Munk's Motors - Master Cylinder Tech Tips!

Q - I notice that when I try to raise the top on my Cabriolet, it tends to "stick" on one side and the motor makes a groaning sound unless I lift it up a little. How come?

A - There are a few reasons for this. On the Cabs, the top tends to loosen up as a normal process of wear and tear. In a nutshell, the screws that hold it together, the locating pins, and the bolts that secure the gearboxes to the car simply vibrate loose. The gearboxes are only held in by three long 6mm bolts! (that is pretty small considering the load) There was also a technical service bulletin that applies to mid 95 and earlier cars which suggests replacing the top pins with Targa locating pins which are shorter. The part number for the shorter pins is 911 565 074 40 and they are only about $15.00 per pin
If you hear that groaning sound or if the top bangs hard as it is coming down, you could facing a major expense if you ignore it. Then best case scenario is that tightening and adjusting the top will restore perfect function. In the worst case, you can break the top parts or even rip the top…at huge expense. With the top part way up (or down), try rocking it back and forth and see what is loose. You might be surprised. And if it sticks or binds avoid using it until you get it fixed.
Recently I inspected four Cabriolet top mechanisms and ALL FOUR had loose parts. One of them came in with the top literally ripped off when it opened (by itself) on the freeway. It pays to have good insurance and a well adjusted top. MC

Q - I had the brakes replaced on my 993 at an independent shop and now six months later, there is rust on the inside of the brake rotors when you look through the spokes of the wheels. Did they put cheap parts on my car? Why are they rusty? The original rotors never were.

A It is unlikely that the rotors were cheap but that rust issue is annoying and it makes the joblook cheap. Fact is, Porsche uses a protective gray coating on their rotor "hats" and only their rotors come with that coating. That does not make them work better, it just keeps corrosion from forming on the exposed (non working) surfaces. When I install rotors, I use a Zinc Cold Galvanized coating on the rotor hats. On my own car, I even sprayed it into the cooling vanes and the drilled holes (yeah, I am a bit picky). That rust does not hurt anything, it just looks tacky. MC

Q - I have a 993 with a full shield under the engine. My tech said to remove it with the benefit being a cooler running engine. Since Porsche put it their, I am not sure if I should take his advice or not. What is it there for if it is not important?

A - Darn good question Cliff. I thought that it was an aerodynamic aid that helped streamline the car and I further thought that, where in America can you drive fast enough to reap the benefit of it. Now I know that we can blame it on the Swiss. Noise regulations in Switzerland are so strict that this under tray is there to keep sound at bay. If you leave it on, your Porsche will not only be quieter, it will also run a little hotter! Who needs it? My suggestion: Take it off and hang it in your garage for posterity and for the next owner of your car. MC

Q - When I first started my 911 up in the morning, the oil level gauge was all the way into the red. It really worried me so I added oil until it was full. Now my car smokes like crazy and oil is dripping from the right rear fender. Did I ruin my car?

A - Chuck, my student, you have committed the first travesty of the 911 world by believing your oil level gauge in the morning. Your car holds 11 quarts wet and about 13 quarts dry! Don't feel bad about it though, I have done the very same thing. Maybe you have to do it once to become initiated into the Porsche fraternity.
In the morning, you may be able to find oil at the bottom of the dipstick but never fill it up until you have met the criteria in the owners manual regarding temperature. I know, it is not mainly to read the manual but in this instance, you must. As far as the mess, your right frame rail will never rust since it is now internally coated with oil. Drain a couple quarts and check it again when it is hot.
As far as ruining your car, that is unlikely but it may take a while for the smoke to go away. Anyone you know planning a picnic? Got a mosquito problem? MC

Q - I have a 1968 911. When I took the car in to have the chain tensioners replaced with the pressure fed, upgraded variety, none of the parts fit! It apparently has a 1967 engine in it even though the numbers match. How can this be? Is there a way to retrofit the later tensioners to my engine?

A -No problem, John. Porsche was not too strict regarding the exact engine they installed in a certain year car. Sometimes they used up the engines they had left over from the prior year. In addition, cars built the year before are often titled as the year they are sold. What you have is a 1968 with a 1967 engine in it. That is where it gets interesting.

The tricky part is retrofitting the later tensioners. It can be done but it requires block modifications to do it since the studs do not line up. Then you would also have to buy new chain boxes. Unless you are planning to overhaul the motor, it would be cost prohibitive. Considering how many miles you intend to drive the car, I suggest using the original style but updated design tensioners along with the "stops" to keep them from fully collapsing. In addition, the pivots should be replaced with the updated design at the same time. The original design should work fine for about 40,000 miles between rebuilds, perhaps more with modern oil technology. MC

Q - My 99 Carrera four eats tires!! I have only been able to drive about 10 to 15 thousand miles before the inside of the rear tires are bald. I didn't even notice it since the outside tread, the part I could see, looked fine. The last time I had the car serviced, the tech advised me that with Porsche alignment specs, that was normal. Normal for who, I am not Donald Trump! I do not track the car and only occasionally drive it hard. What do you suggest? (I know I shouldn't complain, it is a Porsche after all and I can afford it, but damn! Those tires cost about $400 bucks each!) Help!

A - "Your Porsche is a finely tuned machine" and yes it DOES eat tires. It also handles like an overgrown go kart and yes, of course, you can afford it, you lucky dog. The question is one of compromise. Many folks that I advise want decent tire wear and are willing to sacrifice ultimate handling to get it. The local Porsche dealer and the tire store may not like it, but with a less aggressive rear toe setting, your car will no longer chew on that expensive rubber and it will still out-grip, and out-handle, 99.8 percent of the other cars on the road.
Will it affect handling adversely? No, not unless you are driving your car at it's limits. Will the purists lament? Don't tell them…but when they complain about how many rear tires they have gone through, just smugly say, "Yes, I had that problem once", and leave it at that. MC

Q - - On my 1992 Carrera, the sun visors are very stiff. I am afraid they are going to break unless I use both hands. How do you oil them? - Greg

A - If you have to use both hands, you will definitely going to break them and it's not wise to oil them. Porsche provided an adjustment screw near the pivot to regulate the amount of friction (tightness) in the hinge. If you have too much friction, a simple adjustment or service will fix it.

To adjust the friction, simply loosen the screw a little and see how it works. If you are not happy with the way it feels, the moving parts are not hard to service. To make them move nice and smooth, remove the visor assembly and loosen the adjustment screw (don't remove it). Rotate the “stem” of the visor bracket while pulling it out of the visor. Clean the stem, spray some silicone into the hole, and reinstall the stem into the visor. Install the assembly then tighten the adjustment screw until it operates smoothly. MC

Q - My Carrera 2 stalls right after I start it in the morning. It always starts right back up but it never used to do this. It was an occasional problem but now it happens every time in the morning.

A - Fred, Good news on two counts: 1) it happens all the time (intermittent problems drive me nuts) and 2) the cure is relatively easy.

When you turn your car off, the fuel system retains pressure in the lines just like your water faucet at home. Coincidently, the retained pressure for a home water system and fuel injection system are about the same, roughly 40 PSI. If the pressure leaks down, you would never know it since it leaks back into the fuel tank. This is a very common problem with many fuel injected cars as they age.

The cure involves first verifying the problem. In this case, a fuel pressure test will tell the story. When the engine is running, the pressure should measure a certain PSI and when you shut the car off, it will drop (but not to zero). If the fuel pressure drops too low, when you turn the key, it will take a few seconds until pressure builds. If the fuel pump check valve is the source of the pressure drop, the part is inexpensive and the labor is not bad either. Once pressure is retained, the car will start and run just as you remember it. MC

Q - I recently had occasion to replace the starter on my Carrera 4 and while I was under there (OK, I admit, I wasn't under there but my technician showed me) I noticed the red heater hoses were shredding. When I found out how much they cost, I about passed out. Is there an alternative other than contributing to the Porsche family trust?

A - Tim, I am well acquainted with another Tim who supplies Porsche parts at the local Porsche establishment and he agrees that those hoses are ridiculously priced. Although he cannot endorse Home Depot for Porsche parts, I can. And for this particular part, a 4 inch aluminum flexible dryer vent hose fits perfectly. Since no one can see the hose anyway, it will be our little secret. And you will save over a hundred bucks. MC

Q - The AC blower motor on my 1980 Carrera has been working very erratic lately. It will work one time when I drive but when I stop the car to go shopping for a while, I come back and it won't work. If I let it sit for a few days it will work then and then not work. It even went out for a few minutes then came back on while driving. What is your opinion on the problem??? Motor going??? Control Switch?? Ground??? So just where is the motor located??? I assume it is in (what is commonly called) the smugglers box. I have a part # of 901 624 901 00 for the motor. Is this correct??? What is the cost of new motor???

A - Intermittent problems are the most challenging and all too often, do-it-yourselfers fire the “parts cannon” in desperation. Don't do that yet. There are some things you can check and even if they do not cure the problem, consider routine maintenance instead.

First check the fuses, but not to see if one is blown, that would be far too easy and the blower wouldn't work at all. With a strong light, notice the appearance of discoloration on the fuses and the wiring at the fuse block. Notice the different color of the fuses (which corresponds to their load value) and make yourself a diagram with those colors noted. If you find that some of the fuses have shrunk, you have fallen victim to plastic, third world fuses. The original fuses were ceramic and they do no melt or shrink. F.Y.I. Yellow is 5 amp, white is 8 amp, red is 16 amp, and blue is 25 amp.

Next, disconnect the negative battery cable and inspect the fuse box for integrity of the plastic base and then check all the screws securing the wires to the fuse holders. To check the screws, hold the base of the wire holder with needle nose pliers as you try to loosen then retighten the screws. If power flows through an overheated circuit, the screw might seem tight but be partly seized in place due to the heat generated. Typically, I find some screws loose, most of them tight and occasionally, a heat damaged terminal or fuse box. On many older cars, an auxiliary fuse box contains the AC fuses and I have found these broken.

While you are working on the fuse box, mark then remove the relays and look for melted sockets. These sockets can be purchased from Porsche and although not a simple job, they can be replaced. At a minimum, I suggest that you clean the sockets and fuse box with electrical contact cleaner while protecting the surrounding area. After cleaning, a light coating of Dielectric grease (non conductive) is useful for corrosion protection.
At the battery, there are a number of positive wires and grounds that should be inspected and tidied up. The grounds also warrant a good look. And finally, don't forget connections under the dash and in the center console where the controls reside. The AC system draws a lot of power and every place where a main wire plugs into a component should be felt and if needed, tested for voltage drop between the battery and that point in the circuit. MC

Q - I have a vintage Turbo and the tires are shaking. I think I need a tire balance but I do not want the weights to show if that is possible. What do you suggest?

A - There are a number of factors that affect a smooth feel from your tires and wheel. First, are the wheels true side to side and are they round? Second, do the tires pass the same test? While a bent tire or wheel can be perfectly balanced, the car will still shake.

Assuming that the every thing you can see looks good, then you can proceed to measure the balance. The two types of balance that affect shake are static and dynamic. Think of static as “up and down” imbalance. Up until the sixties, when tires were very narrow, this was correctable by using a bubble balancer, no electronics, no problem, just put an equal amount of weight on both sides of the wheel and you are set. Things have really changed (and now you know when I started working on cars.)

When the famous “Wide Oval” tires became popular a new consideration had to be made that involves “dynamic” imbalance. That is where side to side imbalance will also cause a shake or wobble. This is where hiding the weights can get tricky. With wide tires and wheels, if you simply find the point of static imbalance and put the weight essentially behind the spokes in the middle, you can still get shake.

On tires that need a lot of weight on opposite sides, inside and outside, hiding the weights may not work out to well. In that instance, the tire can be dismounted and rotated on the wheel and sometimes this helps. If you are as picky as me, it is worth the effort. If the tire needs weight in roughly the same spot inside and outside, you have a better chance of hiding the weight. In that instance, the machine can be “fooled” by programming in a narrower wheel and it generally tells you to put a heavier weight behind the spoke.

If you cannot hide the weight (and new Porsches do not have hidden weights) there are European chrome plated “Hershey bar” weights that look (and are) expensive. I have not been able to get the original weights from Porsche so these are a nice option.

How much weight does it take to feel a shake? Glad you asked (oh yeah, you didn't ask). A tire imbalance of 15 grams can be felt at higher speeds. An imbalance of 20 grams can be felt at freeway speeds and an imbalance of 35 or 40 grams will annoy you almost all the time. Clearly the goal is 5 grams or less. - MC

Q - On my 74 911 the crankshaft pulley fell off the end of the engine at about 110 miles an hour! The red light came on and the engine felt like the turbo kicked in. And it is not a turbo. What a thrill.

When I looked at the pulley I can see a hole where a pin would have gone through it and into the crank but there is no hole in the crank. What gives? Can I just bolt the pulley back on without the pin.

A - Randy, the pin hole mushed over when the pulley came loose. First the good news: The crankshaft is hardened and it is probably OK unless you mess up trying to get that pin out. This process will be time consuming since it involves removing the exhaust and rear motor mount bracket just to gain access. Once you can see what you are doing you have to find the hole and the pin. I use an abrasive Roloc disc to clean away the metal that was transferred to the crankshaft during the failure. When you find the remains of the pin, start with a small drill and begin drilling it out. Your ace in the hole is that the crankshaft is hardened and the pin is not. When you get the hole large enough, put a screw in it and pry it out. So you have saved the crank, you need a pin, and the pulley is damaged. Smart Racing products makes a replacement pulley out of billet aluminum that comes with a new bolt and sells for about $120.00. The pin is the same as a VW beetle main bearing dowel pin that you can get from any VW shop. The crank will need to be smooth and true before you bolt the pulley on and judicious smoothing with the Roloc disc has worked well for me.

About that “turbo boost” effect? The fan and alternator take about 20 horsepower to run at that speed when the failure occurred. You felt the difference between gross horsepower and net horsepower. As far as running the engine without the pin by just bolting the pulley back on? The pin is for alignment of the timing marks and the bolt secures the pulley. You could have bolted it down snug and driven it but then the crank could have been damaged more than it already was. In a third world country, this would have gotten you out of the bush but it is better that you didn't try it. MC

Q - When I started my Carrera this morning I heard a loud “pop” then the car would not run. It will start but it stalls right away.

b>A - Chuck, That pop you heard was probably due to an intake system backfire. On an early Carrera, a lean fuel mixture can cause parts to break or hoses to blow off. When this happens, the car will start (on the “cold start valve”) but as soon as you release the starter, the cold start valve shuts off and the engine stalls.

If you have the earlier CIS fuel injection used on normally aspirated cars up to 1983, this can indicate (or cause) a significantly expensive problem. On these models, a plastic plenum directs air flow from the air flow meter to the intake runners. If the car backfires, usually an “anti backfire” flapper valve opens and relieves pressure. This can prevent damage but the backfire can be violent enough to actually break the plenum. Sometimes, the plenum may be leaking air and the backfire is just the “straw that broke the camel's back”. Some cars have the original plenum, the fuel/air mixture weakens the plastic and it can come apart or fractures. In a best case scenario, you find that the glue which secured the flapper valve has failed and it just needs to be re-glued. While you are checking this, see if all the screws are still tight which hold it together. If you find screws loose, tighten all those you can reach and plan to do a more thorough repair since the ones you can't reach are probably also loose.

If yours is an 84 to 89 Carrera, there is a hose that usually pops off near the rear of the engine (where you can't see it). It connects the main air flow meter to the intake throttle body. If you are fortunate, the only thing to do is reinstall the big air hose. The hose is located directly in the middle and top of the engine. Check the clamps that secure it and you may find one loose. If you do, loosen it more and try slipping the hose back on then tighten the clamp. Another source of intake leaks on the later cars involves the breather hoses. These rot due to age, heat, and oil. They are located where you cannot see them unless you remove the air flow meter assembly and If you are willing to go to that extent, plan to replace them since they are now over 20 years old.

On the Carrera 2 & 4, the latest problem that I have seen was an entire intake plenum assembly blown right off the top of the engine. The client said “I think the entire rear of the car lifted up when it happened”. This one was a little tricky. Turns out that when the car had been serviced four months earlier, two of the exhaust side spark plug wires were switched on the right bank. This ignited the intake charge while the intake valve was open. This “human induced” problem that was undetectable during driving the car but on that fateful day, BOOM. There were no apparent long term effects of this problem but it points out the need to mark the things that you remove when servicing your car. MC

Q - My Carrera 2 just had the clutch replaced and ever since then, there is a funny noise coming from the shifter when I am going very slowly and accelerate. It did not make that noise before the clutch and I am worried if there might be a problem with the transaxle or the clutch work. Is there any way to know what is going on?

A - Porsche used a rubber center clutch disc in many models to minimize noise intrusion into the cabin. My hunch is that you replaced the rubber center clutch with the heavy-duty spring center clutch. The only way to be absolutely sure is to listen with a stethoscope, with the car safely hoisted from the chassis points, while a helper “drives the car in the air” and very gently accelerates up to five to ten miles per hour. If the noise is coming from inside the clutch bell-housing, there is either an issue with the release bearing or it now has a spring-center disc. Try to find out what parts, exactly, were used in the clutch job…if you were not warned about the noise, shame on the guy who sold it to you, but don't worry. The noise may be irritating, but it is not harmful and won't cause any problems. Most enthusiasts prefer the spring center clutch to the rubber center anyway, it grabs a lot better! MC

Q - The door on my Carrera, wouldn’t stay open as it used to so I had the latch bar replaced. Now when I open the door, I hear a snapping sound from the latch bar. Of course it stays open…but. - Jim

A - I may have some horrible news for you. First make sure that the latch bar is genuine Porsche and that everything is tight. Next, put a stethoscope on the “A pillar” and have someone exercise the door where the snapping sound occurs. If my suspicions are correct, there is a stress crack in the body where the latch bar anchors into the A pillar and this is the horrible part. The door needs to be removed, surgery performed on the A pillar to reinforce the cracked area, then paint and door reinstallation. It sounds painful and it is. About $500.00 per door last time I checked.

This is a common problem with earlier cars and eventually the crack spreads and the anchor breaks free from the A pillar. At this point, the damage gets far worse quickly sucking hundreds from your wallet. Putting that old, weak latch bar back in might be the best thing to do to postpone further damage. I hope you didn’t throw it away. - MC

Q - On my early 911 I installed the WEVO semi solid motor and transmission mounts. Now my wife is asking me what is wrong with the car. Do you know anyone who might want to buy some good used mounts! I am going back to rubber. - Charles

A – I have done this too. Sometimes a product sounds much better in a catalog than it is. For every action there is a reaction. The added vibration in the car would not be worth it to me unless it is a track only car. I recently drove a Turbo with solid mounts and I had to wear ear muffs. I think I heard and felt every moving part in the entire engine and transaxle. If you have ever driven or ridden in a proper race car, you know what I mean.

For the street, compromises are made for good reasons. If it were my choice of mounts, I would suggest the Club Sport mounts that are harder without being ridiculous. The fit and look just like standard mounts so they are not as sexy to as the Wevo mounts but your teeth and passengers will thank you. - MC

Q - I am interested in finding (and using as a daily driver) a late 70’s Porsche Carrera. Where is the best place to shop for a car, which version is the most reliable, and are there any pitfalls for a carbureted 911? Thank You. Tom

A - First of all, join the Porsche club if you are not already a member. The best cars stay within the club membership. Rarely do you find a great car on Craigslist; but look anyway. Check the want ads in the Panorama, in regional newsletters and in Excellence magazine.

Look for a southern or western car and have it inspected at its current location for obvious problems. If it passes there, conclude the purchase. Once it is transported to you, have it inspected at a local shop with experienced Porsche technicians. Do not buy a carbureted version...period. They are a pain in the butt (but I do work on them). For an occasionally driven car, fuel injection is far easier to live with and much easier to understand.

Regarding the price, spend 2/3's of your total budget for the car and save 1/3 of your budget for repairs and updates. Remember: Good versions of this car are not cheap and cheap cars are usually not good. Now if you find a car you are considering, send me the link and I will be glad to offer an opinion. MC

Q – When I got my 930 Turbo out of storage I found the steering wheel very loose and wobbly. Oddly, it felt tight when I stored it. What happened over the winter? - LM

A – I am betting that the plastic insert in the steering column bearing has disintegrated. I see this many times a year and it usually happens in the spring. Odd. This plastic bushing is part of the bearing and to replace the bearing is a major pain since the column has to be dismantled to remove and replace it. Unless the bearing itself is worn out, I would not replace it. There is a trick part, used on a 928 Porsche, that fits perfectly and replaces that crumbling plastic part. VW uses the same type of plastic bushing so if you happen to know a Beetle owner with that complaint, they too can add a little Porsche to their bug. (some minor modification needed) . MC

Q - My 993 has a soft brake pedal. If I push it down and hold it, it slowly sinks half way down. The odd thing is that when I stored it in the fall, the brakes felt fine! I took it to a shop that diagnosed it as a failed master cylinder. I had them replace the master cylinder and now they are telling me that they think the ABS pump unit has an internal leak and that is why the pedal is soft. The part alone is $2,700! The master cylinder was not cheap and this “spring surprise” has really dampened my enthusiasm for the car. I have to wonder if they really know what they are doing. - Peter

A - A soft brake pedal can be caused by a failed master cylinder but before condemning it, a proper brake inspection should be done to be sure that no leaks or other sources of pressure drop could be causing the symptom. This inspection should include checking tightness of all the fittings in the system especially the fittings on the ABS pump. Usually Porsche tightens brake fittings very, very tight but once I found a loose fitting on the pump that caused a soft pedal.

Following the inspection, I would then pressure test the system caliper by caliper to verify the diagnosis. Expect to measure about 1,000 psi while pressing and holding the pedal down with moderate force. If you find a drop in the front or rear circuits, if it were my call, I would replace the master cylinder to eliminate that as a possibility and then see if pressure drop still occurred. Although this is a painful method of diagnosis, I know of no other way to eliminate the master cylinder as the source of the problem. You cannot condemn the ABS pump unit without a known good master cylinder in the system. - MC

Q - My 92 Carrera 4 blows the fuse for the climate control and then I roast in the summer heat. The circuit calls for a 25 amp fuse and that is what I have installed. Got any ideas? Pete

A - On a couple of these cars that we have inspected, we have found a 30 amp fuse in that 25 amp position so obviously you are not the only one. The key issue is where is the power going and why. There are two heater fan motors in the cowl area and we have measured the motor load on a number of cars. We get readings of 9.5 to 11 amps and during initial power up of the circuit, the load peaks at about 22 to 24 amps for the circuit. You can see why a 25 amp fuse is marginally adequate for the task. This does not leave much “safety factor” for that fuse.

There are other consumers on the circuit which may explain why we find 30 amp fuses in that position. In addition to the fans, the actuators and climate control head take power from that fuse too. As far as the wisdom of putting a larger fuse, this is a situation where one needs to be very cautious. For instance, if you have a 10 amp circuit and install a 20 amp fuse, you are reducing your protection significantly. This could lead to overheating and burnout on components that cost a LOT, if you can even get them anymore! Since I have no way to monitor your car, be aware of unusual odors or other symptoms related to the climate control and if it blows the 30 amp fuse, stop while you are ahead and get it diagnosed. - MC

Q - When I start my 996 up in the morning I hear a sloshing noise in the right side of the car near the back seat. It sounds odd and passengers have commented about it. What is it? Terry

A - That gurgling that you hear is the oil in the tank getting heated up. I can’t explain why the noise goes away when the engine is hot, and I can’t understand why the engineers did not figure out a way to keep it from making that embarrassing noise. - MC

Q - When I started driving my Carrera this year I noticed a puddle of oil under it that I thought had been fixed when I had my car in at the shop last winter. I am really ticked off since I paid good money and I expected the leak to be fixed. I am thinking that the shop was just incompetent and I wonder who you would recommend. Bill

A - Oil leaks on older Carreras can make you crazy and the fact is, a leak that you fixed last year might not even be the same leak you are seeing this year. Gravity leads most oil to the lowest point of the engine and this can fool you. My technicians have documented over one hundred potential leak sources on Carreras and I have seen almost all of them.

But even so, if you had a place you trusted repair a leak, the logical approach is to have them recheck their work, which I expect they will do cheerfully and at no charge. As far as their competence, I know the shop you went to and I went out on a limb and contacted them. They take your car and their reputation personally and if you are disappointed at the outcome of the oil leak repair, they want you to bring it back to them. If it is the same leak that they already fixed, they will correct the problem at no charge.

As far as the competence, I have hired genuine, freshly minted Porsche techs who knew virtually nothing about older cars. I have employed wannabe Porsche techs who, although well intentioned, never made the cut to becoming journeyman or master techs. On a given day at a larger Porsche shop, oil leak diagnosis is generally done by a seasoned professional. That same tech likely did not hoist the car up or wash the leaky area off, and he probably did not do the repair. But he was the guy who is responsible for giving you proper advice and assuring that the repairs were up to snuff. Clearly he let you down.

As the author of this column, I recommend that you take your car to a place where you feel comfortable with their credentials, reputation, business practices, and accessibility to their shop. As a shop owner and technician, I would be happy to give you a free, unbiased opinion about what you paid for versus what you got. Regardless of my findings, I would still suggest that you take the car back to get what you deserve, and what you already paid for. - MC

Q - I had the rear crankshaft seal replaced on the engine in my ‘91 Carrera 2 and it still leaks. I know, you are going to say, “Take it back and have them redo it”! I did. And it is still leaking. I am quite frustrated about this and Lynn wants to know how to get the garage floor clean. Now the shop is telling me that to fix it properly will require a complete tear down. - Fred

A - Fred, I understand your frustration. My wife isn’t too happy either when I park a drippy car in the garage. First the oil leak. On the C2, the rear most main bearing and seal carrier is sealed to the engine block with an O-ring. Surely the engineers thought that it would remain “sealed for life”. Ha! Now those same engineers say that when the O-ring fails, replace it. Oh, and to replace it, you have to split the case!

There was a time when Honda produced an engine that had a minor problem with a motor mount boss on the engine. The engine block would stress crack near the boss and start leaking oil. The resourceful Japanese created (with the help of Dow Corning, “better living through chemistry”) “Hondabond”, an RTV silicone sealant, similar to bathtub caulk. They thought that smearing a little of this miracle goo on the crack would take care of the leak, and it did. They also redesigned a more robust engine mount bracket. And the motor mount engineer is now designing sun visors.

What does that have to do with a Porsche? Well, after taking the rear of your engine apart again, (for the third time!), clean the gap between the engine block and “bearing bushing for bearing no. 8” with brake clearer, acetone, or an equally vile solvent to remove all traces of oil. Pack Hondabond into the crack and let it dry for 24 hours. Once everything is reassembled, I bet it won’t leak. And besides, if it does, think of how much kitty litter your can buy for the $10,000 that it would cost to fix it using the Porsche-approved method.

To clean the garage floor, try “Gunk Engine Brite” which is water-emulsified solvent for oil. Follow the directions and be patient, it may take two or three applications but eventually, the oil will work its way to the surface where a heavy duty floor soap can finish the job. - MC

Q - I have a 2001 Carrera and I wonder why my clutch is working poorly following a service. I never had any problem with it before I took it in for the 30 K service but the advisor mentioned that it felt “grainy” and weak. I wasn’t too worried about it since I was going to put the car away for the winter but when I went to pick it up, it was noticeably slipping and it wasn’t doing that before.

When I got the car I was warned that the clutch and brakes are two areas that I should plan to fix but I wasn’t expecting to get the car back with a clutch that didn’t work. I never track the car and I thought I was easy on the clutch. I trust the guy but I have to wonder if he is playing me straight. – Charley

A - Charley, thirty thousand miles on a clutch is not normal but since you bought the car used, it’s possible that the first owner abused it and you just inherited the problem. So don’ t beat yourself up, but I wonder about your comment that you are “easy on it”.

From my perspective, being easy on it means getting your foot off the pedal as quickly as possible and not allowing the clutch to slip. But to most folks this is counter intuitive. If you believe the revving the engine up and slowly releasing the clutch pedal is being kind to the clutch, you are dead wrong!

The only time a clutch wears is when you are starting off or during shifts while you rev the engine. When the car is in any gear, with the clutch fully engaged, it undergoes no wear whatsoever. It just spins merrily around connecting the crankshaft to the transmission. And the “easier” you are with it, and the more throttle you feed it while it is slipping it, the more wear that occurs. I have seen clutches live 7 thousand miles, 12 thousand miles or 170 thousand miles. It all depends on the driver, not the clutch. As an aside, automatic transmissions have clutches too. The reason that they don’t fail, is that the computer controls how much slip or grip to apply, not the driver.

When a clutch pedal starts feeling rough or vibrates that usually means that the clutch has been abused or overheated. The pedal should feel smooth as glass when depressed or when released, never grainy. Roughness can be caused by clutch system components which lose their integrity due to heat. My hunch is that your clutch was weak when the car was serviced and then it was probably stall tested. That will bring out the worst in a marginal clutch.

Technicians perform a stall test to determine the relative strength of the clutch. At about 30 miles per hour, the clutch is depressed, fifth gear is selected, the engine rpm’s are held at about 3,000 and then the clutch pedal is quickly released. If the clutch is healthy, the engine rpm’s will immediately drop as the clutch is “loaded”. If the clutch is weak, the rpm’s will not drop and the car may actually slow down while the engine revs up. What follows is an acrid odor of roasted clutch friction material. And that is a very nasty odor…like the smell of burning money.

When the clutch is dismantled, the disc will probably be worn down to the rivets or oil soaked. The damage should be obvious. If you have concerns about the advice that you are given, ask to see the parts and take them with you. A second opinion should ease your mind.

If the clutch has oil on it, don’t be surprised. Whenever the transmission is removed from your generation Porsche, request that applicable technical service bulletins be accessed to nip any other related problems in the bud. On this model, there is one in particular that recommends resealing of another potential leak source at the end of the engine block. Don’t be surprised if the engine main oil seal has failed since the original part number has been superseded three times! The latest and best seal is a new design Teflon seal that is used in many applications in Porsche, VW and Audi. I have no doubt that this seal will be the last one your engine will need if properly installed. - MC

Q - I'm thinking about taking my Porsche 993 to the track and I wonder about corner weighting. I had the car lowered slightly when I had a Bilstein PSS-9 coilover suspension kit installed. What do you think; is it worth it or not? - Paul

A - Corner weighting allows you to determine whether or not your car is “square” in terms of the chassis relative to the pavement. Typically, when coilovers are installed the ride height is set from fixed points on the chassis to a flat surface. Usually for most folks, this is good enough.

One would think that measuring from the fender edge to the ground would be a good way to determine if a car is level but I found that fenders aren't a reliable reference point. I know that sounds odd but I have found quite a bit of difference side to side compared to fixed points on the chassis. What looks right to the naked eye is sometimes wrong.

Now, having said that, how reliable is the chassis as a reference point? Not as likely as you would expect especially on an older 911 and don’t even ask about 914s. I found that on most early 911s that I've measured and inspected, rather than resembling a rectangular box, they actually measure like a trapezoid. And 911s aren’t the only cars that are cock eyed. Every VW Super Beetle built is too. Not only is this interesting, it also makes adjustments difficult. For instance, on the eighties 911, one side upper strut mount is further in than the other side. This requires some creativity when an aggressive alignment is requested.

On the later cars, like yours, there are many more adjustments available and tolerances are held much closer. Frame misalignment is less prevalent unless your car was wrecked or driven through crater deep chuck holes. For street use or D.E. events, corner weighting would be an extravagance; but for hard core track use, or when “pushing the envelope”, I would recommend it. - MC

Q – I am excited to get my car out and blast down I-75 with my Valentine One on highway mode. I am ready but I wonder if my Carrera is. I put it away with the tires pumped up, fresh oil, etc. Anything I should do as I get it out? Pete

A - There are a few components that need special attention on a stored car: One is the battery. I talk a lot about batteries so if you find this boring, skip to the next tip. But that pesky battery sure can cause a lot of problems. It sits all winter with nothing to do, nowhere to go, no exercise and then we expect it to rise to the occasion and crank the car. It’s like running a marathon without a warm up.

Batteries contain acid. Acid can eat holes in your body (and your car’s body too). Batteries output explosive hydrogen gas. Yes, the same gas that led to the demise of the Hindenburg, another fine German machine. Why is this important? Three reasons: 1) Your battery might have gotten low on charge over the winter. 2) You might need to jump it. 3) You don’t want to blow it.

When your battery is low, follow safe jumping processes. Connect the positive cables first, then the negative cable to the dead car last. This minimizes the likelihood of a dead short that might cause sparks (or fire). Verify the positive and negative terminals and don’t simply trust the colors of the cables. I have made this mistake a couple times and it is truly thrilling! If the battery doesn’t even have enough juice to turn the car over at a normal speed, don’t jump it, charge it. And if you charge it, remember the Hindenburg. Keep sparks away. The safest method of disconnecting a battery charger is to unplug it at the outlet first, then disconnect the battery.

Tires need some annual inspection too. Don’t forget to reduce the tire pressure to summer specs. (you did keep them pumped up over the winter didn’t you?) Check the pressure and notice the deviations between where you had inflated them versus where they are now. It is significant when you notice a deviation between tires. You need to keep your eye on that. Say your right rear tire lost 10 pounds and the other three lost 5. After your run down the freeway, check them again and recheck them in a week or so. If you notice that right rear tire low again, you either have a nail in it or a rim leak.

When you take your car out on the freeway, does it shake? Perhaps it didn’t shake when you stored it, but it does now. This is not uncommon on stored cars. Some tires are notorious for flat spotting while other brands are not. So how long should it take to go away? On my car, with old, aged out rubber, it would take about two mils then it was gone. Other cars I have driven took longer and some, not all.

As you sat in your car, fantasizing about that drive, did you notice that funny odor? Every spring a half dozen or so cars arrive with nests, chewed wiring, and that disgusting smell of rodents who have desecrated your Porsche with urine and worse.

I remember that Saturday in spring. As I washed my car I realized that the trunk was not shut all the way. I didn’t think much of it. I mopped up the water around the weather stripping and figured that it needed to be cleaned as well. That night, after the wash, I was justifiably proud of my fine work and took my darling wife to dinner. Her comment? “Gee honey the car looks great but WHAT IS THAT SMELL!!

On Sunday, I took the entire trunk apart, the heater hoses, defroster parts and vacuumed the nest out of the car. Multiple doses of carpet shampoo, power washing, and Fabreze made it all fresh and clean again. I spent so many hours on it I took pictures of the inside of my naked trunk and vowed, no one will ever see it this clean again. I had proof.

The moral of the story…if you have a minor odor problem, don’t get it wet! Water re-energizes dried residue and makes it new again. It is unbelievably nasty. Lift up the carpet, look for evidence in the spare tire area, look back in the engine compartment and vacuum it all out then set aside an afternoon for the champion cleaning job.

If you have a Cabrio, there is also an issue of sticking rubber seals were the convertible top rests on the windshield frame. Over the winter, they can stick so tightly that the top is literally glued tight to the frame. The drive mechanism can become overloaded and damaged. That first time of the season, after the automatic release does its job, give the top a gentle push up to help un-stick it.

When you own a Cabrio, having operated the top a few times, you intuitively know how the mechanism normally sounds during the different modes of release, top going down, and then fully seated in the boot. If it sounds like it is laboring in any mode, STOP pushing the button and investigate. Clients sometimes do not consider the power of their own intuition, making a minor problem much worse to the power of ten. - MC

Q - On my 85 Carrera it is time to replace the brake hoses and I have mixed feelings about stainless steel braided brake hoses. My mechanic recommended them but I like the feel of the original rubber hoses and I have driven cars with the aftermarket hoses. What do you think? Terry

A – Although I have my preferences, here are the facts. Both types are perfectly fine for your car and safety is not a factor when they are properly installed. The rubber sheathed hoses do have more resilience than the stainless steel. They have a small degree of softness by comparison under normal usage. On the track however, the difference may be a lot more obvious. Race cars use stainless steel for the sharper feel that they provide.

Original hoses are not expensive but they actually cost more than the stainless. So cost is not a significant factor. Installation is identical for both but here is the rub (bad pun). Rubber hoses have an abrasion resistant rubber outer layer that prevents wear from destroying the fabric inner braid that gives the hose its strength. The stainless steel hoses do not have this protective layer and when poorly installed, the stainless braid can rub through. This can lead to sudden brake failure when you need them the most. It happened to me and taught me to be very vigilant with hose installation. - MC

Q - What you can tell me about the different valve cover gasket kits for my 1988 911. Which ones do you recommend? I know that original Porsche parts are probably the best and when I saw some O.E.M. gaskets on the Albatross Parts website for $22.00 or so, I was impressed. Why would anyone pay twice that from the dealer when they can get the same part for less than half. I also saw reusable silicone gaskets, gaskets with a sealing bead and I was surprised at the wide variety and pricing. I need some power window switches and I noticed that switch prices are all over the map too. I found some O.E. switches for $15.00 and other sites wanted $30.00 for them. Tom

A - I’m with you. I need a compelling reason to pay more for the same thing so I contacted Albatross for their side of this story. I know that O.E. M. is the acronym for original equipment manufactured. When I scrolled down the site I found that the Porsche brand was indeed more expensive. Naturally I had to ask. Is O.E.M. genuine Porsche in a plain brown wrapper?

I called the 800 number and spoke to “Chuck” (not his real name) who said that the O.E.M kits were not made by Porsche. He told me that the O.E.M. brand is just a brand, not the origin of the part at all. He was not at liberty to tell me who made them either but he assured me that they were indeed an O.E.M manufacturer of gaskets

All the kit contains gaskets, washers, and nuts. The lower priced gaskets are made to just “get the job done” and are manufactured as cheaply as possible. When you compare them to the Porsche gaskets, you can see the difference but it’s not easy to tell when the picture on your monitor is one inch by two inches. Then there is the hardware. Who knows if the washers and nuts are equivalent to the originals? I bet they are not made in Germany. Well maybe they are but the problem is, they can’t tell you the origin. I have been shipped stainless steel components that are magnetic. I had to wonder… how “stainless” are they? Off shore products are here to stay. After all, we just celebrated America’s independence with Chinese fireworks. But this “O.E.M.” brand reminds me of a line in a Frank Zappa tune: “Who you jivin’ with that cosmic debris?”

If we are only talking about gaskets or window switches, they are relatively cheap compared to labor. Since a valve adjustment takes a number of hours to do properly and carefully, I won’t risk my time to save $25. There is an old saying in this biz “If you don’t take the time to do it right the first time, somehow you always find the time to do it again.”

In general, why pay double just because it’s genuine? Do it when it matters, either personally for your peace of mind or for longevity or safety. In an application where a replacement part is good or better than an original, buy it. I’m guilty of looking for the good deal. I have been searching for that “good, cheap painter” for years! If I can get it wholesale, I do. The key is making an informed decision and that leads me to yet another Zappa line, “Is that a real poncho or a Sears poncho?” When your wallet and engine are at risk, don’t chance it. Some parts that seem to be a bargain often cost you double in the long run.

To answer your original question about my preference in kits: I prefer the German kits that have the Porsche tag, date coded but with the Porsche trademark removed. I like the gaskets with the factory applied bead of sealant. Those kits have the nice original gold cad plated nuts and the soft aluminum sealing washers.

As far as window switches, “Chuck” told me that Albatross only sells “Genuine Porsche” switches and they are over $30.00 each. I checked into the source of the cheaper ones and they are NOT Porsche, they are a crap shoot. You can tell how they feel and the plastic finish is different as well. At least an aftermarket switch won’t generally damage anything when it fails; it merely annoys you - MC

Q - The starter on my Carrera is making unhealthy sounds and I would like to get your opinion on my choices. I see some aftermarket gear reduction starters available, some rebuilt Bosch starters and Bosch Reman starters. What’s the difference? Jeff

A - Your car was built with a Bosch starter and they work for decades, not years. The aftermarket gear reduction starter is lighter, and in some cases cheaper than the original. The benefit of that starter is weight and power. For racers, they are an excellent choice. The warranty is not as good however and it is a fabricated part meaning that if a component fails, you might just need to buy another one.

The rebuilt Bosch starter can confuse things because all original starters were Bosch and anyone can rebuild one. That’s the problem. Who rebuilt that starter? Who knows? Generally the warranty on rebuilt or reman Bosch starters covers the part itself but no labor. Another issue is terminology. What constitutes a rebuilt starter anyway? I have seen (and been victimized) by supposed rebuilt parts that simply did not work well and sometimes not at all.

A Bosch Reman starter comes right from the source, Bosch. When Bosch remanufactures a starter, ALL the working parts are replaced…not just “the bad ones!” Bosch also supplies Porsche with their “Factory Rebuilt” starters…the Factory in question is the Bosch facility in Broadview, Illinois. The quality is unsurpassed and the warranty on them is rock solid. If you take your Porsche to the dealer for a starter, you get a top quality part and a warranty on labor as well. Any Porsche dealer can correct the problem at no charge for parts or labor. If you buy a Bosch Reman, the same parts and labor warranty applies. Anywhere in the U.S. or Canada, you can get the Bosch part warranted and if it was installed by a Bosch affiliate, the labor as well.

Naturally, although the warranty is a factor, having the peace of mind knowing that you will probably never need to take advantage of the warranty is even better. My vote, saving money by choosing a “no brand” is not worth it. MC

Q – My ‘88 Carrera was driving great until I let my son borrow the car for the Woodward Cruise. I never had a bit of trouble with my transmission but when he brought it back it wouldn’t go into third gear without loud gnashing sounds. It doesn’t matter how easy I shift or at what speed either. All the other gears including reverse, work normally. The other thing that is different is that the clutch pedal is about a half inch lower than it used to be. I am hoping it just needs a clutch adjustment. I was told by my mechanic that these gearboxes are bullet proof so I wonder. How good are they? The car only has 41,000 miles on it! - Denny

A –The G-50 transmission is generally bulletproof. They are hard to break but even the best sometimes fail depending on what mayhem is committed. The Woodward Cruise has caused some normally sane people to get a little crazy. Have you been down to the loop in Pontiac? Yeah baby!!

I have some bad news for you Denny. When I have seen this symptom, it is usually due to a broken synchronizer ring or damaged gear set. “Internal transmission damage” is how I describe it. Any way you slice it the repair will not be cheap or easy. The first step is to perform a basic “eyeball” inspection of the clutch pedal, hydraulics and lever at the transmission…but that probably won’t turn up anything. The next step is to pull the powertrain out, separate the transaxle from the engine and find out what broke and how painful this is going to be.

The low clutch pedal on this car is another issue that may have contributed to the transmission failure. On this model, although the pedal linkage is adjustable, it rarely if ever needs to be adjusted. What does happen is that the rubber center of the clutch can fail and over a period of twenty years or so, it starts throwing chunks of rubber into the pressure plate. These chunks get lodged in the pressure plate, some of the clutch spring fingers warp, and this changes the release bearing height. Now I have a question for you (and your son): What happened just before third gear started grinding?

“Well, he shifted fast from second and got the shifter part way into third and let the clutch out. The shift lever kicked back at him into neutral, and then it would not go back into third without grinding”

At least you know when and how it happened but now to find out how bad it is. With the powertrain removed, things to consider at this age and mileage include rubber and plastic parts. On this list I include: the rubber center clutch, release bearing, input shaft seal, crankshaft seal, engine compartment insulation, oil thermostat O-ring, breather gasket, and possibly the oil light switch. Whenever the powertrain needs to be removed, overlap between related operations can benefit you by easier access. For my money, if I have the budget for it, I want to do it once and do it right. MC

1984 - 1989

Q - I have a 1987 Cabriolet. I put the top down, left it parked, and a cloud burst flooded the car! What should I do? Is it OK to just start it up?

A - First, smack yourself in the forehead and resolve to never do it again. Next, disconnect the battery, remove the driver seat, remove the DME computer and carefully remove the circuit board inside. Check for moisture and corrosion. After letting it dry, put it all together reconnect the battery, and pray. MC

Q - I have a 1987 Carrera and when I turn on the heater, I hear a squealing sound coming from the heater fans. After it is on for a while, the noise goes away but I am afraid that something is not right.

A - Trust your intuition. The bearings in those fans are knows for drying out and if you run it that way, you will burn them out. My car does this too and I will get back to you with a solution (short of outright fan replacement) after I experiment with my own car (and my own time). MC

Q - - I have a 1984 Targa and my windows go up too high. It makes it hard to shut the door unless I lower the window a little. The window hits side of the weather-stripping and then the window sticks out. It also leaks! I removed the door panel and I could see a stop for the window with a chunk of plastic. It looks bent. What do you suggest?

A - Porsche offers a repair part for the window regulator that can be installed once the regulator is removed. It is stronger than the original and will probably last another twenty years or so. The other option is a new, improved window regulator. It is a more robust design and a permanent cure but it requires slight modifications to fit. The part costs about two hundred dollars but if you enjoy tinkering, for about 20 bucks, you can save the extra cash and take your wife out for a really nice dinner in your Porsche. MC

Q - - I have a 1985 Carrera and since it is my first Porsche, I probably got in a little over my head but here goes. It has an oil leak at the pipe connecting the engine to the oil thermostat (it's the one with two solid steel ends and some braided hose in the middle). I was thinking of changing it myself but I discovered that it takes special tools to get it off the thermostat and what's worse, the hose costs $284.00! Help, I didn't realize that this car would be so expensive.

A - First, Chuck, I share your pain. These cars can suck your wallet dry faster than a 6 hp. shop vac. But I have found a simple and cheesy solution to your dilemma. You can rest assured; it is not endorsed by Porsche nor is it a guaranteed fix. The flexible part of the hose is probably leaking and it is secured by crimped-on clamps called ferrules. When the hose is new, these make a fine seal but when the hose ages and shrinks, the fit loosens and the leak begins. If the ends of the hose are leaking, replacing the ferrules with clamps might help. Incidentally, on the race engines built by Jerry Woods, he also feels that clamps are more reliable and he ought to know.

To remove the ferrules, you need to cut them through and break them off the hose. The easiest method for this is a cutting disc on a high speed die grinder. You will have to make three or four cuts to weaken them sufficiently but do not cut into braiding of the hose or the game is over.

Once they are cut, squash them with Channel Lock pliers and remove the chunks. Replace the ferrules with two hose clamps per end. Clean up the mess with Gunk Engine Brite and a power wash to see if the cure worked. If that is where the leak was happening, you have solved it for 10 dollars and about two hours of your time. MC

Q - I have a strange problem with my 1986 Carrera. After I turn a corner, I notice that my brake pedal drops very low. This is very disconcerting. As soon as I straighten the wheel and apply the brakes, the pedal feels normal again. I have flushed the brake fluid and taken it all apart twice! I rechecked everything I replaced: the front wheel bearings, rotors, and brake pads. I am tearing my hair out. - Heavy

A - Strange is an excellent word for this. My guess is that turning and loading the front wheel bearings pushes the brake pads away from the rotor. I have run into this and been annoyed by it myself. You can actually install incorrect wheel bearings if you don't compare them. Bearing sets can have the correct outside diameter but a larger inside diameter. Even though bearing preload is correctly adjusted, the bearing can “act” loose when turning. Cornering forces generate strong side loads. This allows the inner bearings to “walk” out of place, and rotor deflection pushes the brake pads away from the rotor. During straight line driving and braking, the wheel hub will stay centered since there are no “side loads” (and the brake pads stay close to the rotors”). Crazy.

A 1967 Beetle schooled me on this topic. The lesson: compare parts. A late night Detroit DJ used to sign off at night with: “Remember, trust everyone…but always cut the cards”. I considered my experience just another tuition payment. Good luck. MC

Q - I just bought a track car, a one owner 88 Carrera and I am looking forward to this year's DE without sweating the damage I could do to my GT3. So I have a number of questions.

The former owner installed headers and has the oxygen sensor still installed in the left header but it is unplugged. Should I leave it unplugged or should it be connected.
The sway bar mounts in the rear are showing signs of cracking and I was told that a revised bracket is available. What should I do about it?
The AC does not work and I need to replace an oil line underneath the compressor anyway. Can I just remove the compressor and leave it off?

Wow Mike, this is what I call “living large”. While you are at the track with the Carrera, I would gladly exercise the GT3 for you. You really should not let these cars sit around.

But seriously, on item 1, the OXS sensor is an electronic “nose” that constantly monitors the fuel mixture and adjusts it based on “smell”. Do you notice that funny odor that you detect after a hard run at full throttle? That is raw un-burnt fuel. And although $4.00 a gallon gas is a factor, there are other considerations.

With the sensor wired into the fuel injection system, the amount of fuel compared to oxygen is constantly adjusted by the Motronic computer for peak engine efficiency except at full throttle. At full throttle, the computer ignores the sensor signal and uses a different “computer map” to give you maximum power. Or you might say “engineered maximum power”. This is where chips come in. A chip will give you more power by re-engineering the map to provide more advanced spark and a richer fuel mix. Simply unplugging the sensor causes the fuel mix to go “full rich” without the benefit of advanced spark timing. So the engine runs great at full throttle and ironically, it would do that anyway if the sensor were plugged in.

The other considerations have to do with increased engine wear by dumping all that extra gas into the engine when it does not need it and the comment by your better half: “why does your car stink?” My dear old Dad also claimed up to 10% better fuel economy in both of his chipped Porsche's (when he drove for economy).

My advice: Chip it, adjust the fuel mixture to base settings, plug the sensor back in, have it tested, and enjoy the best engineering that Bosch and Porsche built into the car.

On question two, the sway bar mounting brackets were poorly engineered from the start. By my rough guess, they are broken or cracked on better than half the cars I inspect. There are three methods of dealing with this:

If the bracket is completely broken, Porsche offers an updated stronger design that is priced at under $100.00 each (plus labor)
If the bracket is cracked, it can be reinforced before it breaks and this is equal to the updated bracket at a much lower labor cost.
There are aftermarket brackets that attach to that large round tube called the torsion bar housing. Although I consider these ugly, they work and they are cheap.

On question 3: Should you delete the AC compressor? On this model there is no down side to removing the compressor. There is only one wire to disconnect, the compressor is heavy and who needs it at the track? Before you remove it however, make sure any remaining coolant (Freon) is recycled. I suggest that you cap the AC hoses if you ever want to reinstall it. If you want to take this project a step further, that AC condenser under your turbo tail is not improving air flow to the engine either. MC

Q - In spring of 07 I traded my boat for an 88 930 slant nose coupe from Arizona. For the first couple months, I had no problems. Then leaving work one day, it would not start. After 30 minutes of jiggling wires it finally started. After that, sometimes it would start and quit after a couple miles but sometimes it would turnover but not fire at all.

It sat all winter then started right up (but with major exhaust smoke) then I shut it down and left it a couple days. It started again that following weekend, (2 weeks ago) not as much smoke. I pulled it out into the drive and gave it a little throttle (about 4000rpm) just to go to the end of the drive, but when I let out the clutch, I heard (and felt) a very loud backfire and it stalled. When I attempted a restart it turned over like no compression. So now I'm thinking something blew inside the engine. I wait 1 sec. I try it again and WOW Hey MC she started right up!

I want to get out to some club events but I'm still afraid to drive it. A local Porsche mechanic said he thinks it may be the 6 pin cd box, another said computer. What would be your guess without seeing it?

Is there anyone in SEM/PCA near Mt. Clemens area that could stop, look at and possibly fix this without charging an arm and a leg. These days can't afford to lose an arm or leg let alone both. :)

I'm very disappointed with this car so far, maybe I should just get rid of it while I'm still BEHIND :) So brings one more question to mind 3) What is this car worth (if it was running) in fair cond. and almost 100,000 miles.

A - This must be the month for intermittents. Have faith, I am a stubborn German who enjoys a challenge. Over the last few years, a half dozen or so fearful folks have begun to venture far from their “AAA Plus” limit. To me the acid test is taking that long road test myself. To verify intermittents, I built a jumper box that allows me to monitor power to both ignition and fuel circuits and if one should drop out, supply power to the circuit that needs it. You might want to borrow it.

The CD box is not the first place I would look. Usually these fail totally, not occasionally. Far more common is a fuel pump relay failure or ignition cut relay. The turbos have an extra relay in the engine compartment that cuts ignition power slightly after you turn off the key. If you do not feel adventurous in the realm of electricity, I would give up early on this one however. What you can do, is follow the fuse box servicing process that I mentioned to Gary in the answer above. Even if that does not help, always start with the source of power and work your way in.

As far as smoke after sitting, don't worry about it. The engine contains a large quantity of oil that will settle into the crankcase when it sits all winter and that first start up can be very disconcerting. Start to worry when it smokes every time!

Backfiring on this particular Porsche is a particularly troubling and perhaps costly problem. This model uses an archaic fuel injection design that is very sensitive to vacuum leaks in the intake system. Even if a vacuum leak did not cause the backfire, the event itself can CAUSE a new leak. During start up and warm up, the electronic fuel trim components are disabled. In this mode, the engine relies on mechanical fuel mixture control adjustment and vacuum leaks cause the mixture to go lean (not enough fuel) which can cause backfiring.

You might notice the large radiator-like device that dominates the engine compartment when you open the deck lid. This component, the intercooler, is removed during most services and the intercooler is sealed to the intake piping with large silicone rubber O-ring that get oil soaked, broken or squashed. These O-rings are a source of leaks that can cause backfiring and a loss of boost pressure during acceleration too.

As far as selling it, why give up so easy? Once you get it sorted out, you are going to have a ball. Compared to a boat, you are going to have a lot more fun with your Porsche since every weekend there is a driving or social event where you can sport around in your new toy. Besides, what did it cost last season when you filled up your boat? Now double it. Doesn't that Porsche look better? MC

Q - My 1989 Turbo smells like fuel and I am worried that a spark could ignite it. I narrowed it down to the front trunk area.

A - Eric, If the fumes are that strong, you bet it could ignite and in the garage, it could take your house with it. First, if you smell this, do not start your car to pull it out of the garage, push it out and look for signs of dampness. The three most common sources that I have seen are a cracked fuel cap gasket, loose screws on the fuel sending unit, or vent hose clamps that are tightened to their limit without securing the hose.

For the fuel cap it's easy. Just pick up a new O-ring for it and you are all set. You don't need to buy a new cap. The part number is 944 201 553 00. The fuel sender screws often take a sixteenth of a turn and usually this fixes them. If you still get dampness or smell odor after filling up the tank, try to blot the area around the fuel sender and see if you can detect fuel or vapor. The sender gasket is inexpensive as well and easily replaced.

On the vent hoses, there is a special type of clamp called “Oetiker”. I suggest that you cut them off and replace them with worm gear screw type clamps which can be purchased a any auto parts or hardware store. MC

Q - On my 85 Carrera the dome light works erratically on the driver's door and not at all from the passenger's door. Sometimes they work and sometimes not. If I operate it manually, it lights up. Any idea why? I notice that the rubber boots that cover the switches don't look too good either.

A - When it rains, water runs down the “A pillar” where the switches are mounted. The rubber boots keep water out and prevent corrosion at the contacts. To fix this erratic switch issue, remove the rubber boot, unscrew the switch and spray the contacts with electrical contact cleaner that you can buy at Radio Shack. Reinstall the switch and I bet they will work fine. Install new boots (they cost about $4.00) and they will work well for years. MC

Q - On my 85 Carrera the dome light works erratically on the driver's door and not at all from the passenger's door. Sometimes they work and sometimes not. If I operate it manually, it lights up. Any idea why? I notice that the rubber boots that cover the switches don't look too good either. -- Carlos

A - When it rains, water runs down the “A pillar” where the switches are mounted. The rubber boots keep water out and prevent corrosion at the contacts. To fix this erratic switch issue, remove the rubber boot, unscrew the switch and spray the contacts with electrical contact cleaner that you can buy at Radio Shack. Reinstall the switch and I bet they will work fine. Install new boots (they cost about $4.00) and they will work well for years. MC

Q - I have a 1986 Carrera Cabrio and it needs a new top. The top shop has offered me a 993 top which has the integrated rear window instead of the original zippered type. They offered me either top at the same price and I am thinking about it. I wondered what you thought about the idea. Have you seen this done before? Paul

A - Well Paul, I sure hope that you have insurance on the top…it is very expensive! When I got estimates on mine they ranged from $1,600 to $2,100. And if that hurts, you can spend $3,000 to $4,000 on the newer tops with the heat bonded rear windows!

I have seen the later style top on the earlier car and I like it a lot. The car looks more streamlined and the rear window is smaller. It looks a lot more like a Speedster. When you look at a 993 Cab compared to the older Carrera and 964, the top on the older car looks dated…classic but funky.

The newer top has a flat rear window rather than the original zippered rear window. So you can’t open it. Being able to open the rear window can be handy but one aspect of it that I don’t like is that with the window zipped up, the top curls oddly if you leave the top down too long. On my car, it always stays curled to some degree, I assume based on the age of the top. So to get the top to stay flat, I have to unzip the rear window each time I put it down, an annoying gymnastic exercise.

If you consider your car a collectible, you should only consider the original style top otherwise the value of your car may be reduced. If you are comfortable taking artistic license (it is your car after all) you get to decide. Either way, you will get a lot of compliments and a rear window that you can actually see through. Won’t that be a treat? - MC

Q - I changed the fan belt on my Carrera (1989). After I did it, I noticed a “jingling” sound in the engine near the fan. It wasn’t there before. What do you think? - Patrick

A - That jingling noise was the small change you saved by doing it yourself. That sound will soon change to a loud “grating” noise that foretells the failure of the inner and outer pulley sheave and perhaps the alternator. Shut it off!

Porsche and VW used shims to adjust the working diameter of the alternator/fan pulley. When you change the fan belt, the shim pack also must be adjusted by moving shims from the center to the outside of the outer pulley or vice versa. A new fan belt is a little fatter than the old belt. Without shimming the pulley, if you simply install the belt and tighten the pulley nut until the belt feels “tight”, the inner and outer sheaves may not be properly tightened. This causes the pulley components to wear against one another. In a few hundred miles, the assembly may come apart all by itself and ruin the alternator, the fan, and cause the engine to overheat!

Your best bet is to visit your Porsche specialist and ask if you can watch (and take notes) as the process takes place. Call it tuition. And I sure hope you shut it off in time. - MC

Q - I noticed little bits of foam rubber in the engine compartment of my 1988 Targa and it looks as if the pad above the engine is falling apart. What is the pad for and how hard is it to change it? Jim

A - I call that the sound pad and it insulates the engine from the body and soaks up sound as well as heat. It is not a critical component in my view. It becomes a liability when it starts to shred and gets sucked into the cooling fan where it gets embedded in the cooling fins. I would remove it before it gets worse.

The part is not very expensive so cost would not be a factor in my decision. Labor to change it is a whole other matter. When the car was built, before the powertrain was installed, that pad was glued into the engine compartment and neatly tucked into the corners. With nothing in the way, you can do a very nice job. With the engine installed, I have never seen it done well and I have seen a few feeble and ugly attempts. I won’t do it and I don’t recommend it.

The problem is two fold. 1) It is glued in with contact cement and to get it to stick well, you need to remove all the old glue. That is near impossible if you are working around the engine. And once you get all the old glue off, you have to re-spray the glue while keeping it off your engine (and your body) 2) After you spray the glue onto the engine compartment and the pad, then the trick is sticking the pad on centered, without wrinkles, and even front to back…Good Luck. At least with the engine removed you have a fighting chance.

When you open the engine lid on my Carrera you will notice the pad is missing. I can hear my engine better and I like that. I also like the shiny red paint. Once I got the glue off, I thought it looked pretty. It might be a little hotter inside the car but I know what I am up against. Someday when I pull the engine (and I hope that is a long time from now) I will probably install a new pad while taking my time to do a factory quality job. In your case, get that nasty stuff out of there and listen to the sweet sounds of a flat six at full tilt. You will probably like it too. - MC

Q - My 1979 Carrera make terrible crunching noises from the front suspension until I drive it a few miles and frankly I am embarrassed to drive it through the neighborhood. I was told that they were originally rubber and someone changed them to a white plastic then tightened them down to the point that they are squeezing out. Can I go back to the original rubber ones? Larry

A - Considering the age of the car, the rubber ones were probably shot and when the owner of the car found out how much it would cost to replace them, the white ones (made of Delrin) seemed like a good idea. I would bet that just after they were installed, they didn’t even crunch! Whenever you buy these, they give you a tiny tube of assembly lube and that works great…for a few weeks!

If they are not worn out, you could take them apart and grease them (I wouldn’t) or have grease fittings installed in the arms. If you ever do need to replace them, having the ability to grease them makes a lot of sense since rubber replacements are not practical. In addition to the Delrin bushings which are very hard, there are two other grades that you can buy. Red polyurethane and black poly graphite are the ones I am aware of. I am going with the black ones with grease fittings for my own car. For yours, adding fittings and lubricating them will probably do the job and if not, you will need the fittings for the next set anyway. - MC

Q - On my 85 Carrera, after a 10 to 20 mile trip, I get a vibration and high pitched noise from the chassis that is driving my crazy. If I push the brake pedal hard, the noise goes away for a fraction of a mile then it comes back. I was convinced that it was a bad wheel bearing so I had my shop take the car apart and inspect the wheel bearings. They were fine and naturally, the noise was still there.

Then they thought it a splash shield rubbing on the rotor and indeed, there was a shiny spot on the splash shield. They bent it out of the way and on the test drive there was no noise. Then I drove it just over 10 miles or so and the noise came back. Next they thought it might be the brake rotors or pads so they serviced the rotors, and serviced the pads and indeed, the noise changed! After that, it would start after about 30 miles! Then they installed new pads. They drove the car about fifty miles and were very excited to report that the noise was GONE. I was thrilled! Then I took a trip north to the Flint area and about 60 miles out, the noise came back. I am so p----- off, I can’t see straight! Of course, every time I take the car in, they drive it and the car is quiet as a mouse! I know they are making an earnest effort to fix the car but they are simply out of ideas. Help! Larry

A - Holy cow, you have really suffered and it sounds like the shop has too. I hope you didn’t pay for all the guess work. Yes Larry, I do have an answer. I can’t promise you that it is the correct answer but it worked for me. The last “hair ball brake noise” that I choked on was due to a stress crack on one of the brake pad spreader clips. The clip was not obviously broken. The crack was nearly invisible. (Note the term “nearly”.)

With a fresh set of clips on the front calipers, no more noise. In case you wonder why the clips cured it, when you apply your brakes, the spreader clip moves outward and allows the pads to exert even pressure on the rotors. When you release the brakes, the “square cut seal” in the caliper bore and these clips help the pads move away from the rotor. When the clips are weak (or damaged) the pads can be just close enough to the rotor to vibrate at that annoying frequency that you were hearing. - MC

Q - My 89 Turbo has been driving me crazy. The car will run great most of the time but occasionally after I have been on the road for a while, is stumbles and makes a gurgling sound when I want to pass someone. The only thing that looks amiss is the coil that has oil oozing out of it. The problem is, whenever I take it in to have it checked out, it runs fine! - Dr. John

A - The biggest problem these days on your generation car is that there are no self-diagnostics that will give you a clue about where to look for the problem. But since it happens when the car is fully warmed up and under load, now we have a clue. And the other clue is the oil leaking out of the coil. My experience has been that oil filled coils that leak can’t be trusted. For the price of a coil, why take a chance. The tricky part about coil diagnosis is that they are an “on demand” device. If you crank the car over and hold the coil wire away from ground, you will see a fat blue spark (if the car came in running). This can really mislead you into trusting the coil since the output of the coil can’t be easily tested under load.

When cars lose power or make odd sounds, your best hope is to have a qualified technician with you during the failure, otherwise, in a shop, just revving the engine you may never find the failure. There are some good tests that one should always perform before blaming the coil. I call them the basics and they include: Good compression, even cranking rhythm, clean fuel, proper fuel pressure and good clean power to the ignition system. These things can all be tested statically: i.e. without loading or driving the car.

But as a diagnostic hunch, considering the price of a coil, try it and at least it will no longer drip onto the engine - MC

Q - My 1985 Ruf Turbo will not start when it is hot. It seems to start okay when it is cold but when it is fully warmed up, forget it. Since the car is my baby. I want it to be correct. I read postings on the web and I like working on it myself. I already replaced the fuel pump relay, the ignition switch, the cut off relay, and a number of other parts. Still I am baffled.

The original ignition system was updated long ago to an Electromotive crank fired system. On line, I learned that the Electromotive is not as desirable as an MSD ignition, so I installed one, the 6AL system. Since my Turbo has the 12 plug RSR distributor, I had to buy two of them. So feature this… I’m excited, I fire it up with the MSDs and it works great…but still it won’t start when it is hot! I am thousands into it now, and realize that now, even when it is cold, it only starts when I release the key. - Bud

A – The CIS injected cars have a unique fuel system and as you have discovered, there are hundreds of opinions for each symptom. This might be a tough one. Once we are assured of basic engine integrity, we need to consider the nature of the problem and the history of the car. The car has had a hot start for awhile and now is starts poorly all the time. You have already fired the “parts cannon” and you want me to figure it out?

As always, start with the basics, you already know you have fuel pressure and fuel pump run…Right? So what about the ignition? We know that: 1) The original ignition system was removed. 2) Another ignition system was installed. 3) A third ignition system was installed and still…the b___ won’t start. I would be frustrated too! But I bet the current issue is the ignition circuit. My logic comes from the symptom of “releasing the key” to get it to fire up. If it was fuel related, releasing the key would not change the symptom. Now I want to caution you. Even if you correct that symptom, and the car starts before you release the key, you could still have a hot start problem although the symptom would be a little different, but first things first.

On your car, the ignition switch feeds the fuse panel and from there, power flows to the rear of the car, and I assume the MSD boxes too. The last hair ball that I choked on was caused by a poor, high resistance connection or wire between the ignition switch and the rear fuse panel. When I measured static voltage versus voltage under load, the circuit lost virtually all voltage when the starter was engaged. I added a jumper wire and the problem went away.

I love solving problems but I am challenged by finding the culprit. My fulfillment comes from discovering “why”. So I save my curiosity for my own cars and when I offer advice, I tend to suggest the pragmatic approach. If you run a new wire, and feed a solid 12.6 volts to the MSDs, I bet your car will start like a champ. It worked for me. Now the next question is: It starts but what else receives power from the original funky circuit? - MC

Q - For my 1986 Targa I just bought some beautiful aftermarket wheels and although they are made in China, they look great. I chose a slightly wider 7 inch wheel for the front and 9 inch wheels in the back. The car looks fantastic.

The problem is: When I backed up with my steering wheel turned hard over to the right, the left front tire caught the inside of my fender and peeled it outward. It looks pretty ugly and I am not happy about it. When I bought the wheels I was told that they would fit my car and they would not rub! Pete

A - There are two solutions at hand. First, increase the negative camber in the front wheels to tilt the top of the tire inward. This will give your some clearance around the outer lip of the fender and with that, your car will corner a little bit better too. Second, you will need to have the fender lips rolled. This is done with a tool that bolts onto the wheel hub and allows the technician to very gently and gradually push the fender lip inward so the sharp edge no longer catches on the tire. When carefully done it will cause little or no paint damage. MC

Q - I was wondering about lowering my 1985 Carrera. I was told that the front torsion bars are easy to adjust and that the rear ride height is adjustable too. Is this something I can do my self?

During my investigation, I also removed the side skirts on my Carrera to clean them up and tidy up some rough spots on the body. When I turned a couple of the screws that hold them to the brackets on the right rocker panel, the whole bracket ripped off my car! The oil lines run along that side and I am wondering how I am going to replace them without removing the oil lines. This is really starting to get complicated. Wade

A - Lowering the front end is easy and inexpensive on this generation Carrera. The rear end ought to be fairly straightforward except that I have found that the torsion bars are set from the factory, to go up, not down. Maybe they expected them to sag? That, combined with the age of the rubber bushings (that are now over twenty years old) turns this job into a nightmare. The rubber donuts act as bearings and get destroyed along with the torsion bar caps. While it is expensive, I think that most folks will not have access to the wide array of dangerous tools needed to do it safely

As far as the side skirts, you are skewered on the horns of a dilemma. To replace those brackets, you will have to lower or remove the oil pipes, grind down (or cut) to solid metal and weld them back on. That is going to hurt.

An alternative method that I have used is rectangular plastic blocks that attach to the rocker panel with two stainless steel screws. If you engineer them well, the side skirt can be secured to them. They are every bit as solid as the original bracket. When the car does get restored in the next decade or two, you might want to put the original brackets back on but if you want to drive your car this summer, it is hard to beat plastic and stainless steel. - MC

Q - The AC system on my 1986 911 is no longer cooling and I have heard that the old R-12 Freon is very expensive and getting harder to find. I never felt that the car cooled very well to begin with and I am wondering about the cost of fixing it or updating it. Karl

A - You are correct in saying that the old R-12 is getting harder to find and expensive but don’t worry about that yet. Typically the older cars that sit around a lot tend to seep Freon. If it has been a few years, don’t be surprised if it simply needs to be topped up. My philosophy is that in the absence of gross leaks or total failure, keep the R-12.

Have the system tested for leaks and if none are found, have it evacuated and put under vacuum overnight. Usually a system is considered leak free if it holds vacuum for a half hour but on an older car, especially one that uses the expensive Freon, I like overnight better. If it holds, have it charged and leak tested again with a full charge. Now here’s the rub: If the system has not been charged (under pressure) for a long time, and then you have it charged, sometimes a full charge brings out a weakness in the seals. No one can say for sure that a system will hold a charge for any period of time but Porsche systems are usually pretty tough. Unless you have a corrosion issue or damage to one of the hoses, you can usually get a few more seasons out of it.

If you decide to upgrade to R-134 (the cheap stuff) the cooling will not be as good but in Michigan, you will still find it adequate. The cost to change it over is nominal and if you had a gross leak or component failure, I would recommend it. As another option, there are “drop in substitutes” available that cool better but they are more expensive than R-134 but once you change the car over, you have to use that brand. I have used a product called “FR12” and it works fine but I still run R-12 in my Carrera.

Now if you have a Carrera 1990 or newer, it still uses the old R-12 but in the case of these cars, I would suggest an update to R-134 since the system is better engineered and will work fine with R-134.

On the older Carreras, the system is wholly inadequate no matter what. If you want to be truly cool and you have a 70’s or early 80’s car, there are a number of well documented and expensive solutions. When properly installed (and watch out for interference between the coil and condenser in the engine compartment) R-134 can be used - MC

Q – I need new tires for my 88 Carrera and my question is about balancing the tires. Is hiding the wheel weights difficult? Is the result as good as having the weights on the outside of the wheel? I took the car to a tire store and when they balanced the tires, they used stick on weights, on the outside, and they left the old adhesive on the wheel. What do you use to get that off? David

A - To answer your last question first, try “Goo Gone” to remove the old adhesive. It may take some elbow grease but be patient and do not use an abrasive to save time. As an aside to that adhesive problem, if you have clods of tar on the wheels, you can use an ice cube to chill them and then they pop right off the finish when you nudge them with a Popsicle stick or a Teflon spatula. (don’t use anything hard or sharp).

Balancing the wheels is a more highly skilled operation than most folks realize; when done to a high standard, which includes hiding the weights if they can be hidden. In a practical sense, how much out of balance can a tire or wheel assembly be? I think that most folks will feel a 40 gram (1.5 oz.) imbalance at 70 MPH but when you consider the size and mass of a tire, that’s not much imbalance. With a 20 gram imbalance, you will feel it at about 90 mph, especially in the front.

There are two types of balancing, as you might have heard, static and dynamic balance. Static balance only corrects the overall imbalance of the tire/wheel assembly in a vertical plane, just up and down. For years that was fine but now with wider wheels and tires, dynamic balance is essential. This takes the variations of inside and outside edges of the wheel and tire into consideration.

To hide the weights on newer cars is fairly easy. There is a lot of offset in the wheel and you can hide stick on weights behind the spokes. On your car however, there is very little offset (meaning that the center section of the wheel is located in the center of the wheel). With older style wheels, usually adhesive weight on the outside edge of the wheel is the only way to accomplish a perfect job. To make it a little more tolerable, there are these cool German weights the resemble chrome plated Hershey bars. Those are the ones I like if you have to let them show. Now if the imbalance on the outside of the wheel is 10 grams or less, try it without a weight and see if it feels tolerable. If you keep your car under 100 most of the time, you might find it OK. MC

1990 - 1996

Q - When if first start my 1990 Carrera 4 I hear a funny noise like a high speed zipper back in the engine compartment. By the time I open it up to look, the noise goes away. When the car is warm, I never hear the noise.

A - On Carreras with two belts, one for the fan and another for the alternator, Porsche needed a warning light to alert you if the fan belt broke. That noise you hear is the tiny little idler wheel that is keeping tabs on the fan belt. It's a little roller attached to a bracket with an arm on it. Temporarily, you can put a little spot of oil on the bearing to make the annoying sound go away but you better order another of those sensors. I have seen the little device without the idler even on, ty-wrapped in place so the light would NEVER go on. This is a recipe for disaster since you could burn up your engine without even knowing. MC

Q - When I hit the brakes on my 1991 Carrera, I feel a shaking in the steering wheel. The wheel kind of twitters back and forth. I had the brake pads and rotors replaced two years ago because I was getting the same symptom and after that, it went away. Now that bad old feeling has returned even though I was told that my brakes looked fine last time the car was inspected. This is very frustrating.

A - Frustrating is only the half of it, expensive is the other half. When your brakes were done last, the original cause of the symptom wasn't figured out and that's why they are doing it again. Porsche has an elegant way of engineering their parts and on your car, the pads slide on stainless steel spring plates that are screwed into the calipers. Corrosion sets in under those plates causing the pads to "stick". The brakes functioned safely, but the pads simply did not fully release. The excess heat build up in turn warps the rotors.
Removing those plates it important to get a long lasting job but it is not easy. Those little screws usually do not come out without a fight and if you are in a hurry, they can break right off.
The other issue with brake shake that you can feel in the steering wheel has to do with all the wear and tear on your steering system. If you ignore the shake, the tie rod ends, inner sockets, steering rack, ball joints, and steering shaft all have to soak up that annoying vibe before it even reaches your nervous palms. Now that can make it a lot worse. MC

Q - On my 1996 993, I just paid a lot of money to have the oil changed. What makes it so hard to change oil on these cars?

A - 1) They hold a lot of oil, 2) The more oil they hold, the longer it takes to drain and fill, and 3) To drain the oil and change the filters, you have to remove panels that are in the way.

It was suggested to me that certified technicians did not have to add the oil, that apprentices could do it and do it cheaper too. I am not sure I like that idea on my Porsche but as a cost saving measure, you could offer to add the oil next time you have it changed. That usually takes about 20 minutes and at Porsche labor rates, it might save you over 20 bucks. The other cost saving idea would be to see if the facility offers you a "quantity discount" since they are selling you almost two cases of that expensive synthetic oil. I am not saying that you will get any takers, but you can always ask. As far as doing the oil change yourself, that is always an option but a messy one. MC

Q - Q - I have a 96 Targa and my check engine light keeps coming on. It has been shut off numerous times but in a few weeks, it comes back on. The diagnostic codes that set don't make sense to me but my mechanic says that the secondary air system has failed. He wanted 4 grand to pull the motor and correct the problem. To me this is absurd and besides, the car runs great. Can I get a reality check on this?

A - Be aware that the check engine light can set for numerous reasons and that computer is still not smart enough to diagnose the problem. It only gives you clues. I know a number of clients who have fired the “parts cannon” at their cars only to discover that the computer lied.

Your mechanic is correct on one point. Odds are, the secondary air system is the source of the problem but pulling the engine to fix it IS absurd. The likely culprits are clogged holes in the cylinder head exhaust ports near the exhaust valves.

Fortunately, the holes can be accessed from under the car by removing the exhaust and heater boxes. On an older car, this might be easier said than done. The nuts securing the exhaust are usually rusty so finesse is required to remove the exhaust. If you do not have a source of heat to warm them up, don't try it, the penalty for breaking a stud is pretty stiff. We have had more than one car towed in after the owner tried to do it himself.

Once the system is off, you probably will not be able to see the holes since they are packed with carbon deposits and somewhat hidden behind the valves. I fabricated a “port cleaning reamer” out of an old accelerator cable chucked into my trusty Makita cordless drill.

Once you clean the deposits off the exhaust port surface with carburetor cleaner, you can find the holes and start feeding the cable into the holes to break through the clogs. Work at it gradually and let the carburetor cleaner do the work for you since you do not want to push the carbon up into the ports.

Once you get the ports nice and clean, reinstall the exhaust and you are on your way. The total cost; about $800.00 dollars or so, plus gaskets and hardware. This is not a guaranteed fix, but for the money it is a good option and every car I have inspected for this has had clogged secondary air holes.

By the way, while the exhaust is off, you can clean all that stainless steel with Scrubbing Bubbles and Scotchbrite (if you are as anal as I am). This is a great way to clean around the exhaust cutouts on the rear valance and to get the tail pipes back to new as well. MC

Q - After 89k miles, my 1991 Carrera is feeling a bit arthritic and loose over bumps. I am considering Bilstein coilover struts. I also want to lower it about an inch and a half but I am afraid that the ride might be rough. What do you think? - Fred

A - I like that combo. Even without adjustable damping, the Bilsteins work great. They are biased more toward crispness than comfort but on a Porsche…Perfect. On the other hand, if you simply install the kit without considering other components, you might be disappointed and blame it on the shocks. Often, poor ride characteristics are caused by the rear upper strut mounts, front control arm bushings, and stabilizer bushings.

You can't see the rear upper mounts when they are on the car. But when you do a side by side comparison of old mounts to new, you will see the difference. Since most of the cars weight rests on just two rubber donuts, after 17 years, the mounts are well done. Over time, rubber hardens and settles into a fully compressed shape. The front mounts on these cars seem more durable and they are expensive. I have not seen the need to recommend them even on higher mileage cars. Rubber deterioration also affects the front control arm bushings and stabilizer bushings. The bushings get twisted every time you hit a bump or bend your toy around a corner. And you thought you just needed shocks.

My rule of thumb for rubber suspension parts is: With a useful life of 10 to 20 years, when the struts and shocks are being replaced, replace the mounts and take advantage of the labor overlap. MC

Q - Help! My 96 Turbo is making me crazy. I love the car but I can't stand it any more. It smokes so badly that I could fog for mosquitoes and charge for it. The final straw was when I started it last week and my neighbor came over and asked if he should call the fire department. I am serious! I even made a video of it. And to make matters worse, now it acts like I am losing power and I feel a hesitation.

It only has 20K on the odometer. I have religiously followed the dealer's recommendation about oil and filters and it has never been anywhere BUT the dealer. Last visit, my service advisor said that the smoke was normal and that I should change to a heavier grade of oil. What could have gone wrong with it?br>Dave

A - Dave, I emphasize with you. I had to quit driving my turbo when it had the same problem. I couldn't take it to parties any more, it was embarrassing! Fortunately your turbo can't have the same problem as mine. From repeated flogging, I roasted the oil seals in mine. At 20k, I am certain that is NOT your problem.

It is an easily corrected design flaw. When Porsche redesigned the turbo for the early 90's, they mounted two turbos, down low in the chassis for faster acceleration and packaging. They also provided an oil reservoir for fresh oil at each turbo. The problem is, when you turn the engine off, residual oil, under pressure…fills the turbos and causes the smoke on start up. I would bet that this IS your problem.

The cure consists of two new oil lines with check valves to shut off oil flow after the engine is shut down. Unfortunately, many of these cars were diagnosed with “bad turbos” which of course did not cure the problem. For a time, while the cars were under warranty, Porsche would fix them free with updated lines. Although it is expensive, once you have the kit installed and clean up the mess, there is no permanent damage. It is a lot less expensive than replacing the turbos.

Even so, for a while the car will still smoke. I prescribe a fast drive on an unobstructed stretch of road to literally “blow out the pipes” This will clean some of the oil residue out of the turbos, pipes, intercooler and the intake. The oxygen sensors (a vital fuel trim component) are certainly coated with oil residue and it takes heat and time before the car will regain full power.

As far as the advice you received, service campaigns, updates, and recalls are the tools that an advisor should utilize when giving advice. You would be doing him a service to let him know about the cure if he ever runs into this again. As many professionals will tell you, free advice is usually worth what you pay for it and he simply did not do the research.

And although this might cure the smoking problem, what about your mental health? The answer for you may be “auto therapy”. Auto therapy requires discipline and repeated test drives. After a dozen or so smokeless start ups, you should start feeling better. Meditation in your car will also help with your therapy. My personal motorhead mantra is “c….h….r….o….m….e”. Take a deep breath and try to say it very slowly so the sound creates a resonance in your head. I also recommend auto yoga which involves various postures and movements which will improve concentration and promote a feeling of deep peace and contentment. Some hacks have called this “detailing” but they miss the point. It works for me. Try it.

As far as the neighbor, next time you see him, ask that smart aleck if he would care for a ride. Then slip it into first, smoke all four tires, snatch a few gears, and then tell him to hold on while you do a “brake test”. It may not change his mind, but for a few seconds, he will be speechless. And Porsche glory is restored. MC

Q - When I start my 1990 Carrera up in the morning, it clatters like someone has poured marbles in a blender. It scares the heck out of me but the noise goes away after just a few seconds. It only happens when the car has been sitting for a long time. I am afraid that I will damage the engine. How serious is this?

A - Mike, That is an obnoxious noise isn't it? And yes, you should be scared. Noises like that usually get worse not better if you ignore them.

The first thing is to catch that symptom “in the act”. Since it only happens for a few seconds, an overnight stay will be needed and it will take two people to find it, one with a stethoscope at the ready and the other turning the key. Listen to the left side of the engine, just behind the distributor.

Odds are that you have a leaking camshaft chain tensioner on the left chain box. There are two tensioners, right and left and thankfully, the left one can actually be seen and touched (unlike a lot of things on your car). And the left one is the only one that I have found to fail.

The tensioners are supplied with oil pressure when the engine is running. When you turn the car off, they are supposed to stay filled with oil. But the tensioner on the left bank is mounted upside down and sometimes the oil leaks down. When you first fire the engine up, it takes just those few precious (and disconcerting) seconds for the tensioner to “pump up”.

The part is reasonably priced and the labor isn't bad either. It is a small price to pay to save your engine and your nerves. MC

Q - I have a 1995 Cabrio and the rear window is starting to pucker and pull away from the top. It looks like the glue is letting go. Is that repairable? I got a price to replace the window at about a thousand dollars but the shop said that they would not recommend it. They suggested an entire new top at about two thousand dollars! Help.

A - Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the top shop is correct. The window is not glued to the top as it appears, it is actually heat bonded during installation of the top. There is a resistance wire that surrounds the window that heats up when voltage is applied. It literally melts the window into the top. Porsche has revised this process and sent bulletins on it but suffice to say, glue won't work as a repair.

As far as the window replacement, the shop was probably recommending against it because it would look different than the rest of the top and based on age, the top is already 13 years old and probably deteriorated. It would not be long before you would have to go back and replace it anyway. For my money, the difference between a whole top versus just the window would make me consider just the window but, as a seasoned veteran once said “buy the best and cry once”.

The newer tops do not seem as strong or as thick as the older Cabs and I like the zippered rear windows too. Durability seems to be reduced on the newer fabrics and the bonded window idea hasn't held up to well either. Too many bean counters? By the way, the price you got on the top seems reasonable to me compared to others that I have researched. MC

Q – My 1991 Carrera AC no longer blows cold air and I wonder about converting it to the newer R-134 Freon. I had it charged three years ago and it worked pretty good for a couple years What do you recommend? Mike

A - Before you take that step, it should be diagnosed. One cannot assume that it needs to be converted just because it does not cool. And besides, the Freon itself is usually not the problem; it’s the leak, the switch, the hose, the relay etc. If the system worked fine three years ago and continued to work afterward, maybe you just need a charge?

Does it have any Freon in it right now? Does the compressor run? If it has some pressure and the system operates, a recharge and leak test is the first thing to do. Then you develop a strategy.

If you are considering a conversion, there are a number of considerations. It is common knowledge that the newer R-134 Freon is less efficient. And to change it over involves some component replacement. There were concerns about the supply and cost of R-12, and yes, pound for pound, it is outrageous. On your car, it doesn’t take too much to fill the system. So considering the quantity that it takes for a charge every couple years, is “the cure worse than the disease”? – MC

Q - On my 1991 C4 Cab, the intermittent wipers and the “park” function have been inoperative for quite a while. My dash lights have been intermittently inop for a while and now they are completely out as well. So now I can’t drive in the rain and at night, I can’t see my dashboard. Are these problems related? I checked the fuses and they all look good. Electricity mystifies me. Help! Gary

A - You are not alone Gary, electrical problems / gremlins have challenged and annoyed me for over 50 years. One myth that I continue to try and dispel is that you can check a fuse (or a bulb) by looking at it. You might say that is bunk, that you can see a blown fuse or a burnt out bulb my looking at them but I have been fooled dozens of times where I would have been better off walking a few steps over to my box to get my meter.

On the wipers, we begin by checking the fuse for power at both sides of the fuse. Odds are, power is getting to the fuse. (Usually the problem is not on the supply side of the circuit but on the load side.) If the fuse is getting power but the circuit is still dead, remove the fuse and look for signs or heat or burning on the spades of the fuse. Next take a look at the top of the fuse holder in the fuse box to see if it looks charred or melted. (You will need a strong light and a magnifying glass.) If you see evidence of melting, you are onto something. At this point you will want to lift the body of the fuse box up and take a peek under it to see if any other burning or melting is evident underneath where it is hard to see.

The last example of this problem I say involved a melted portion of the fuse panel. The temporary cure is to twist the spades of the fuse so it tensions the loose terminal in the fuse box. The long term cure is to remove the female terminal from the fuse box, replace the terminal, and reinsert it into the box. In a “worst case” you might need to replace the fuse box. There are other more practical, safe and non-factory approved methods of repairing a melted fuse box but if you want to keep it original, this is gonna hurt.

The dash illumination operates through the light switch, fuse box and a computerized relay. One way to check the relay involves twisting it slightly to see if the lights start working. The reason I choose to start at the relay is the intermittent nature of the symptom. When relays start getting flaky, sometimes moving them around will bring them back to life for a while.

In the case of the last failure I was involved in, we popped the cover off the relay, inspected with a magnifying glass and sure enough, found a circuit where the solder had not fully melted into the prong sticking through the circuit board. Odd that it took twenty years to fail. In this situation I recommend a new relay but when you search for one, you discover no one stocks them locally.

So we re-soldered the offending circuit and Bingo! Dash lights!

Intermittent wiper problems and park problems have plagued my own car for years. I have gotten used to parking them manually and frankly, as a short guy, I like them parked on the right side of the windshield rather than the left. I do miss the intermittent feature but you know what they say about “the shoemakers kids going barefoot”. On your Carrera, the intermittent feature (and park) is controlled by another one of those pesky computerized relays and they get flaky with age. Try that twisting trick on the relay and if it works, your choice, replace or fix. - MC

Q - I haven’t done much to my 91 Carrera Cabrio for a couple years, and this spring, it is really showing it’s age. The rear window is cloudy and I think I might want it replaced. The top only releases from the top edge of the windshield, but it won’t go down; and neither of the windows are moving! I am wondering if all the expense is worth it. - David

A - Well, David, that last question puzzles me. It is a Porsche. If the body, engine, transmission, the fundamentals are all there, how could it not be worth it? I don’t stay up on values, but the C2 or C4 Cabrio is very desirable and I don’t think their value will drop any time soon. What would you do with your poor wounded car anyway? Donate it?

The only expensive part of your question is the rear window. Usually when they get nasty, the rest of the top is in equally shabby condition. So that IS going to hurt. Since it is a summer car, I suppose you could just leave it down and not drive it on rainy days. But then there is that problem with it not going down.

The top components that usually cause your symptom include the combi relay (on my car it was under the passengers side toe board) the micro switches (there are a few of them) the drive motor, cables and transmissions. I have seen a later style drive motor installed in a C2 that had the early style terminal (wrong size) plugged in and it worked…and for quite a while, with no problem. Then one day, the loose fitting terminal stopped making contact leading to an unnecessary and annoying repair bill to find it.

It could have been much worse. Obviously the original motor had failed and had already been replaced. It is a shame that the Bozo who replaced it didn’t replace the terminal at the same time. Maybe that same guy did yours too, and all it needs now is a terminal repaired. You can only hope, and hope that its easy to find.

Whether you replace the whole top or not, clearly you need to have the lack of function diagnosed. After that you can decide to have the cover repaired or not. If you don’t, it will soon become very annoying to crank it down and up manually. To determine the basic problem probably won’t be too expensive. Fixing it? Well, that is another chapter.

Since the windows worked last fall and went down once this spring, check the fuse first. If you find the fuse blown, replace it but don’t count on that being the end of the story. My guess is that one or both of the switches is failing. The switch paddles are under constant spring tension and the plastic will eventually fatigue and allow the paddle to go adrift. When this happens, the window motor may continue to receive power when you release a switch. This burns out the motor or if you are fortunate, blows the fuse. Of sometimes the switch simply fails to make contact internally from just laying dormant over the winter. Try some contact cleaner (available from Radio Shack) or try swapping switches.

On this generation, the switches are a lot easier to replace than on the early cars. In 1989 and prior, the switches had individual wire terminals that had to be plugged in one at a time. On your car, they simply unplug and plug right back in.

A useful tip: Those cheap switches in the unmarked white boxes may be tempting, based on the price. But the only good ones are European. Funny, those off brand switches even have names that sound like “Euro”, but don’t be fooled.

You know, David, the one thing you forgot to mention is oil leaks. If you haven’t noticed them, maybe you still have the under engine sound tray on the car. Or maybe you are in denial. That is one of the issues that could be a deal breaker for me. If I am facing a $3,000 bill for the top, and if the oil leaks are as bad as some I have seen, you could get upside down in this car quickly.

Knowing all this, I would have the car evaluated overall. I would have an experienced Porsche tech look at the whole car; not just to nail down the issues you know about, but for purposes of long range planning. Even with oil leaks, the car can still be a lot of affordable fun. Naturally, you should have the best car you can afford, but few of us can afford the newest version. And in the immortal words of C.S.N.Y.: “When you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with”. - MC

Q - On my 94 C4, the knob that releases the seat back keeps coming off. Is that why Porsche uses two of them on each seat? What keeps that little bugger in place? - Jon

A - Believe it or not, the tiny little clip that you can’t see (since it is embedded in the knob) originated in a 1963 Volkswagen Type 3. As you know, there has been some cross-pollination between VW and Porsche since the beginning.

As far as retrieving the clip, forget it. Don’t try to dig it out of the knob, once it is stuck, it is never coming out unless you mangle it. And if it was on the lever, now it is down inside the seat.

So you will need a new knob and a new clip. I suggest that you buy two of those little clips. They are installed on the metal lever inside the seat with tiny needle nose pliers. Since you have to skillfully guide the clip onto the lever down in a hole, you might drop one. I have, (I have probably dropped a dozen of them.) And you know where they go, down inside the seat. So take the second clip and more carefully this time, install it on the lever and firmly push your new release knob home onto the lever. Bolstered by this small victory, you might also check the other three. I bet one of them feels a little shaky too. - MC

Q - I just got my 1992 Carrera 4 out for the summer and what a surprise. The taillights on the left side don’t work and I can see water inside them. The dome light fell out and it doesn’t work. I am also getting a “light show “on my dash. Numerous warning lights are coming on at random as I drive the car. If I turn it off and then back on, they all work normally for a while. My radio is also dead. I had none of these problems when I stored it last fall. - Marc

A – Sounds like it is time to do some electrical spring cleaning. This is what makes keeping old cars such a treat. There is always something to tinker with. Isn’t it great when you can actually fix things? Got a few hours to play with your Porsche? Let’s dig in.

The taillights on this model leak water and the contacts have probably corroded on the lighting sockets or in the plugs. First remove the assemblies and drain the water. Look for some white crusty residue or red rust on the sockets or around the terminals. That shmutz is the byproduct of galvanic corrosion and it is easily brushed off to make a good contact again unless it has rotted the contacts out of the socket. If the sockets have rotted beyond cleaning, bulbs can be “hard wired” to the harness, if you prefer to spend your cash on necessities. Since the sockets are not available as a separate part this is an economical and reliable repair. Once you clean everything, apply a thin layer of silicone dielectric grease to the areas that corroded.

Of course then there’s the issue of how did the water get into the taillight if it is not broken? The lenses are heat welded to the reflector and the weld has probably failed. If you can afford it, just replace them. The problem is, the new ones won’t match the color of the others since the red tends to fade and they become pink. The other problem is the extreme cost of two new lights and the center taillight. So if you are industrious, you can try to reseal them. And if the reseal doesn’t work, I cover my bets by drilling three tiny drain holes in the bottom of the reflector so any water that gets in can also get out. If the water can’t attack the metal, the taillights should be as reliable as they were for the first 17 years.

The dome light fell out of the roof since the plastic housing has warped from age and heat. It seems to happen to all Cabrios. If it works fine otherwise, you can increase tension on the little bullet shaped pins by adding some discretely placed layers of tape. I prefer narrow strips of blue or green masking tape. Don’t use electrical tape, duct tape, or scotch tape. It tends to get gooey.

As far as the dome light not working, I bet that the rubber boots for the dome light switches are rotted. Look carefully. When water runs down the A-pillar, it seeps into the switch if the boot is torn. Once water seeps in, corrosion occurs at the contact point (which you can’t see) and the dome light switch fails to turn the light on. You can unscrew the switch, clean it with contact cleaner and a small brush then lubricate it with silicone grease. With a new boot, just like the taillights, you are good for years.

That light show on the dash can have numerous causes. When your battery goes dead, a number of things can happen if you jump the car. If the systems that are indicated actually function, worry less about the lights and take it in for a computer scan. This may reveal the source of the fault and it can also reset the computer to basic settings. On some Carreras I have found the ignition switch intermittently failing which will also cause this symptom (it is not a very expensive part.) Once your vehicle is reset / rebooted, it will begin learning your driving style to optimize fuel mixture, ignition timing, and POWER!

The radio fuse may have blown due to a power surge. If you can remove the radio, check the fuse on the back and replace it. If you can’t see it blown, that doesn’t mean that it will pass current. Check it with a meter. Once the radio powers up, if it is in “code” or “safe” mode, it will need to be reset with your security code. If you have the code but don’t know how to reset it, pay a kid to do it, they are a lot smarter than us when it comes to electronics. Ask me, I have two teenagers. - MC

Q - The wipers on my 1990 C4 just stopped working. I have to drive the car so I am afraid to get stuck in the rain. I checked the fuse and it is fine. Gary

A – The most common problem that I have seen is dirty contacts in the switch itself. I have had some success by removing and cleaning the contacts but first things first. To make sure that the problem is not the motor, remove the intermittent wiper relay in the fuse box. If the wipers work, you can then drive the car until you can have the problem fixed. You will notice however, that they no longer park.

So assuming your wipers now work, you could have a bad switch or failed relay. My vote is to replace the relay first with a known good one and see if everything goes back to normal. The relay is located in the fuse box under the hood and identifying it is easy. The number is 928 615 101 01. If the wipers still don’t work with a good relay plugged in, you may need actual diagnosis and on your car, with the air bag and all, I would leave it to a professional.

On my car, (older Carrera) my intermittent wipers quit working and the park function failed at the same time. My cheesy solution is to park them wherever I want. For me, being vertically challenged, I like them to park on the right side of the windshield rather than the left anyway. On my personal to do list, intermittent wipers are a relatively low priority. - MC

Q – My 92 Carrera 4 has developed a funny noise that intensifies the faster I go. It does not seem to change in intensity in any particular gear or under load. I thought it was coming from the engine but now I am told that it is coming from the transaxle area. I had the transaxle fluid checked and it is OK. There are no warning lights or anything that provides any clue. What is your opinion? - Chuck

A - You are not going to like it but here is the bad news. Most bearings, which produce this kind of noise, are within the transaxle. But when a transaxle bearing fails, usually the noise will change depending on loading, changing gears, application of power, etc. Your noise does not fit this scenario…and you have a Carrera 4.

The other possibility is the central tube or drive shaft. Unfortunately the only way to isolate the sound involves a lot of disassembly and expense. Once the central tube is disconnected from the transaxle, the source of the noise will be al lot more obvious. It may be small consolation but this is a very rare failure, and I have never encountered it before. MC

1997 & Later

Q - I have been considering a muffler bypass on my 1997 Carrera. I think it might be too loud. Have you heard one? What about an aftermarket exhaust? - Chuck

A - I really like the way those cars sound without a muffler. In the best of all worlds, you could have a switch that would allow you to select “muffler” when you pass the cops or cruise steady and then select “bypass” when you want your Porsche to sound like one. If I had to live with only the bypass pipe, I might drive my car less and I couldn't hear my stereo on the highway, but oh, what a glorious sound. For most folks, it might be a little too loud.

I would recommend a abspeed exhaust based on the cars I have heard and driven. They fit well, do not drone excessively, and sound mellow. The best way to decide what you want is to attend an event, listen to everyone leave, then find out which brand he/she chose. MC

Q - I just bought a 2007 Carrera 4 and I plan to take it to Drivers Ed this year. I wondered what I could do to get more power. Is it possible to install a turbo or a supercharger? - Jim

A - The quick answer is: sell it and buy a turbo. But I understand, this is the car you have and you want to have as much fun as you can. I feel the same way about my car, and I want more power too. For more power, very little is available that does not involve a huge outlay of cash. For my money, I would start with a sport exhaust, computer reflash, and a cold air intake. You can expect modest gains in power but more importantly, your car will feel faster.

For the turbo or supercharger option, there are companies that develop kits for newer cars but it is getting difficult to improve on Porsche engineering. Another factor on a new car is warranty. Porsche backs their products with an excellent warranty as long as the car is maintained and operated in accordance with their standards. If you modify a car under warranty, they can always tell you to “take a long walk on a short pier” if something breaks.

For Drivers Ed, find out how much fun your car can be with only a few only minor mods and next fall, after a season of fun, pose that question again. Some summertime seat time may change your perspective. - MC

Q - I have been considering a muffler bypass on my 1997 Carrera but wondered if it would be too loud. Have you heard one?Chuck

A - I really love the way Porsche's sound without a muffler. I wish there was a switch that would allow you to select “muffler” when you need to be discrete and “bypass” when you want your Porsche to sound like one. Until then, if I had to live with the bypass pipe, I might drive my car less and I would be nervous about getting caught. Consider one of the sport mufflers instead. Most of them fit well and sound mellow compared to the muffler bypass.

Next time you are at an event, listen to some of the cars that have a sport exhaust or muffler bypass. Ask if you can go for a ride in the car to see how it sounds. If you hear an exhaust that you particularly dislike, politely inquire as to the brand and eliminate that one from your list.

The price of experimentation is not too great when you consider the residual value of your first choice. If you buy something that doesn't suit you, you can sell it in the newsletter. Many gently used parts are purchased at fair prices. Don't be afraid of making a bad choice. It's your car and your privilege to change your mind.MC

Q – My 2005 Carrera started running poorly on the freeway. I was cruising at about 80 when the car began running rough and the check engine light went on. When I got off on the next ramp it died and would not restart. I had it towed to the dealer and they charged $7,000 to dismantle it. Now they tell me that the intermediate shaft has failed and they want a ton of money to fix it!

The car has only 53,000 miles but it is two years out of warranty. I have never tracked the car nor did the prior owner. The car looks like new and I am baffled about what could have happened to it. Lee

A - I am sorry to say that your engine is probably toast. As your internet research will reveal, this all too common failure has nothing to do with you, the maintenance of the car or any other external cause. It is just a faulty part. So you are going to want to talk to someone higher up in Porsche to see what they will do for you. You have hope.

They will want to see the service history on the car to verify that the car was well maintained. They will also want to know who serviced the car. Simply taking the car to “Uncle Fred’s Quick Oil Change” or a place that calls itself a Porsche specialist won’t impress them. They are looking for a facility with experience and credentials; they are also impressed with genuine Porsche parts.

The last time I advised a client about the problem, Porsche stood up and took responsibility for the replacement engine but not the labor to install it. And they only allow a Porsche dealer to do the labor. The program involves a “plug and play” replacement or the entire engine assembly at a very attractive price (well I suppose “attractive” depends on your point of view).

So try to put a positive spin on this horrible experience. You will have a fabulous car with essentially a new engine. You get another factory warranty (which you will probably never need). The odds of another failure of this type are nil since Porsche replacement parts are always updated once a problem is detected. So other than the trauma and the money…“time will be your doctor and your pain will soon be gone”. - MC

Q - Hi MC, You test drove my 2002 Carrera when I first bought it and I was concerned about the clutch. You mentioned that although the clutch felt fine and did not slip, you detected some oil seepage at the flange between the engine and transaxle. You cautioned me about the possibility of a seal failure and intermediate shaft concerns and I appreciated that info. Now after owning the car for a year or so, I am thinking about having the transmission removed and getting that oil issue looked into. I only have about 26,000 miles on the car. What is your opinion? Bill

A - Bill, first of all, thanks for allowing me the test drive. It’s the best part of my job! In this column, I have mentioned a concern about engines like yours for some time. When the cars were new or newer, Porsche took a very protective and supportive stance on the issue not even allowing independent technicians such as myself to gain an understanding of the failure by subsidizing replacement engines. If you wanted the old, broken engine, the core charge was almost as much as the replacement engine. A seasoned Porsche tech told me that it was an inside joke around the shop that part of the 30,000 mile service was an engine replacement!

So now the chickens have come home to roost. As these cars age, and as the problems have become apparent, the seal failures that have plagued them take on a new dimension now that Porsche is not helping out as they used to. A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting a colleague’s shop for a tech session where the matter of intermediate shaft (IMS) failure was very well covered in a slide presentation. Kudu’s Howard! If you get the Porsche E-brake news, it discussed in exhaustive detail there as well. I have excerpted some of the highlights and added some of the questions frequently posed to me as an advisor.

Q - What does the intermediate shaft do and where is it?

A - The IMS is located in the lower section of the engine block, below the crankshaft and it is driven by the crankshaft. It is connected to the cylinder heads via the timing chains and it also drives the oil pump on many Porsche’s. In some of the newest engines, it has been eliminated altogether.

Q – I have never heard of a problem like this on any other engine, why does it happen to the Premier sports car of my dreams?

A – I assume that like all car companies, there is a raging battle between engineering and accounting. If the engineers made all the decisions, the accountants say they couldn’t afford to build it. So we the consumer, become the guinea pigs and when the warranty runs out, we pay the tab…but I digress. The failure of the system is rooted in the use of a sealed bearing at the flywheel end of the IMS. Sealed bearings are widely used in many parts of the car with great success. The problem is not the bearing itself, but the application in which it is used. A sealed bearing is filled with grease and the seal keeps the grease in (and presumably, contamination out). They are “lubricated for life” (oh yeah, I forgot, that is what marketing says!) The seals in these bearings rarely fail from the inside. The seal is usually breached from the outside. In the case of the IMS bearing, the outside is the inside of the crankcase which is bathed in hot, nourishing oil. (Confused yet?) The problem is, engine oil gets into the bearing past the seal, washes out the grease and leaves too little lubricant behind. The seal only allows enough oil in to do the dirty deed, not keep the bearing alive.

Q - Since you saw wetness at that seam, what should I do?

A – Now that the problem has become well exposed and documented, the oil leak at the rear of the engine should be checked out immediately. It was common to blame the crankshaft seal for a leak not realizing that a failing IMS bearing would cause the IMS flange seal to leak.

Q - Can you hear the bearing failing? Is there any other way to detect it?

A - My experience has shown that once you hear a bearing failure, damage is being done and in many cases, it is too late. With a stethoscope, we listen to the general vicinity of the IMS bearing at every service but usually the sound is subtle. I prefer oil analysis instead. A comment was made at the tech session that one could look for particulate inside the oil filter and I would take that concept a step further by having the oil analyzed to see what analysis reveals in the oil that one cannot possibly see with the naked (or even magnified) eye. Like the sound of a failed bearing, if you see particulate in your filter, you are in deep S*%$!

Q – What can I do to prevent it?

A - Change to a thicker viscosity oil of the proper Porsche specification. I use two brands here at the shop, Motul (French) and Pentosin (German), both are 05W40. Castrol Syntec 5w40 also carries Porsche approval. I still recommend Mobil One 0W40 for many cars but for these newer cars, I prefer the 05W40. On older engines, this recommendation does not apply so as always, follow the manufacturers recommendations! I also recommend using the correct oil filter specified for the engine, not a generic substitute. Other than that, I do not know how to prevent it. If I owned one of this generation, I would budget and plan to do the bearing retrofit.

Q - Who do you recommend for the IMS bearing retrofit?

A – I would only choose an experienced shop that employs ASE certified engine repair technicians. Delving into the bowels of a five figure Porsche engine should never be taken lightly. This is one operation where experience counts. I remember the first engine rebuild that I ever performed in1967. After three tries, I got it running but it never stopped leaking oil from the moment I fired it up. The moral of the story is: Don’t give this job to the “new guy”.

The IMS retrofit procedure isn't much harder than doing an IMS flange reseal, so if the shop you're thinking of using has done these procedures (as most that are familiar with Boxster, Cayman, or 911s are), a retrofit kit installation won't be any more difficult than this. If your preferred shop is not on the list, have them contact us.

Why doesn't the bearing on the other end of the intermediate shaft fail?

Well, there isn't technically a bearing. The other end of the intermediate shaft rides in a bore of raw aluminum, splash oiled. Earlier aircooled Porsches and even later water-cooled GT2, GT3, and Turbo engines use split plain bearings (actually a VW Type 1 double-thrust camshaft bearing) that are oil fed on both ends of the shaft, with decades of proven reliability.

As supplied, the original IMS bearing employed a sealed bearing and relied on a permanent lubricant (grease) to lubricate the bearing. (Similar to the sealed bearing that fails in the gearboxes found in MY97-08 5 and 6 speed manual).

The problem with a sealed bearing with a permanent lubricant is that during the life of the bearing, the seal is subjected to oil temperatures near the maximum rating for the seal, eventually degrading the seal. At this point, the seal fails to retain the permanent grease, which is washed out by the engine oil. When this happens, the little amount of oil in the bearing is not sufficient to lubricate AND cool the bearing, leading to accelerated wear.

Several solutions have been suggested from more frequent replacement of the bearing and or seal and a lubrication schedule to replenish the permanent grease.

With our IMS Retrofit and IMS Upgrade, we chose to use a ceramic hybrid bearing which requires less lubrication and is designed specifically for poor lubrication environments. Coupled with the lack of grease seals, the new bearing is lubricated by splash as well as submersion lubrication

We do not recommend IMS retrofit kit installation as a do-it-yourself project - installation is best left to your trained independent mechanic or Porsche dealership. That said, typically the job is a billable 10-14 hours and average labor rates around the country are $140/hour. Later Tiptronic 911s require the engine and transmission to be removed together, so expect those cars to be very expensive when it comes time to do an IMS retrofit kit. MC

Q - My 1997 Targa has only 20,000 miles on it but I have noticed an oil leak in the left rear corner of the engine. My tech has cautioned me that the entire camshaft chain housing might need to be resealed. Wow; that’s expensive! Considering that I only drive the car an average of 1,500 miles a year, I don’t know if I want to budget that much at once.

The other issue is that the front wheel hubs on the car are extremely corroded! My mechanic had a tough time getting them off. My car is pampered! What can I do about it? Joel

A - In regards to the cam chain housing leak; it could be bad indeed. Before any decision is made, the area needs to be thoroughly cleaned and dried. Then, oil leak detection dye should be added. The last one I inspected was a mess at first glance. But following the cleaning, the stud grommets were found to be the major leak source. There was also an allen head bolt/plug found loose. Four of the stud seals were easy to replace. They had shrunk from age and did not fit the stud tightly. Bear in mind there are more than four studs but the others are tough to reach. So a compromise was made for an 80% improvement at minimal cost. To correct the other 20% would have involved several hundreds of dollars. The cliché’ that applies is “the cure may be worse than the disease”.

On the topic of rusty hubs, although you may think you pamper your car, there’s an area you’re missing. I know you never drove the car in the winter or even when it was raining. But when you walk out to your garage and look at your beautiful sleeping showroom beauty, you need to keep in mind that you’re making her sleep on a stone floor without a mattress. Your garage floor is, all by itself, a hostile environment for your car. I am no snob but bare concrete brings out the worst in steel and aluminum components especially when they are bolted together. My garage is carpeted and maybe yours should be too. Mine has a vapor barrier (plastic) under the carpet. That’s what will keep the hubs (and any other exposed metal components) from rusting in the first place! But, if they have already, the cure for is a hand held sandblaster inside a custom made hood followed by a coating of cold galvanizing compound. Then apply a thin coating of anti-seize compound between the hub and wheel. MC

Q - On my 2001 Cabrio, the lid for my console has a broken hinge. Since this is merely annoying, I don’t want to spend a ton of money on it. The original hinge was cast into the plastic and although I think I am fairly creative, this one might be tricky. I called to get a price on a new part and it was astronomical! - Herb

A - That hinge design is not one of Porsche’s stellar efforts. They all break if you lean on them. Fortunately the cure is a hinge repair kit that is fairly cheap. You may have to tell the parts counter person that such a kit exists but if you insist, he will find it and order one for you. The bad news is that you still have to remove the console to install it. This is not too difficult and if you have a few hours to spare, few special tools are required. Once you fix it, the repair should last since the kit is much stronger than the original hinge. - MC

Q – My 2007 Carrera had a lot of brake dust on the calipers and wheels and it was ugly. I bought some wheel cleaner, sprayed it on, and now it looks like the wheels and calipers are discolored. Help. John

A - Wheel cleaners usually contain acid and you may have permanently damaged the finish. The best suggestion that I have is to remove the wheels and clean them inside and out with a PH balanced wheel cleaner (P-21S or Griots). Then apply a thick coat of “wheel wax” which is specially formulated for wheels. Your wheels are painted and clear coated so other than removing some of the clear coat, they will probably look OK. As far as the calipers, if the finish is etched by the cleaner, other than painting them, the damage is done. Incidentally, since you take the car to the track, most paints will tend to burn off so if you decide to paint them, use paint formulated for brake parts that is heat tolerant. - MC

Q - My 2001 Cabrio has developed some weird electrical oddities. The door lock on the driver side automatically locked itself when I put the key in the ignition a couple times. When I drive the car, the seat belt / key in ignition chime goes on at random. John

A - John, I got out my crystal ball and determined that your car is possessed. Electronic demons are attacking! But seriously the common denominator is the ignition switch and these are known to fail. The switch is the same as the one in many late model Audis. The trouble is, without a consistent fault, you are trying to find a needle in a haystack. I suggest that you disconnect the battery and let the car sit overnight. Reconnect the battery the next day and drive the car. I have done this and it worked for me.

I am sure that someone reading this can explain this phenomenon but I can’t. It just works and when you find the solution to your problem, naturally you stop looking. If the symptom continues after dumping all those errant electrons, I would lean toward the ignition switch. My logic is based on likelihood of failure based on history and the price of the switch (very low). Not long ago, a car just like yours had the ignition switch melt in the “on” position and the poor guy could not shut the car off! One thing I have noticed is that sometimes when engaging the starter you really have to rotate the switch very hard to get it to engage. I think this might be a clue. If yours works like that and if there is sometimes a pause before the starter begins to spin, bet on the switch. MC

Q - I have a 2000 Carrera and the “check engine light” is on. When my car idles, the engine feels rough. When I rest my arm on the armrest, I can feel the engine vibrating and it wasn’t like that before. When it was scanned, the computer stored OXS sensing range codes for all four sensors. I had it reset and it happened again after about 15 miles. I only have about 30,000 miles on it and I wonder if I should replace the sensors. - Keith

A - 30,000 miles for OXS sensor failure is very early. They normally last a lot longer than that. The sensors are reading a fuel mixture anomaly and they are merely reporting the fault, they are probably not causing the fault. The other clue is the rough idle. There are some common, testable components that need to be verified. Fuel pressure for instance, and there are a couple temp sensors that may be sending a signal to the computer that fool the computer into thinking it is much colder outside or that the engine is colder than it really is. Another possibility is that the air mass sensor is reading a higher air mass reading and fooling the computer into adding more fuel to the engine. My bet is the air mass sensor.

You are probably wondering that if there is a problem with fuel pressure, temp sensors or an air mass sensor, why is there no code for that? Simple…The computer is not that smart! As clever as modern On Board Diagnostic systems are, sensors that are out of range often fail to set a code and instead cause other components to set codes. This in turn sends a well intentioned but inexperienced tech on a wild goose chase instead of giving useful information. Goofy isn’t it!

My suggestion: Clean the air mass sensor. This is easy, cheap, and CRC (the company that makes the cleaner) guarantees more horsepower. You can’t hurt anything for the effort and it may make your car run great again. When air mass sensors were a brand new component, they were ridiculously expensive but now that the engineering has been amortized over a few million of them, they are reasonably priced and cheap enough that I consider them an exchange test part. In other words, if I think it is bad, I replace it with the understanding that if results are not achieved, I take it back, no harm, no foul, minimal expense. With sky high labor costs, the part seems like a bargain by comparison.

I have had philosophical discussions with many technicians who feel that swapping the part is not the correct way to diagnose a car but even Bosch agrees that a part exchange may be the best diagnostic approach in limited circumstances.

Now if cleaning (or a new part) really makes a difference, the performance will be crisp, the engine will run smoother and after a few miles, the computer will relearn how to produce both power and fuel economy. As far as the OXS sensors, they are probably coated with black sooty deposits and it will take a few miles before they will operate at peak efficiency. My suggestion is to get out your Valentine One and hit the highway for a third gear, 5,000 rpm three or four mile trip to incinerate all that gook in your catalytic convertors and clean the sensors. The check engine light will be ready to monitor engine functions after a 10 to 20 mile run so you need to wait to see if this clears up all the codes. MC

Q - I plan to take my 2002 Carrera to drivers school. I have heard that removing the catalytic convertors will really increase the power. I have also heard that removing them will also cause the “Check engine” light to stay on. I also wonder if the car will be too loud. What is your opinion? Stan

A - Stan if your driving skills are so good that you need more power in your Porsche, I salute you! And if you really want to eliminate the cats, go for it. Just don’t ask me to do it for you. No shop can legally remove your cat and dozens of people have asked for it.

What a shop can do is make it easy for you to remove your own cat. Essentially, the frozen, rusty bolts can be removed and replaced with nice fresh stainless steel bolts and nuts. The OXS sensors can be removed, threads freshened up and then sensors screwed back in. You can then remove your cat whenever you want without the busted knuckles and the cussing that goes along with it.

When the cat is removed, you simply fabricate a method of hanging the post-cat sensors in clean air and that should keep your check engine light off. The cars that I have heard that no longer have cats are not too loud for my taste, just don’t remove the cats and the muffler! You will attract the wrong kind of attention for my taste. - MC