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YOUR RESEARCHMy first DIY job was a success!
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wife who complained about them the most
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Reported cause · Original poster
Funny thing is, it was the wife who complained about them the most.
Leading evidence: 'wife who complained about them the most' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'wife who complained about them the most' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Adjust even more snug fit' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I don't have any reason to believe these had ever been cleaned, '99 with 65k miles.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
As soon as I replaced the cabin aif filter with the cheap Chinese knockoff I started hearing a ticking sound in the engine!
Check cabin air filter - another seriously tough diy
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Suggestion · Original poster
Well, bored today and had a real urge to do something with my new torque socket set, so decided to check the cabin air filter - another seriously tough DIY!
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Suggestion · Original poster
Process went smoothly, but I popped the piece on without glue to check for fit, then couldn't get it back off to add glue...it's pretty snug though so hopefully that will be fine.
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I have been following this thread for over 3 years...and I can still not stop laughing....
Well, finally did my first job on the car.
The wheel caps were all pointed the wrong way, and I just could not abide with this.
Here is the process for all you other DIY folks. It's fairly complex.
Here's the offending wheel!
My trusty removal tool. You can buy it
here.
After popping it off.
Ahhh, sweet relief. All is well in the world!
Thank you for reading. My next job is changing the pumpkins. I hope it isn't quite as difficult as this job was!
$5.49 for the tool? You got scammed. I used an old bicycle wheel spoke. Was FREE!
[The second tool in the pic is my emergency trunk release cable puller, also fabricated from a spoke.]
Tackled this today - wasn't sure I would have time for it but took a chance and boy am I glad I did!
Here's that ugly black stem cap:
And here's after I replaced with a beautiful Porsche crest version in silver. What a difference! Now if someone could tell me which direction the crest is supposed to point in...
Well, I ordered the caps from some guy on Amazon for $12. $10 less than on Sunset!
They are good quality but probably Chinese, and took about 6 weeks to arrive.
So, that plus my Racer 5 that I consumed during the arduous process, made it about $14.
Worth every penny!
Be careful, if you don't have the two crests - one on the centre cap, one on the valve cap - pointing exactly at each other, your IMS will spontaneously combust the moment you turn the key.
You have some serious skills Woodman. Would you please rate the degree of difficulty especially on the new valve stems and correct orientation of the center caps?
My first DIY was not nearly as technical as Woodman's but I thought it turned out fairly well. Some like this some hate it, but I felt it really set off the car.
El' Cheapo Carrera stickers.
Before:
After:
Marc
Don't forget that the locking lugs must be nearest valve stem. This is to make up the difference in weight caused by valve stem hole through the rim. This is guaranteed to remove all vibration at speed. I know, I know, I'm beating a dead horse because everybody knows this.
In OP's defense, the $5.49 price was for TEN of the removal tools; any genuine Porsche tool that can be purchased in bulk for just 55 cents apiece is quite a buy.
WARNING! I understand that some counterfeit versions of those tools sold online are built incorrectly - the pokey ends point AWAY from the wheel instead of TOWARD the wheel. You can still use the tool, but you need to remove the wheels first and use the tool from the back side of the wheel insert.
Enjoy the caps while you can, until some punk kids decide to steal them to put on their Huffy's and brag to their friends. Had this happen on my expensive BBS valve caps.
That is why I went in and soldered Razor wire on my valve caps.
It does make checking the tire pressure a bit tedious but I have never had them stolen.
This is a good call.
But I am going to hook up a electrical current to the caps, so any kid touching them gets 20,000 volts blasted through their body.
Well, bored today and had a real urge to do something with my new torque socket set, so decided to check the cabin air filter - another seriously tough DIY!
Lots of dirt and dog hair in it!
I told you I would update this thread when I took care of those *****!
Soaking in alcohol bath:
Scrubbed, dried. Then I put down a few coats of matte black primer on them, they look and feel brand new.
Funny thing is, it was the wife who complained about them the most. Insert sticky **** jokes here.
You are correct! They had more gunk on them than the underside of a 1982 928 from New Jersey.
Now, they are so nice I find myself changing the radio station constantly.
You don't use the presets? Or are those filthy too?
Have you seen the Top Gear episodes where they do forensic analysis on used cars? The crap could be coke, body fluids, second hand bacitracin.
So, after much reading around the whole "dirty rads" subject, decided to tackle this DIY today. Overall it went relatively smoothly, although one of the wheel well rivets disappeared into another dimension when I popped it out.
Left rad was relatively clean compared to the right one. Which I deduced to mean the PO drove in the fast lane more often than the slow lane on highways.
I don't have any reason to believe these had ever been cleaned, '99 with 65k miles.
One interesting note I didn't see mentioned in the existing DIY videos was two tubes that dead end connected into a mounted plastic plat directly in the middle of the underside of the cover. I pulled them off and no fluid came out. Not sure where they lead to.
Finally, I discovered every single screw for the bottom was broken/gone. Will be getting some new screws and giant sized washers to help strap the underside back on.
Here is the right rad before:
And after:
Looking naked - and you can see those two tubes I mentioned previously:
And my nice scraped up bumper cover acting as a garden feature. See those two black stubs in the middle? That's where those tubes were connected.
EDIT: Woke up this morning and realized I might have forgotten to re-insert the outside temp unit in the air scoop. Crap.
Yep, not a hard one to fix, but is frustrating. I experienced the same thing. First, make sure all mounting bolts are loose. Then start with the two that are around the frunk latch. While pushing the bumper towards the rear of the car, tighten the two bolts. The gaps should match the side gabs of the frunk.
this thread has been entertaining. I need to clean my rads and replace the fans (car runs slightly over half when a/c on and stage one fans not working) Did you figure out what those hose lines went to? im guessing they are for headlight washers if so equipped??
I didn't actually track down their source, but I was able to reattach them.
On a side note, I forgot to pull the outside temp sensor back into the scoop, too, but was able to reach in from below and get it taken care of.
Not that it matters because I have to repeat the dang process to realign the cover with the trunk...
On the plus side, the clean radiators seem to be making a difference. A few days ago the needle was crawling just right of the "0." Today, stayed between "8" and "0."
Nice job. I love DIYs and this is the key reason for me to sell my 987.2S to a 996.
For the sticky *****, next time get yourself baking soda. Add a few drops of water to make a paste, leave it on the ***** for a few minutes before giving them a rub, and it returns the ***** like new, without the need to repaint.
Well, I was excited to be getting my LN spin on adapter and 12 quarts of DT-40 for this weekend's DIY project (my first oil change and filter cut) but stupid UPS isn't delivering until Monday...
So, after years of preparations and readiness training, I am ready to do this.
Get car in garage without dropping it into the pit of misery: Check.
Remove drain plug without stripping it: Not check. Oy. So much for an easy DIY.
Trip to Harbor Freight for a backout tool. Success!
After that drama, everything went smoothly. Put in 8.7 quarts and it's reading a bit low, but will check the stick in 24 hours and add accordingly.
A kindly gentleman in a panel truck informed me today my brake light was not working.
Having not replaced bulbs in the tail lights yet, I wasn't sure how easy this endeavor would be.
Dang, was it easy! It took me about 4 minutes to put in a new one. When I had to do that in my Mini it took damn near an hour and it scraped my hands all to heck.
I can see how tail lights have (on occasion) fallen off at speed, considering there is only one screw involved.
That's all. Sorry, I am having a slow day.
Well, I finally had the infamous "ghost horn" problem, and decided to fix it yesterday.
Unfortunately Home Depot & others didn't have the 10-packs of #31 o-rings, so I ordered from Amazon.
Thanks for the big box for a tiny package.
Also got my trusty torx wrench.
Plenty of good DIY videos guided me through this. The before and after:
Overall it took about 20 minutes and no more horn honking when I brake hard. Cost about $13 (including torx tool) instead of $100 for a new bracket.
For what is worth, I didn't have to disconnect the airbag or horn wiring.
Replaced the plastic top hook latch cover today. Amazing that a $9 piece of plastic was preventing the rear windows from going up.
Process went smoothly, but I popped the piece on without glue to check for fit, then couldn't get it back off to add glue...it's pretty snug though so hopefully that will be fine.
My thread is officially a necro, but in the spirit of its original post I thought I would post up yet another difficult DIY project.
Installed a new sun shade the other day. It took some effort, but after a few minutes of jostling, grit and determination, I found the proper fit.
Huzzah!
This gives me hope that I can DIY my own car. If you're able to tackle such a difficult job without disaster I surely can too!
Thanks Woodman for your bravery
I feel your pain.
I'm posting this as a public service for anyone struggling with their sunshade who might stumble on this thread in the future.
I think I have sunshades down but don't get me started on floor mats...
Reminds me of what happened a few years ago:
Change spark plugs/tubes - No problem
Change oil - No problem
Change coolant tank- No problem
Change water pump- No problem
Change windshield wipers - F****ed it up
I found these on Etsy - $75 for all four, and the quality is surprisingly good. I'd post this DIY but I already did a similar thing in an earlier post when I aligned the caps to the valve stem.
So, after getting some estimates from upholsterers and looking at the option of new seats, I did much research on seat covers for my worn, torn and tired seats.
Call me a heretic, but I just don't want to spend $1500-$2000 for some seats in my vehicle, I'd rather put that towards important things like AOS solutions, water pumps, etc.
I ready many reviews for the Igge covers from other Porsche ownens on Ebay so decided to take a chance with them.
Overall, they actually look pretty nice coming out of the box. I hope to put them in this weekend and will upload process and before/after pics in case anyone else is considering a similar path as mine.
I don't
think
I need to remove the seats to do this, but it might be easier - and it would give me a chance to clean up 20+ years of who knows what (french fries? they always seem to find a way...) from underneath.
OK, installed the Iggee covers today.
Removed the driver's side front seat and was all ready to be excited, when I noticed after unclipping the electrical, there was a whole other batch of wiring going deep into an area that wasn't unclippable.
Weird.
So, I worked on the underside of the seat while it was still in the car. Not ideal, but easier than blindly trying to clip elastic bands.
That said, I tried to install the passenger seat cover without removal (not sure why I picked the hottest part of the day to do this, btw...)
With all the crazy ways this seat moves, I was able to do it. Seriously,the seat moves more ways than one of those EZ stand recliners for geriatrics.
Overall I am so far happy with the fit and look, considering everything. I think the material will stretch out a bit for and I can re-adjust for an even more snug fit.
If you are on a budget and your seats are trashed, would recommend.
I'm back with yet another tasteful but extremely difficult mod!
Ordered these little beauties from our good friend
Dido
over in Poland.
Snapped them right in! I like it, even though it's a minor accent - but now it matches the OEM shifter with the silver accent.
Been a while, so figured I would update my DIY adventures.
Every time I reached down to pull open the frunk or engine lid, I was greeted with scratched, discolored lever handles.
Rather than spring for $125 each to replace them, I opted fir the cheap and slightly less beautiful solution. Stickers! Actually came out half decent, and I will touch up the edges with silver to hide the remaining blemishes.
Curious to know what you learned last year about upholstery work. The '88 is in dire need of seat repair. I looked into it a few years ago and decided to forgo the work. $1,500-$2k actually sounds reasonable from what I gleaned. Canepa only works on millionaire restomods and the San Jose guy at Generations retired years ago. I hear there's someone in Walnut Creek worth asking? Apparently the old leather seats require a rare special sewing/stitching machine to match OEM work. Thanks in advance for any current pertinent information.
Hi Muck - unfortunately I don't have much to report to you on that front. I went to a guy with rave reviews and he looked at my seats and I could see the fear in his eyes. Like, he didn't want to have anything to do with them, lol. I think if you try enough places you might find someone skillful and willing, but I just didn't look that hard. I can afford it - but I'd rather spend $2k - $3k on something else than where my butt is when I drive.
Looks like a keeper if you are willing to go to this length to keep it shifting well. We've seen people get rid of these cars because they got dirty! Heck, I bought mine because I thought they never got dirty after looking at all the pics on Rennlist.
What are you going with for a shifter?
Appreciate the reply. I know there are at least a few other threads on the subject worth reviewing, but figured I'd inquire with you. The search continues...
Hey Dporto scroll up a bit, I posted a shot after install. They were a bit less snug than I had hoped for in that picture but they have "settled" and actually look pretty good, considering the price and level of effort. I'll be the first to say, however, I am not as anally retentive as some of the stereotypical Porsche owners are. I can live with seat covers.
I bought a new 997 shifter, figuring I'd like the 10% shorter throw and it has newer interior plastic parts. I also purchased a BFI milled **** and a new boot from Redline Goods.
The hilarious thing is my parking brake light indicator started working again for no good reason...so now there's no urgency (other than having a better shift experience) to remove that center console, lol.
Well, been over a year since I "modded" my car, apparently, so here I am with the latest.
Big props to Yaz996 for this amazing piece of equipment, fits like a glove and now I can stop digging my phone out from under the seat after a spirited drive!
Before!
During...
New bezel and ball in.
Button back and mag holder in place
Ta-dah!
