Cactus

Nice!

Stealth 993

Nice pics! When did you take them? It was raining all day here yesterday.

Take the car to G2 in Magnolia, they will sort out the tires for ya. They do all of mine, & I can promise you they will not mount them backwards.

That sucks about the clutch, hopefully you don't need to put in a new one, there not cheap.

kiesan

That was fun Mr. M/Cat, thanks for coming by. Yes almost for sure your car has some clutch hydraulic issues that need sorting. Hopefully that un-smooth feeling when depressing the pedal is not indicative of a pressure plate, throw-out bearing or other clutch related internal problem. After someone at Truline or G2 sorts out the suspension/tires/brakes I think you'll have a nice runner there. All-season tires ftw. Ha!

FWIW I think you got a fair deal at $22k. Hopefully I'm not stirring the pot too much to say that I feel this statement by the seller of the car was a bit strong though:

"...it is in like new condition inside and out and drives like new...."

mongrelcat

Thanks again for the help and well-wishes. Those pics were taken in Mukilteo last evening, it cleared out around noon yesterday and was nice the rest of the day. The little park where the guys were flying R/C (in the background) is called Harborview.

Here's a map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?source=i...,0.248051&z=13

mongrelcat

Thanks again Kie, I appreciate all the time you spent helping me out. But, hey now, don't diss my Mich Pilot Sport A/S's.



They seem like a pretty solid choice for three-seasons around these parts considering I'll be using the car D/D. Once it's all sorted I'll be curious to see what a Summer tire feels like though.

I paid the listed price of $22,500 and still I think the car was represented fairly, and accurately. I was by William's house last night shooting the **** and I really think it comes down to how the car is driven. You and I just drive harder. To me this car is begging to be on track and I would like to find it's limits there. William is more of a cruiser, and wouldn't think to track such a nice car, and I think this was reflected in his description of it. The car passed PPI with flying colors 5 months ago at Rector in CA. (The two minor issues that were noted were addressed by William.)

I couldn't be happier to be driving the car I am for the deal I got. If anything, fixing the minor issues will just serve to teach me more about the car. I knew what I was getting myself into and I didn't expect perfectly smooth sailing.... If I need a top-end job someday I'll look forward to it as a reason to drive to NH to meet Mark at Exotec.

Stealth 993

You don't need any stinking winter or A/S tires!!!!

This is my C4 in December on 12/20 we had a Dyno day in Kirkland, I drove it in the snow, with SUMMER tires on from Tacoma, ot Kirkland & back with it snowing....


The next morning...



I'd say if you got to put $5k into it, you still got a good car for the money! $22k is a great deal if the car is solid other then a couple of little issues. Hopefully the clutch is something small & stupid.

Chuck W.

Damn, that is a nice looking 993! Enjoy and welcome.

timothymoffat

Welcome and congrats on a beautiful 993. Wait a second, is there a 993 that's not beautiful? Hopefully a bunch of us from both sides of the border can meet up for a drive/BS session sometime this summer.

mongrelcat

Thanks. I'm up for drive/BS anytime, looking forward to a trip N of the border sometime this Summer too. I really want to swim in the mega Kitsilano pool.



Thanks.

Well, you do have a C4 (as opposed to my C2.)

What tires are you running? Seriously, I had a blast in my AWD Honda Element (w/ Pirelli Scorpion ATR's) all during that December blast. Not sure how a 993 would've faired up here, it got pretty deep at times. I noticed that driving right after a storm was really fun, not so much in the ensuing days with slabs of ice everywhere.

I decided to have Discount Tire swap the rears yesterday and they were fine to deal with. I asked if I could take a look at the undercarriage and since all their lifts are low for tire changes only one of the guys used hand jacks to get the rear up so I could take a look.

Bad news is I'm down to 3/32nd's on the rears. So given that they're shot I might as well go Summer now, and 18" if I can find a set.

Will these fit OK?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=464211

Just to refresh I'm on Bilstein HD's with M030 Euro springs (which I'm told make for about a 1" drop vs stock US ride height.)

... and I ordered some Walrod bushings after finding the thread last night, so, I've pushed back the Tru-Line appointment for now.

Stealth 993

Yea, I guess the C4 helps in the snow, but I bet you would have way more fun!

The rims are for a wide body, not a narrow body, & really over priced. The NB hollow spokes are on the rare side, but look hot on any 993. Even with your drop (your on coil overs, so you can raise & lower the ride height) you can fit just about any NB rim.

I have been running the HTR Z III from Sumi. There a great tire, & best of all CHEAP! It was around $400 for a set of 4. They worked good enough to get me 3rd place in the PCA Auto-X last year.

mongrelcat

My car was checked by John Walker today and I must say I am really happy to have found him (with the help of this site and Pelican,) to take care of my car.

He pronounced the car sound and congratulated me on my picking it up. He told me that the gearbox and clutch are fine for now, I just need to be careful to fully depress the clutch, and keep an eye on it... So, I'll be double-clutching the 2-to-3 and 4-to-3, at least until the gearbox warms up each day.....

He verified my sway and spring type, and did a very thorough check-through, including track prep, for a very modest sum. He took a lot of time to listen to all of my concerns, and addressed everything completely. Couldn't be happier really.

I am in love with the car. I've been enamored with cars before,,, This, is different. Just an amazing car. It snowed today (just a little Seattle-April-Fools-Day-Weather joke I guess,) and even with the worn rears the car was quite sure-footed.

Snow on the way to the shop, pouring rain on the way home. No big deal.

I need to pull together the major service history and figure out when it all needs to be done again because I'm never selling this car.

mongrelcat

I wrote this elsewhere in the forum but I just wanted to add it here as well:

I did a bunch of reading a few days ago after the oil volume gauge stopped registering yet the dipstick range was still fine on my car. I discovered:

-Each car is different, and has it's own "sweet spot" in regard to being "full" of oil

-The dipstick range shows ~1.8qts, the volume gauge shows ~1qt

-The sender unit can be adjusted so that the gauge is more accurate for your particular car and operating environment (good pics of the assemblies are here in the forum, just search, look for a revent thread by "shamrock")

-Do not overfill. If anything underfill slightly until you understand your car (by experimentation, observation and documentation)

-Per the manual if you do a lot of short trips and then suddenly do a long highway trip (or track day!) your consumption will *seem* to go up measurably due to diluting ingredients evaporating out of the oil

-It's A LOT easier to read the dipstick 2-3000 miles after an oil change. New oil w/ the 993 dipstick is a tough read. Daylight helps, but it's quite tricky. Look for a little bit of bubbling to indicate the actual level. Marking the dipstick with gradations using a triangle file has helped some with this too. Others blot the dipstick with a layer of paper towel to better *see* the level, etc. Or you can just wipe/pull/wipe/pull the dipstick a bunch of times until you're sure. (lol.) For me, it's pull/wipe/pull+++ and the bubbles. But I think the 1,800 miles I've put on the car help immensely, so it will be a test after the next oil change.

Check the oil level (by gauge or dipstick) only after the car is sufficiently warm (20-30 minutes of driving) and only on level ground and only after idling for 3 minutes or more.

With my car after about 3 minutes of idling (after being sufficiently warmed up, first,) at the current oil level I see the temp gauge at operating temp (8:00 o'clock) and the volume gauge pretty much mirrors it at ~4:00 o'clock. On the dipstick this registered at about 2/3rds.

(You will know the car is at operating temp when you see the temp gauge hit the 8:00 o'clock mark and then drop a bit as the high speed fan kicks in for the first time of that drive. In my case right now the weather is about 45* or so, and when the fan kicks in the temp gauge immediately drops 2-3 needle widths, actually below the operating temp mark for a bit.)

To test further I let the car idle for 15+ minutes (after being sufficiently warmed up, first.) The temp gauge went to ~9:30, the highest I have yet seen it under any conditions. (I had never seen it above 9:00 prior to this.) At that point the volume gauge mirrored this at ~2:30. On the dipstick this registered at 4/5ths to 5/6ths.

As temps go up, so does volume. This direct correlation between temp and volume is shown by the two gauge needles mirroring each other, at least at the particular oil level I am at, and on my car. And this is verifiable on the dipstick as well.

I think that at this level I am above my car's sweet spot, and expect it to drop down a bit and settle there (hopefully!) The factory says something like 1qt / 600 miles is in spec. My mechanic told me 1qt / 3-400 miles is fine. Hopefully, I'm no where near that consumption level, but I'm still getting to know the car and not sure yet. Some of the other signs to look for to see if you're consuming oil: smoke at startup, smoke after letting off in 2nd gear from redline, smoke during shifts (particularly downshifts, I believe.) I have none of these symptoms at 102k miles, and no top-end job yet.

At 12+ qts oil capacity and three gauges, with all the attending eccentricities, these cars certainly are unique beasts.

mongrelcat

So, I took my car in for an alignment + corner balance and to get some Walrod bushings installed. I also asked that a thorough inspection of the frame and suspension components be done as well, after carefully reading a previous service invoice created at the time the front of the car was resprayed, two owners ago. Turns out the work was not solely for cosmetic purposes. I was mostly concerned with the integrity of the frame, as this car will be tracked..........

The shop report was pretty good on that front:

Job01 DIAGNOSTIC-STRUCT/SUSP
__________________________________________________________________
PERFORM A COMPLETE SUSPENSION SYSTEM AND STRUCTURAL DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE AND PROVIDE THE CLIENT WITH A FULL REPORT. FOUND THE FOLLOWING:

1. The overall structure of the vehicle is in very good condition. There is no evidence that the vehicle has every been on a frame bench. No major panels have been replaced either.
2. The quality of the paint work that was performed is not to a level that we feel that it could be. Color match is off + the body work repairs are still evident under the color. There are still signs of the mask off points inside the door jams and at the LR rock chip guard.
3. The rear bumper cover has some fractures just above the license plate.
__________________________________________________________________

I will be getting an estimate or two together with regard to the incomplete body/paint work. Given that this car will live in the PNW I'd like to be sure I do my best to avoid any rust settling in. And at the time the repair is done I will ask that the technicians also verify the integrity of the frame and substructures, again.

Aside from the work I expected to be done the shop noted that the rear suspension center (toe) arms were worn and in need of replacement. Still figuring out which way to go (Tarett or ERP) on this:
https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...trol-arms.html

I believe the car was still on the originals at 102k miles, could this be the cause of the "wallowing" I've experienced? I've been told that the rear toe arms are a weak point on our cars as far as durability is concerned, hopefully the aftermarket parts solve that.

Update:
I went with the ERP arms + the Tarett Locking Plate kit:
http://www.tarett.com/items/993-964-...opy-detail.htm

+ the Baker booties (2ea. Medium + 2ea. Large)
http://bakerprecision.com/rodacc.htm

In addition to the worn out rear toe arms the front bushings were also shot, so upgrading to the Walrod version should prove to be noticeable. Also, the lower steering coupling was noted as loose where it attaches to the steering rack, that will be secured. I also ordered the extra steering rack brace per the TSB for the early '95 cars and that will be installed as well. I'm anxious to see what all the upgrades/fixes do for the handling, I should get the car back in a few days time.

bart1

Great car and posts there, mongrel.

Stealth 993

It should be on rails after all that!!