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Next up with a check of the spark plugs and coil packs. The previous owner had a major service done around 20k miles ago and the engine has been running excellent, so I didn't expect the plugs to need replacing, but I purchased a set of OEM plugs anyway just in case. The plugs are really not fun to access and replace, so I removed the protective cover and checked the first one on the passenger side. The plug looked healthy, as did the coil pack, so back in it went until a later time. While the cover was off I decided to clean off the years of caked on soot and factory cosmoline. This wasn't an easy job, but with the help of my steam cleaner and some degreaser I was able to make it look like new again. I followed up with the same process for the driver's side. I also continued degreasing the underside of the engine bay and I finally found the culprit for the oil weeping and build up....a hard plastic breather hose on the right side of the engine (facing the engine bay from behind the car) which runs down to the lower right of the engine. I spent a deal of time carefully degreasing the entire area and was able to identify exactly where the oil was weeping from. I'm not sure what the part number is just yet, so I'm going to keep an eye on the hose to see how long it takes to weep again.
Factory Bosch spark plug looks good for now.
Coil pack looks great. This car has lived in SoCal and Santa Barbara all its life, so not completely surprised.
20 years of soot!
Steam cleaning spark plug cover
All cleaned up. But the rest of the bottom of the engine bay is far too dirty and will need to be addressed later.
All cleaned up on the driver's side...
Weeping breather hose found!
Close up. This breather hose is on the passenger side engine, towards the top right.
Breather hose after cleaning. See center of picture.
Oil pan after test area of using steam cleaner and brass wire brush.
Oil pan after first pass. Still a lot left to do, but a good start!
New suspension has settled perfectly and the alignment is really dialed in. I can't wait to remove the tint next!
So enjoyable to drive these cars after a good suspension, transmission and engine mount refresh.
You should watch the auction of my car.
The new owner might not want a Color Match Orient Red Metallic Roll bar.
It's about $3700 all in for the they way is with Paint and fire extinguisher (new).
Might look nice is your car.
Scoop up a good deal.
A quick post to round out this thread. My '02 Carrera is now almost fully restored having just received a professional detail. I opted to remove the window tint to restore the original look and I'm so glad I did! The paint was color corrected, polished, sealed and ceramic coated. The wheels were removed and the wheel wells were cleaned and the wheels ceramic coated. The interior received a steam clean and the leather was thoroughly cleaned and conditioned, which really brought the driver's side seat back to life. I also continued cleaning the underside of the engine with some impressive results. Lastly, I added spacers front and rear (8mm and 12mm) with extended wheel bolts to properly setup the car's stance.
These cars are well worth the time and effort to refresh and so rewarding to drive once sorted.
Orient Red Metallic really pops once the paint is polished.
This was taken before the spacers were installed.
Kudos to the efforts of the previous owner to ensure this paint is properly cared for over the years.
From the frunk to the engine bay, all areas were cleaned and treated.
The interior is holding up very well after 20 years.
Engine underside now thoroughly clean.
I also degreased the front end and res-checked the power steering rack for leaks. With spacers installed
Mind sharing the cost for the full paint correction?
I used Ed's Shine in Costa Mesa, CA. I've used him for several of my cars and I'm really happy with the quality of his work. The cost varies depending on the car and condition of the paint and what all you want ceramic coated. For example I opted to coat the wheels. I would contact him for a quote.
Here's an update on the suspension refresh on my '02 996.
Nearly finished front suspension. Looking much better!
Once everything was resembled, the car received a laser-alignment with about 2 degrees of negative camber dialed into the rear. The difference with the new suspension parts is very dramatic and well worth the investment.
Wow! Great progress thread. I just picked up a 99k 1999 C2 which is going to need (I'm pretty sure) all suspension parts refreshed. For someone who's got limited experience wrenching what's the chance I could do the same as you've done? Next week it's going to Peter at Stutt Car in Pasadena to get a "post" purchase inspection to just cover initial bases. But part of why I got a high mileage "early build" 1999 was that I want to make it my first time auto restoration/preservation project (Porsche may not have been the best first timer, but... ). Dropping the engine is probably not a good place to start, but suspension seems less daunting and it needs it.
Plan is to just do Angeles crest canyon runs - no tracking. Like to keep it as original as possible.
Most likely on a CA car hand tools will be all u need to swap out all the suspension parts. An impact, either electric or air would help. A 1/2 and 3/8 torque wrench will be needed for assembly. Any other specialty tools like a ball joint seperator can be borrowed from autozone.
YES YES YES it needs a suspension refresh. The only hard part might be the rear axle nuts if you decide to go there; the torque spec is in 3/4" drive territory. Technically the suspension comes apart and goes together fairly simply. Great way to learn about McPherson struts, which are on everything anymore. Good luck, start a thread so we can point and laugh! (And offer suggestions and commiserations.)
Wow! Great progress thread. I just picked up a 99k 1999 C2 which is going to need (I'm pretty sure) all suspension parts refreshed. For someone who's got limited experience wrenching what's the chance I could do the same as you've done? Next week it's going to Peter at Stutt Car in Pasadena to get a "post" purchase inspection to just cover initial bases. But part of why I got a high mileage "early build" 1999 was that I want to make it my first time auto restoration/preservation project (Porsche may not have been the best first timer, but... ). Dropping the engine is probably not a good place to start, but suspension seems less daunting and it needs it.
Plan is to just do Angeles crest canyon runs - no tracking. Like to keep it as original as possible.
Hi and congrats on the purchase. If you don't have a ton of experience, I would just give yourself plenty of time to work on the car in case you get stuck anywhere. Hopefully you have other means of transportation and can leave the car indoors so it's not too cold when you're working on it. Updating the suspension is a fairly simple process in terms of knowledge: You're basically unbolting parts and replacing them with new ones. Where things can get difficult is ensuring you have the right tools to get to some of the tight spots and knowing the proper procedures to properly reinstall the new parts. For example, the if you're going to replace the shocks and struts, when reinstalling the spring, it must be seated on the top mount just right or else the spring will sit higher then designed. Or when tightening the nuts and bolts on the various suspension arms, the wheel hub must be jacked up to normal ride height. Small details like this may be covered in various DIY youtube videos.
I'm happy to answer any questions if you want to DM me. I'm also happy to let you borrow some tools such as the one needed to replace the inner tie rod since you live fairly close to me. I find it very rewarding to work on these cars and you really feel the difference once you hit ACH or canyons roads.
08-08-2022 | 11:16 PM
). Dropping the engine is probably not a good place to start, but suspension seems less daunting and it needs it.
