H2NO

I posted a couple weeks ago with pics of my new 96 993. Prior to this wonderful machine I had an 89 3.2. First, I have to say that, although I loved the 89, this car is world's better. Anyway, here are my questions:

1. My new office is only 12 minutes from my home. The first 7 minutes (approximately) are 25 mph through various neighborhoods. The last 5 minutes are faster, culminating in a two mile highway run where I try to redline the car (it is warm). Is this long enough to keep the car running well or am I treating it as a "grocery getter" and causing undue wear? I drive it to work only on nice days.

2. Due to all the stop and go, I manually raise the rear spoiler and keep it like that when parked. Any problems with that? I figure I'm saving the motor from all the up and down it would otherwise have on the drive.

Thanks

Eric

Robin 993DX

Eric,

Those spoiler motors are as tough as they come, you are not really saving anything but probably the bearings in the gear box that have a tendency to break.

Black993

Doesn't the spoiler go back down after you start the car again, if you leave it up when parked? I've never stopped to look but thats what I had always been told.

H2NO

Robin,

Are they all loud or does mine need some grease? By loud I don't mean obnoxiously loud, sort of a low grinding that is loud enough for passengers to remark about.

Eric

vjd3

You need a bearing ... most of them do. Mine's been noisy forever ... when it breaks, I'll fix it.

I think you should take a detour to work, drive a few extra exits up the highway, then turn around. Good for your car ... and good for your head.

H2NO

Justin,

It does go down again. When I start the car, I raise it if I know I'm going to be in stop and go type driving.

Eric

Robin 993DX

You are referring to the "coffee grinder" sound. The bearing that the flex shaft rides on that goes into the gear box gets rusty from moisture and water entering the gear box (inadequate seal in my opinion) which damages the bearing. Only way to fix that is to crack open the gear box and replace the bearing, bearing are cheap like $7 or something like that. If I am not mistaken there are two bearings you will need to replace.

The spoiler only will go back down after a ignition switch cycle if the car reaches 50 mph again.

dcdude

Is your parking at work safe and covered? You seem like a great candidate for a Smart. You can save with collector insurance on the 993 if you skip commuting altogether.

I've gone a step further. With 87 octane around $3.70, I drive the Corolla 7 miles to the Park and Ride and catch an Express for the remaining 14 miles to downtown LA. Busses have their own super carpool lane on the 110. I counted no less than 7 smug Prius drivers that we passed today! No sucking fumes and I arrive practically at my office refreshed and ready.

I should change my RL handle to "MTA-PCA"

Marlon

Actually the bearing is about $1.50 on Ebay - I bought one on Ebay and replaced it on my black 993. I might look at Sunset though when my red car needs one.

race911

[QUOTE=dcdude68;5319923] You seem like a great candidate for a Smart. [QUOTE]

Ha ha.........I did the opposite today and drove the C4S for the first time in two weeks. It was actually kind of a strange feeling!

H2NO

dcdude,

I don't drive the 993 to work because I have to . . . I drive it because I want to. My other car is an Audi allroad which handles commuter duty fine. However, I can't walk by the 993 without driving it. Now that Spring is here, I'm hoping to get out during lunch and open her up.

OldGuy

Eric
Your car is going to have alot more "drag" when parked. If you can live with that then more power to you.

dcdude

I forgot to mention: It takes me about 10 minutes of moderate driving to get my car to "8:00 oil." It sounds like your commute can't be much longer, and I'm guessing that you have a colder ambient temperature, so I'm guessing that your car doesn't get fully warmed up, and you already know that's bad...

I guess if I couldn't drive my car literally every weekend of the year, I'd be more itching to drive everywhere (work included) when the weather improved.

face-ache

I thought it took aprox 20min to get to full operating temp?

brucec59

I sometimes do the lunch hour fun run thing. We have some nice twisties around here.

My commute is 19 miles (which takes me 35-45+ minutes), but there is one spot where, if there's not too much traffic, I can redline it in a couple of gears. And I'm not talking about first.