Q – My 2001 Carrera lost all it’s AC refrigerant over the winter and now I am told that the compressor and left front condenser are seeping. I drive a black car so it has to be functional. I realize that compressors just wear out but I wonder why the condenser failed? Keith
A – You are right about compressors. They simply wear out and nothing you could have done would prevent that. There is a way to get more life out of your condenser. Take a strong light and look through the air grilles in the front fascia of the bumper assembly. You can see the AC condenser in the left front fender area in front of the tire. In almost every one I have looked at (maybe not Fred’s) there is a corner of the condenser that has a build up of leaves and debris creating a little mulch pile in the corner. That corner is where I usually detect leaks and my theory is that the decaying organic matter attacks the aluminum. Clean it our every year with first a vacuum cleaner then a pressure washer. If needed, remove the air grill to pull that junk out of there. MC
Q – My 944 air conditioning worked fine last year but when I fired the car up this spring, there was no cool at all. I wonder if it is time to change the car over to the new Freon. Larry
A – If you are considering changing it over, and if it is empty, now would be the time; if the system is simply a little low on Freon, maybe not. First things first, find a shop that has some of the old R-12 Freon and get a diagnosis. In some cases, a simple pressure switch will cause the system to fail, or it might be a leaking valve, hose, or fitting. The fact that it ran last year is a good sign that it might not be too expensive.
As time passes, the R-12 Freon that your car came with new will get more and more expensive and recently I saw it for $75.00 per pound! By contrast, R-134 retails for only about $10.00 a pound. So if you have no major fault, keep it original, if you have lost all the Freon and you are facing a major repair to the system, change it over. The added advantage is that in years to come, as future AC work is needed, I expect R-134 to remain the most cost effective refriderant.
Q – My 96 Twin Turbo had a number of strange symptoms this spring. First the battery was dead but then, after I got is started, the power locks would not work. If I push the lock button it would act as if they locked but then they instantly unlock. The key would also not work to lock the car. And at random, the parking brake warning light comes on even if when the lever is down. Sometimes I could force the lever down further and the light would go back on a few miles later. The light would also come on when the turbo boosted. Another oddity was the dashboard lights. At night, they surge brighter and dimmer at random. It is like the car is possessed! Chuck
A – I wonder if you jumped the car, then disconnected the cables and ran the car with a dead battery? Yes it will run with a dead battery but the alternator will also freak out…And not in that fun Frank Zappa way. The alternator can sent a power surge to the electronics and cause all manner of corruption and chaos! You don’t want that, so I hope you did not do the deed.
Let’s tackle the door locks first. In the doors, the actuators which are electronically controlled servos, move the mechanical lock rods up and down. They can sometimes get corroded and when they do, your power locks get confused. Once you take the door panels off, the actuators can be disconnected to determine if it is a mechanical or an electronic problem. You should then be able to manually lock and unlock you car temporarily. But I bet you will find the problem in the connections or the wiring if you did not fry the module when you jump started your car.
The parking brake warning is another fairly simple circuit that gets complicated when the signal is sent into the “multi function instrument” where all the warning lights reside. If you are lucky, when the console is taken apart, you will find a paper clip, an ink pen, a few coins or other debris that fell through the whiskers intended to keep crap out of the console. If not, the circuit board in the “MFI” can develop cold solder joints and get a bit kinky in its old age. In that situation, a qualified instrument repair shop such as Specmo, conveniently located in Burton, Michigan can inspect, re-solder, and do their voodoo on the unit and maybe your problems will go away. (they offer no guarantee on this work)
But always start by cleaning out the debris first.
The pulsing instrument lights may well but due to damage caused by a faulty voltage regulator or wiring issues. On this model, a ground fault or voltage drops caused by overcharging can cause this symptom and only testing and time will tell if there is a real problem or just an idiosyncratic light show. Stay tuned. MC
Q – Do you think that Porsche is making a big mistake to discontinue the manual transmission? I was shocked to hear that and I would not consider buying one if it only came with an automatic. Larry (same Larry)
A – I think that many of the purists will be deeply offended and moan, wring their hands and lament with other purists in “how dare they” conversations of theory and purity. I understand that and in their world I get it. But however, have they driven a PDK? I spent weeks with a Cayman R equipped with PDK. I ate the forbidden fruit. I admit I liked it. I had a ball with it. And after my extended test drive was done, I did NOT want to give it back.
The transmission shifted faster than I could, did less damage to the car than I would have done, anticipated what I was going to do before I consciously decided to do it, rev matched the down shift like no human can do and never over revved the engine or ground a gear.
When you say “I will never own a Porsche with automatic”, fine, I concede the point, NEITHER WOULD I… A PDK is not an automatic, it has an automatic clutch and it has automatic shifting, when you want it. So really it is the best of both an automatic and a manual and is neither.
When you want to shift, you can still shift when you want to. You move your finger rather than your left foot and right hand. And if you just want to relax and let the computer do the work for you it will. And as stated, better than you could do. If you feel your driving ability is being attacked, talk to a therapist about it but if you want to have more fun driving your car, try a PDK. Now Larry, that is your last question! MC
Q – The other thing is my alarm system on the 86’. After carefully charging the battery and testing it to be sure it was ready, the alarm really shocked me. I hit the “unlock” button but apparently the battery was dead. I say apparently since I put a new battery in and still it is blaring! I thought maybe the valet switch would shut it off but no luck. The car runs but I cannot drive it with the alarm on all the time. Larry (again)
A – Try this Larry. Before you connect the negative cable, turn the ignition key to the “on” position then connect the cable and see what happens. I am not an alarm guy but this works on my car and a few others that I have tried it on. MC
Q – When I went to my get my 86 Carrera out of storage it had two flat tires. So I aired them up but I wondered, did they get too cold or what? My tires are getting kind of old so I am wondering, should I plan to replace them? They only have about 10-000 miles on them but they are 16 years old. What do you suggest? Larry
A – Logic dictates that you should replace them based on age alone. Deterioration of the rubber continues whether you use them or not. The same holds true for rubber gaskets, etc. I doubt that the age of the rubber caused the air to leak out. When the tires are dismounted you will find little pits of corrosion along the bead of the wheel where the seal takes place. Even if you purchased new tires, which you should strongly consider, the new tires may leak air prematurely unless the person doing the work cleans and treats the corrosion to stop it and prevent it from spreading. This is not a problem peculiar to your Carrera. In fact, the Fuchs wheels, which are very high quality forgings, are some of the best alloy wheels and rarely corrode. It is far more common for the later cast aluminum wheels to leak air. MC
Deep freeze to drive: Part two out of three
Q – OK, my 1974 Porsche 914 is running again! Thanks for the advice. Now what else should I plan for as I venture out on the highway? Oh, and it still blows black smoke! So where do I go with this old relic from the seventies? I know a lot of people have ditched the fuel injection and gone with carburetors. –Pete
A – Well I said we would talk about brakes and such but since you asked, here are some tidbits about the fuel injection on your car. Since it was designed in the fifties and sixties, it was state of the art…fifty years ago! And I admit it is tempting to convert to carburetors but hold on, start with the basics. Now that you have it running, are the ignition points set correctly? Do the wiring terminals in the engine compartment (or in the car in general) have good integrity? Are all the ground wires intact and solid? That’s where I would start.
With the ignition system intact, good compression and solid electrical connections, next you need to check fuel system pressure. Fuel pressure gauges are inexpensive and if you assume that you have proper pressure without testing, you can waste hours chasing your tail.
The next area to investigate is the intake system. After 40 years, some of the hoses and tubing in the engine compartment become brittle and leak intake vacuum. On the early D-Jetronic FI system, the design fails safe when vacuum hoses leak and the fuel system will go rich (too much fuel) but the car will usually still run. On the later L-Jetronic systems, intake vacuum leaks will cause the engine to run lean (too little fuel). In that instance, a common “do it yourself” tactic is to richen the fuel mixture up so that the car will not stall. That only works up to a point. Obviously tampering with fuel mixture without diagnosis is a “Band Aid”, not a cure.
There are two ways to ensure intake system. There is the shotgun approach where you replace every hose in the engine compartment, also known as “firing the parts cannon”. I recommend a targeted method which involves introducing smoke under light pressure to actually locate the leaks. Some leaks that I have seen were completely hidden from the naked eye and could only be found that way. I practically guarantee that you will find leaks using this method. Every incremental improvement to these systems will improve performance and fuel economy.
So we will assume that you have the car purring again and after your “pre-flight” check list, you may be ready for a trip around the block. Before you do though, evaluate the brakes. How does the pedal feel? Is it hard, soft, or can you push it all the way to the floor? When you release the brake pedal, does it return normally?
Cars that sit around tend to get stiff in places you might not notice immediately, such as the pedal cluster bushings, shafts, and springs. Jack the car up and have your assistant push on the brakes as you rotate the wheels. Naturally, the wheels should stop but just as important, they should release when you stop pressing the pedal. If the wheels won’t turn after you release the pedal, only a short trip around the block will be possible, if that! Often cars that are pulled out of storage will have a remarkably solid brake pedal due to sticking brakes but one hard stop from 60 mph will cause them to get harder and harder but barely stop the car. For that reason, you shouldn’t make your first test drive a fast one…neighborhood cruising is a good way to evaluate such things, and safer than a highway shake-down to start with.
Once you get that test drive done, and you are grinning from ear to ear, plan to set aside a weekend to go through the brakes. Even if they work well initially, you can not trust old parts on cars that have been sitting around for years. Parts I would always plan to replace are rubber brake hoses, master cylinder, brake caliper repair kits, front wheel seals, brake pads and in many 914s, remanufactured rear brake calipers. The majority of the system is uncomplicated and easily serviced by the average motorhead but the rear calipers are not. They have a hand brake mechanism that is best left to a pro.
If you take the time and prep the parts well, take just a little more time to apply some paint to the calipers and rotor hats for appearance and resistance to rust. I prefer zinc cold galvanizing compound followed by primer sealer then a paint color of your choice. Remember when servicing the brake system, wear safety goggles since brake fluid in the eyes can do some damage. MC
Q – I have been reading about the direct oil feed for my Porsche IMS bearing issue and I wonder what you think of the idea. If I do that, would you consider it an alternative to replacing the bearing or should I do that too?
A – I have to admit, I love the concept and endorse the product. Based on all the speculation about the cause of the problem, my personal opinion is that a source of constant lubrication for even the stock bearing would give me all the peace of mind I would need. Naturally when the bearing is out, a value judgment can be made and if needed, the bearing replaced as well. Consider it “belt and suspenders” as my dear friend Andy says. I would also consider the direct oil feed an improvement not only functionally but also as a selling point if you choose to sell the car. MC
So for this installment, if your luck holds, you will have the car running again and after a “pre-flight” check list, you may be ready for a trip around the block. Next time, we will talk about tires, bearings, steering and suspension. MC
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Next time, we will talk about brakes, tires, bearings, steering and suspension. MC
Q – I have a fuel-injected 1974 Porsche 914 which I have owned for about 15 years. It has not been driven for the last 5 or 6 years. When I stopped driving it, it ran OK but blew a lot of black smoke and didn’t have a lot of power. I wonder what you recommend to get it out, make it reliable, and enjoy it this summer. –Pete
A – Getting a forty year old car that has been stored for years to fire up and perform reliably can be challenging, especially when it is a fuel injected air-cooled classic like your 914. Let’s start by getting the relic running. You might be thinking, why not put a fresh battery in it, fire it up and hit the road? Well for one thing, the oil may have turned to Jell-O by now and in the time since you parked it there is a good chance that moisture (even just from humidity) has crept into one or two of the cylinders. The fuel has likely turned into varnish and the rubber fuel lines which run back and forth from the tank to the engine may have the structural integrity of Gummi Worms. So hold on and think this through. If you don’t have a fire extinguisher, now is time to get one. If you plan to do it yourself, here’s the drill.
Get a flash light, not a lighter, and remove the gas cap. Peer down into the fuel tank and see if there is any liquid left in it and note what color it is. If you are in luck, the tank will be empty and clean. If not, the fuel will be brown like dark beer and you will need to drain the tank. Once the tank is empty, try bending some of the fuel hoses. If bending a hose 90 degrees causes it to break, you will need to replace the fuel hoses. F.Y.I.: There are two types of metric hose, smooth-textured or braided, that are suitable for fuel injection systems. Standard U.S. fuel hose will not do. If you have to, it is fairly easy to remove the tank and replace the hoses. My general rule of thumb is that 20 year-old rubber should not be relied upon.
Now would be a good time to check for rust in the tank, too! Rust is a killer, and any metal surface can rust just from exposure to the moisture in normal air, over twenty years’ time. If you’re taking the tank out anyway, you should at least consider sending the tank out to have it acid-boiled and coated. This process is not usually very expensive, and can save you a lot of time, money, and cursing trying to get the injectors cleaned out every few weeks when they clog up with fine metal particles. Fuel filters, fuel distributors…all can be filled with lacquer or rust, but the tank is the usual source of the rust that will tend to fill the system.
Before you even turn the key to crank the engine, drain the oil, remove the oil strainer, replace the oil filter, clean and reinstall the strainer and add three quarts of cheap oil. Why cheap oil? Because you won’t be leaving the oil in for long so why waste money on the good stuff? Once you do get it running, I would add motor flush to the cheap oil, follow the directions, and then do another oil change provided the motor passes the next test.
Next pull the spark plugs and look around inside the shrouds with a strong flashlight and a dental mirror. You might just find a mouse house. How do I know there is a mouse house? Clairvoyant, I guess, but take a look and be ready to find one. Even if there is one in there, it should not stop you from trying to get it running again. You can always clean it out later, and you will eventually need to because it can cause overheating by blocking air circulation around the cooling fins of the cylinders and the oil cooler! Before you try to start the engine, you need to get some oil circulating through the engine bearings and coating the walls of the cylinders. Add about two tablespoons of oil to each spark plug hole to prepare for cranking the engine over. You can use an oil can, turkey baster or small funnel and a section of hose. This will lubricate the rings, and help clean any light corrosion off of the walls of the cylinders. This is crucial to achieving good compression, not to mention avoiding expensive damage by abrasion!
Next, find the fuel pump relay and pull it out so no power goes to the pump. Then you want to prevent a spark as you crank it. Disconnect the points wire from the ignition coil. This is the wire from the distributor to the coil, usually green if the points were made by Bosch. Then connect the battery positive cable first, then the negative cable. Now try cranking the engine over. It should crank a bit slowly at first, due to friction, and begin to turn over faster and faster as the oil lubricates the rings and bearings. As you are cranking it over, note the oil pressure warning light. It should go out after 10 to 30 seconds of cranking which means that you have oil flowing again and you can stop cranking. You can then plug the points wire back in since it is time for spark testing.
This can shock you! If you have a pacemaker, let someone else perform this test. Unplug the coil wire from the distributor cap. With an insulated holding device, hold the wire terminal close to a ground, roughly 1/8 inch away, and have your assistant crank the engine. If you see a bright blue spark, you are almost there! It you don’t, open the book and start checking the basics. But, hope springs eternal, we will assume you have spark. Plug the wire back into the distributor cap. Now you can reinstall the plugs and try to fire it up.
If you have fuel hoses that look like they might hold, and you have good fuel in the tank, you can now put the fuel pump relay back in. Give the key a twist, it may take a few seconds of cranking to prime the fuel injection loop but if you are lucky, it might fire up. Make sure that you have the garage door open and alert your better half since it is going to smoke…a lot due to that oil you squirted into the cylinders. After a few minutes of running, it should smoke less and run better.
The next system to tackle is the brakes. If it runs, it better be able to stop. I’ll be going into further detail in a follow-up article, but you definitely need to be sure the system is in some sort of working order before you plan on driving the car any significant distance. Some of the things which you should expect to do now or in the near future would include new rubber components for the brake system such as hoses, caliper seals, master cylinder (my namesake!), and feed hoses from the brake reservoir to the master cylinder. The same rules that apply to 20 year-old fuel hoses also apply to brake hoses. There is a good chance that most are original, and therefore may be older than your children!
Before test driving the car you need to evaluate the brakes. How does the pedal feel? Is it hard, soft, or can you push it all the way to the floor? When you release the brake pedal, does it return normally? Cars that sit around tend to get stiff in places you might not notice immediately, such as the pedal cluster bushings, shafts, and springs. Jack the car up and have your assistant push on the brakes as you rotate the wheels. Naturally, the wheels should stop but just as important is their ability to release when you stop pressing the pedal. If the wheels won’t turn after you release the pedal, only a short trip around the block will be possible, if that! Often cars that are pulled out of storage will have a remarkably solid brake pedal due to sticking brakes. One hard stop from 60 mph will cause them to get harder and harder but barely stop the car. For that reason, you shouldn’t make your first test drive a fast one…neighborhood cruising is a good way to evaluate such things, and safer than a highway shake-down to start with.
So for this installment, if your luck holds, you will have the car running again and after a “pre-flight” check list, you may be ready for a trip around the block. Next time, we will talk about tires, bearings, steering and suspension. MC
Q – I just bought a 1986 944 and although it has low mileage, the former owner was not an enthusiast and mildly neglected it. I have attended two of the club detailing clinics and I really appreciate the demos and info from the vendors. I took one of my cars to the Motor City Auto Spa and I was very pleased. This winter, I would like to preserve and even restore some of the surfaces on my car particularly the rear spoiler and the leather seats. I am interested in finding out what products you use and recommend and where to find them. My wife asked me for a Christmas list. Ted
A – Well Ted, I am not a Concours guy, just a motorhead who details cars for therapy so here goes. Since I don’t sell detailing products, these are the ones I buy for myself.
For leather (dark shades only) I use Fiebing’s 100% pure Neatsfoot Oil that I buy from Arizona Saddlery. I paint it on with a natural bristle brush and let it soak in for a day or two. On older leather it may take a few applications to get it to penetrate. You can put plastic on the seat if you need to drive the car while it is soaking in.
For the spoiler and bumper rub strips, just like the leather, these plastic surfaces need to be fed regularly. I use Black Magic Pro Shine Protectant. This product is not watered down like most protectants. I have tried every brands that I could find locally and this is my current favorite. I get it at O’Reilly’s.
For chin spoilers, tires, and lower side skirts, I used No Touch Wet & Protect premium. This product is not glossy and it evens out the plastic surfaces that seem to get stained or mottled from road debris or scuffing. I also use this product for under hood plastic and rubber hoses to spruce them up.
For paint, I like the Magna Sponge instead of the traditional clay bar. It works just like clay but the dirt washes off instead of contaminating the clay. I got mine on the web. As a lubricant for the sponge, I use Griot’s Speed Shine or Meguiars Quik Detailer. Both work well.
I like Rejex as a protective finish for paint and wheels. I get it on the web. I have also tried a dozen other waxes. I like the clear product by Turtle Wax called Ice. They claim that you can use it on everything except glass but I have only used it on paint. Clear polish…what a concept! They also make colored car polish and again…why not? Some of them even come with a little lipstick style applicator for scratches.
I have faith is in the chemistry of synthetic polymer products. I think they are all good and I believe that for most folks, they are far better than traditional waxes. If you would have seen my car in ‘04 when Mike and I first drove it back from Florida, compared to now, you would agree I have learned a lot. I am happy to share it with you, Ted. – MC
Hi MC I have a ‘96 Targa and the check engine light keeps coming on. It has been shut off numerous times but always comes back on in a few weeks. The diagnostic codes that set don’t make sense to me but my mechanic says that the secondary air system has failed. He asked a few 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? Mark
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 further than you need to go. 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 onto a common 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 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 hadclogged secondary air holes.
By the way, while the exhaust is off it’s a good time to clean all that stainless steel with Scrubbing Bubbles and Scotchbrite. 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. You’ve already got all that apart, why not clean up while you’re there? MC