.

Progress!!

Got the bell housing cover off then wrestled with getting the engine down on its mounts. The oil pan is wider than the spacing between the mounts so it kept getting hung up. Finally I got my buddy to operate the hoist while I was under with a long crow bar and shoe-horned it in place.

Then the next thing was lining up the bell housing to torque tube housing. This was done by a combination of hoisting the engine slightly, jacking the TT housing, and guiding things with a crow bar. Pretty happy to get that done on a weeknight.

Now the only thing is the TT and intermediate shaft do not line up perfectly so I will have to loosen the clutch bolts to line things up perfect.

Now I have to study some of the clutch guides to make sure it is adjusted correctly before I reinstall the bell housing cover and tighten up the exhaust because it would be a real bummer to find out the clutch is dragging after I'm 100% done.

So you installed the engine with the clutch pack already installed on the engine?

IIRC, I don't think that will work.

We do that as often as possible. On MT cars, we put the clutch on the flywheel and the bell housing on the back of the motor while its swinging from the chains, last thing before the motor goes in. Release fork and guide tube too. Works well, saves time.

Yes, I figured why not, same difference with engine in or out unless you unbolt the bell housing to pull the engine.

Upon further thought, I think if I operate the clutch release lever that should relieve pressure within the clutch pack to be able to adjust the intermediate shaft angle?

Also, when it comes to installing the lower ball joints, how should I orient the eccentrics to get me in the ball park?

Use the stub shaft as a clutch alignment tool and place it through the discs and into the pilot bearing before you tighten up your pressure plate. Then you should be very close.

Can you or did you take a picture on your phone of the orientation of the eccentrics BEFORE you removed the ball joints? That's how I do it.

I did that but it shifted during my engine installation.

I had alum ball joints before so the settings are totally different and the camber and caster eccentrics even switch positions.


Update: Operating the clutch release lever allows you to manipulate the intermediate 'stub' shaft. I have got the coupler on now :D

Alright so there is a reason NOT to install the clutch before you mount the engine to the TT. This leaves a frustratingly small amount of access for the two top bell housing to TT housing bolts. I had to undo the TT coupler and slide it back, tighten the bolts tediously with my finger tips till I could get a ratchet and socket up there and could only turn it slightly so that the ratchet wouldn't even click once. Anyway, got it done.

I have re-epoxied the upper ball joints and they seem to have hardened up properly. After spending all that time under the car I had to do something in an upright position for a change. I installed the intake and fuel system.

What is holding me up right now is that the headers are resting on and crushing the engine mount heat shields. I believe I should have removed them but it is late for that.

My posts have been heavy on words and light on photos so here you go.

Attachment 1183513

Attachment 1183514

Attachment 1183515

So another full day of activity yesterday. Turns out it wasn't too late to remove the engine mount heat shields, the two 10mm bolts are accessible from the front. I'll figure out something later for heat shielding, some kind of wrap. I mounted the AC, alternator, and power steering pump. I had to reuse my old alt belt, it has 5 ribs and a bit longer than the one I received.

Attachment 1183517

Then I installed the radiator with new rubber mounts, electric fan, and coolant hoses. On the bottom I mounted the clutch slave cylinder and starter. That top starter bolt was another battle, took me a solid hour for that. Probably one of those allen keys you can use on an angle would have helped a lot.

Attachment 1183518

After all that, I filled all fluids, and connected the battery. I wanted to turn over the engine with the fuel cut to prime the oil pump. I turned it over no problem about 4-5 seconds, paused about 20 seconds then tried again and got a click and nothing. I can't get it to turn now. Battery is a couple months old with voltage at 12.4v and starter was replaced recently. I even hooked up a battery booster to see if it made a difference but no. I tapped the starter with a hammer too.

I'm a bit perplexed. The starter cranked just fine my first attempt and with authority. I hear the starter solenoid make its 'thunk' sound and the interior lights dim slightly like normal. I can turn over the engine by hand no problem so nothing is seized. All electrical connections are clean and tight. Any ideas?

Attachment 1183519

Like you, I would be scratching my head (and trying to refrain from screaming the air blue) ... but I'd also be thinking about the difference between voltage and current - and wondering about the cells in the battery and the condition of the heavy cables beneath their sheathing. I recall a LOT of pix of cables grossly corroded beneath their sheathing.

Anything is possible. There is a hot power post on the solenoid then a small white and black wire. Which of these could I jump directly to spin the starter?

Another thought is that maybe the starter gear is not meshing correctly with the starter ring? The starter feels that it is seated properly and tight but I will get a better tool to tighten the top bolt. I'm taking a couple days rest though. Not discouraged, just have to take care of some things I've neglected lately - like the grass getting pretty tall ;)

OK so I have played around some more with no success then faced my fears and decided to remove the starter. So after an hour and a blistered finger tip I got it down and left the wiring connected. I turned the ignition and it does nothing nor spin freely as I thought it would. This leads me to believe that the starter is grounded through its mounting flange and bolts..? And if so, my problem could simply be that there is some oil residue creating resistance?

I will have the starter tested at any rate.


Update: I cleaned up surfaces and bolts and reinstalled the starter, it took me about 30 seconds to spin that top bolt in without anti-seize. No difference in results. Measured voltage between hot post on solenoid to mounting bracket: 12.7v, resistance between starter and bracket: .6 ohms.

Like you, I have headers on my 84 cars. Although I was able to reinstall my heat shields, I did wrap my headers with (my choice) titanium header wrap. Wrapping the headers made a significant difference in the heat in the engine compartment as well as the passenger compartment. My guess is that it just moves a lot of the heat aft of where it would enter the car.

Moose - weren't your headers Jet-Hot coated by us? That coating is both inside and outside the pipes and does a wonderful job of trapping and retaining the heat inside the pipe. If Jet-Hot coated, then they need no other heat shield or heat wrap.

If Jet-Hot coated, they will look like this:

Yes - Post 39 - I see your headers are Jet-Hot coated. Don't worry about additional heat wraps on those headers. Not needed.

Technical information on that coating is here: http://www.jet-hot.com/enthusiasts

You probably already did this, but you checked that the engine is getting fuel and spark? (You pulled one of the plugs to check for spark?)

Carl Fausett & soontobered84- Yes Jet-Hot coated, my concern was with protecting the rubber of the engine mounts and possibly wrapping them. Though it looks like with minor trimming of the heat shields I will be able to reinstall them.

Rocinante - I am intentionally leaving the fuel pump off to crank the engine over to prime the oil pump since it is empty because I removed it to replace the O-rings. Problem is starter not working. I will have it tested tomorrow.

MM and Carl,
My headers are jet-hot coated as well. I still wrapped them. My thought is the coating will help protect the headers further.

Gentlemen! Nothing wrong with my starter!

It was the ground strap on the passenger side from engine to frame. I will admit I had only reinstalled it finger tight and forgot to follow up.

I cranked it over a couple times, then turned on the fuel pump and she came right to life and oil pressure to 5 bar. (normal on startup?)

I'm back on track!

Enjoy:

Wow, great job! Sounds incredible. So, headers on the engine, loose, and engine mounts on the engine then angle them correctly to lower the engine onto the cross bar, right?

Yes. 5 Bar is normal on startup. It will normally reduce when the engine is up to normal operating temperature.

If I were to do it again I would install engine mounts on engine, remove heat shields, and leave passenger side header loose. If you have removed the steering rack, reinstall it into the steering knuckle but not to the cross member for access to tighten the engine mount.

Thanks, all is good then.

Big weekend done!

I replaced wheel bearings and reassembled the front end. Then replaced and bled front brake hoses.

Attachment 1183520

Attachment 1183521

Attachment 1183522

I spent quite some time fiddling with the alignment and got it to where it looked good 'by eye'.

Attachment 1183523

I noticed the bucket around one headlight was loose and rubbing against the fender on its way up and down. I got creative and epoxied a piece of steel to fill in the broken off piece out of the slot. No after photo but it has been fixed.

Attachment 1183524

So then I moved on to install the rest of the exhaust but my headers ended up about 2cm too far apart. I will have to bring them together with a ratchet strap no big deal but at this point I couldn't resist getting the car back on four wheels and see how she runs. After mounting the tires I did have to go back in and tighten the spindle nuts to take out some play in the bearings.

Riding high:

Attachment 1183525

So I went out with no exhaust, no hood, no inspection. :nono: I passed a police car, he didn't care. :p
So the good news, engine fires up immediately, and gearbox works MUCH better with all shifter bushings replaced. Turns out I have a good eye because the steering wheel is perfectly straight and does not pull. I am getting an alignment done anyway.
The bad, while warming up I still get the up/down rpm thing but after about 10 miles the idle settles down and stays constant. This was a bit awkward at such an obnoxious volume. I lost coolant out of the overflow hose, enough to empty the reservoir but I refilled and went about ten miles without losing any. No other leaks that I saw but I only drove a total of twenty miles.

I still have to do the rear brake hoses and replace gearbox oil. She cleans up pretty nice.

Attachment 1183526

I want to thank everyone who has helped out and encouraged me. :bigbye:

I have replaced the rear brake hoses, one had a pretty good cut in it. By the way, in my prior experiences replacing brake hoses on other vehicles it is a bit of a hurry to get the new hoses on as the fluid drips out but on this car nothing came out, maybe a single drop, is that typical?

Attachment 1183527

Attachment 1183528

I checked the front wheels and there is play again, I have to tighten the spindle nut more. My thought is that I had too much grease in there giving me a false sense of tightness before that has worked out after a 20 mile ride.

I am having some trouble with the wheel bearing adjustments. If I tighten the nut with pliers that does remove all play but I certainly cannot move the washer around and is thus too tight and will cause bearing failure. However, the play left in the wheels when adjusted by the book will surely lead to a failed inspection. Everything is new and spindles did not show wear.
One thing I read is that some play will be eliminated with heat expansion while driving. Any advice here? I guess I can go for a 10 mile drive and check when bearings are warmed up.

I have heard this too for other classic cars. If you don't leave the right amount of play, you'll destroy the bearings.

I'm sure someone with more expertise will chime in here. Congrats on your progress to date MM!

I went quiet over the weekend, that's because I got to enjoy the car! I drove about 160 miles over both days. Initially after a hard throttle it was sticking at 2000 revs due to the cruise control cable getting hung up. After multiple attempts to adjust it (and not burn myself too badly), I realized the outer sheath is supposed to be connected to the adjuster and on a hard rev the inner sheath would come out and jam against the backside of the adjuster. Hard to explain but I ended up cutting the cable for a few reasons. The mounting screws to the throttle linkage are inaccessible without dismantling a bunch of stuff, cruise control didn't work and will not because of the LED conversion, I never use it, and the cable would need replacing anyway.
With that taken care of, the engine would not idle. Turns out the cruise cable was holding the throttle back and I had turned the idle screw all the way in to compensate.
OK so how does it drive?? Very tame and quiet until you enter the fun zone at 4000 revs. It runs strong, smooth, and makes all the right sounds! 1st through 3rd gears sometimes grind. I will replace whatever oil is in the gearbox because it does leak and is undoubtedly low. I haven't looked at adjusting the pedals yet but the clutch and brake are way out compared to the accelerator, probably close to 6 inches. Heel toeing is not possible for me. While shifting gears the revs drop like a rock requiring a blip of the throttle to rev match the next gear.
I'm still trying to figure out this cold start idle problem. It is very annoying and lasts a solid 15 minutes or miles until it idles steadily. For your viewing pleasure: I'm glad to have finished the big stuff now I can take little bites fixing small problems while driving and enjoying the car.

I've drained the transaxle and was surprised at the force with which the oil came out. It overshot my drainpan and made a mess. Sadly I have found debris, including what looks like a tooth of a synchronizer? The oil itself came out honey colored and did not have a strong odor. That will be my winter project. I wonder why at 73k miles there is such damage. Are replacement synchronizers any better 30 years later?

Attachment 1183529

Attachment 1183530

It has been a while since I've posted any updates. Between work, a vacation, other priorities, and this heat I have slowed down but am still making improvements.

I assembled and installed a new grill assembly. I only had one horizontal slat in good shape, the other parts were ordered from 928intl with a disclaimer that they are poor reproductions but all that is available. I disagree, the parts were packaged as genuine Porsche parts and quality and fitment was excellent!

Attachment 1183531

I've done other things like install a missing hatch latch insert which took care of the squeaks and clanking at the rear. I have been trying to fix the sunroof but I cannot get power to the motor. I have tried jumping the terminals to rule out a bad switch but I still get no potential at the motor. Is there a connection point that could have unplugged somewhere in the dash or A pillar (if that is how the wire is routed)?

I did end up manually opening it by hand turning the rubber covered shaft to the transmission so the mechanism is all OK except when I closed it the back of the outside sunroof panel does not rise to the level of the roof.

The driver side window weather stripping has cracks and when washing the car I get a door full of water, strange there is no drain?

Otherwise I have replaced the thermo-temp and temp 2 sensors and I still have the up/down idle cycling on warmup.

Oh and I would like to finish off my jump post but the cover I have attained has the hole drilled too low it seems, and the second cap I bought is still the wrong style.

I have close to 600 miles on the car and really enjoy it, I just need to fix the AC or hope for cooler weather.

The synchros are brass, not ferrous metal. Hence, non-magnetic. Maybe your PO was a luggard... or lent the car to his kid...
Or your transaxle is equipped with LSD, in which case a certain amount of ferrous metal debris would be expected as normal.

The oil you drained out was Hypoid 90W. When you go to refill it, put a synthetic gear lube back in, it will shift easier.

Definitely no LSD on this car and I really don't know much of its history. PO only drove it 500 miles the last 5 years. I refilled with dyno oil because the gearbox was leaking oil and I didn't want to aggravate that and I thought a more slippery synthetic would actually make shifting harder. Turns out it did not leak much at all over at least 5 years so I am open to suggestions on fluids.
I am able to avoid all grinding with careful rev matching and at a stop, pushing the clutch in and waiting two seconds before putting it in first gear.

Last weekend I replaced the chewed up bolts for the door stop with the triple square heads. They looked like someone tried tightening them with a drill bit. I was able to extract them now my problem is that the captured nut inside the body has fallen off. I've not pulled the wheel well liner yet but I am hopeful that there is access?? Might be a candidate for a rivet nut.

So more than two weeks ago I charged the AC and it has held so far, I am pleased; and much cooler!
Yesterday I took the sunroof apart. I had manually opened it for a while and when I closed it the rear of the panel would not go up and created a ton of wind noise and bounced on every bump. With the inner panel removed I found one screw missing from each side 'attachment block' and the remaining two were loose. I have cleaned out 30 years of dried up grease and crud from all parts and rails. Some areas of the cables were packed with rust but cleaned up well with PBlaster and a wire brush.

Attachment 1183532

Attachment 1183533

The paint on the wind deflector is all chipping off, seems that the galvanized metal was not etched properly before paint? I think I will strip all the paint off, use etching primer, and repaint. Here it is with the loose paint brushed off.

Attachment 1183534

Does not the screw in the transmission come out? If I turn it very hard the gear on the opposite side turns with it.

Attachment 1183535

The vinyl on my inner panel is so dry and shrunken I will have to source a replacement.

Attachment 1183536

I still need to clean out the cable tubes and it does not look like they can be removed without dropping the headliner. As for lube, I am thinking graphite powder?

The amount of debris on the trans-axle plug doesn't look that out of the ordinary...espedially for 73K. The broken piece looks like maybe a gear tooth, personally, I wouldn't go crazy about finding out where it came from unless you are experiencing issues. Could just be off the reverse gear, which would be pretty common.

The screw on the sunroof motor should come out. However, I took mine out while the motor was still installed. So, I believe the upper gear is being held from turning by the adjoining mechanism. You may have to hold the gear without damaging. That screw was super tight and you need a wide/narrow straight blade screwdriver or you will booger it all up...even more than it is.

Good luck,

Brian.

I did a total teardown and rebuild of the sunroof last weekend and will be leaving it closed. I will post pictures later.


I have a head scratcher. I got Carrera III wheels installed and by the act of changing wheels my steering wheel is off center by quite a lot but drives exactly the same. I will check the steering rack to steering wheel alignment but I cannot think how that could have been affected. Anyone experience similar? Steering wheel is off almost 45 degrees.


Update: I can answer my own question. Steering wheel and rack are still centered to each other - phew, thought something weird might have happened. I did mess with the eccentrics on the right side LCA and thought I put them back as they were but this gave me a lot of toe in on that side causing the off center steering.

So last weekend I completed work on the sunroof. Stripped, primed, and painted the wind deflector.

Attachment 1090007
Attachment 1090012
Attachment 1090013


I could not find a similar thin foam that is used on the sunroof inner panel so I tried some thin batting. I am pleased with it and would use again.


Attachment 1090014


So I got vinyl to recover the panel. Now this is very much out of my bailiwick so I had to figure out how to do relief cuts in the material.


Attachment 1090015


Here is where things went a little bad. The rubber cement I used soaked through parts of the vinyl and as you can see, resulted in an uneven texture.


Attachment 1090016


With tinted windows and all black cockpit nobody would notice but at some point I will redo it with leather. Everything is reinstalled but for some reason I always forget to take completion photos. More to come..

So I got a new set of Carrera 3 wheels and decided upon Continental DW in 235/40-18 and 285/30-18. The rear is actually the width of many 295 tires from other manufacturers and I went with a 30 sidewall because the last thing this car needs is taller gearing. Had to try a few different shops before I found one that could handle mounting them. Everything fits great. I got new concave center caps and I had to file down the mounting tabs to clear the front bearing caps.

Attachment 1090457
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Attachment 1090460
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Sorry for the tall grass..

I finally took care of two major annoyances. Firstly was the driver door stop. The lower captured nut was gone and with every opening of the door I would get a loud 'CLACK, CLACK, CLACK' as the mount pivoted on the good top bolt and slammed on the inside door frame. Looking with a flashlight through the bolt holes it is apparent this area is boxed in and impossible to fit a nut from the backside. Perhaps my solution can help someone out because it worked out great.

Harbor freight sells a 'threaded insert' tool kit for about $18. The threaded inserts are SAE however so you'll need a hex head in 1/4" - 20 thread X 1" long. Inserts and tool heads can be found online to use the correct bolt but it was looking like over $100 for tooling I would use one time.
I used a round file to slightly enlarge the hole to fit the insert and you will see there is a reinforcement plate below the surface.

Attachment 1097034

Tool in place
Attachment 1097035

Threaded insert installed
Attachment 1097036

Job complete
Attachment 1097037


Next up was the passenger mirror that has been electric-taped on since I bought the car. Turns out it was the hollow bolt that fell out.
Attachment 1097038


I removed most of the inner door panel thinking there would be a connector for the mirror wiring that I could pull the wire terminals out of so that the wire bundle could be pulled out of the hollow bolt to properly fit a triple square socket but I took a look in my driver side which has no door panel and I found no connection point. I did find there is a readily available pin removal tool for the round connector in the mirror housing at radioshack but before I went I gave it a shot jamming a screwdriver into the splines. The wire bundle bears no pressure with this method but you can only make about a third of a turn at a time. It took a bit of pressure to get it started but after that it is just a matter of spinning the bolt all the way home, oh and I used a generous amount of Loctite.

Attachment 1097039



All done (and I need a paint job).

Attachment 1097040


Now that I know what it is all about I could fix it again in less than ten minutes start to finish.

So here was the reason for my break down at Frenzy. Follow the slot down the distributor shaft and you see the head of a pin that fixes the reluctor's position. That had come out allowing the two parts to rotate independently and causing a bad misfire condition that progressed to no fire at all. Second picture shows it with a couple drops of green Loctite.


Attachment 1098023
Attachment 1098024

Great looking car , great project
GOOD luck

It has been a while since I updated this. I have been working a lot but still tinkering when I can.

I FINALLY figured out my up/down idle on cold starts and at the same time why my fuel pump was wired directly to the battery with a switch run into the cabin. There is no power at terminal 30 for the fuel pump relay, that is the root cause and I will figure that problem out this winter when I tear out the CE panel for a cleaning.
Consequently, without the relay operating there was no power going out on terminal 31 to the supplementary air valve which should heat up a bimetal strip closing off the port. What was happening is that excess air was raising the idle to the point of fuel cutoff, dropping the revs and repeating.
During the summer was not a big deal, I would start the engine and after a minute when it would start misbehaving I would shut down and let the engine heat soak about 15 minutes. After that it would run just fine. It became more of an issue in this cooler weather where after a 60 mile drive on the highway it still did not heat soak enough to close the port; very annoying.
So for now I have jumpered terminal 31b which has switched power to 30. This is temporary but my air valve now works as intended!! :D

While diagnosing my no start issue at Frenzy, Stan found a cut wire at my CE panel. With the help of Alan it turns out to be the feed for the dome lights.
See snipped red wire out of black plug.
Attachment 1108671

The lights had never worked and a desperate mechanic sometime in this car's history must have cut the wire to stop the fuse from blowing. The light fixtures were broken and the exposed ground wire was sitting on the roof metal.
I procured VW lights to retrofit with pigtails on ebay. They were grey so I took them apart, lightly sanded, and painted them black to match my headliner.
Attachment 1108679

I also modified the fixtures to utilize longer LED bulbs. This is done by bending one of the contacts.
Attachment 1108680

I did run into an issue with a plastic protrusion that holds the contact down when the fixture is reassembled. I simply snipped off about 4mm to make clearance for the now much thicker area of the bronze contact due to the folding modification.
Attachment 1108676
Attachment 1108677

And here it is reassembled with bulb in place.
Attachment 1108678


They fit pretty well but not in the rear of the hatch, that will require some work on the pigtail connector as it is too long for the space. Other than that this little project came out really well.
Attachment 1108684


Alan has a good guide here for the VW lights with LEDs https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...led-bulbs.html

Very well done, sir.

Your 928 is beautiful!


Seth K. Pyle

Thank you, you are not doing badly yourself!

Since you are on record about keeping your car forever, you have time to make it perfect. Well done.

Looks good Moose!

Great job Alex. :thumbup:

That injector is just missing it's pintle cap. The cap is there to protect the needle and help shape the spray pattern. You probably want to buy a kit with new caps and o-rings and refurb them all before you put them back in.

Yes that turned out to be the case, I had all injectors rebuilt.

You do a great job explaining root cause and repairs to a wide range of issues.
Thanks!

This weekend I took the opportunity to tear out my CE panel for a cleaning and diagnose the reason for no power to the fuel pump relay.
Attachment 1122493
I traced the wire from the 87 port of the relay socket through the spaghetti that is the back of the CE panel to fuse 22.
Hmm.. I had thought this was the spare location and fuse 13 was fuel pump but the reverse is true. As for the panel it is in good shape except the connector 'O' spades were corroded.
Attachment 1122494
Some of the fuse tabs were stretched open and I have closed them in uniformly.
Attachment 1122502
Everything cleaned, treated with Deoxit, and reinstalled I now have power to the fuel pump relay and further on to the wires at the fuel pump where they were snipped and I discovered the next mess.
Attachment 1122503
I cannot imagine why but the PO or a mechanic cut the end of the wire (to reuse the wire terminal??) and soldered directly to the fuel pump. I'm not sure where to go at this point but I have to drop the tank just to splice onto the factory fuel pump wires because the main power and another are cut out of reach to work on.
I will probably melt this off and see what I have to work with.

OH, I switched my jump post for a later style because only the later threaded caps are available but now I can't find the cap or jump post cover. Means my car is still worthless :bigbye:

Yay on cleaning and repairing your CE panel!

Boo on the janky fuel pump wiring.

Keep at it, your making progress! :D



Seth K. Pyle

Keep up the good work.

Brian.

Nice work Alex.,
the pump solder job was done because the PO mechanic overtightened the aluminum stud ,
thus snapping it off ,
either get a new pump or resolder,
if its not leaking then it should be OK to keep in service

The stud is still there, shadowed in the picture, so not sure what happened. At any rate it is a shame because that was a new fuel pump they installed.
The solder has cracked so I will clean it off as best as I can and go from there.
Now I'm thinking about the wiring, there are four wire tails. + and - are easy to figure out but what are the others? It's hard to make out in the wiring schematic.

The extra wires are probably for an in-tank fuel pump which an 83 did not have. The wires and the wiring harness still had the connection for it though it wasn't used.

Great, thanks!

I made some progress this weekend. The mess of solder on the fuel pump was already cracked and with that pried off, the stud and nut were under it. I attempted to remove the nut and it spun and spun, hence the reason it was all soldered up. I filed through one side of the nut and pried it off the stud. I figured at this point I would just need a replacement nut but of course it was the stud that stripped out.
I ended up pulling the pump out to rethread the positive stud, crimped on some extensions for the wiring and got it all hooked up. Not my best work but it does the job.

Attachment 1128068

I tested functionality with a fuel pump jumper, then plugged in a relay, turned over the engine and it started right up!

Now the bad part, I am hearing a kind of belt squeal sound but I don't think it is that. Almost a 'machining' sound at the front of the engine. Torque tube is coming out next for a rebuild so I will investigate frontward migration of the drive shaft.

To end on a positive note, I found my jump post cover and cap in the glove box :DAttachment 1128069

Nice work Alex. You are meticulous. Keep up the great work.

I started tearing out the interior for HVAC overhaul and LED conversion on the pod.

Attachment 1131539

First question, there is a flap behind the center flap of the console (see above) that does not attach to anything on the left side (see below). The right is attached to the arm of the vacuum pod. I reached in and could not feel an attachment point, what am I missing?

Attachment 1131540

The vacuum pods that I've tested all work but I will replace the rubber diaphragms within. I will test the vacuum actuators as well. Anything else to check while I'm in here?

I opened up the HVAC head and wonder what parts if any are available for replacement. The black plastic gear found behind the knob is broken in two and all the mounting ears of the main brown plastic part of the head are cracked and broken. Maybe someone has a junk HVAC head that has good plastic still?

Attachment 1131541

I cleaned the tracks with an eraser and let me say this is satisfying and they shine up really well. I will probably have to glue and reinforce the plastic parts as best as I can. The H trim piece of the center console seemed to be holding it in place pretty well without screws.

Attachment 1131542

So next there is the gauge cluster. The 'circuit foil' is in good shape but I will give it a cleanup, replace the ODO gear, and change the bulbs to LEDs.

Attachment 1131543

Attachment 1131544

Another question, I believe the 'low voltage' warning light bulb closes the exciter circuit for the alternator, should I leave an incandescent here? There is plenty of info on LEDs for digital backlit gauges but not so much for the older ones.

I did some further work on the interior today. I removed the dash and A pillars and am contemplating getting them wrapped in leather.

Attachment 1136982

The A pillars appear to be made from an expanding foam material somewhat like 'Great Stuff' used to seal cracks around the home. Mine are pretty crispy, not sure they can be saved. Curiously the left side is leather but the right is vinyl.

Attachment 1136983

To answer my own question about the center HVAC flap. It is only attached to the vacuum pod on the right but it is symmetrical so provisions for mounting from the left means the same part is compatible with a reverse setup for RHD cars. It is hinged at the top and mine is broken.

Attachment 1136986


Now I found this behind the glove box. There is no corresponding connector and someone has jumped two connectors. Any ideas?

Attachment 1136987

For mending broken plastic parts found on this car, what yields the strongest bond; crazy glue, epoxy, or I've even heard PVC cement might work?

I've had the best success with 2 part epoxy. The "long cure" stuff works better than the "5 minute".

I also prefer to glue some sort of metal reinforcement in. Depends on the situation. Plates over top, cut a groove and glue in a wire, drill holes and insert pins.

Over a month with no updates, I've been working 6-7 days a week. I took today off to catch up on things and mess with the car a bit.

I'll begin with a major triumph!! I finally fixed the sunroof! It never worked since I bought the car and I have troubleshooted here and there ever since and completed a overhaul of the mechanisms. Power was not getting to the motor and the only thing I had not checked was the connection in the B pillar next to the speaker. I pulled the leather out and thankfully the connector is right there on the edge. I tested for continuity from the switch connector to this one and still had an open in the circuit. Ok so I trace the wires back to the CE panel where it ties in on the V connector. I pull it out and found the problem all along; the wire was inserted into the wrong position in the connector and there was no corresponding tab out of the CE panel. I switched the wire to the lower left position, plugged it back in and sunroof works! It operates slowly but this is with engine off and battery is probably getting low.

Black with blue stripe in wrong position:
Attachment 1148000


CE panel connectors:
Attachment 1148001


Correct configuration of V connector:
Attachment 1148002


I've stripped out the hatch moldings to recover in leather and found why the window defrost did not work. I am missing two connectors and one was loose. Has anybody repaired these? It seems to be a common fix in the automotive world utilizing a conductive epoxy. Only problem is I am missing two connectors, anyone have some saved from say, a shattered window?

Attachment 1148003

Attachment 1148004


I have to repair a broken pin switch from the rear hatch latch and if anyone has an idea to disassemble it, please chime in.

Attachment 1148005


I see many assume that if the primer color is different from the body color it must be a repaint but my car has always been black according to window sticker and delivery documents in 12/1982. Anyone else have mismatched primer and body color from the factory?

Attachment 1148006

Alex,
I used superglue on my AC head unit gear. It has worked fine. You might touch base with Nate (GT6ixer) on this forum. He can digital print one if he borrows your original. (If he can do it, have him print and extra one for me. I gave my extra to Benno for his car).

I might actually be able to find the rear glass defroster connections from the Stepson's original hatch glass that I still find pieces of inside the car. I'll look tonight when I get home.

I purchased another used HVAC head from another member to harvest the good plastic housing with my good innards. This unit had a good gear but if this is a common failure I will gladly send it out to him to 3D print replacements.
I did not mention but I have removed the seats and I will say it is almost worth doing just to see what is under there. I found pliers, pens, loose change (including a 1983 penny jammed at the rear of the track), an earing, a dog collar also jammed into the tracks, the original oil drain bolt (a drain valve is fitted).
I have given the seats and center console to be re-dyed, steering wheel to be restitched, pod and dash to be repaired by Fibrenew. I will post results of course, should be 2-3 weeks.

I didn't find the connections last night, but I'm pretty sure I still have them. Don't give up on me.:)

Alex, you are doing a h*lluva great job!
Keep up the good work!
:rockon:

I picked up a 30k mile transaxle but I didn't want to just swap it into my car and hope for the best. It was stored outside and upside down, I don't know how long but enough for the oil to drain out of the vent. The first thing I noticed is that everything was seized. Some light tapping on the shifter shaft freed it up but at this point I cannot move the 3/4 or 1/reverse shift rods. There is surface rust and gunk on the gears as well that prevent me from spinning the input shaft a full 360 degrees.

Attachment 1154827

Attachment 1154828

Attachment 1154829

The reverse gear has suffered some damage.

Attachment 1154830

I think the gears could be cleaned up and the dog teeth are pristine. I'd like some opinions on whether this box is worth rebuilding or just keep it for spares?

It appears, from your picture (3rd one) there are also teeth missing on 5th gear (as well as the terrible teeth on reverse). With the corrosion and damage to 5th gear, this transmission might useful for spare parts.....depends on how the undamaged pieces clean up.

M Moose,
I found that other connection. I will get it to you next week if that's okay.

Awesome, thanks!

The picture behind the glovebox show the connector for the Factory Alarm System . Someone pull the Hellabox and deactivate it with a bridge.
Cars with long keys have this unit. On my car I had so much false alarms so I deinstall it.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...488a811ed9.jpg

Alarm Control Unit

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4c2fd0fce1.jpg

Pins

The bridge is 61 to 87a?

Ah that must be it. I don't have this unit or the alarm controller that should be on the left of the console. It looks like 61 and A are bridged.

I repaired my defrost tabs today. Special thanks to soontobered84 for finding and sending me two tabs I was missing. The product has to cure 24 hours before I can try it but I feel confident and was impressed that it bonded within 15 seconds.

Attachment 1157950

Attachment 1157951

Permatex product I used.
Attachment 1157952

Sweet, good job!
I've used that on other vehicles.

I got my stuff back from Fibrenew and I am very pleased. Be warned, I have a lot of photos.

Before:
Attachment 1160309
Attachment 1160311

After:
Attachment 1160316
Attachment 1160317

One of the seatbacks was sprayed with something harsh and now is like new.
Attachment 1160313
Attachment 1160318

The stitching was all pulled out of the steering wheel and there was some wear.
Attachment 1160320
Attachment 1160321
Attachment 1160322

Like new:
Attachment 1160330
Attachment 1160331

My pod was pretty badly cracked.
Attachment 1160327
Attachment 1160328

Much better.
Attachment 1160329
Attachment 1160332

Dash had one big crack and a few between the vents.
Attachment 1160333

Really cannot tell where it was.
Attachment 1160342


I had the shift boot cleaned and re dyed as well.
Attachment 1160343


MrMerlin pointed out to me some time ago that my lower shock bolts were installed in the wrong direction. The nut should be opposite the swaybar link.

Bad:
Attachment 1160344
Good:
Attachment 1160345


I will end this with a question. There is such a binding in the door lock mechanism that I can only lock or unlock by using the key in conjunction with the inside knob to force it either way. This is for both doors and I don't have a central locking unit. Seems weird to me that both are affected but If I lock the car with the windows closed I am doomed.

Alex, looks great, your 928 is really coming together!

Thanks Bob!

I took some time after work today to pull out the recirculation box and blower fan. The 'recirc' box is really well bonded to the chassis with black tar adhesive and it took quite some effort to pry it loose, fearing that it would crack. I removed it just fine and confirmed the recirc vacuum actuator was dead. I have no idea how I will reinstall the bolt for the blower that is inside the duct. I had a hard time getting it out and had to lay on top of the engine.
Attachment 1160606

Now that I am this far I think I will pull the entire HVAC box out to clean behind the evaporator and I have to fix the center flap still.
Attachment 1160607

Did you ever figure out the cold start problem?
 

I have the same exact problem with my 83. It goes away if I tick past idle or disconnect the idle microswitch.

The problem was no power getting to my auxiliary air valve (AAV) due to a miswired CE panel. The AAV should be open supplying additional air during cold starts. With the engine running the fuel pump relay should supply 12v to the AAV which closes over a period of a few minutes and reduces idle speed.
Test the two pin connector to the AAV for 12v with the engine running or better yet, pull the fuel pump relay and make a jumper between terminal 87 and 30 and switch the ignition on. Probably the best way to access the connector is by removing the air filter box and reaching from behind the intake legs but I haven't tried it.
Attachment 1161215
Attachment 1161216

Thanks Moose! I will trouble shoot the AAV some more. The issue goes away when I disconnect the idle microswitch. I can't seem to figure out the connection between this and the AAV idle problems though.

I have made some good progress today but I am stuck on two things. I have reassembled my instrument cluster and when testing for function, I have no low coolant light. I have bridged the coolant sensor and still no potential at the cluster. Open circuit should be light off and closed should switch light on after 20 seconds? It is not coming on with all the other warning lights when turning on the ignition.
Next is the recirculation flap vacuum pod. I have a new pod but it is a different design and the rubber diaphragm is different so I cannot keep my existing housing but exchange the rubber. Searching around I think this pod is for a later model year.

Old rubber is torn.
Attachment 1162622

Old rubber diaphragm is deeper than new.
Attachment 1162623

What happens when I put new rubber in old housing.
Attachment 1162624

Are earlier recirc pods NLA? What are my options?

I finally had a weekend off and I have been busy! I completed my HVAC controller project. Then I replaced the odo gear and reassembled my instrument cluster. One word of caution is make sure the plunger for the trip reset fits into the hole on the cluster housing, mine was not and it jammed the odometer when I tested it. Easy fix but something to watch for.
Attachment 1163006
Attachment 1163007

The old odo gear was fine but discolored, it is actually made from a rubbery material.
Attachment 1163008

The speedo needle was perfectly centered with the 'zero' dash before, upon reinstallation I aligned with the bottom of the dash to try and calibrate it a bit more accurate. An indicated 70 was closer to 65-66 on GPS.
Attachment 1163011

I had already soldered the 'rivets' on the hard board of the circuit foil and cleaned all the contacts.
Attachment 1163012

I did an LED conversion and am very happy with the results, I will create a separate thread with all the details and 'how tos'. I do have a problem of no signal for low coolant and have to figure something out for the turn signal indicator. With an LED it shines faint and constant but with an incandescent it pulses properly but very faintly. This is due to LED exterior turn signal bulbs.
Attachment 1163013

I have taken apart my blower motor and it looks like the brushes are nearing end of life, I will order a new one.
Attachment 1163024

This rubber trim piece was loose in the blower compartment but can't figure out where it belongs.
Attachment 1163025
Attachment 1163026

I have removed my AC compressor for replacement because it showed signs of leaking in the past (green dye around the seams). My AC system still held a good charge from August but I am replacing the two short rubber hoses and drier. Thankfully the PO replaced the long and difficult to extract line already :)
Attachment 1163027

I will try to get the hoses rebuilt locally. One of them was being chafed through by the radiator. It would be a good idea for everyone to check this area and add some protection.
Attachment 1163028

In my work I have found evidence of a leaking cam tower seal?
Attachment 1163036

Other than that I have stripped down the front of the engine to replace my cam sprockets with these beauties.
Attachment 1163037

Does anybody still recoat sprockets? My oil pump sprocket has very faint wear that might be worth recoating, you know, while I'm in there. Also I am going to send my harmonic balancer to doctor damper and see what happens.

To celebrate one year of ownership I've listed everything done so far. :bigbye:
Attachment 1163044

I am pretty proud of myself today. I was able to split my HVAC unit apart to repair my broken center flap hinge. This is the flap behind the flap in the center console. Once all the clips are removed holding the back and front halves of the HVAC unit, the defrost vents are removed, and the defrost actuator is disconnected from the linkage, a quick tug on the front half releases from the sealant bond.
Attachment 1165532

So here is the broken plastic hinge for the center flap. It has a BEHR part no 90 412 06 007 which I cannot find as a replacement but this was such a poor design I would not install a new one.
Attachment 1165533

Here is my solution and one that I would recommend to anyone facing this. I purchased 2" narrow hinges with fixed pins (I don't need the pins falling out in the future) that when installed using some of the existing mounting holes, match the fulcrum point of the stock hinge perfectly.Attachment 1165540

I drilled out the rivets from the old hinge to remove it and mounted the new hinges using the same outermost holes and drilling new holes for the inner. I used rivets with small washers to keep from pulling through the plastic.
Attachment 1165541
Attachment 1165542

Finished product:
Attachment 1165545

I have a video of the fix in action. It works perfectly!

Of course I replaced the rubber diaphragm of the center flap vac pod. The old was getting thin around the top:
Attachment 1165534

New:
Attachment 1165535

Also changed the footwell flap rubber. You have to bend the arm to get it in and out.
Attachment 1165537
Attachment 1165538

Old:
Attachment 1165551

New:
Attachment 1165539

Reinstalled:
Attachment 1165553

I finished off by replacing the innards of the defrost vac pod.
Attachment 1165546

The nice part now is I can start reinstalling parts. The HVAC unit halves were sealed with a white caulk, I think I will use strip caulk.

Great detailed documentation of the work you've done. You're an inspiration for me.
Keep up the good work!
hoi

I replaced the left side lower window outside seal. Not a bad job, you just have to take your time making sure it is properly installed as you slide it forward. The old rubber was falling apart and shrunken. When I washed the car, the door would fill with water! I did notice that my window is loose, must be the white window guides that slide up and down the tube are worn out.
Before:
Attachment 1165798

After:
Attachment 1165799

While I was at it, I looked at the upper window seal because I always had wind noise while driving. Sadly it too is falling apart and folded in on itself. It is obnoxiously expensive but I have no choice and pulled it out.
Attachment 1165803
Attachment 1165804

This was really tedious, removing part of the rubber that broke off in the small crevice of the outside trim.
Attachment 1165805

I wanted to do something easy next. I replaced a broken plastic piece on the steering wheel that the horn pad snaps onto. It vibrated above 08 MPH ;)
Attachment 1165806

So back to the HVAC; I replaced the crumbling foam on the defrost vents and footwell flap.
Attachment 1165808
Attachment 1165809
Attachment 1165812
Attachment 1165813
Attachment 1165814

I used strip caulk to reseal the HVAC halves and reinstalled, feels good to start putting things back in.
Attachment 1165815

I pulled the metal collar from my new washer filler pipe and had to battle the rusted up collar in the tank but I got it.
Attachment 1165816

Oh I forgot to mention I got my AC hoses rebuilt by Pirtek for $190. Not much cheaper than new but I like repairing things when possible.
Attachment 1165807

Still can't figure out why I don't have a coolant warning in my instrument cluster.

I have cleaned out the evaporator as best as I can with a vacuum and nylon bristle brush.
Attachment 1170311

Finally I have reinstalled the recirc flap housing and CE panel. I removed the hood to replace the AC expansion valve and to have an easier time refitting the HVAC blower.
Attachment 1170314

I wanted to filter the air going into the HVAC system and found some lightweight filters that would not impede the airflow but catch the bigger debris. These 3M Filtrete 20"x25" filters were just over $2 for a two pack, the price was the same no matter the size. I cut out a portion and stuffed it into the HVAC box to form a pocket for more surface area and slid the boot over it for a seal. I think it will work well and I cannot tell any difference in airflow.
Attachment 1170312
Attachment 1170313
Attachment 1170317


I finished the day by removing the cam sprockets.
One question I have is about the rebuilt AC compressor I got. It came with new black O rings. Are these compatible with R134a? And I think I should replace the two Schrader valves, are they anything special or would auto parts stores have them?

I feel like I am getting near the end :D

I replaced the cam sprockets, the coating on the old ones, especially the driver side was totally worn through.
Attachment 1170569

I remember having a hard time getting the timing belt on last year with the engine out of the car and those worn sprockets. Now it was even harder but I managed and thankfully got the timing right on the first try.
Attachment 1170570

I then reinstalled the oil fill and dipstick tubes, torqued the crankshaft bolt, topped off the oil and started the engine to make sure everything was good. All was fine but then I realized, how am I supposed to get the center timing cover on? I do have a oil drain valve so I was able to just drain the oil back into the jug, removed the things in the way and installed the timing covers. Next was reinstalling the power steering pump and alternator. All that is left is the AC compressor.

One of the final problems that I found while testing the HVAC was the setting motor would only close on full cold. I found a post by Mrmerlin to check the plug for the outside temp sensor and sure enough that was my problem. It seems like a watertight plug and is a little tough to pull apart but the terminals were corroded. I hit them with deoxit and plugged and unplugged a couple times. If it is ever a problem again I will cut the plugs off and hardwire together.

With the engine running I went through all the HVAC settings and now everything works! I am so happy about this.

One thing I found is the little fan for the inside temp sensor was not working. I took it out of its housing, put a drop of PBlaster on the axle and with direct power to the terminals it started to spin but very weakly. There is a resistor (measured 67k ohms) that I bypassed and then it spun with vigor but only for a few seconds before it began sparking. Soon after it let out its smoke and died. Not sure if it was some PBlaster getting where it shouldn't but I'm guessing it was faulty anyway.
Attachment 1170577

Moving on - I checked the ground under the steering column. A lot of the paint was never sanded off and the ring terminals had some corrosion.
Attachment 1170573

After:
Attachment 1170574

I have installed the dash, new A pillar trims, and sun visors. I am hoping to finish the interior tomorrow.
Attachment 1170575
Attachment 1170576

The last hurdle will be the AC system and I can't figure out how to get the receiver/drier out. The hose that screws in next to the viewport, you can see it but there is really no tool access. Maybe come in from the side with a crowfoot wrench?

It won't help you, but I chose to replace the drier when I had my bumper cover and duct/vane assembly out of the car, courtesy of a fallen tree on a dark and stormy night.

To those of us who witnessed this car at the 2016 Frenzy, this thread is a treat. Rarely has a car been so blessed by so many experts. Still, I'm imagining you in the future, with your next car. I trust it won't require this epic journey! You'll be satisfied to help others with all the expertise you're developing.

Fantastic work. I only wish I had your motivation and drive on my projects. Thanks for posting your journey.

Taking the bumper off would give convenient access but that undertaking in itself is not! I will figure it out, so far I had only looked at it and decided to work on something else instead.
Don't be fooled by the looks of my '89, it is a fixer upper and is likely to get the engine out treatment.

Strive to complete at least one goal every week and you will get there. Even an elephant Shark can be eaten with small bites.

OK so the drier/receiver extraction was a piece of cake. I unbolted the condenser bracket and rotated it out of the way, then with a wrench on the fitting and holding the drier with my other hand I broke it free very easily. It was not tight at all. I cleaned both grounds under the headlight bar while I was here too.
Attachment 1170797

I have the new drier but will not install it until I mount up the AC compressor and can close the system. I have to buy a vacuum pump and AC manifold.
Attachment 1170798

I made little progress today, no where near where I wanted to be. I reinstalled the HVAC head, central warning, and radio to the center console and found that I could not install the side plug to the HVAC with it installed. More double work. With that corrected and all other connections made I tried to mount the center console but was frustrated by the bolts that I have do not want to go into the speednuts. Maybe I mixed up my hardware but it wasn't making sense. I will just buy new bolts based on what is listed in the PET.
Attachment 1170799

I switched out the stock shifter for a short shifter.
Attachment 1170800
Attachment 1170801

Hi Alex,
What a fantastic project. I am also amazed at your versatility and drive. You are an inspiration, and really represent the enthusiast/mechanic that many of us aspire to.
Great job, and great documentation.
Thanks so much,
Dave

Alex, I have a vacuum and AC manifold from HF that are available if you want to borrow it. I can meet you in between (I am in Chadds Ford) to hand it off.

Let me know-Hoi

Thanks I am literally learning as I go.

That is REALLY generous of you :bowdown: I just picked up a HF two stage 3CFM pump today though.

I have been distracted by my lawn tractor breaking down. The charge pump for the hydraulics grenaded itself. Not a bad job to replace, just time consuming, and I took care of a lot of little things while I was at it.

Attachment 1174571

I would be upset if my 928 oil pump did this!
Attachment 1174572

So I jumped back and forth between working on the tractor and car today.
I got the AC compressor and dryer installed. I had put the AC belt on the crank pulley before installing the alternator and PS pump but I placed it on the pulley for the fan/air pump by mistake so I had to loosen the alt to get the belt on properly.
Reinstalling the compressor is a chore dealing with the weight, trying to route the hoses as you lift it into position and getting the bolts started. The belt is extremely tight to get on; actually all of the accessories do not really have enough slack in their tensioning brackets for an easy install of the belt. My AC tensioner bolt has course threads and so was wrongly used on the old compressor. I left off the front compressor mounting bolt so I can match it with a replacement bolt for the tensioner.
I think my rebuilt hoses are a bit longer because they wouldn't route the same way as before. It is no trouble though, they will not contact anything.
Attachment 1174577

Ignore the wiring - the low pressure switch was jumpered and tied in to that red wire directly to the compressor. This will be corrected.
Attachment 1174578

I hooked up my gauges and vacuum pump and ran it about 30 minutes. I want to see if it holds until morning then I will pull a vacuum for a couple hours and charge the system but so far after about four hours it is still at 29inHg. I found out I need a can tap for the R134a cans :(
Attachment 1174579

Oh about the compressor, they are rebuilt for R12 so I drained the oil and refilled with 180ml of ester oil and changed all schrader valves with R134a compatible ones, that goes for all orings too of course.

On the interior I got the correct hardware to reinstall the center console. I am having a hard time getting the shifter knob all the way down. I will probably pull it off, which will be very difficult at this point and lube it better.
Attachment 1174580

So you are like a lot of Porsche guys.

One 928, one lawnmower.

:p

In his case, it's one lawnmower and two Porsche. :thumbup:

In my case, it's one Porsche and four lawnmowers. I think that's part why I don't have much time for the 928... :banghead:

Alex, if you can work on a 928 (or two), you can work on a lawnmower.
Keep up the good work. :thumbup:

I do work on my car but not much on the lawnmowers. Too boring. :p

I have lost count by now between cars, a truck, motorcycles, lawn tractor, push mower, weed wackers, chainsaws, pressure washer, and generator. They are all a piece of cake to maintain compared to the Porsches ;)

So another day is over. I got the correct bolt for the AC compressor and spent a large part of the day charging the AC. I'm not sure how well I did and I may start over. I started by draining about 1.5 cans of R134a into the high pressure side with engine off. After some time to allow it to vaporize into the system I ran the engine and switched the AC on.
Low pressure started around 40 psi and I got a promising temp reading at the center vent.
Attachment 1174804
Attachment 1174806

The low pressure readings raised quickly but dropped as I added more freon to the low pressure port. By adding another can the low pressure reduced to fluctuating between 25-30 psi but my vent temps actually raised to about 58 degrees. The only thing I can think of is that while I purged the hose from can to manifold I did not purge from manifold to ports. I don't know if that is enough air to affect the system. I am pretty sure I filled close to the 860g required.
Attachment 1174823

The HVAC setting motor was acting up again so I cut out the outside temp plug and made my own connections to fix it for good.

Otherwise I replaced the radiator drain plug that was slowly weeping and managed to only drain about a drinking glass worth of coolant. I got the shifter properly fitted, a squirt of windex made it easy, installed the glove box and half way done with the instrument pod.

While messing with the AC I noticed the voltage gauge was reading low, I checked the battery and only got 11.5v :banghead: Alternator is less than 5 years old and 4,000 miles at most.
Attachment 1174824

Hi Alex,
Your pressure gauges look pretty good. It is indeed difficult to fill using small cans, because of introduction of air due to incomplete purging. Your vent temp's going up might just be due to a leaky heater valve letting hot coolant into the heater core. It's pretty common and you see it as vent temps going up as the car warms up.
Good luck,
Dave

Hang in there, Alex!
You are almost done.

Maybe everything is ok, before going to bed last night I ran it and got 42 degrees from the vent. Battery was 11.4v engine off, 12v with engine at idle and does raise with more rpms. I am thinking that both electric fans were depleting the battery more than the alternator was charging with engine at idle? Both fans running draws around 50 amps.

I need to build a wire harness for the AC air valve that boosts idle rpms when the compressor is on because it pulls the idle speed down too low.

#8 wire harness
Attachment 1174890

I got some more parts for the weekend and replaced the one way valves for the windshield washers in the hood.
Attachment 1177223

The nozzles are heated but there is no wiring whatsoever on the car.
Attachment 1177224

I installed a new upper window gasket. Getting the part of it into the outside trim was tough. Once I figured out a method using a pick to tuck it into the channel it went pretty well until the back trim piece near the lock knob. That took about an hour alone. The cutout for the window triangle is off by nearly 20mm :grr: I could drill a new hole for the screw but I will leave it alone, it is held tight enough that it could not fall out.
Attachment 1177225
Attachment 1177226

I soldered in resistors for the fog lamp, trip reset, hazard, and defrost pod switches, tested them, and bolted the pod in place.
Now my left side switches do not illuminate but the hazard and defrost on the right work fine. All switches function properly, just no lights on the left and I cannot understand why.

I reinstalled the hood and found it to be misaligned even though I removed it with the hinges. I guess there is still some play in the mounts.
My AC air valve does not work and I found my door handle hinge is cracked. The door opens fine but it must be why I cannot lock it.
Attachment 1177227

Looking good -
 

what value resistor did you solder in for your switches on the pod? I need to do mine (I've got color matched superbrights in there now).

thanks

scott

I followed recommendations from Ed Scherer's document "Converting Porsche 928 Lighting to LEDs" http://www.ed.scherer.name/porsche_9...0to%20LEDs.pdf

1k ohms for defrost and 1.8k ohms for fog lamp, trip reset, and hazard switch.

IIRC, the heated nozzles were not used until 1984, which would account for your car not having any corresponding wiring.

Big weekend!

I had to take the instrument pod apart again to investigate why the left switches would not light up and found nothing but the trip reset bulb had fallen out, the fog lamp bulb was not making good contact, and the headlamp bulb does not behave as expected. With ignition off and parking lamps on, all switches light up except the headlamp. With ignition on, the headlamp switch lights up as it should and with parking lamps activated the rest light up as well. In practical terms this is no problem but it had thrown a wrench in my testing.

Ignition off, parking lamps on:
Attachment 1179235

Ignition on, parking lamps on:
Attachment 1179236

So everything is working fine now. When I bought the '89 it came with what the owner thought was a car bra from the first owner, turns out it is a really nice three piece set of service covers. Ironic that I put it on the last day of having the car on stands after seven months.

Attachment 1179237

I kept hearing cars on the road running over a piece of steel so I went to get it to prevent a flat tire. It was a square sheet of steel. I pounded it flat, cut a small piece of it and used it to repair the broken rear tab of my center console.

Attachment 1179238

I bolted the seats in on Saturday, those inner rear bolts are HARD to get started into the inserts. It was late in the evening but I was at a point where I could reinstall the splash shields and wheels, drop the car to the ground and finally take it for a ride. It was 2230 by the time I was done and went for about 25 miles. The car ran beautifully. I tested the air conditioning and... nothing. The compressor did not cycle on. Oh well. It was pleasurable enough with the now working sunroof open looking at the stars.

Illuminated instrument cluster
Attachment 1179241

This morning I checked out the AC. The first thing I did was touch the connections at the low pressure switch and the compressor cycled on :) The connections were cleaned before and tight so I don't know why it was sensitive. I tightened the spade connector a little more and sprayed more DeOxit. It is working now but I've not tested the AC performance yet.

I installed a new right side front splash guard with new foam and rubber guard that was missing but in my night ride it was pushed back in contact with the tire. This has been a persistent problem on the left side as well. I think I fixed it by sandwiching the splash guard in front of the bottom plastic. Sorry no photos of this but it seems to have worked.

Attachment 1179239

My car was immobilized in my barn for so long that it turned into a barn find. I gave it a good wash, filled the tank, and drove about fifty miles. When I got back I applied conditioner to the leather and it is really thirsty, I will keep doing this weekly if possible. Interior is looking great. Just waiting for the armrests and hatch trims from Rob Budd.

Attachment 1179249

Picked up a good condition center armrest some time ago to replace my peeled back leather one.

Attachment 1179250

I noticed I was missing the metal piece that the interior locking knob screws into. I found it in a coffee can given to me by the PO of misc stuff but is broken. My locks are jammed so surely it was twisted off forcefully. Does anyone have one laying around? I know I can buy the whole assembly but I just need this metal part.

Attachment 1179254
Attachment 1179255

To my surprise the LED turn signal indicator shines brightly, really happy about that. Windshield washers still do not work though. Things seem to fail or repair themselves for no good reason with these cars.

That is a wrap for this weekend. The car runs better than ever. I must have repaired some intake leaks by replacing the large O'ring at the AFM, tightening one loose hose clamp at the spider leg, and installing a missing gasket at the oil filler.

This was the only exterior photo I took.

Attachment 1179251

Great job Alex. :thumbup:

Keep up the good work!

Thanks Bertrand, hope you get back on the road soon. These cars really have a spirit of their own - or a horde of busy gremlins :confused:

I drove the car to work today, still no AC; it is the connectors to the low pressure switch. I will have to cut them out and replace.

So my AC problem was not the connectors but the terminal on the low pressure switch itself breaks contact internally just by touching it. This is the only part I did not replace - serves me right I guess :crying:
I have jumpered it out for now.

I replaced the left door window bushings, this was a nice easy little job and the window is nice and snug now. When operating the window up and down I noticed the window motor was loose in its mounting and tightened it up.

Attachment 1181586

I had to repair about five of the seven mounting clips on the inside upper window trim that had broken off during removal and reinstalled that piece.

JB weld; good as new, if not better.
Attachment 1181587

I installed an LED dimmer from Ed Scherer for the instrument lighting that works really nicely.

Other than that I reinstalled the belly pan, front grill, side trims of the center console, and the center vent which is an exceedingly tight fit for some reason.

I finally got a chance to test the AC performance and I am quite delighted. Vent temps got down to 40 F. The only problem was after about thirty minutes of driving the engine wanted to stall out when pushing the clutch in to come to a stop and it did a few times. I turned up the idle screw I think a full three turns and it runs much better. RPMs at idle are about 900 and with AC on maybe 750. I ordered a used AC air valve as a remedy and should get it this week.

Attachment 1181588

Alex, you have come a long way with your 928 since we were all pulled over on the way to Frenzy last year to try and figure out what was the problem with your car. Very impressed with all your progress!

Looking forward to seeing you and your "reborn" 928 at PVGP.

My AC air valve does work after all, but it seems to pull quite a bit a current to actuate. My jumper wires were too small to actuate the valve but by touching the terminal direct to the jump post and using a thicker wire to ground it does work and actually draws a small arc.

I made a wire up from one of the terminals to the cam tower ground. Then I made a three way connector between the wire from the engine harness, wire to the AC compressor and the third goes to a wire to the air valve.

Attachment 1183640
Attachment 1183641

I used 14 gauge wire and with the compressor disconnected the valve works and boosts the idle around 300 rpm but with the compressor connected, the valve only gets about 8.5v - not enough to actuate. All connections are clean and tight.

A conclusion on the above post: the AC compressor draws down the voltage to such a level (8.5v) that the air valve solenoid will not operate. Coincidently I was going through a box of stuff from the PO and found a new or never used harness but it is much thinner wire so that would not help.

Attachment 1184124

I was able to replace the broken left door handle hinge. I have read all of the horrors dealing with the security plate but I found this to be a refreshingly simple job. I also removed the entire lock mechanisms to clean and get a better understanding of how it all operates.

Classic broken handle hinge:
Attachment 1184125

New:
Attachment 1184127

Attachment 1184126

I learned a thing or two. The locks WILL NOT operate with the door open. Now I cannot remember how I was messing with the locks thinking they were jammed, maybe the door was open? :o I needed to get in there anyway to replace the hinge and knob lever which was broken so it was no wasted effort at all.
When reinstalling the mechanisms it is important to have the striker in the closed position, as if the door was closed, or it will jam everything up. I never had a problem opening the door before but it is buttery smooth now and so is the lock. I went to the right side and sure enough the lock works with the door closed, not jammed at all, just another 928 oddity.

I received my armrests and hatch trims from Rob Budd and they are fantastic. Really top shelf work.

Attachment 1184134

Attachment 1184133

I had metal armrest reinforcements from the PO and installed those. I forgot to take a photo but there is one bolt that should not be installed because it blocks the center panel from sliding forward into place.

Attachment 1184135

I installed the hatch trims:

Attachment 1184142
Attachment 1184143

I also got floor insulation pads which were all missing except the front right.

Attachment 1184144

I wanted to repair and reinstall the left door card which was already removed when I bought the car but that will take quite some work. I have installed my nice armrest for now.

Attachment 1184145
Attachment 1184146

When I had the hood off I also repaired the wiring for the under hood lamp and removed the socket from a broken bulb out of the fixture. I plugged in a 10w I had spare from doing the LED conversion and behold, it works!

Attachment 1184147

Ready for PVGP:
Attachment 1184148

Hi Alex,
I think that small harness is for the AC RPM increase solenoid, normally mounted to the cross brace. It looks like it has been eliminated on your car. I also removed mine without any horrible events.
Good luck,
Dave

Oh, the old 826 model...lol.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e86bb17b1d.jpg

Car looks great, you've got "your" barn find looking the best.

Door lock story hit home, just had the passenger door panel off my 78...and was M/F'n the lock for not working after installation...then I remembered to close the latching mechanism. Can only pretend it will never happen again, but we all know better.

Keep up the great work.

Brian.

Thank you, I am hoping for a bit more reliability this time :)

Yes that is exactly what I am describing but I do have it and it functions but not when the AC compressor is on because it pulls the voltage down too much. I had tried to get another solenoid but 928 Intl. is out of them. Maybe I can swap it with someone at the PVGP to see if it works or not. I feel that it is drawing too much current for what it is, it actually pulls an arc similar to what a window motor would do.

It is actually critically important for my car. With the idle set correctly it drops too low with AC running that the engine stalls out when letting off the gas to come to a stop. I have it at a compromise for now, a bit too high idle with AC off so that it maintains about 700rpms with AC on.

Thanks, definitely one of those moments a light bulb goes off in your brain. Not that I have been able to drive it much being up on jackstands since November, but I had been leaving the car unlocked for fear of being locked out.

The 826 models were built on Friday afternoons before a holiday weekend ;)

Made some more fixes this weekend.

My AC air valve problem is solved :D
Rather than the power feed from the wiring harness feeding the AC compressor and air valve it is now triggering a relay for a power feed direct from the jump post. Now I have 13.89v instead of 8.xx. I set my idle speed to spec and when I turn on the AC the idle is bumped up to compensate for the extra load on the engine, as designed.

Next up was fixing my leaking rear hatch. There was no way I could subject my new Rob Budd hatch trims to water damage. The outer trims are fastened by screws from the inside. Once removed I found no sealant whatsoever and detritus in its place. I filled the channel with 3M strip caulk, reinstalled the outer trim and tested it, no more leaks!

Attachment 1238695
Attachment 1238696

I finally fitted a battery hold down bracket I've had for about a year. The problem is that no bolt would thread into the hole. I tapped it with an M8 x 1.25 which seemed to be the closest match and the spoils were all undercoating, no metal. The undercoating looks original and matches the rest of the car but I'm sure it left the factory with a bracket? Anyways it is solved, though there is about a 10mm gap between the bracket and the mounting surface. It does a great job of keeping the battery secure so I think this is designed as a kind of spring.

Attachment 1238697

My car didn't come with a right side carpet with the L-jet cover so over the winter I had bought a good used one but was missing the strap. When I got my parts recovered I had Mr. Budd make me one so that area is now tidy.
Attachment 1255094
Attachment 1255095

The left mirror does not work so I took it apart and found the wiring in really bad shape. The rubber insulators on the pins for the heating function crumbled away. I cleaned the connections and put heatshrink on those pins but it still does not work. The motor makes a noise but acts like it is jammed though the glass moves freely by hand. I've put it back together for another time, it is easy enough to adjust from the drivers seat.
Attachment 1255097

I have finally installed the left side door card :rockon: I will admit I did not make any repairs to it but I don't know when I would have ever gotten around to it. It is only a fifteen minute job to remove it later on anyway.

I used a clear heavy duty trash bag, first to cover the openings with a flap to divert any water to the inside of the door and then covered the door entirely.
Attachment 1255098
Attachment 1255099

This is the first time the car has the left door card installed under my ownership.
Attachment 1255113

What a difference this makes, I drove about twenty miles and it is much quieter and put simply, very nice :)

I cleaned the interior and juiced up the leather, and there is a lot of it! I found that DC111 works really well to restore the door handles, lock trim, and horn pad back to black.
Attachment 1255114
Attachment 1255115

Ready for Frenzy
Attachment 1255116
Attachment 1255117

As far as mechanicals go, it is running well, instrument cluster has been flawless, and the oil level hasn't lost a drop.

Looking good!!!

Congrats for the all the work you did on this car.

It takes patience, determination and a passion for the car to get it where it is now.

Keep up the good work Alex. :thumbup:

See you next weekend. :cheers:

Since I got this car, I have had a problem with fuse 29 blowing (right parking lamps). It was an intermittent problem about every thousand miles or so but I was able to re-fuse and be OK for some time though I was constantly worried they had gone out while driving. All connections and sockets had been checked multiple times but I got to a point where there was a constant short.

Today I dug in to try my damnedest to find the fault. I removed the four bulbs affected to isolate the bulb fixtures as a problem from the wiring. I took out the front 'marker lamp' next to the fog lamp, both side parking lamps, and taillight and still blew the fuse so the issue was in the wiring. It did not matter whether ignition was on/off or pop up headlamps where up/down or on/off. I checked the current draw and read 9.75A versus the functioning left side at 0.7A.

At one point in all my tinkering the fault went away and back again without doing anything which was puzzling. Then I checked if there was continuity between the positive and ground wires at the various lamp sockets and found it at the front marker lamp. There is a two to four way wire harness to feed the front side marker and parking lamp and I have found a short within when stress is applied as the wire exits the connector.
Attachment 1262813
Attachment 1262814

I performed an autopsy out of curiosity and I believe that the short was caused by two of the terminal crimps within the body of the connector making contact. They were not separated adequately when it was molded.
Attachment 1262815

This was a tough one for me but I am really excited to finally figure it out! :D I could get a replacement but I think I will make my own harness.

Very good!
Way to bird dog that down.

crafty, your persistence has paid off,
well done!

Good catch!

Alex I just saw the door vapor barriers, your very creative!

I would suggest these installation procedures as they mirror the factory installation.
Use Weldwood brush on glue ,
a clear shower curtain from the dollar store or BB+Beyond.

Poke holes with a punch into each bolt and door clip hole prior to fitting the door panel.

Note the duct tape adhesive will dry out and thus the liner will not maintain its seal,
and will increase the thickness that the door clips have to overcome before they catch.

Thank you Gentlemen.

Stan, I used a heavy duty industrial garbage bag for the vapor barrier and the red tape I use is good stuff plus I get it for free. See the info https://www.shurtape.com/cloth-duct-.../stucco/pe-444

Of course time will tell and I will see how it holds up next time I remove the door card.

I cut off the bad connector and made my own.
Attachment 1262984
Attachment 1262985
Attachment 1262986
Attachment 1262987

Crude I will admit but it works!

Nice work Moose!

I am getting ready to take Ol Copper in for major surgery this winter (interior refresh and paint) and your car is a great inspiration!

-scott

That should work/last a long time. On to the next thing I say!

Thanks for the continued updates

Great work. It reminds me of my own efforts, only you're doing an even better job.
Good luck,
Dave

It has been a long time since I have added anything here. I've been working a ton of hours and ran power into my barn turned into a garage over the winter. I have tinkered with the car here and there to figure out the last electrical problems. The right power mirror works in all directions plus heat but the left does not at all. I believe I've narrowed it down to a problem with the wiring inside the door. That can wait until next time I take the door card off since it's easy to adjust that mirror from the drivers seat.

What is left is that the windshield wipers worked but did not 'park' and the windshield washer did not work at all. I found relay XIII (delay wiper) and XV (intensive washer) switched. This is after a full CE panel out refresh and I had reinstalled the relays where they were. NOTE TO SELF: do not assume anything is correct! That fixed the wipers 'parking' and also the intermittent speeds. It did nothing for the washers though.

When I had the engine out in 2016 I took the washer pump apart, cleaned, and tested it so I knew it should work. I pulled the relay and jumped it. It ran about five seconds and quit and when I looked under the hood there was a wisp of smoke and the pump was hot, so much for that. I have installed a new pump and got it squirting out the hood with jumpers. There must be adjustment there because it shoots clear over the car!.

I have tried the same relay from my '89 that works but it made no difference on this car. Now I am suspecting that the stalk switch is the problem. With the switch activated I only measure about .25v at O3 (outgoing wire to pump) at the CE panel. Then I measured at the connector pin at the switch itself with the same result. Thus I don't think it is making a good contact internally but all the wiring should be good. I don't know if this is a common failure or not but I'm open to suggestions.

I did have a little problem with the starter the last time I drove it last year and the few times I have started it this year. On the first crank there was nothing, not even a click, but the second or third try started normally. Battery voltage was good. I switched the starter relay (stamped 24) with a new horn relay I had replaced and will see if that corrects it.

The nozzles themselves (inside the housing) are somewhat adjustable. You can stick a pin or really thin wire into them and move the nozzles around some.

The end goal is for everything to work and that anyone could hop in and drive without first reading a list of notes and instructions for all the quirks. That list started at about 3/4 of a page and would now be down to 'push in clutch and wait two seconds before shifting into 1st or reverse', but non working windshield washers prevent me from passing inspection. I've ordered a good used combination switch and hope that fixes it. Thanks on the tip for aiming the nozzles.

Great news! but first...

One morning the week before last I open the garage door and see that the interior lights are on in the car. I fiddle with the door pin switches, nothing changes, so I hope the battery has enough power and yes, it starts right up. Glad that I have LEDs, I manually turned off the lights and drove to work. The door chime got a little annoying on my 60 mile commute but it was never interrupted by vibration or bumps. About a half hour before leaving for home I checked the car and it had fixed itself so I turned the lights back on to open with the doors. When I came out to leave the lights were on again. Oh well.

The next day I had a chance to troubleshoot and started by removing the door pins, I unplugged the rear hatch pin, and disconnected the 18 pin connectors for each door to isolate them. I thought that the wire to one of the door pins might be grounding somewhere but moving it around didn't change anything. By the way those 18 pin connectors have to be squeezed before they release. Then I took down the overhead lights and when I removed the rear hatch light they went out. When I reinstalled it they came back on but I was only able to replicate it once.

Long story short, There is a rough edge in the cutout for the light and maybe one of the contacts was just barely touching. I put a strip of electrical tape and it has been OK every since.https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5a1a6562e8.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...360e14e19e.jpg

I think I've done the wiring diagrams right so let me pass on this idea. I printed them out on 11"x17", laminated them for durability and so that I can trace out circuits with dry erase markers (and erase once I'm done). I am leaving them under the hatch mat.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...644974312c.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...de81d6812f.jpg

I don't think I've put up a photo of my tool kit but it is complete.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8f74c83427.jpg

I picked up a luggage cover from a member here and it is really nice!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2cd3443d3b.jpg

On to the good news. All of my testing led me to the combination switch being the source of my non-op windshield washers. I had ordered a used switch but instead decided to try and fix mine. I found a post by Allan (thanks!) were he had been there/done that. https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...l#post11365658

There are seven rivets to drill out made of brass I think. Once open I found the contacts were pretty dirty with old dielectric grease.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...055dea4dcc.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...de93b85382.jpg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2f54300964.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c84054c6e1.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d3e8c7b6e6.jpg

To clean the contacts for the windshield washers I had to remove the metal bar on the right shown above. I had to remove the spring shown here with a pick.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ea791c94ac.jpg

This shows how the end of the bar fits into the housing.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...9cfca6d65e.jpg

With the spring removed, you push it down and outward.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5b6bdb66cc.jpg

And here it is out from between the contacts.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...38e37cb3e3.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...83e94f91ce.jpg
I cleaned with electronics cleaner, then used plain white paper to clean all the contacts and applied DeOxit. Reinstalling that bar and spring was tricky and of course the spring flew off into another dimension. I found a similar spring from a ball point pen that works fine.

All cleaned up.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ebf57d95e3.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8d022aab71.jpg

The rest of the rivets were easily pushed out.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...17f3dd1d6f.jpg

I put things back together and held it with a clamp.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0c07747dd5.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...266cf6394b.jpg

Then I tested it. Full windshield washers!!

I forgot to take a photo of the switch all screwed back together but I used these in place of the rivets.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1fcbc5b464.jpg

I am really happy now I can actually pass inspections. I also properly aimed the nozzles :)

Nice DIY Alex!

Last month I was finally able to pass inspection :D
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...84d974cac7.jpg

I also managed to find a set of H4 headlamps. One of the things I like best about these cars is that there is no chrome, except the trim rings around the US sealed beams. Now they are gone. The only thing I had to do was snip off the bottom tab on the plug for the bulb connector that is left unused. I forgot to take a photo with these installed but they look great and are way brighter.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...26d1b84cb0.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0dafada421.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4881847925.jpg

So now the next chapter begins, I bought a G28/13 transaxle from an '87 or '88 and had Greg Brown inspect it and ended up with a totally rebuilt gearbox! There was no history but the best he could tell is it had around 150k miles and the odd thing was that the 5th gear synchro still had paint on the wear surface from the factory. It hardly saw any highway use and the gears are in good condition. 1st through 3rd synchros were replaced with updated synchros that have been race proven in other applications to be far superior to OEM and much cheaper too.https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...067658144f.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...341158c27b.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...605057371d.jpg

Last weekend I started on the removal of the TT and trans. The headers are a total pain in the neck, I had to loosen the right side to remove the bell housing cover. Then I could not remove the clutch. I did not want to loosen the left header because that is a nightmare for access. What I figured out was to pull the short shaft into the TT (it fits once you remove the coupling) and then I could drop the clutch and left the starter ring gear and intermediate plate trapped by the header. This is all just to get access to the TT to bell housing bolts that are inside.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3623589234.jpg

With that taken care of, the rear end is pretty straightforward. I used a motorcycle lift to support and lower the rear suspension and drivetrain together and a floor jack with some scrap 6'x6' to support the front of the TT. I recall some people have battled to remove the emergency brake from the body but mine pulled out by hand.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1b20197d11.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4b99ed6ca6.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b1a069ce0e.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5d188dd4d3.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...24657f3716.jpg

The undercarriage is very nice, no rust.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4d20189a64.jpg

Now it is all out
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...603af5fabe.jpg
Upon further disassembly, I removed the axles and spun the rotors to check the wheel bearings and they turn smoothly except for one area of the rotation. I will remove the rotors to make sure it isn't the E brake shoes rubbing.
When I removed the rear TT pinch bolt it seems too far forward and would not fall out of the cutout without some help. I think the shaft migrated forward a bit. I measured 11.1mm of shaft extending out of the TT on the engine side. Three new pinch bolts will be going in.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...250f665db0.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...125b158f29.jpg

What is the best way to remove the foam around the shifter? It is bonded pretty well to the TT.

I got a set of the Mountain wrenches based on the recommendations I read somewhere about the best way to remove bell housing to engine bolts and they are amazing. They are so versatile, I hardly used my socket set.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...fd986d0800.jpg

Here is a tip for using these for the upper starter bolt. Use the 8mm with a piece of cut off 8mm allen key. It makes a tough job easy!
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4a0b5f4acd.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c63163cf89.jpg
New gearbox is home
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...dc47239764.jpg

You're a beast, Alex!

It looks like you're got it well in hand, but if you get to a point where you could use some additional muscle, PM me.

Thanks guys! Shawn I appreciate the offer I'll see how it goes.
I'm taking my time and I've learned to wait till everything is apart before placing an order because I inevitably end up needing more.

I'm working on the axles now and I need some opinions on whether the wear is acceptable. All boots were intact and the grease was black but not contaminated by water. There was no play in the bearings and the car is just shy of 80k miles. The outer collar has wear deep enough that it can be felt.https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...98f8d47e43.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7f979d8eb2.jpg

The cage has wear spots that can be felt as well.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...03086d18b1.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...09f8e6173d.jpg

The outside shows no wear at all.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2ee7730109.jpg

The hub has a strange 'double wear' but these are polished areas and cannot really be felt. Is this a sign that the axles were rebuilt before and swapped side to side?
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...862549cafb.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b4f113085d.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...eb4439fa27.jpg

The ball bearings are perfect, no markings at all.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...14c52f254a.jpg

So the drive shaft had indeed migrated forward. I had checked the pinch bolt before and found it still tight when I removed it. Not a pretty sight.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3d14a00193.jpg

The rear pinch bolt's location is fixed by the trans coupling so I guess where it was towards the front of the access cutout is not a tell-tale sign.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...a227407a37.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8833016b54.jpg

Here is the damage
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4fe460b61c.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2ee0a49bca.jpg

There is some damage to the short section of splines but the main section looks unharmed. I think if I install the pinch bolt on a good portion of the shaft I may be OK?
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...79ec24dc17.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c9b72261a5.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4e32ca7d60.jpg

The bearings turned smoothly and have no play but they feel like they spin too easily as if there is no grease left in them. I have Constantine bearings for replacements.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d5dbab0df0.jpg

When I removed the shift rods there was all this broken plastic around the front bearing bracket that bolts to the TT just ahead of the shifter. Is there a replacement plastic insert available?
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3b514cccbf.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...656a159123.jpg

I was able to find some photos on sharkskin's site of a new bracket.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...858dd4e68e.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3e0830152d.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...bb3321f24c.jpg

Something odd I found when I removed the rear rotors was metallic debris stuck on the shield bolts - both sides. One was bigger and they are both non-magnetic. With the rotors removed the hub spins nice and smooth, wheel bearings are good.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2bd7308814.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1371526126.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...a977ac352d.jpg

I cut off the rubber on a set of trans mounts and burned off what was left and with a combination of a sanding disc on a grinder and wire wheel in a drill I was able to clean the parts up really well. I will send these to a member to be rebuilt.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...04404ba892.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...dc0bb58693.jpg

Other than that I cleaned out the grease of the outside CV joint, painted the shaft, and will rebuild it. It was fine before and it is pretty easy to replace in the future if I have to. Also I cleaned out the torque tube.

The other axle CV joint had the same amount of wear but no play at all.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...9393ca033b.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...68bc68d0d4.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...bdca8c8662.jpg

Here they are painted and the outer joints greased. I will pack the inner joints once they are ready to bolt onto the trans. I cleaned and reused the small boot clips, the rebuild kits don't provide replacements. A reminder to myself: don't forget to reinstall the circlips! (I'm awaiting a special circlip plier to get those back on.)
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...352b5e9de5.jpg

I got the trans mounts back from Waldo928. These are really well done and exactly the same as a new factory mount but with the cavity filled in so they won't sag.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8bb3f01721.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0f6214c1b2.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...cc842fb271.jpg

These are the rear rotors I painted a couple weeks ago. They were nasty before.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...32794e7af1.jpg

I've installed a new Hi-Torque starter and mounted it tucked in under the oil pan. The starter I had was a rebuilt unit and I don't trust it. It never left me stranded but at random it would take 2-3 tries before the solenoid would activate. Just have to finish the wiring.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6125a43fea.jpg

I finished rebuilding the TT. Installing the new bearings was a piece of cake compared to driving the old ones out. I mounted the new trans to the cross member and installed the TT. When I was getting the new pinch bolt threaded in I remembered I didn't lube the drive shaft splines but I don't have the lube yet. No big deal but I have to pull the TT off the trans to do it. I'll consider this a practice run :)
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...54872db477.jpg

I made a new friend. When I was working this little guy walked right in and we both minded our own business and he only hid after about 15 minutes when I grabbed the camera. He walked out about an hour later.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...019157e80e.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b662571ec2.jpg

I am wondering if I should blue Loctite the rear drive shaft splines rather than use lube? The splines are a bit compromised and it seems counterintuitive to lube something that I don't want to move.

So whether right or wrong I Loctited the rear splines. I was curious to see how much the old pinch bolt was stretched and was surprised to measure almost 1.2mm difference compared to a new bolt.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...f34bc6a6e7.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d76936a7ca.jpg

But then I noticed the head was different and thicker so I am pretty sure it had been replaced before.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...057887cfc6.jpg

This is one of the front pinch bolts and it is less than 0.2mm longer.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0590b52ff0.jpg

I got a replacement throw out bearing just in case but when I disassembled the old one it was actually nice and smooth. I was going to re-grease the bearing and save the new one for the future but the seal has become brittle and cracked when I pried it out. I will keep it and if I can find replacement bearing seals I will reuse it if I need it.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...488b755988.jpg

Throw out bearing disassembled and new bearing. A press is a necessity to do this.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d69af74b81.jpg

Reassembled.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7e04060b61.jpg

The contact surfaces that fit into the clutch fork are actually plastic bonded to steel, I didn't expect that.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...af252ca0da.jpg

I packed grease into the inner CV joints and mounted the axles to the trans. This is such a messy job. I was only able to get one pack of grease into them and it was trying to spill out everywhere. I used painters tape to cover the bolt holes so I wouldn't have to clean those out again and that worked pretty well.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...cf0c7af85a.jpg

My fix for the front shifter rod bearing was a simple 1/2" pvc coupling. It is a tight fit into the rubber. I was going to fasten it somehow but I couldn't even get it out so it will do just fine.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b062f7465f.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...a988eccaf9.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...4c3e0518dc.jpg

Shift rods installed
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...90d137a4f7.jpg

I took a break from the car last weekend to enjoy the ONLY nice weekend this summer but I did finish the starter wiring to keep things moving. I put together a small wiring harness to connect the one wire plug on the Hi Torque starter to the two wires in the car's harness.

On the left is the supplied plug. I soldered in a tail with a ring terminal and a diode with a smaller ring terminal. These match the rings on my wiring harness and I bolted them together with a 4mm and 5mm bolt. Thanks to Dave McKenzie who sent me the diode!
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...51b15429c0.jpg

I taped up the bolts individually then over the whole thing and slid on some wire loom. I haven't tested it yet but I think it should work.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1940da2705.jpg

This weekend I have reinstalled the drivetrain. I did have a hiccup with the rebuilt trans mounts so for now I reinstalled the old ones but I have a easy 10mm clearance between the trans and the cross member. Should be OK for a while.

The clutch was a tough job, really tough. I had to juggle what felt like a dozen things. Keep track of the yellow dots on the clutch discs so they are rotated 180 degrees apart, fit the pressure plate and the lubed short shaft while avoiding getting grease on the intermediate plate, and get it all lined up with the pilot bearing. Eventually I got the clutch pack all bolted in.
I dodged a bullet. I did not put the TT clamping sleeve onto the shaft before I bolted the TT to the bell housing. I got lucky because the spot weld broke on the front pinch clamp and it just barely fits in the gap were the guide tube bolts on. If it were not for that I would have had to totally remove the drivetrain from the car to slide that on. For anyone planning a TT rebuild, make note to put that clamp back on the shaft as soon as you are done.
I don't have much for photos, but all the hard stuff is complete.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...df9c94c1b9.jpg

I finished last weekend. I got tired of dealing with the hard line for the clutch slave and stole the long hose replacement from my '89 project parts stash. I don't think the hard line works with the new starter anyway. Based on my experience replacing brake lines I did not expect more than a few drips but I was wrong and made a bit of a mess so take note, about a cup worth of fluid will come out!
I had some trouble bleeding until I read a tip about removing the clutch slave and working the rod in and out which I did fifteen times and that did the trick.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8c1c8bdda7.jpg

I retightened the header to the engine, reconnected the battery, tried to start and.. CLICK.
Hmm, battery voltage was good and it was good at the starter too. Tried jumping pin 14 to the hot post and still nothing. I tore into the wire harness I made and I mistakenly switched the starter and coil wire connections. Even though the starter wire is bigger it has the smaller eye terminal and vice versa. Once corrected it started right up.

I wanted to be 100% sure that the clutch was fully releasing and since I work alone I used my camera as eyes under the car to check the travel of the clutch slave rod and that the TT shaft would stop when the clutch is released. The manual states that the wear limit is reached when the front edge of the lever reaches the end of the inspection hole. The travel on mine definitely goes past the edge of the hole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afSp2Kpxcxc

And here we see while going through the gears that the shaft stops with the clutch released.

With everything checking out good I installed the exhaust. One of the things I like about these cars is that there is no chrome. The Borla exhaust I have installed had chrome tips on it and I took the opportunity to roughen the surface and paint them.
Two smoking barrels, much better!
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...f702d1e4e9.jpg

After installing the rear wheels and lowering the car back on the ground I torqued the rear axles. I do not have a torque wrench that goes to the 350 ft lb or so required but I do know my weight and figured out how far out on a cheater bar to apply my full weight and get it close. I tested 1st and reverse in my garage and when I could not help myself, went out into a misting rainy night for a test drive.

I had not realized I did this work so close to 80k miles and of course I crossed it.

Wow this really transformed the car. :D Though the final gear ratio is actually a bit lower than the old gearbox it feels like 1-4 are spaced closer together. There may be a bit of a break-in period as the shifter is a little notchy but they go right in.
I never drove anything with a limited slip before and that was interesting (fun :) )when I couldn't find grip in 2nd gear on the wet roads.

I only went about 15 miles on back roads and about half way through the clutch pedal lost all pressure. A moment later it was ok again. It did this a couple times but I got back home. I figured I had a bubble in the system and only had time to look at it today and saw fluid leaking at the clutch slave. The new hose to banjo fitting was not even hand tight. That corrected and bled again, all is well.

The only other minor thing is that the steering wheel is off center a few degrees but I figured I would need a realignment anyway. Everything else is perfect. Speedo works, no weird noises, and the vibration I had before from the TT on high rev engine braking is totally gone.

Well worth it.

I've got about 700 miles since the overhaul. Everything is running great and I am loving the new gearbox. I made a successful trip to Frenzy but a couple issues came up.

On my way down I noticed my speedo was 15mph slower than GPS and it got slower and slower until it died altogether. On the way back it started coming back to life and progressively regained full function. I guess the car does not like going south :confused: I will dig into this winter.

Next my inner door panel started hanging up on the plastic door sill trim so I removed the trim for now. The bottom of my door panel is in bad condition I will have to get creative.

After the Frenzy fun run someone told me my brake lamps were not working. Now this is something I have battled and been paranoid about since I bought the car and I finally won the war :)
I knew that once in a while the right brake lamp would not come on but every time I had the chance to troubleshoot they both worked. All electrical connections had been cleaned and checked but it was still an intermittent problem. I thought maybe it was some problem with the bulb controller.
When they did work, I also knew that it took some pretty firm braking for the lamps to activate, more than I would normally use (I am really easy on brake pads) so I was always nervous not knowing if they were on or off and checking the mirrors in case of a rear end collision. I did not know any better and figured that's just how these old cars work.

Well after I got home from frenzy I parked in my garage and closed the door behind me so that I could see the brake lamp reflections off the door. Only the left lamp turned on - dimly. Then I gave the brake pedal a good stomp and they both lit. In playing around with the pedal I found that the lamp actuation was totally inconsistent. Sometimes they turned on quickly, sometimes only after a few seconds with hard pressure.

On a hunch, I dug into how the brake lamp switches work and found a write up by Wally Plumley here. To test the wiring I disconnected the plug at the switch and jumpered two of the terminals. The brake lamps came on immediately and repeatedly so that ruled out a wiring problem. At $20 for two new switches it was a no brainer to replace them and see what happens. This is another one of those jobs where the part you are working on is right there but you can't get a tool on it. An adjustable crescent wrench got it done and no fluid came out other than what was in the switches. I gave the pedal a try and even though now it was spongy the lamps came right on and consistently!

Some time ago I got a Motive power bleeder and this was my first time trying it. I bled the brakes and clutch and really liked it. The pedal is now solid and brake lamps turn on with a slight nudge :D

New brake switches.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7818d4e100.jpg

One thing I noticed a while ago was the right rear coilover was lower than the left by about two inches. While I had the wheels off to bleed the brakes I adjusted it with a "strainer nut wrench" out of the plumbing section of Home Depot made by Danco. It is a perfect fit and only cost $10.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...04cfe8b765.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...33140c76b4.jpg

Most of the way the entire coil and saddle rotated with the adjusting nut and when it unseized that made things much easier. I matched the height from the bottom of the threaded sleeve to the bottom of the spring saddle.
Now that I am looking at these photos I noticed something wrong. Below is the right rear coilover I adjusted. Notice the adjusting nut and threaded sleeve.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...91eb929e40.jpg

Now see the difference on the left side. I think the nut and threaded sleeve are upside down according to the WSM. The weird thing is that the shocks are original as far as I know, they both have white factory paint marks on the bottom.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6fa72331f1.jpg

Nice work Alex , I would have like to have talked with you at Frenzy about what your doing,
our paths didnt cross.
Keep em flying

Thanks Stan, yes Frenzy went by too quickly.

Any ideas about the coilovers? One is wrong but I don't think it will cause any harm?

After my shock adjustment I could feel it was too stiff in the rear. The spec is 173mm +/- 10mm so I cut a thick strand of copper wire to length and crawled under to measure. I was about 40mm too high! I thought the right coilover was set too low and raised it but the reality was that the left was set too high. It is very much a matter of trial and error to set it perfectly but I have it pretty close now.

I've also converted all the front lamps to LEDs.
The driving lamps are from superbrightleds: LED driving lamps

I got the foglamps from amazon, the only offering from superbright was too long and hit the shield inside the lamp. These work great: https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...f7b1b42545.jpg

Then I got these H4 LEDs and sealing caps for the headlamps from Ed Scherer but I had to do some minor modifications to mount the control driver.
Modifications detailed here but other bulbs listed in the post above should be plug and play: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/1080697-led-headlight-caps-protizmo.html#post15379154

I went behind the local Kmart at dusk to properly aim the headlamps before the conversion. When converting the headlamps to LED you must replace the foglamp relay with a standard "53". I've not gone for a proper night drive but they look great.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...21ebb45ee7.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...434ae12de9.jpg

Thank you. I took a break the last couple of months but I am back at it and fixed some things but found other problems.

Brake fluid coming out of the booster.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0fbd7e577c.jpg

There is only that one droplet, nothing on the carpet, but it means the master cylinder is leaking into the booster necessitating both of their replacements.

Something else I noticed was this jumper plug next to the L-Jetronic that appears original. I know some of the later cars have a low octane plug that should be left unplugged but what I found is that one yellow wire is for fuel consumption (pin 11 at the L-Jet connector), probably for the MPG gauge on older model cars and the other is for a water temp sensor (pin 13). Why would they be bridged? Just curious.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d9ac97e763.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...46512c084c.jpg

I removed my left side door card to try my hand at fiberglass to repair the broken off portion at the bottom front in the area of the interior light and coin holder. That attempt is yet to come but I wanted to try and get the central locking and alarm system working. Starting with central locking, it turned out to be two minor problems found after a few hours of blundering effort. The first thing wrong was the power window relay was a standard "24" single purpose relay when a specialized dual purpose is needed. The way it works is that with accessory power off, power is supplied to the central locking and when key is turned to accessory, the relay switches to power the window switches. The manual explains that this is to prevent the possibility of the central locking system activating during a crash and trapping the occupants. For testing purposes until I get the correct relay I have removed it and jumpered the connections.
This is the part I hit a roadblock. With the jumpered connection I should have been getting power to both of the inline fuse holders behind the CE panel but I wasn't. For one thing I forgot or missed that there is no "I" connector at the bottom of the CE panel so when singing my ABCs to get to the "K" connector I was landing on "L". Then when I discovered my error, I still had no power. I found the cause to be the relay terminal pushed out the back of the CE panel. I pulled it out the back, re-bent the retention tab and reinstalled. Finally central locking is fully functional.

My car did not have an alarm module fitted and plugging in a working unit was all it needed. Easy.

Next was the left power mirror that never worked. This took a good amount of time too and I made a post in another thread that I created on the subject but the short story was that the wire harness had been ripped apart and twisted back together and my cross-over switch was wired incorrectly.

The last thing, for now, was trying to get the defrost system working. The mirrors heat up and though the hatch has good power and ground, no power is getting through the grid. I think the only fix would be a new hatch glass. Also once the defrost is turned on (button pushed in), it is supposed to turn off after 15 minutes but does not even when turning the key to off. I had to pull and re-insert the relay. Must be a bad timer mechanism within.

All in all, these are really small repairs but a few steps closer to being able to say "everything works". :)

Back in January I mentioned a brake fluid leak from the booster inside the cabin. I caught it in time as nothing dripped on the carpet yet. By removing the vacuum hose at the booster I was able to look inside and sure enough, it was half filled with fluid. I never had any braking problems or had to top off the fluid but apparently the brake master had been leaking a long time. I sucked out about 400ml of very dark fluid with a mityvac. With that diagnosed, a new brake master cylinder, booster, and clutch master is going in. The clutch master looks really good and must have been replaced within ten years but I am replacing it for peace of mind and since everything is out of the way.
I have read some discussion about needing to modify the piston but I checked with Roger and he never heard of any problems.

Both new and old clutch master cylinders are identical. Old on top:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...debb633ba9.jpg

New clutch master installed. Just waiting to receive the booster.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ce86328988.jpg


I got a smoke machine and tried it out. I pumped it through the venturi into the intake (you can see the white nozzle in the second photo) and blocked off the intake snorkel with a rubber glove. I got a massive leak! I don't think there is any gasket between the airbox and snorkel, only the other side against the air flow meter. I also have a minor leak at the o-ring of the AFM which is new from last year. I does not push in far enough but there is no adjustment. Maybe double up the AFM to airbox gasket?
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...889860adb8.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...9f5211ecdb.jpg

To rule out the airbox leaks and look for more, I installed the AFM to the proper depth and tried to seal the open end but failed. I think a gasket and a sheet of steel bolted in place would work to seal it.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...57fb620973.jpg

Part of the work planned is to reseal the water bridge and oil filler since I keep getting a mix of fluids in the valley. I started off easy with the left side coolant block off plate. Neither side leak yet but I will renew them. I thought draining the radiator would be enough to drop the coolant level but I was very wrong. Anyway, the way the bolts turned out was very worrisome, it felt as though the heads might snap off. They both came out ok but the threads were filled with nasty corrosion.

Driver side coolant block off plate:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...479ed7167f.jpg

I could not find a photo of the backside of the plate but I am curious if this is the way it is made or is this a lot of corrosion taking place?
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...9491ad5101.jpg

It cleaned up nice with a wire wheel. I will phosphorize the bare steel.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...9b821477b5.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c3e577f964.jpg

I have heard horror stories of snapping off water bridge bolts but I had no problems at all. It was still well sealed at the cylinder heads and needed a couple taps with a rubber mallet to break free but the bottom o-ring was hard and cracked. Next was removing the oil filler and both bolts were not even finger tight, no mystery why that was leaking. The engine casting in this area has a bunch of deep cavities all filled with sludge.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...96698f8e74.jpg

Both oil filler bolts can be reused but I will get new water bridge bolts.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c532e1eee7.jpg

You cannot really see in this photo but the small steel coolant port in the back is heavily corroded, I have a good used replacement.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...050efb4501.jpg

I was expecting a seal behind the thermostat but the early cars do not have it:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...89e71ac9d2.jpg

Filthy oil filler:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...063748ac3a.jpg

Some of these parts look pretty nice cleaned up:https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e9a0ba84ba.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...25ff17d0a6.jpg

I was concerned about this crack in the epoxy (?) but I plugged the tube and filled it with water and after a couple of minutes nothing came out.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...fbae6da438.jpg


Cleaning out about three inches thick of sludge and dirt:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...dc79649380.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...a3805d1f55.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d5e605322f.jpg

I cut out a piece of cardboard to cover the openings:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2cb14df523.jpg

And this took me all afternoon. The brakes lines put up a fight but I got it all back together. New Clutch master cylinder and "blue" hose, new brake booster, and new brake master cylinder:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6e109be417.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b89834b966.jpg

I got a bit further yesterday. The metal coolant Y pipe against the right side of the engine bay never really leaked but was always wet at the ends. Since the system is drained I looked into it and it's bad news, however it is a great time to address it now rather than the side of the road.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5482c3171d.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...851e0c485a.jpg

It is even worse cleaned up and what metal is left is paper thin.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e90fb141c1.jpg

The other ends are not as bad but getting thin.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...935b68855c.jpg

So I will be replacing the Y pipe and the last of the old coolant hoses from the reservoir to water bridge and to the top of the radiator. The coolant I drained had a lot of rust in it and that must have been a major source. The reservoir has a bunch of sediment in it and the small hose that connects at the top was actually clogged.
I replaced all the red silicone vacuum hoses. There was nothing wrong with them I just prefer the factory look.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1c76d43180.jpg

So I've got WYAIT-itis, can't help myself :)

Two of the throttle body bonded rubber mountings came out pretty easily, the third broke off.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d7b2fb0be1.jpg

I tried every trick I know to extract the stud and nothing worked. I tried welding a nut a half dozen times and they snapped off. I even tried dissolving the steel over the past week with alum and didn't make any progress.

Looks good, did not work:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3cb7a42657.jpg

What I finally did is drill out the whole mess and fill with JB weld. I coated the new mount with oil and inserted it until the JB weld sets up and I will remove it until it fully cures. That should leave a nice threaded hole.

Every steel part in contact with coolant is heavily corroded as seen in the Y pipe in my last post. The coolant elbow that connects to the heater valve was rusty at the end. With nothing to lose and since it is generously long, I cut off the bad part and managed to tig weld a flare at the end for hose retention. I think this will work fine.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7f22c320e4.jpg

I removed the rest of the intake and spent hours removing the cylinder head to intake gaskets. Then for curiosity's sake, I performed a compression check. When I removed the spark plugs I saw a lot of dirt and grit in the wells and I did not want this to get sucked into the cylinders.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...647b5b56c3.jpg

I plugged the holes with vacuum caps and cleaned the dirt out with Q tips.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...173aa5bb8a.jpg

Here are my results. This is a cold test but the left cylinder bank is inconsistent. #4 only measured 55psi. I added some oil and it only raised to 90psi so I think there is a valve leaking. The business end of all spark plugs look the same though these are platinum and I will install the correct WR8DS. The engine ran smooth and strong and I will test again with a warm engine.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1372ae1dad.jpg

On to the throttle body. I was planning to disassemble and replace bearings but it does not appear possible, or feasible, on the L Jet? In messing around with it I did notice that the position of the WOT switch impaired full rotation of the throttle linkage.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...844a8bb5a4.jpg

This is as far as the butterfly ever opened, I was probably missing out on some performance?
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...24a4ae9e22.jpg

The ends of the screws holding the butterfly to the shaft are compressed to lock in. I gave it a try and unscrewed them without any trouble, I will Loctite on reassembly.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e6aee65ddb.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...71792685d0.jpg

With the butterfly out I was expecting to be able to remove the shaft but it is locked in place by something beneath this plug. At this point I don't think it is worth pursuing further.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...088bbcac0e.jpg

And the engine.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...12265c0077.jpg

Good job Moose!! I like that you even replaced the booster and master cylinder, and very impressed that you removed the entire intake. Yeah you should be getting full open throttle. But rather disturbing about that cylinder :confused:

Have you considered replacing your Ljet harness and your engine harness? Those look original. Also Roger has a few original Porsche little harnesses that feed the idle up air valve. I’m replacing all those plus the green wire to hopefully be good for another few decades!

By the way, I’m still catching up on your thread but you installed an S4 gearbox in your ‘83? Dayum! Very impressive. How is that working out, how do the gear ratios compare? Did you keep the original final drive? Were any mods needed to get the later gearbox in? Wow!

The LJet harness is original but the engine harness is new. I haven't had any problems with it and diagnosis is pretty simple. I actually have a new harness for the air valve but only found it in a box of stuff from the previous owner after I made my own. I will swap that in. Green wire is new.

Yes I installed a '87-'88 G28/13 with LSD, it is a direct swap other than the shift rods are slightly different. It transformed the car. 1st and 2nd are carbon fiber synchros and are a bit notchy, but knowing they are indestructible I have no worries. The gearing charts say I went from 2.26 to 2.20 but the gears feel closer together with 5th being a little taller than before. It might only feel that way because I can shift quicker now. Either way, it is a huge improvement and now that I figured out how to adjust the pedals I can't wait to drive it and heel toe.

Now that you reminded me about the gearbox, I did crack the old one open to see the condition. It actually looks great, I believe the combination of missing clutch release arm bushing, sloppy shifter bushings, and bad clutch master and slave cylinders (they have been replaced before) probably crunched the synchros. If I ever want to put things back original, a few synchros is probably all it needs.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3c71f0eda7.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...bcb61454e8.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c540938670.jpg

I got a leak down tester to see what is going on with the 55psi #4 cylinder. It held no pressure at all and I could see oil bubbles escaping the intake valve. On closer inspection I could see a small piece of intake gasket stuck on the valve keeping it from closing, it doesn't take much. I got some of it off with a Q-tip and compression went up to 135. Within a few combustion cycles that should all burn off or blow out so that is good news.

Tried to take a photo of bubbles during leak down test:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6e4c503866.jpg

Just for fun I tried #8 and it is almost perfect seal:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e7ddbfe578.jpg

I am replacing every old hose left and I thought the heater hoses would be a headache but removing the wiper motor was surprising easy for access to the clamps:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...79d58b7de7.jpg

New heater hoses installed
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...78768442fd.jpg

The older cars have a three way fitting on the reservoir to radiator hose that goes to the back of the water bridge. Mine was rusted and the part is NLA. I found this brass fitting that will work.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...02cca02c06.jpg

I got a good used coolant Y pipe. The inside was perfect but had some slight pitting on the outside of the ports. To prolong its life I wire brushed the ends and painted them for protection. I cleaned out and reinstalled the expansion tank and you can find the three way fitting next to the washer filler neck.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...96b232dfb2.jpg

Heater coolant elbow and cold start air valve reinstalled:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1dfde7e0b7.jpg

The water bridge was a little dirty looking so using my favorite tool the wire wheel, I brightened things up. Before:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3276fc1ffe.jpg

After:https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...34a35e993e.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...79152231b7.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7c6eda7094.jpg

I reassembled the throttle body, installed it, and started fitting hoses. I did find one large crack in the throttle body to cold start air valve.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0f5faf0f19.jpg

Something I did not realize at the time is that when injectors are sent out for cleaning they are sandblasted and left in bare steel. Mine were starting to rust so out comes the wire wheel.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...a31173cf87.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...36d8550763.jpg

Almost forgot to take a photo of them cleaned. I am brushing on black rustoleum.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...dc44556fba.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2cff8d0c52.jpg

Progress so far:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1c94d2bdbc.jpg

That looks great, Alex. Your thread is a wealth of information for us old buggers.
Thanks,
Dave

OMG you didn't have to struggle for hours like I did to get off those pesky heater hoses because you removed the wiper motor! UGH had I only known, good job on that!!!

Great news on the compression. Everything's looking fantastic. By the way, where was the crack in the tube you posted? Can you post a pic showing its location? I can't quite place it and want to check that on my car too.

Great job Alex. :thumbup:

Keep up the good work.

Thank you gentlemen

I think removing/installing the wiper motor is the easiest component on the entire car. One nut and three little bolts.
I am shining light in the hose visible through the crack which was under the hose clamp.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...f94068e137.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...09b35c8971.jpg

Wow, consider yourself very lucky on that cylinder #4 fix! One never hears of that sort of simple little thing.:thumbup:

Good luck finding the correct hose for the AAV. Everytime I ordered one with the correct part number the hose didn't match. It's the only original hose I didn't replace on my intake refresh. My car is an early '84.

Yes, though in this case I did not expect such a low reading since the engine ran strongly and smoothly, other than a slight irregular stumble at idle when hot. I will do a compression and leak down test once it is running again.

Indeed, the hose is NLA. Roger sent me a straight hose to cut to size. I am mildly concerned about the kink at the 90deg bend but if I have trouble with cold starts I will know where to look.

I haven't done an update in a few weeks, that is not because I stopped work, but rather I've worked so much that I haven't had time to post about it.

I decided to pull out the clutch master cylinder piston and trim it down as I have seen advised. I trimmed off a little more than 4.5mm and as it turns out I am really happy that I did. I never had a problem with clutch disengagement but it would only do so at the very end of the pedal stroke against the firewall. It now disengages sooner and feels a lot more like I think it should.
Since I had not bled the system yet, I pinched the blue hose from the reservoir and removed the piston from inside the car. No brake fluid had flowed down and it was clean and easy.

Trimmed down piston with notch cut at the end.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...49f92cf203.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...541fe9ccc0.jpg

I then replaced all brake pads with Hawk street pads. I could not find any information on the old pads but they squeaked until warmed up and generated an unbelievable amount of dust.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...87b6291118.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...131d788f4d.jpg

I bled the clutch and brakes and went back to work on the engine.

I installed a Greg Brown oil baffle and 85-86 baffle on top then the oil filler. No gaskets, just dreibond between the layers.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2f39aa7059.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...97a243c1ca.jpg

I installed the water bridge with new bolts and dreibond on the gaskets.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0ffcc9f024.jpg

I reconnected the rest of the cooling system and used my new coolant pressure tester and found leaks at the temp and temp II sensors on top of the waterbridge without ever starting the car. Doing this is really a necessity to track down the source of leaks.

I finished installing the rest of the intake, vacuum lines, and wire harness.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...06698c2125.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5f7a4a4703.jpg

I took it for a test drive last weekend and it is running good but no different. I still have a stumble at idle that most would probably not notice or care but I do. All week I have been smoke testing until I have everything perfectly sealed. One problem was that two of the AFM to airbox bolts were stripped out. On a whim I was at an ACE hardware store and looked for a heli-coil kit or similar and the only one they had was 6mm x 1 pitch, perfect! So I drilled out all four and installed the heli-coils then bolted the airbox and snorkel with dreibond between the layers.
The other was the plastic cover of the AFM. I had removed it last year to clean the contacts inside and adjust the tension of the "barn door" since I have read recommendations to loosen it by 10 notches to start with since they were calibrated to run lean. I had only duct taped the cover back on for ease of access for further tuning (I stopped at 15 notches) but it was in fact a minor leak without being sealed properly. That taken care of, I can now rule out any kind of intake leak.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0a8403e15c.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d86ec9f679.jpg

More to follow...

I wish my garage time was as trouble-free and fruitful as yours, Alex. You're one of my heroes.

Wow!

Great job Alex. :thumbup:

Great quality pics too.:thumbup:

Keep up the good work.

Ha definitely not trouble free but thanks. When I think I am approaching some level of competency this car seems to humble me. The engine valley did not stay clean for long. Though they did not leak with the coolant pressure tester, after a heat cycle the coolant block off plate and heater port both leak. Only a small amount leaked that dried by the time I looked but I can see a trail of dry coolant coming from the ports, I should have used sealant. I will have to drain most of the coolant for the redo.

The good news is that after driving it then diagnosing the minor stumble I retested the #4 cylinder for leak down and it is almost perfect.

This past week I also tried to repair my dead speedometer. The speed indicated was gradually reduced vs actual speed until it stopped altogether. I had already refreshed the instrument cluster and soldered the rivets in the circuit foil for the speedometer. My skills were not great but are a little better now so I re-soldered them and verified good continuity. The contacts on the speedometer that fit over the pins from the foil felt loose and I was able to close them together. I hoped this would fix it but made no difference.
When searching for a rebuild service I came across some posts about capacitors and resistors failing so took another look at mine. They were good but on the reverse I found burnt traces on the circuit board. With not much to lose I tried repairing them and was pretty successful, though in the end, it still did not work.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...776a90e03d.jpg

Circuit board repaired:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...247437c968.jpg

I sent the speedometer to a recommended place and am very curious as to what caused this damage.

So all afternoon I worked on the stumble/misfire. I performed the battery of tests in section 28 of the manual. I never really looked at the ignition resistors before so I removed them to test and clean. The wire from the starter that bypasses one of the resistors during cranking was cut and routed to bypass both. Not sure why but I repaired this and it made no improvement. The only out of spec measurement was term 1 at the coil to ground. it should be max 2v but I have full battery voltage.

How I found the ignition resistors (now fixed):
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8bd224a650.jpg

I have pretty much tested everything. I doubled checked the camshaft alignment, adjusted the distributor timing, fuel pressure regulators and damper hold vacuum, double and triple checked vacuum hose routing, no sparks from plug wires when misting water on them in the dark, new correct spark plugs installed, new green wire, all fuel injectors are firing, and the intake system is airtight. I'm not done fighting but there is not much else to check.

Thanks, I like this one I posted in the random picture thread:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...69092f132e.jpg

One more:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...06efd3fdd2.jpg

I redid the rear coolant ports and it turns out they were not leaking at all. I pressure tested the system again and coolant is coming out of the HVAC drain, must be the heater core. My best guess is that both cylinder heads are leaking into the valley. I know stop-leak products are a band-aid at best but I just don't have it in me to tear out the heater core, much less an engine rebuild, so that is probably my next step. Otherwise I will just drive it and monitor the coolant level since it never lost very much and it should be less now that the waterbridge is well sealed.

I sent my dead speedometer out for repair and it is just my luck, the guy has spent hours with it and has not figured it out yet.

My speedometer control board was replaced with a newer style and sent back, I had my hopes up but still nothing. I wasted all Saturday afternoon troubleshooting and I cannot figure this one out. I only get a steady 8.08v out for speedo signal, engine on or off, which is weird because the alternator turning boosts the system voltage a couple volts. I have tested everything possible but obviously I am missing something.

Near perfect continuity from gauge to CE panel, tested the speedo pickup sensor and it opens and closes while spinning the wheels. I'm not sure where to go from here.

The only thing I have to show is another error in the manual. The numbering of the R and L connectors is reversed. I have corrected it, see below.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...803df2a795.jpg

Special thanks to 9zwei8 for loaning me a good speedometer, I swapped it in and it did not work either. I think I can rule the instrument side out now. The problem must be on the car side. I re-soldered the rivets on the circuit foil one last time, put it back together and still nothing. Really baffling. I am going to call the repairman and confirm that the signal voltage should be higher than the 8.06v I am measuring.

I edited my post above, the photo in the manual is wrong after all and both R and L connector numbering are reversed.

What did I ever do to a roll pin?
 

While speaking with Cory from Specialty Gauge about my problem and how the speedometer slowly registered less speed he mentioned that some 911s have had problems with the magnets falling off the carrier in the differential. By the way 8v is plenty for the gauge, it would still work down around 6v. I had tested for pulses by rotating the wheels but it wasn't consistent, repeatable, and definitely not 8 pulses per rotation. I decided it was easy enough to drain the gearbox and remove the rear differential cover and see if anything is wrong.

As soon as I started draining the oil and it looked like antiseize I knew something was wrong.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ec15496fc9.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...042ff5c8a0.jpg

So I removed the rear cover and sure enough, the magnet carrier is loose on the differential. It should be up tight to the differential and you can see the single split pin that is supposed to hold it.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2e6c641640.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...cdd8013a86.jpg

Here is the differential removed and the back of the boss for the split pin. The magnet carrier is aluminium and over about 1200 miles of grinding against the spinning differential it has lost at least 30mm of material which is what was in the gear oil.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0f162c969f.jpg

Here is the hole where the split pin should fit into the differential
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...727b1d08e0.jpg

The split pin
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6b2685f226.jpg

So all this time since my trip to Frenzy in September I thought this was a electrical problem. I never would have corelated the speedometer dying to the transaxle swap but in hindsight it happened after less than 200 miles. I believe I burnt up the control board on my speedometer with all my testing and it was never the problem.
The differential is already out and shipped to Greg who will make things right. Stuff happens but I am just ecstatic to finally find the culprit. I am 99% sure I can reassemble the instrument pod but I will wait to confirm full functionality just in case.

It seems that between this and the roll pin falling out of my distributor at Frenzy 2016, they just don't like me :confused:

Thanks to Cory for pointing me in a different direction:
Cory Shepherd
Specialty Gauge
8110 Weatherwood Ct
Unit 202
Manassas, Va 20109
703 402 4008

Just read this thread from start to finish.. thanks for documenting all of this

Your progress has been amazing

The repaired differential is on its way back, but with renewed vigor I have been busy.

A long time project in the works was completed. My headlamp socket mount was partially broken allowing the headlamp to pop out of alignment. I had a coworker create a model and some 3d printed prototypes and used the Shapeways service to print it in PA12 material which has suitable properties.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ceb17152aa.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...09decf57c4.jpg

The rivets on the old mount are ground off, punched out, and new mount installed with rivets.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...fcfbc22047.jpg

The new mount feels very secure. Now at this point I would have offered these but another member has concurrently created their own version, so I am at a standstill. If you are in a desperate need, send me a PM. These are for H4 and H5 headlamps.

During my extensive speedometer related testing I developed a problem with the old radio where it would power up the speakers and raise the antenna without being turned on, as soon as the ground strap was connected to the battery. No real loss, it was a 90's tape deck. While I have the driver side door card out for repairs I took a look at the speaker. I am not a big audio guy but obviously these are rotted, they are see-through!
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d0f57170be.jpg

I have a Continental radio on order and got these door speakers and a big sheet of plastic to make adapter plates, for which a pattern was generously provided by hans14914 at the end of this thread.
My car was originally fitted with a long gone Blaupunkt CR-3001 and amplifier at the dealer. The fader and amplifier were bypassed with a mess of wiring.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...fbb2f719aa.jpg

This amplifier was mounted in the left footwell above the dead pedal
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d76cdfaed0.jpg

I also took the opportunity to replace the cruise control mounting plate under the center console. Some knucklehead had cut off the right side bracket for the parcel shelf so it had no support. I had grabbed one from a free parts pile last year at Frenzy that must have come out of an S4 with a noise suppressor as a bonus. Thanks to whoever you are!
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...869640d3a2.jpg

While looking through PET I found that there is supposed to be a radio bracket which I was missing. After finding it is available new for only $14 I stole the one from my '89 (I will give that car the new one with my next order).
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...63984095b0.jpg

I got the correct connectors for the new radio and figured out a neat way to wire it up. I rerouted the black/red and black wires that used to go from the fader to the speakers to the center console and spliced in the connectors.

These are the wires that went from fader to connectors under the seat (that go on to the speakers). So the path is now radio to these connectors through the black/red and black wires and out to the speakers if that makes sense. It is about as elegant of a solution as I can think of.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...016586fc4d.jpg

Connections soldered.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b4c11601c1.jpg

The old radio had a makeshift noise suppressor that was mounted in the footwell airduct of all places. I don't even know if these are necessary with modern electronics anymore but I used the one on the new mounting plate. This one is grounded and I ran an appropriate brown ground wire to the grounding point above the CE panel, just as the S4 wiring diagram shows.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...91f62b4de1.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...fc7ba5689d.jpg

It should be plug and play from here.

As I said I have been repairing the left door panel. It is my first time working with fiberglass and it is not pretty or complete but it should work out.

Before:
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...2311769a62.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...bcc6948928.jpg

Currently:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7acd16785e.jpg

I am also repairing the intensive washer system. I replaced the dead pump, and can only get it to run with jumpers at the CE panel, more work to do on that, but the plumbing is messed up. The hoses are set to literally pump fluid back into the reservoir. Any tips on the hose routing would be appreciated. And where does the circled return hose go?
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e9baef5a30.jpg

Hi Moose,
Good job on your '83! It must be great to get all these items fixed up and in great shape again!

The plumbing is correct and will work. I *just* got finished going through the same thing on my '83. The output from the intensive pump goes to a T, one leg of which goes to the windshield squirters, and one leg of which goes straight back to the tank. I can only hypothesize on the engineering decisions there (is the output of the pump so great that they needed to bleed some off?) but I left it stock, replaced the pump with the exact same new one, also replaced all my one-way valves, and it works great. Let me know if you need photos of exact plumbing anywhere.

By the way, the regular window washer pump is plumbed the same way. For what it's worth, on the S4 version of the big windshield washer tank, there's a different/smaller pump -- and no more T leading back to the tank, it's a straight shot to the window squirters.

Also, the hose you circled is a vent. It's placed back along the passenger fender and follows engine wiring harness #1, and I think its only function there is to be higher than the tank.

I love that headlight mount! One of mine is missing one of the "teeth" and doesn't hold the headlight as securely as it should, that would totally fix it!

A vent hose, that is interesting. Does it go up to the jump post area? My setup is totally messed up, the output from the pump really only loops back up into the reservoir. There is a hose at the bulkhead on the hood but it goes into a grommet to the wheel well and I can blow through it so it is not connected to anything. I will have to trace it out.

As for the headlamp sockets, the unit cost rapidly decreases with a larger order but I don't want to order a ton of these for nothing when the other gentlemen start selling theirs. I can have one made for $17 or two for $29 but if you wait there will probably be an alternative for much cheaper I would imagine.

Yes, the vent (and the fluid hose) go past the jump post. Here are some pics. The vent tube ends right past the crossbar.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...e48769097.jpeg
Top view
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ffe53937a.jpeg
Here’s the T
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...563199011.jpeg
Lines up by jump post/crossbar
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...866691cdc.jpeg
Intensive tube comes from left of tank, while feed from washer tank and pump comes from below, through the grommet and to hood
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6e2530351.jpeg
Here’s another view of vent line and output line. They’re hard plastic starting as soon as they hit the fender, just a few inches from tank

Thanks for the photos! I did not know these were hard lines, they probably cracked and were removed.

At long last, a working speedometer!

So the root of the problem was a missing circlip that holds the magnet carrier up against the differential. Here it is repaired.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ee243380cb.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...30e068e579.jpg

Differential reinstalled:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c9defe9fa4.jpg

For extra credit I replaced the transaxle mounts while the axles were out of the way with the rebuilt units by Waldo928. I now have more clearance between the transaxle and crossmember. Enough to fit my fingers in between.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...35bac95db5.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...86eae18921.jpg

I pumped in the gear oil, which I will dump in about 100 miles to flush out any aluminium particles left, and before lowering the car I tested the speedometer pulses. I now have eight beautiful and consistent pulses per revolution :)
I took it for a test drive and it is all working perfectly.

In other news, I got a sheet of ABS plastic from Grainger (12" x 48") to make front speaker adapter plates. Since I had all this extra material I used it all up and made eight sets. If you are interested send me a pm, first come first served. Just pay shipping, probably $5 will cover it. These are hand made and not precise CNC machined but I am test fitting them to my door card to make sure they fit. All I ask is that if you want one, please have realistic plans to use them as they were rather painstaking to make with my limited tools and knowledge.

This is how I laid out the patterns for cutting. it made a nice even eight pairs with nearly no scrap.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...bc0fa5c5eb.jpg

Half of the blanks are ready.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c0c8070e3d.jpg

Alex,
Great job on tracking that down — sheesh! That involved a lot of effort! Glad it’s all back together!!

I wanted to ask about your transmission mounts. I’m thinking about changing mine too. How did you install them, is it reasonable to do without removing the transmission? What did you think of the remanufactured mounts? How to order? Oh and notice any difference after?

Cheers!!
Rick

Yes you can replace the mounts without dropping the transaxle, but the only way to access the mounts is with the axles unbolted from the transaxle. You can leave the wheel side bolted and suspend the axles from the antisway bar. The bottom bolts that go up from the crossmember are easy to get but there is no room for a socket and wrench for the upper bolts, especially the left side. I used these Mountain ratcheting wrenches. You can send a PM to Waldo928 but he is out of the country for a few months. He is charging $100 if you send cleaned cores stripped of the rubber, or $200 as is. Still much better than $400 for new. I cannot tell a difference yet I only drove about six miles.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5f7829ae9c.jpg

I have neglected to post any updates. With a working speedometer I finished the radio install. One thing I did not expect is that the new radio is much less deep and lighter, so the bracket is unnecessary. The power wire from the suppressor was too short to reach so I had to splice in an extension. I'm very pleased with it and it dims properly when off. I even made up a wiring diagram here.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6a1b9cfd7a.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...89ce3c49b5.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ce27a23d13.jpg

Then I started reassembling the instrument pod and things went a little wild. The battery was still connected and the hot terminal in the hazard plug grounded against the exposed metal in the hole of the pod. In an instant there was a cloud of smoke pouring out. That wire is always hot and unfused. I was hating myself at this point but I tore out the CE panel to see what I could find. There is a single thick red wire behind the panel from the 15 bus (always hot) to three or four terminals including the feed to the hazard switch. The insulation on it was burnt off.
I repaired it and put things back together to see where I stood. The wire from CE panel to hazard switch tested good but I ran a new wire just in case. Everything was working except the windshield wiper was operating oddly and when switched on I saw some smoke and felt the housing get warm. I thought I was really in for some frustrating troubleshooting but as I let the combo switch hang from the wires I heard something rattle. I took it apart to see what more I might have damaged and found one of the spring loaded contacts had dropped out of the wiper stalk. I reinserted it and after reassembly of the combo switch, the rattle came back after moving the stalk through its positions. Long story short, I spread the contact a bit so it could not fall out so easily. I plugged in the combo switch and tested - wow I gained the high speed and time delay functions! These never worked before. I think that contact was likely dislodged decades ago.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...99cb4691af.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0bee479807.jpg

My interior is back together now except the inner door panel that I have to finish. I changed the gearbox oil again and have driven about 500 miles. I guess all's well that end's well :)

Great Job Moose!
Keep the updates coming! :thumbup:

Thanks, I am ready to spend more time in the seat than under the hood :)

just went through the thread ... nice job Alex !

Building the race car in 2008 we also had seen that the headers from Carl didn't allow to demount the lower bellhousing cover.
We didn't wanted that , but got it solved with his 32V headers. On those we had to make the flange holes bigger so they got over the studs . To match the exhaust ports we welded a thin steel lasered profile to the back of the flanges with the mounting holes at their exact place , so headers align good with the engine ports.
Those do clear the lower bellhousing pan !

PS this was 2008...… i do not know if the header design changed meanwhile.....sure the demountable collector piece as i see in your pics , mine are all one piece welded.

Thank you, that is an interesting solution to adapt 32v headers.

I have been enjoying the car and driving it around and to work once a week. I last washed it a month and about 600 miles ago and I have less brake dust on the wheels than I did driving 10 miles with the old pads so that is great. The pedal is not as firm as I remember though so I still need to bleed again. I did swap in another TSZ unit hoping that would fix the random stumble at idle but it made no difference. Otherwise I changed the oil and that is all.

I scanned the dealership invoice for this car in which the ink has faded and tried to bring out the contrast but it is beyond my skill level, or perhaps too faded.
I have tried viewing it under UV light but that had no effect on this ink. I am sure there is some way to darken the ink, maybe with heat, but I do not want to damage the document.

There are some interesting dealer options, one being a long gone leather storage box for $145. I wonder what that was.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0e99c470d9.jpg

Wow time flies, time for an update.

I've had spare keys made for both cars including the rear console that I had no key for. I emailed the key codes that I had and photos of my keys to keys4classics in Australia and the keys that were made work perfectly.

I installed a Hans adjustable shifter and that has made a dramatic improvement.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c93f56da21.jpg

I have finally completed the door card repairs and speaker replacement. I just have to replace the other three speakers at some point.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...0b77f20696.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...82345ba492.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b2bdcd90ee.jpg

Otherwise, this car continues to challenge me. The left brake lamp that I thought I had fixed probably five different times died again. On a whim while troubleshooting I set my multimeter to AC and could measure an odd oscillating voltage at the bulb socket. This led me to think about the bulb check monitor and since I had a spare I switched it in and now have full illumination. The replacement gave me a tail lamp warning in the cluster so the only reason I never had a warning before with LEDs was that the old unit was failing. I pulled the offending wire from the 12 pin connector at the bulb check to disable it.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...12960eabac.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...9491885d17.jpg

The other problem has been a persistent engine misfire that has frustrated me for a couple of years now. As documented in this thread I have tested or replaced everything concerning ignition, injection, vacuum, seals, smoke tested until zero leaks, etc. I did find some verdigris in one sparkplug boot and replaced the wires, distributor cap, and rotor. No change.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...7c76ad721b.jpg

I replaced the distributor as I found that the shaft does not really turn smoothly and there is some rust dust inside but that made no change.
I have performed a compression and leakdown test and the results are impressive. Leakdown up to 20% is considered normal and I am at 2%.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b749da05ab.jpg
The spark plugs are all uniform except #5. They each have a clean and dirty side. I am thinking the dirty side faces the combustion chamber. Looks like it is running lean?
Typical clean side
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...47a30de6ed.jpg

Typical dirty side
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...577a9119b2.jpg

#5 has barely any discoloration.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...45e74f1fc1.jpg

Seeing this I begin to suspect the injector, but with engine running I can hear all eight pulse with a stethoscope. Maybe it is clogged or weak flow? So today I removed and tested with a can of brake cleaner. It has a nice cone pattern. Reinstalled and no change.
I am out of ideas at this point.

Thx for the update, keep up the good work!
Every time you lay hands on the car, it gets better and better!
:cheers:

Nice work Alex,I like your ideas for the speakers.
the roughness could be a leaking injector seal at the manifold,
did you use DC111 ion the seals?

Thanks :)

I cannot take credit for the speaker idea. That was thought up by Hans in this thread with a speaker recommendation: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...r-testing.html
However I do have a bunch of adapter plates I made if anyone is interested that I will send for free.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...29fb85d3d9.jpg

Yes on the DC111 on new injector seals. With a smoke machine I have zero leaks even after ten minutes. I will say that on cold start it seems to run perfectly until the idle drops after 20-30 seconds. It misfires more the hotter the engine is. While driving I do not feel it at all and it pulls strongly up to redline at full throttle.

So I have made a definite improvement, my ignition was too far advanced. It is difficult setting the timing at 3000rpm by myself but I now have a timing light with a rpm readout. Set correctly helped a lot but I also dumped in a full big bottle of techron (32oz) into only half a tank and after a round trip to work today (120 miles) the idle is rock steady. I do remember at the first start of the year it ran really rough for a few minutes, maybe running on three or four cylinders, so I think the injectors get sticky. I wish ethanol would go away.

I had forgotten to post this photo, it shows that the oil baffle is working pretty well.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...3d8acd1565.jpg

The car has been running great but I have never trusted the charging system. On cold starts it was good around 13.5v but after a drive it would be down to ~12.6v at idle. It never caused any problems and I thought this was due to the missing cooling shroud and hose on the alternator.
The PO had replaced the alternator with a Bosch AL115X with no provisions for the shroud. I looked up the specs on that unit and it is only rated at 50A rather than the required 90A. No wonder it could not keep up, the output was nearly half what it should be plus I have the electric cooling fan conversion that pulls 22A by itself.
I had bought a proper used alternator some time ago and attempted to install it but the positive stud is way too short, there is no way I can hook up the wiring harness.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...00f7036175.jpg

Paris-Rhone 928 603 114 00
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c789f6c7c9.jpg

Since I was ordering a couple alternators for family/friends cars I got one for me too. The Bosch AL325X is the correct 90A unit with extended studs in the back for the cooling shroud. I have it all installed with a new cooling hose and got a nice 14.4v on cold start. I will take the car out tomorrow to see where it stands at hot idle.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...837887c54d.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...10266064f4.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...22215e8150.jpg

So someone managed to back into my car while I was in a store, even though I always park far away from anyone else. At least the guy stuck around and the repairs will be paid by his insurance. The damage is minor but the bumper will have to be removed and repaired/replaced, turn signal assembly replaced, bumper shocks looked at, and fender repaired. His insurance is allowing me to pick a shop of my choosing but I have no idea where to take it.
Looking around I did find https://www.porschecollisioncenter.com/ that gives local Porsche approved collision centers but I have no idea if this is legitimate in any way. I know this car inside out, this will be difficult to trust someone to work on it, but on the bright side it will be better than it was since the bumper is all chippped up.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...6a155937a3.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c86e97dbba.jpg

Sorry for your trouble, Alex.
You may be able to get a settlement check, then do the disassembly/reassembly work yourself, while taking the bumper somewhere for paint.
Good luck,
Dave

Sorry I didn't see the fender damage in the second picture. But still a possibility.
Dave

Darn good work buddy! Sorry about the bump up!

shyte that suck! Love the sheeple in parking lots:rtfm:

A couple of weeks ago on a drive, something kept catching my eye in the left side mirror. Finally while accelerating I saw that the mirror glass was flapping around from the top barely holding on. I pulled over and removed it before it could fall and smash to bits. I know I could have used any old adhesive but I wanted to keep the heating functional. I got this that should work, let it set about 18 hours and it has held up fine so far.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8a0e3bb296.jpg

Back to the alternator. Hot idle is awful at an even 12v, but by 1500 rpm it goes back up to 13.5v so I guess that is good. I think I misremembered the performance of the old alternator, I think it only went to 12.6v when revved up and hot idle was similar.
Edit: Just moved my car and noticed the low voltage light stayed on, this alternator is dead already, 11.8v no matter the RPM.

Dave that gives me an idea that I might be able to remove the bumper myself and drop off the car at a shop ready to go. I know they will want to see the car as-is for an estimate. I will have to see how the process goes. I have never been involved in an accident so this is new.

Just stumbled back on this thread.
Moose, you still out there??

Yes I am I just have not been very active here. Since I last left off, I replaced the shocks and alternator and have been driving many happy trouble free miles.

Alex dont be a stranger,
you make difference here .
Its nice when you respond ,
your words are good !

Agree with Stan!
Great to hear you chime in, this is a fantastic VERY informative/entertaining thread!!
Keep it up! :cheers:

Thanks for the kind words!

I did have someone pass out and crash through the side of my garage and slightly dent the right side of my car. It needs a total repaint and body work but I have a hard time trusting any one to do it competently.

I know a guy!
 

A friend of mine did the paint work on my kiln red car. Alex (VanD) has used him also if you want to ask him. He does amazing work.
Matt P.

Wow sorry to hear about your car/ garage damage,
If you need any assistance please feel free to ask ,
anyone of us might be able to give you more than you might think.
Good luck with the repairs.

The damage was not too bad to fix on the garage and the insurance payout was pretty good so I'm not complaining. Matt I would be interested in the shop you used.