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The Master Cylinder General Tips: Index 
I plan to store my car again this winter. I just bought my third
battery in four years.
Someone told me that I had "boiled" my battery dry. My seat won't go all the way back anymore. Any idea why? The front wheel bearings on my car seem loose to me. I read your piece about the convertible top flying over the car My radio reception is terrible My car battery is dead Baked, Hard Leather Seats
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Q - I plan to store my car again this winter. I just bought my third
battery in four years. It is not even the cost of the battery that
bugs me, it is just a pain to get it out and then back in. A - I store a number of cars every winter and face the same issues. On my Porsche, I have two really slick items that you may want. The first is a battery cut-off switch. The ones I use are made by Hella. They are marine quality rated at 1,000 amps which is a lot stronger than you need, but then again more is better, right? The other thing I use is a battery maintainer, not to be confused with a trickle charger. The difference is that a trickle charger often just keeps on charging even when it shouldn't. This will ruin an otherwise good battery if you forget to unplug it. The battery maintainer on the other hand, charges, stops for a while, discharges a little, then charges again. This keeps the battery "excercised" so to speak and prevents overcharge. MC |
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Q -
Someone told me that I had "boiled" my battery dry. A - The electrolyte on a battery generally needs to be checked if it can be. Many people think they have a "maintenance free" battery and experience has shown that this is usually NOT the case. Over time, the electrolyte gets depleted and the battery may need to be topped up with distilled water. MC |
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Q -
My seat won't go all the way back anymore. Any idea why? Brian A - If you look under and next to the seat, you might find some spare change. A quarter makes an effective wedge that jams the seat track. Sometimes you can dig the coin(s) out with a pair of long nose pliers, occasionally you have to remove the seat. Don’t force it! MC |
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Q -
The front wheel bearings on my car seem loose to me. Can I just tighten them or should I
take them apart to get a better look at them. A - If you can tell that they are loose, they probably are. On Porsche, the bearings generally run tighter than other cars since Porsche hubs are made of aluminum (which tends to expand when hot). If they are loose, it is possible that they are worn but to simply adjust them never hurts. The bearings are quite heavy duty for the size of the car and last a long time. I recommend inspection of the bearings during a complete front brake service while the calipers and rotors are off the car. Usually bearings give you plenty of advance warning (growling) before they fail. MC |
| Q -
I read your piece about the convertible top flying over the car in the P4 and I wanted
you to know about a letter I got from Porsche. It turns out there is a recall on the convertible
top lock motors that even provides reimbursement if the problem has already been fixed. How about
that? A - Thanks for the update. I am sure that anyone who has not yet been notified will call the dealer to get it handled. When I asked some of my buddies, if they had received the notice, they had NOT. For those who never get anything from Porsche, let me clue you in. If you have not registered your ownership with Porsche (that little card in the owners manual that NO ONE fills out) you will not get notified of recalls or service campaigns. Only the original owner gets notified unless you send in the card. Do the right thing, tell the manufacturer that you own one of their products. You will not be bombarded with junk mail. You WILL receive important info about your vehicle if they need to contact you. As a sidebar to this, if you are in doubt, any dealer will cheerfully check for open recalls or campaigns if you simply present yourself or your VIN number to them and ask. Try it, it's free! (They get paid by the factory.) MC |
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Q -
My radio reception is terrible. It was so bad that I replaced the stereo but
it didn’t help. Every time I take it in for service, it works fine but whenever I get out
of the city I can’t pick anything up. The antenna is built into the windshield and it was
cracked so I replaced it. I hoped that this would help but still nothing. The shop even
tried another stereo but it made no difference. The antenna cable looks fine. A - You must live in the boonies. But seriously, check the antenna cable resistance and I bet you will find the problem. My guess is that the center lead has broken by tugging on the cable rather than the plug. Besides, it’s the only thing left! MC |
| Q: I just went out to start my car and the battery is dead. If I can start it with a jump, is it OK to let the car run for a while and charge up? - Justin A: It is a widely held belief that the car’s charging system is for charging the battery. Oddly, the folks who designed, built and supplied your alternator do not think so. I know it doesn’t make sense but Bosch warns against trying to charge a dead battery with the car’s charging system. The alternator’s mission is to replenish the electricity lost during starting and maintain the charge of the battery by powering all the vehicle accessories. A dead battery can send the alternator into thermal overload by delivering too much electricity. Bosch clearly states this on the installation instructions provided with every alternator. It certainly doesn’t seem intuitive does it? Alternators are designed to produce their rated load for relatively short periods and then taper off. Alternators that produce maximum output continuously are used on commercial vehicles such as police cars, ambulances, etc. If you have the time to wait, your best bet is to charge the battery at a low rate to charge it up fully. I use a 2 amp manual charger for the first 24 hours then an automatic charger at the 10 to15 amp setting for another 24 hours. To fully charge a stone dead battery may take a couple days and it is best not to rush the process. If you are going to try this however, please note the following paragraph. If you notice the odor of rotten eggs or see liquid bubbling out of the battery, unplug the charger at the wall socket and sprinkle a little baking soda on that bubbling liquid (which is probably acid). Leaking battery acid will damage the trunk of your Porsche and that nasty odor indicates the presence of an explosive gas (hydrogen). A spark can ignite the hydrogen which is why it is wise not to simply unclip the battery clamps. If you are in a hurry and you can’t wait to drive your car, connect the jumper cables and let the running car send power to the dead battery for about 15 minutes before you even try to start your Porsche. Once your car is running, rather than letting it idle, drive the car to charge it up. At higher rpm’s, the alternator runs cooler as it charges. When you park the car that night, put the battery charger on at the 10 to 15 amp automatic setting. Usually one overnight charge will bring it back up to snuff if the battery is healthy. Please note: If you have a charger with both manual and automatic modes, I suggest that you only use the automatic setting. Keeping the battery in a proper state of charge will save your alternator and your battery tray. - MC |
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Q: The leather in my car is very hard from many years in the Florida heat. The seams are pulling apart. I tried some leather creams and treatments but the leather is still hard and the little perforated holes in the seat cushions got clogged with the treatment. I paid my son and his friend $10.00 just to clean all those little holes with toothpicks. Got any ideas? Bill A: For this cure, you will need to practice patience. Remember it took years to dry out so don’t expect it to soften up overnight. I have had old leather come back to life with repetitive coats of “Neatsfoot oil”. You can buy it at the hardware store but I get mine at the local saddlery. (Horse people definitely know leather.) It takes a while to soak in so plan to do it when you know that you won’t be using the car for a day or so. Paint it on with a natural bristle paint brush. You will notice how it soaks into the leather at different rates. Expect to recoat the neediest areas and wipe the excess off the places where it does not soak in. In some cases, you might discover that it does not soak in at. It is possible that your leather seats may actually be part vinyl. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt vinyl. After a few applications you will begin to notice the difference and in a few months, your hard seats will soften up again. Incidentally, if you want to apply a more intensive heavier coat, you can cover the seats with plastic for a day or so. This also allows you to drive the car if you can’t wait for it to soak in. MC |