Mike M.

So, my 993 presented a couple minor issues over the past couple weeks. First thing I noticed was the clutch pedal was sticking bad, and getting stiff, especially when the car was warmed up, and sitting in stop and go. Some of the Norcal guys might have noticed me jerking the car in 1st gear out of the parking lot at the last meet (yes, I know how to drive stick shift, guys). The second gripe was my A/C started blowing warm air, even after I recharged the system. The compressor was turning on, yes, but nothing but a nice warm breeze through the vents....

So I take the Porsche to the shop, and I get a couple things like "We're going to have to drop the motor and tranny, see what's going on, and we may have to check and see what's going on with the climate control, sounds like the servos are going bad". In my mind, I'm just thinking $$$$$.

So I go onto Rennlist, do a search, and through some simple research and diagnosis, discover it could be the slave cylinder and a/c series resistor (jumped relays, resistor was "open"). Using my previously researched Rennlist dealer in Oregon (you guys can figure out who), I get a slave cylinder for $89.13 (retail $133.62) and series resistor for $36.83 (retail $55.22). Anyhoo, the parts come in on Tuesday right on schedule, and I spend Wednesday afternoon and evening replacing the parts in my own garage. After buttoning everything up (the resistor just as much a PITA as the slave, IMO), the clutch pedal feels as good and smooth as my Audi, and the condensor fan is turning on again, with a nice cool A/C breeze (a satisfying one at ~$37 at that).

The investment in Rennlist membership keeps paying off here....

allill

Rennlist is it!

dcdude

I think you should "out" this shop as a warning to others. That's a HUGE misdiagnosis, and at guess whose expense!

But, yes, RL is amazing. I'd be hard pressed to find a more useful and valuable site, even beyond the automotive space.

My AC seems to work fine, yet I was told the resistor was "out," but maybe runs too often or not enough or something? Did I misunderstand?

LuftKopf

I recently went to move the gt3 in the driveway. (running late, it was about to thunderstorm, etc)

it wouldn't start.

heart sank...

deep breath

saw dollar signs...

and flatbeds...

ran inside, googled "gt3 won't start"

entry 17 of the second thread I read someone wrote...

"oh., and don't forget to ensure your floormat isn't lodged behind the clutch pedal."

guess what.

seconds later the car was in the garage and I was still on time.

incredible

2ndof2

You "googled" it or "Rennlisted" it?

quasr

I have tried several times to pay the membership fees by the Paypal link to Membership but the link fails. Any ideas?

nels415

Mike,

You'll have to show me the way with the clutch slave cylinder. I've been putting that replacement off for a year now.

-nelson

24FPS

froogle i coulda' swore you were gonna say 'dme' relay..... another rennlist gem. always keep an extra in the glove box

nice story mike... btw: steve w. is da'man when it comes to a major contributor to us saving money...


for mods.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Dat's_My_Mission.

dcdude

As long as we're talking glove box, don't forget:
- Extra remote battery(s) R123(?) right?
- "Triple square" 12 pt. L-shaped alternator shaft wrench (leftover precaution from my VW daze).
- Might as well keep the Krikit belt tensioner in there with the wrench. Doesn't weigh anything...
- If you're hard core, the matching 25(?)mm box wrench (for the alt. shaft nut) fits nicely in the passenger door pocket.
- What else? Did we do a "glove box" thread recently?

Mike M.

In all fairness, I reserved the shop's name, as they are actually pretty good. Now you must think I'm crazy, but the shop owner has been around for quite some time, is a PCA member and he is just extra thorough. He mentioned that dropping the motor part to inspect the clutch system (was stating worst case scenario?) as it definitely was not normal, the pedal box had been inspected before (that eliminated the master cylinder and kinematic argument for me), and the system was flushed after I purchased. Anyhow, I took the cheaper gamble and went with the slave cylinder. I figured I'd rather take the cheaper route of process of elimination, and also having gone through slave cylinders before, I deduced that certain VW/Audi/Porsche slaves may not be all that great with age.

As for the A/C series resistor, I jumped the relay and discovered that the condensor fan could turn on at high speed but not low speed. After several profanities of trying to get that resistor out (the DIY instructions weren't lying about small hands/long fingers), I managed to get it out, and discover that the resistor was pretty original, and worn. Beru part with a REV 00. The new Beru part was REV 01, and featured a metal plate beneath the actual resistor. Nonetheless, I buttoned the Porsche up, and voila, condensor fan turned on at low speed.

As for the slave cylinder, like the resistor, it's definitely a "feel for it" kinda install, so it's nice to have a mirror and light to inspect prior to work, or in the case of the slave cylinder, at least another friend look through the rear suspension pieces to make sure the slave cylinder is lined up into the cup and threads when reinstalling.

As another bonus, after peeling back the front trunk carpet, I discovered the previous owner installed a Zapco amp (I had a hunch the system was amplified, just never bothered locating where), and kept a spare set of gloves in a bag under the tool kit for the just in case scenario. Perhaps a previous courteous RL'er?

Mike M.

Hey Nelson- Just get a good height on jack stands for the rear, and the p-car DIY is pretty straightforward (a lift would probably work even better). Have a buddy around to look through the driver's rear wheel well to see that things are lining up, and to help bleed the system as you're wrapping up if you don't have a Motive.

Mark in Baltimore

Cool. Thanks for being smart and doing a search.

Wilder

RL saved me a top end recently. I got the dreaded SAI codes along with an O2 sensor code three months ago. A very reputable and well known p-car specialist said I needed a top end despite the fact that the engine had just been opened 10k mi ago and had a thorough SAI flush (the brilliant PO opens the engine but doesn't replace the valve guides ). Needless to say I was pretty bummed but I searched the RL archives and found that O2 sensor codes can sometimes erroneously trigger SAI codes. I also know from reading here that the tell tale for valve guides is heavy oil consumption and mine is very much within range. FYI, through my research I also found out that one of the top p-car race shops in CA does SAI flushes every 25k mi on their clients' cars and they have yet to do a top end on any of those cars, so guess what I'll be doing with my recently acquired post 95 cars. Anyway, I changed an O2 sensor, cleared the codes and no more CEL. Total bill: $130. Total saved thanks to RL: $5kish.

TRINITONY

Rennlist - no substitute!


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