125,000 mile "tune up"

Haven't even had a chance to get a good look at the car. Will get it on the lift today. Decided to start collecting parts... Here's what I ordered today: 10 ! Bosch spark plugs (10 were cheaper than 6) 6 Delphi coils Contitech belt drive component kit Gates water pump Remy rebuilt alternator Rein thermostat (includes housing and gasket) 2 Rein engine mounts 2 Mahle oil filters Hastings air filter Mahle fuel filter 6 liters of Liqui Moly 75W-90 gear lube 10 liters Liqui Moly 5W-40 engine oil 3 gallons of Zerex G-40 anti-freeze Car is a 2001 C4 What am I missing? Expect the list to grow as I get a good look at suspension, brakes, drivetrain and steering. Have an ignition switch to install. Had no front parking lights last night - possible ignition switch issue? Don't know if the cruise is working. Got the little green indicator to come on - but couldn't get it to engage. Any ideas? Don't have an owner's manual yet. May not have found the secret, though I pushed, pulled and pressed pretty much every possible way.

Saw your post in OT that you recently purchased a 996C4. Your list above sounds like a great place to start. Have you driven the C4 yet? Are you going to rally it? Lots of good info on this site.

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I drove it home last night, in a snow storm. A little over 100 miles. Started my list of stuff to fix - much of it is included above. Other items need investigation and diagnosis. Nothing major, as far as I can tell. Have not decided on rallying it. High likelihood of TSD rallies, definitely not stage rally. May use it occasionally for RallyCross. Will want to increase ride height a little first, and find suitable wheels and tires. I think I can fit 17" wheels - don't even know for sure. If I could fit 16s, it would be very cool. I'm counting on the good information.

That is exactly what I did when I bought the car last May (filters, liquids and plugs) I have only pending the water pump and serpentine belt. Are you going to flush all the coolant or only the amount needed for the water pump replacement? I am going to do water pump next month, and even the coolant is supposed to be "lifetime" and my indy also indicates going only for the amount needed, I will request to flush everything. I have also read about people recomending to change MAF sensor and Lambda sensors (pre and post) but I am not going to do it by now, as the car runs quite smooth and has only 50K Miles ps: the brand is Liqui Moly

17" wheels were standard on the C2(at least MY99), don't know about the C4.

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The water pump is not a bad job if you can move the engine mount plate enough to get the water pump out. I had to remove my cats in order to remove the plate so I could get the pump out. That added a lot of extra time to the job. The belt is simple. I bought 2 gallons of Porsche concentrate. https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...05-75-M100.htm I mixed them with RO water in a 5 gallon bucket and used an OEMtools Coolant refill kit that uses vacuum similar to an UView Airlift but cheaper. https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-24444-Cooling-System-Refiller/dp/B01BW39HJS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1548449742&sr=8-3 https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-24444-Cooling-System-Refiller/dp/B01BW39HJS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1548449742&sr=8-3 I used all of the 4 gallons. Luckily I had an extra pre-mixed 1 gallon of Porsche coolant from when I installed my center radiator. At $40 a gallon, it's a bit expensive to replace all the coolant, but when compared to replacing an engine due to cooling issues, it's chump change!

I typically drive a car about 3-6 months before fully investing into a overhaul tuneup. I need to make sure that the car is in good shape before investing into it. I do it incrementally, simple things, then grow my list over time as the car earns my trust.

If your replacing the tstat and pump, I�d def add to the list: -coolant flush (and replacement) -check rubber hoses and replace as needed -new coolant tank and cap nothing more frustrating than replacing cooling parts and then have other bits fail and having to start over (draining coolant, fill, bleed, etc).

Most Gates water pumps have a metal impeller. Plastic/composite is suggested. The clearance between the pump and the block is minimal. If the metal impeller water pump fails the impeller can grind a hole thru the block. The plastic impeller versions will break up instead of damaging the engine. The factory pump is a plastic impeller. Just a thought.

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I believe the MY99 C4 came standard with 17� wheels as well. Looked at one before buying my current car.

Surprised no mention of the low temp t-stat and spin-on oil filter adapter.

...and DT40 engine oil.

.

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Yes - I knew that. No, really. Full flush. Lifetime should be fine if you check it periodically. I'm just going to start fresh. 50/50 Zerex and distilled water. I've seen mention of the MAF sensor, will keep it in mind. Right - O2 sensors are a good idea. I got the CEL after getting home. Might be a two-trip MIL. Usually an air/fuel code. Will check codes as I go. Good plan. I'm not far off from yours. I am confident the car is in good enough shape to spend a bit on the basics. There will be more things that will crop up. Already found a couple of little issues. Good advice all around. Don't have the tank and cap on the list yet. I was waiting to see who would bring up hoses. That is in the plan. I am just now aware of how many hoses there are. Have the car on the lift, as I type. Yes, I believe this one has a metal impeller, as well. I have seen the recommendation to go with composite. Fully onboard with the reasoning. Trying to keep costs in check, made the choice. Yeah, I think the car came originally with 17s. I have a fair amount of optimism I can fit 16" wheels on this car. As long as the calipers don't extend outward (axially) more than the spokes of my D90s, I may be in luck. Saw that stuff. I like both. Maybe upgrades after the car gets the Team Harco seal of approval. Thanks for all the feedback, guys.

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just my thought and I'm sure others will agree. Porsche's are not a car to be cutting corner with cheap parts. Most of the time if you use cheap parts like alternators, starters, MAF, and water pumps it will cost you tons more in the long run than putting the right part the first time. Factory parts or using the same OEM manufacturer is typically not much more than the cheap aftermarket. I really don't understand the logic of a cheaper metal impeller water pump to save money when the potential damage/risk is tens of thousand of dollars. Not to mention you won't know there is a problem untill its too late I say this respectfully, cheap parts are fine on a honda or chevrolet. European cars are much more **** about parts put on them. But too each his own.

Exchange the water pump for the composite. You may need a new light switch if the ignition doesn't cure the lights...I think I spelt that right

For your possible cruse issue there's a micro switch on the clutch that may be the culprit.

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Point taken. I'l return the Gates and get a Hella (Behr). I didn't research this enough. Thanks for the advice. Yes - I figured the light switch is more likely than the ignition switch. Will see soon enough. I assume you mean at the clutch pedal? Regarding the service manual - I have one on CD coming. If it proves to be inadequate, I'll get the book.

Got the plugs out. That was fun. Looks like they were due.

Bonus! It has a K&N filter. I knew there was something about this car that really made it hum. Found something I've not seen before. Looks like a little storage "slot" to put a special package. I ended up putting the case for Steve McQueen's LeMans DVD in there. Evidently the car comes with a fancy multimedia device (Pioneer) that will allow viewing a movie on a little screen in the dash. So far I am unable to make it realize I am not driving the car, when it warns against it. So is this a dealer installed option; or is it aftermarket? Maybe the owner's manual would go there. I did notice a lack of glove box.

That is to hold the owners manual, yes.

Owners manual goes in the slot under the dash.

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are these aligned in firing order? #5 Looks (condition) different from the others?

It seems both 5 and 6 are less oily/ sooty than the others.

Just a quick note to say thank you and PLEASE keep this kind of thread coming. It helps those of us learning about doing our own maintenance.

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Hey Scott, we're not alone...

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I have been thinking about it, and I plan to just continue this thread to cover what gets replaced/ repaired and discovered. If others gain from it, all the better. I noticed. He gets a free pass on this one. So I found what I believe to be ride-height sensors on each of the left side corners. Both are broken. Are these for headlight aiming? Or some other function? Left rear shown below. Just after bringing the car in, on Friday....

Of course I had to take her top off. It is our third date, after all.

I don�t have those sensors on either of my 996�, but I think they�re for the litronic headlights (I have the base halogens).

Until I get an owner's manual... Performed a compression check. All are 125 psi, with the exception of one at 120 and one at 130. A lot lower than I would hope for, and expect. Engine was ice cold - actually even colder than that. Additionally the compression tester I used is not of the highest quality, nor is it new. Will plan on testing again when things are back together and I can warm the engine.

Do a leak down test next

Just some thoughts on the metal vs plastic water pump versions. If either one has a bearing failure and results in impeller wobble to the point of contact with case housing, either would result in complete disassembly to be repaired "right". As mentioned by FSI and others the plastic impeller will cause pieces to go though coolant passages and could become lodged in small passages in the heads, causing hot spots. These passages will be difficult to clean and ensure flow even with the engine dissasembled. The metal impeller will cause scoring/gouging of the case but the damage will be a localized area, the debris will be minute and easily flushed out. A far as repairing the case housing not much thought has been given to this since the occurrence is so rare. The options are , the obvious, replace the case, or weld up the damage and machine/grind/sand back to original surface level, or build up surface with epoxy and grind/sand back to original surface clearance to restore efficiency. Since I prefer the metal impeller, Some other repair procedures that "could be done" but will never happen since the demand is/will be so low. The replacement water pump could be designed with it's "own backing plate" therefore no damage to case will ever happen again and can be used to repair a damaged case. Or a thin backing plate insert could be designed to be installed to take the place of the scored case to restore effeciancy.. That said, knowing all the pro's and con's and all options available if the "death wobble" happens on the water pump, I prefer the metal impeller, I can't stand the thoughts of plastic bits lodged deep in coolant passages in my heads.

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Personally, I am less concerned with the number as I am the differences between cylinders. So much can affect the total number, cranking speed, temperature, whether the throttle is open or not all make a difference. You are within 10% from high to low so likely you don't have any compression related issue worth worrying about.

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Agree - that's part of why I am not alarmed. It was quite cold, cranking speed could definitely be a variable and - yes - I forgot to go full throttle...

Pulled codes yesterday. Found P1128 and P1130. Not terribly concerned at the moment. Found a good thread on what to check/ replace. Will follow-up as needed. Ordered o-rings for the spark plug tubes. Probably getting a little weeping past some of them. Plan to do a little clean-up of the cam covers (just a brake-clean shower). Will be good to have an idea if there are other leak paths after the plugs, tubes and coils go back in. Also found a place that offers the owner's manual (Suncoast). It will fight for territory against the DVD box if I can get the "park brake" wire grounded (or whatever the issue is). Discovered all but one of the undertray clips are gone. They're less than $2 each. Might be able find room in the budget to replace them all.

I'm enjoying watching your journey, thanks for sharing!

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My pleasure.

I never realized how different the earlier gauges looked. (oil level, digital speed, odometer) I thought it was just the top speed on the speedometer, but there's more to it. I can't believe I hadn't noticed the difference before now.

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Truthfully, I like the look of the .2 cluster better than the .1, but what were they thinking putting the digital speed under the analog speedometer? Under the tachometer is a much more logical place in my opinion.

As far as the cruise control goes- I found the same issue with my 2004 C2. There is a little switch on the clutch pedal linkage that turns the cruise off when you depress the clutch. My switch is a little out of adjustment, but I've found that I can get the cruise control to activate if I pull the pedal towards me with my toe. Eventually I'll replace the switch or try to adjust it so the clutch pedal depresses it more when at the top of its travel.

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I discovered what may have been the problem. I was messing with the wrong lever! My friend let me drive his Cayenne to go and pick my car up. The cruise on his vehicle is lower left. I kept messing with my lower left lever and kept cycling through the information (fuel mileage, distance to empty, etc.) Looked through the '03 owner's manual and found I should have been messing with this lever, instead...

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When is the split between .1 and .2? I assume I have a .1

2001 last .1; 2002 first .2

I'm not sure if you care, but since you're in a cold/road salt laden are I thought I'd mention a little knowledge I learned the hard way. As I've noted on your photo below (area circled in yellow). Pop these plastic corner pieces off and take a look at the steel underneath. I had some serious rot under there that took quite a bit of work to remedy. If you're interested, this a link to my thread where I documented what I had to do... https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...w-project.html Oops forgot the photo...

^^Yup, a lot of road grime gets trapped and stays wet in that area.

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Exactly! Add salt and you've got the body rot "perfect storm"...

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Might wanna add a half quart of oil there Tex!

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Ok. Good to know. Good information. And yes - I care. I want this car to last forever. It's really painful to look at the car in the current state. Tomorrow's high is going to be -1F. I can't rinse off the salt and grime until things warm up some. I'll definitely have a look in that area. Though I expect it to be clean. The car spent most of its life in California, then a couple of years in Washington state. It didn't make it to Michigan until 2014. I believe the previous owner used it in winter, but when the roads were clear. I'll be the one taking the life out of it....

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Yeah, I definitely need to add some soon. I have the LN 2qt deep sump, so it's not really critical. I was more worried about my voltage meter. But I turned on the lights to take the picture in the dark garage. The car sat a little longer due to our having the flu in our house. My only trips recently have been to the grocery store...and I took the mini-van.

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I'm looking into buying one. Do not have one, yet. Last night, I figured I should run my "borescope" into a few plug holes and see if anything looks odd. We'll have to see how that goes.

Hoping to get a bunch of parts delivered tomorrow. Just received one engine mount, an alternator and three gallons of anti-freeze. Messed with a D90 to see if it would fit. Might need a little self-clearancing... ... or maybe some spacers. I think I grabbed a rear. It has a 225/50 on it. I believe the fronts are 205s. The rear fit well on the rear. There was a little contact in front. A front wheel might be worse. If I can resolve this, it will be good for gaining a little ground clearance and fitting winter tires. Took care of a very important issue. Pulled the center of the dash apart. Not having a properly functioning DVD player is right up there with running out of gas. Followed the light green wire to a cleverly hidden switch... * Winning. * It turns out the switch is (just) visible in the second photo in post #20 of this thread. Photographic evidence is a wonderful thing...

One more...

While I was tearing things apart, I started on the ignition switch replacement. Pulled out the vent cover and some of the plumbing. Can see the switch, but it's going to be a pain to get at the set screws. Found something strange when pulling the outer cover from the lock cylinder. It was wrapped in a coiled wire (see the yellow wire). Have not been able to trace it, and can't image what its function would be. Any ideas?

Might be an aftermarket trigger wire to signal ignition �on� to a relay or other accessory. What is the color code on the wire it is attached to on the switch end?

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I don't know that it is attached to the switch at all. It was wrapped around the rubber cover - at first I thought is was to hold the cover in place. And that may actually be its purpose. I'll try to find where it leads. There's not a whole lot of room to look around in there...

It’s the antenna for the mind control device that puts subliminal message mantras in your head that all 996 failure modes are over exaggerated. it goes something like this: “ I will not have: 1. Oil starvation and damage due to snapped oil pump drive key 2. D-chunk failure 3. Broken crankshaft due to lightweight flywheel 4. Rod bolt failure 5. Timing/cam chain stretching/link breakage 6. Intermediate shaft bearing failure 7. Oil starvation due to pickup tube blockage 8. Oil starvation due to extended high-G turns 9. Water pump failure 10. Head cracks due to poor quality castings 11. Hydrolock due to failed AOS 12. IMS sprocket separating from IMS 13. Debris from worn chain tensioner pads 14. Cylinder scoring/ovaling 15. Intermix or any other potential modes, real or imagined” ����

That would explain a lot. I thought I was hearing things... "shoulda bought a tip" "shoulda bought rear drive" "shouldn't have gotten the litronic headlights" "shouldn't have bought a year with the single row IMS bearing" "shouldn't have got the headlight washers" "shouldn't have got leather interior" Oh, wait, maybe I read this somewhere.

It gets worse...when you hear “shoulda bought a Camry”, put on a tin foil hat immediately. You will be within 10 minutes of a brain explosion.

Actually, recently I also found 2 obviously aftermarket switches in my car that I have no idea what they do. I’ve played with them both while driving and also in the garage. The blue one is done near the dead pedal and the red one is on the gas pedal side. I’ll investigate sometime this spring, but I think someone is trying to influence my voting preferences. I did buy the car from a Russian guy. When I picked up the car he was riding a horse without his shirt on...

Damn Rooskies.

Speaking of single row IMS bearings. I found this affixed to the engine lid... Matches with the receipt from the previous owner and a build date of 10/14 from the LNE website.

A bunch of stuff arrived today. The gear lube, engine oil, boot struts and two boxes of goodies from Rock Auto. It's too damn cold to even bother trying to heat the shop. The guess was -1 for the high, today. I don't think it went above -5. Now it's just falling... Plan to take tomorrow as a "work from home" day. Might get some stuff done. Still need the spark plugs and o-rings. Can certainly start on a lot of other things though.

Found some time - while working from home - to mess with some of my stuff. Put the heat on at about 10:00. It was 15 F (inside). Got up to 50 in about 90 minutes. Was -15 (outside) last night. Started piling up parts with the plan of starting on the belt/ pulley kit. Found that the Gates waterpump had a composite impeller. Hella gets to go back; so does the fuel filter - which is wrong. All the fluids at the ready. Still need to get distilled water. It can wait a few days. First off, I won't be ready to refill and secondly, it's still going to be quite cold for another couple of days. We do get a break though. They are guessing at highs of 50 on Monday. Woo hoo!

Let the fun begin. Before... After a bunch of part removal. Had to remove the housing that holds the p/s pump. What a pain in the ***! It seems to be the only way to get at the tensioner.

Careful, all those plastic lines a very brittle, as is the oil fill tube. Mine broke when I looked at it sideways

Stupid tensioner... Had to quit about here. Got the tensioner and pulley installed. I was pretty much beat after all the wrestling. Ended up removing the engine lid; kept hitting my head on it. Much better with it out of the way. Did put the p/s reservoir back on after this shot. Need to get a little fluid to take the place of that which was lost. Will go after the waterpump and thermostat next. Figure the engine mounts will also be a part of that fiasco.

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Hope they can't hear swear words. I dropped a 7mm socket when removing the throttle body. Then a 13mm socket and a 6mm allen when wrestling with the p/s pump. I was fishing, with a magnet, almost as often as removing bolts. Only dropped one bolt in the coolant bucket. So that was nice. I sure tried to drop a bunch of wrenches and ratchets in there...

Lol! I still have a 10mm socket hiding in there somewhere...I was rushing to wrap it up and I spent more time searching blindly for that damn thing!

Removed the thermostat and its housing. Then went after the waterpump. What a bugger. Was able to get the engine support plate out of the way enough to get the pump out. There is one bolt on the pump that is damn near impossible to remove with the plate in the way. There should have been a hole drilled in the plate to allow a socket extension to go through. The lower flaps on the plate should also be relieved slightly to allow clearance to the exhaust (or the lower studs replaced with bolts). If I ever get that plate out - it will be modified. Knew that the engine mounts would need to come out to move the plate, so that is partially completed as well. With the engine supported by the transmission jack, I needed to use a ladder to access the engine mounts.

Whats all those particulates on impeller blades?

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Good observation. I didn't have a chance to inspect things after removal. Was just happy to finally get it out. I had to cut my session short to attend our car club's year-end awards banquet. Took a good look at it today. The debris is from the paper gasket. Taking lots of photos is helping to document progress, but also gives others a chance to see things I may miss. Ended up installing the Gates pump. Had everything back together and would have started on completing the idler pulleys, alternator and belt install. I thought I'd spin the waterpump pulley to see how it felt. To my surprise, there was a spot in the rotation where I could feel resistance. There was also a little squeak. This will not do. This aggression will not stand. Fortunately I had the routine down pretty well and I got the pump out in less than an hour. Got the Behr pump in in about half an hour. Also found a combination of adapters to actually gain reasonable access to the lower right bolt (also worked at it from above). Torqued everything to spec and buttoned-up the rest. I am much more satisfied with this pump. Not sure if I will do much more today. I'm kind of beat from wrestling with everything - twice! First trial: Better pump: Back together:

OEM C4 17" 1999 wheel. Very unique. I believe it was only made for 1999

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Not particularly attractive, are they? Probably could get a few for cheap, eh? I'm not ready to give up on the 16" plan just yet. Need to spend some time looking at how severe the interference is. Then, if any safe modifications would be feasible.

Got a few tasks out of the way, yesterday. Did a very quick and dirty "scope" of some of the bores. Could only get in to see some of the cylinder walls on #2 and #5. Didn't see any holes in the pistons of any of the others. The image below shows something I think is odd. Is there erosion of material between the intake valve reliefs? Or is this just an optical delusion? Did a much more thorough job of flushing the coolant out. Thanks to the tutorial by Ahsai. Today I installed the alternator. Then I removed it so I could install the oil filler pipe. Then I installed the alternator again. While messing with the little coolant pipe near the oil pipe, I dropped the bolt behind the alternator. And of course, it was stainless steel and could not be captured with a magnet. Off came the alternator, again. Finally happy that I wouldn't have to take it off again, I proceeded to install the last idler pulley. After the P/S pump pulley went back on, I was ready for the belt. Had to consult the interwebz to get the routing right.

The correct fuel filter arrived today, as did the spark plug tube o-rings. The fuel filter is in a location that is difficult to access. I put this higher on the pain-in-the-*** scale than the waterpump.

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LMAO....psst... you haven't seen where the fuel filter is on the 99 have you

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I believe it is under the car among a bunch of coolant pipes. From what little I have seen, it's a big PITA as well. I'm just happy I won't need to replace this one for a good long time.

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Just did thermostat and pump as well. I remove cats and engine mounting bracket. Pump was very easy to remove then. Thermostat was still a pain, probably took 20min to get those top bolts out.

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Could the blue one to force the wing up? I have something similar but a black, think it's stock.

That's the "James Bond" edition with oils slick and smoke screen switches.

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What? No ejector seat?

Maybe a security set up like fuel pump cut off to prevent theft?

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I�ve driven the car while flipping the switches...can�t detect any differences. Car does have an aftermarket radio, amp, and subwoofer. I�m thinking they are somehow wired into the sound system. I rarely turn it on but should be easy enough to trace if it is. Ideally one would shut off the sub, and the other maybe the amp?? I�m not much of an audio geek, so not really motivated to find out.

The left/blue one looks like the manual spoiler switch. I used to have a switch like the red one in an old minivan that switched on a powered FM transmitter/receiver for external audio. If you don't notice any difference in the car, see if it affects the radio in any way maybe.

Maybe trace the wires back from the switch to see what they are connected to?

I have a set of those 17" C4 wheels that I could let go for cheap if you're interested. they are banged up track wheels but for rally they should be fine and they would be cheap as porsche wheels go. PM me if you're interested.

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Will do, if I decide to go that way.

Installed the o-rings on the tubes and pushed them into their holes (put the one with a bite out of it in #3 - easy to swap out). Installed six plugs and then set about installing the coils. Started with the one I figured would be the hardest to install - #4. Yep - tightening the upper bolt was a real pain. Finished the right (west?) bank. Will finish up the left bank today. Should be able to get the engine running again this weekend. Need to flush the cooling system and drain out the other fluids. Need to see about de-greasing this engine. It's filthy. Gave up on the brake clean shower idea. Don't want to breathe the fumes. Until I can open the doors on the shop, I don't need additional air pollution.

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I know of one out there.

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That is not properly located, at all. I call; fake!

Not sure if you priced them out, but I seem to recall the spark plugs tubes and o-rings being inexpensive when I replaced them last time. I'd just replace them, especially that one with the broken piece.

If you read all the bore scoring , IMS , RMS hoopla by right a 996 should never make it anywhere near 125,000 miles !!

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I did scan past them at the Pelican site. And yes - they are quite inexpensive. They all seemed to be in good shape and were not brittle (except for the obvious). I'll definitely take another look and see if I want to get six, or just one. I'm getting anxious. With the exception of the drive home - I still haven't had any chance to enjoy this car. Sure, wrenching is a bit of a hobby - but it's a necessity to get to the end. And I think we all know what that is...

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I guess I've only got another 1650 to go, then. Better get down to the hardware store and get a "for sale by owner" sign.

Put stuff back together. I made it better. I used fewer parts! Figured out the bracket and the M6 nut. Help me with the M8 nut. I was rather curious as to why the throttle body only had three bolts in it... Found that photographic evidence to refresh my memory.

No guesses on the M8 nut? I'll have to check the alternator that came out. Might be I didn't spin it back on the terminal. As for the bracket and the M6 nut, I found that the rubber mounted stud got broken off somewhere in the mix. Hopefully it's near the workbench where I messed with the tensioner (and not in with the pulleys). Found a non-connected connector to the right and rearward from the right side engine mount. Fits in the rectangular opening in the picture below. Must be for the trailer lights. I may have solved the mystery of the yellow coiled wire around the ignition switch cover. While I was wedged between the door sill, dash and seat, while replacing the ignition switch, I spotted more yellow wire that led to something behind the kick panel. Another key! I previously found a 996 part number that I did a search on, and it came up as a keyless entry key fob. The car came with an aftermarket (Viper) keyless entry device. I suspect the device transmits to the fob via the yellow wire. Seems kind of screwy, but I dare not mess with it too much until I figure out more about it. Hooked up the battery and watched the rest of LeMans. I love a happy ending - "Porsche win LeMans" . Have to wait a few more days before I will be able to flush the cooling system. Want to be able to move the car outside. Won't be warm enough for that until Thursday. Did some experimenting with the UView coolant fill device. Got it to hold about 25psi vacuum. Should work well when I go for real. Tried to pour some gas in the fuel tank. Got overflow very quickly. Maybe after a pint. What the hell is going on? Also see there is a switch near the bottom of the fuse box (just below what is shown above). Is this related to the fuel door? Need to consult the owner's manual... ...OK it claims to be the manual control for the rear spoiler. Now I need to know what the switch is that looks to control the rear spoiler (middle switch to the left of the stereo).

There was a remote spoiler switch available from Porsche. The one on the fuse box is a remote spoiler up/down switch.

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So the switch that looks to be for the spoiler (below the PMS - I mean PSM switch) probably is not for the spoiler? It looked clear that it was wired to something non-stock. You have to look closely, but there are individual wires and crimped connectors to that switch. Unlike the enclosed connectors used for the other switches. Might have to contact the seller to see what it is wired for - or experiment with it... Switch does look to depict the rear spoiler.

There is an oval dash switch for remote spoiler activation. That may be it. Here is some more info from a quick search: https://www.renntech.org/forums/topi...il-switch-mod/

Quotes source post: 15631523

Registered... I'll have to experiment. I clearly have that switch - the question left unanswered; what does it control? Would someone rewire the switch at the fuse box to have control in a more convenient location? Seems feasible.

If it is that switch, it is used to manually raise and lower the spoiler in the rear decklid. Some people like to manually raise it at a different/lower speed than the automatic speed based raising.

Quotes source post: 15631692

Yes - I understand it would not open until 75 mph is reached. Raising it at a lower speed does seem to be a nice idea. I may be making this up - but I thought there was an earlier 911 that raised the spoiler at 40 mph. Then again, I may have it wrong - in that it lowered when going below 40 mph... Seems likely I have this wrong. I vaguely recall the article: the author made a point that law enforcement (assuming they knew) would be able to tell the speed limit had been exceeded by the fact that the spoiler was raised. Makes sense that 75 mph was that speed, as well. Confirmed: the M8 nut was from the alternator.

Quotes source post: 15621348

I removed three bolts holding the hard-pipe to the engine (third bolt was on sub-frame). It was easy to move this around and gain access to the bolts on the thermostat housing. You can see the two clips are free from the engine in one of the photos that you "quoted". It's often easier to keep taking parts off to finally get at the primary goal. Then again - there's the hose clamp on the fuel filter...

Interested to see what method you use to degrease the engine. I've tried Simple Green and brake cleaner with a whole lot of scrubbing but I still cant get it as clean as I'd like. Also, would you mind sharing the write up you used to flush the cooling system? I need to tackle this. Was planning on swapping out Pump, T-stat and over flow tank but may wait until the fall to do these items.

Quotes source post: 15633274

Maybe worth it�s own thread, but what do detailers do? Isn�t there some sort of steam cleaning? I�ve used an aerosol cleaner by Gunk (?) foaming engine cleaner on other vehicles in the past, it smells like it has some sort of petroleum product in it. I�ve never tried it on a porsche.

Quotes source post: 15633274

I'll probably start off trying to hit what I can at the quarter car wash. Then when it gets warm around here, I'll mess with a pressure washer and a little hand-held unit I picked-up a couple of weeks ago. Simple Green or the Purple cleaner, mixed in solution, may aid in loosening the grime. I'll be sure to report back on what works and what doesn't. I've also got cans of spray on engine de-greaser. Not sure where they fit in the hierarchy. Regarding the flush: everything you need to know can be found in post #1 and #15 of this thread. Great information. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...pump-tips.html

No pictures to share in this post. But the mystery of the missing rubber isolation stud has been solved. I looked around on the floor for it and also went through the photos to determine when it got knocked off. The second photo in post #66 shows it in place after I put the P/S pump and housing back in. So it was there when I started messing with pulleys, the belt and the air cleaner. The second and third photo in post #74 show it missing. Looked around the pulleys and on the floor at the back of the car. Discovered it hung-up on one of the bosses where the engine support plate bolts to the engine. I think it's a $3 part. Started a cart at AutoAtlanta. Was hoping they had a clip for one of the coolant hard-pipes - but it comes as an assembly. Might have to find a non-Porsche part to stand in (assuming I get so **** about it). Oh the horror...

It was almost warm enough last Thursday to go forward with a coolant flush. Did it anyway. Pulled vacuum on the system and then fed in just under six gallons of distilled water. Figured I'd just run the engine for a couple of minutes with the windows and some of the doors open. Discovered that I damaged a fuel line while wrestling with the fuel filter. Was not a surprise. It got kinked a couple of times when moving it around while replacing the filter. The line should have been removed to allow better access and not risk damage. $85 mistake. Not that the car is going anywhere soon. The weather is not going to cooperate for about another month. Still a dumb mistake.

So I drained out the water. Got just under six gallons. Can't risk leaving it in the system until it has a proper mix. Will flush, for real, when I can run the engine again. Checked records for the last oil change. It was less than 2000 miles ago. Decided to pull the oil filter and cut it apart to see if there was anything unusual. Found nothing other than what appears to be the filter doing its job. Cleaned out the filter housing and installed a new filter. Transmission should not need lube yet either. Will drain the front diff though. No records of that being replaced. With the air box out of the way, it was easy to poke a magnet down to get the piece that broke off the isolation mount. New one should arrive with the fuel line. Someday...

Quotes source post: 15645434

Your photos are so clear/nice. When I zoom in on filter it looks like lots of particles in it? Are those air bubbles or something else.

Quotes source post: 15645558

That's very interesting. I didn't notice anything unusual when I took a look. I'd have to guess those are air bubbles. The whole idea was to look for metal particles or other foreign debris. There were small (black) smudges of what I would call sludge in the outboard pleats. I ran a magnet over the smudges and collected nothing. The inboard pleats were totally clean. My interpretation is that the filter is doing the job. There was also a nice collection of sludge in the bottom of the filter housing. Cleaned out as much as I could. Will check again at each filter change. Thank you for your observations and questions. As I mentioned before, having more eyes on these things can only be a good thing.

Quotes source post: 15646399

Hopefully it doesn�t look like this

Quotes source post: 15646405

Yeah - that's ugly. Mine was nothing like that. I assume those are aluminum particles? Mine had just a little layer of the same black sludge I found in the outboard pleats. Washed in my parts cleaner (mineral spirits) and then wiped about three times with paper towels. The sludge came out brown on the white paper towels. I doubt the housing had ever been washed out. Is there a pressure relief valve built-in to the filter housing?

Mostly con rod bearing material from #5 piston. The rest of it was in the sump. you should open up the filter and inspect like this. Note the steel bits on the magnet.

Quotes source post: 15646678

Ouch. Did that happen to you? Or are you fixing someone else's nightmare? Yes - that is exactly what I did. I'll fish it out of the trash and snap a few shots. I was happy with what I observed, so felt it could get tossed. Need to back up and document it...

I bought the car as a roller in that condition. I’m not interested in perfect garage queens, I’m into bringing basket cases back to life. Much more rewarding, plus I grin from ear to ear every time I drive it knowing I did it myself.

Quotes source post: 15646753

I read on here someone keeping their filters for service history sake (I think). I started doing it , dated and documented. I also, Against the grain, kept my ims bearing instead of sending in to LN. It all stays with this ticking time bomb .😎

Here�s a pic of the sump as removed. You may consider dropping the sump to further investigate that sludge.

Quotes source posts: 15646767, 15646777, 15646815

I am very much the same. No garage queens and many basket cases. I keep too much stuff already. I don't need to start collecting used filters. Oh yeah - that's a mess. I plan to drop the sump when I do an oil change. I'll give it to the point when the odo hits 125,000. Have another 1650, or so, to go. I thought I'd take a peak at the filter in the meantime. Had I seen anything alarming, I'd be pulling more stuff apart.

Pre-filter: Post-filter:

Those look great!

Quotes source post: 15647675

Like normal.

Alright - so I was messing around, a week of more ago, and pulled things out of the boot. Found a lovely forged spare wheel. Love the color... I do have a tool roll with a bunch of goodies in it. What I didn't find, and according to the owner's manual, there should be a jack, a compressor and a "pressure tester" (I assume this is a tire gauge). I can scrounge around for a compressor and a tire gauge. What I want to be careful of, is the jack. Oh, and the jack handle. I really doubt these items are in the car. Any recommendations on P/Ns and sourcing? I could use 944 tools, if I believed they would be right. I'm not ready to believe this. I guess I should photograph and inventory what's in the tool roll. A few things I can confirm; off the top of my head: wheel mounting peg, tow hook, screwdriver, crappy pliers, wrench (10/13), allen tool for the hardtop, and a couple of other items.

I think I have a jack lying around - got it with the foam insert thingy that doesn't fit in the C4... Let me know if you're interested...

Quotes source post: 15649736

Might be interested, The foam insert? It's not the same as that which goes in the spare wheel? I did find part numbers and a jack for about $80. (oops, missed the part about "out of stock") Based on some of the images, this jack doesn't look much different than one from a 944. Will mess around with that first. I should have more than one that isn't "being used".

parts are ever so slightly different for a C4 vs a C2. I got a spare wheel with tools and all but it does not fit in my C4! So if anyone with a C2 needs a spare and tools...

Quotes source post: 15649881

I'm curious about the no-fit. Does the foam sit too high, or is it due to the spare wheel being shoved back so far in the C4 that the "length" of the foam is too large? I'd have no issues modifying the foam piece to make it fit - assuming it is feasible. I see there was no specific mention of the foam. Disregard if that's my misinterpretation...must have had dporto's comment in mind...

Quotes source post: 15649718

There isn't really much in the stock kit. See parts diagram below

Quotes source post: 15650711

Thanks for reminding me to hunt down the PET. I've been using my 944 documents for years. Finding the right part number for anything and everything is such a great tool when it comes to working on theses cars. I have the shop manuals for the various iterations of 944, is there a good source for the 996 manual? I have what I'd call a cheap knock-off of one on CD. I'll post an example page in the next post to see if anyone can provide a comparison against the real thing. For now, here's the tool kit. I am mistaken about the pliers. Those were in a different kit.

I think I've answered my own question. The manual I have appears to follow the same format as the other manuals I have seen. Sample:

Have been having trouble getting a new fuel line. Figured I would order one and then when it arrives, I could go forward with the coolant flush. Had, all along, figured I could have a replacement made. Did just that, today. Should be fine, but I still have a new part on order. Got to re-fill the coolant system and run the car for about 20 minutes. Will run it again for a while tomorrow, and then flush it.

I may have figured out why the parking lights didn't work for me. I didn't know how to operate the switch.

Closure to a good couple of hours worth of work. A running engine and a fuel line with no drips, runs or errors.

Completed the flush and reintroduction of coolant. All went well. Ran the engine for a while to bring things up to temp. Even put 0.2 miles on it without leaving the garage.

Congrats!

After the car had gotten up to temperature, I allowed it to run for a while. Then I heard the same "noisy bearing" sound I had heard when I first looked at the car. Hoping it would be corrected with the pulleys, waterpump and alternator, I was obviously disappointed to note its return. I raised the car high on the lift so I could try to isolate the location of the noise. Even took a couple of videos with my phone. How - 21st century... It was clearly coming from the area of the IMS. Center of the engine, near the flywheel. May possibly be a little offset toward the second bank (passenger's side). Got real scared and started thinking the worst. I'm better now. Did a lot of reading and will walk slowly through a methodical course. The fact that the filter was so clean gives me some comfort. There is also the LNe retrofit barcode sticker and receipt that provide a fair amount of confidence the bearing is still sound. I've got some theories to work through and a lot more testing and analysis. Did a few little things today. Ran the engine for a little while. No strange sounds. Also didn't let it run long enough to get up in temps. Had I heard anything unusual, I was prepared to drain the oil and drop the sump. Still will at the first hint of it again. Decided to get extra ambitious and remove a bolt. Took out the bolt that holds the left taillight. Rerouted the engine cover release to an accessible spot. Discovered I don't have OE taillights. Wouldn't know exactly what to look for. The lights seemed fine and from what I could tell, all the lights worked. But, only by reflection. My suspicions were peaked when I thought I saw a couple of cracks in the lens. Upon a closer look, they were flies. The little wispy ones that emerge on that special day, or two, in the middle of summer. Yeah - those flies. edit: one of those flies is visible at the far left of the photo immediately above. That's what got me wondering. The "Made in Taiwan" tag was also a pretty good clue. But how did the flies get in? Oh - look, one of the plugs (rear fog?) isn't installed. I blew out the debris and capped off the open holes. These look to have LEDs in running and reverse lights. Then I moved to the front to check the side markers. Both bulbs are blown. Hope they're not too expensive... Last task for the day was reinstalling the engine cover and finding out which switch controlled the spoiler. It's the right one.

Do those ABS and airbag warning lights concern you at all? Warning lights of any kind bug the crap out of me and I would need to get them off. Ironically, I’m less concerned with the actual functionality of those two systems in particular.

Quotes source post: 15662019

Not yet. I will research them later on. Got any leads on where to start that search? By the way Coop, do you have a thread that covers your adventure? I'd like to learn more about your car and what you did to bring it back to life.

Scott- here it is: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...errerid=188196

Quotes source post: 15662576

Great work! Thanks for the link. Your experience and choices will be a guide for me should I encounter issues worse than what I am hoping for. In a former life, I worked for a company that had facilities in NC. One of them was in Asheville. Took more than a few business trips there. Recall beating on rental cars on the BRP and some of the unpaved ancillary roads. Always flew into Greenville/ Spartanburg. Don't recall the road - but it was always fun - even in a rental. Went through Bat Cave and past Chimney Rock. Recall taking a co-worker up Chimney Rock (shortly after they stopped running the hill climb event). He was a little white and needed to get out for a few minutes, after that. The exhaust on that car was clicking like mad. Probably did it some good... Here's little segment that never failed to put a smile on my face. Between Bat Cave and Asheville....

Ok confession time. Actually we know each other and worked together at one point. I recognized you from your list of cars. I�ll let you guess who I am for a while. If you think you know, PM me. hint: I�m not that guy you rode with up chimney rock. I believe we called him �the great spherical one�!

Quotes source post: 15662831

Wow! I thought there was something 'fishy' about you when you questioned my purchase of a cab. Did you work in Auburn Hills? You must have. I don't think I got to know many of the guys in Asheville, Hendersonville? or Morganton. Were you in foundation brakes, by chance? You've got a lot more (car) skills than what I would have judged most of the guys I worked with. It's going to be palm slap when I figure it out (or you let on). Any more clues you can share?

Yes, worked in A.H. We both worked for a guy with initials B.S.

Quotes source post: 15662892

I'm going with C.G. How the hell are you?

Getting close. I’m one of the two you mentioned. Last clue, should be a no brainer. We both got totally inebriated and subsequently thrown out of a bar in Morgantown. Next morning had to drive back to Asheville with killer hangovers to catch a plane back to DTW.

Quotes source post: 15662948

Could have been the beer - but I thought you were Charlie.

������small world, ain’t it?

Quotes source post: 15663026

Yeah - but I sure as hell wouldn't want to paint it. What got you into a Porsche? Maybe you remember my first one - Herbie? Not sure I drove it much when I was still working there. Maybe not at all. It needed a lot of work to become drive-able. Had to do a little memory download - it was Mary McVeigh's car. Probably part of a divorce settlement....

I don’t remember Mary’s Porsche. Anyway, you may remember I had a ‘67 Mini project car. I. Sold that many years ago and didn’t have Anything interesting for a while. Then my sons started driving and my free time was spent fixing their wrecks. About 8 years ago we moved to Asheville, kids grew up and started their adult lives and I slowly started thinking about projects again. I decided British cars didn’t have the performance I was looking for, and I always wanted a Porsche. It turns out there are four in my neighborhood and it made me crazy hearing the flat six accelerating uphill past my house. That settled it, and after research I became aware of the issues with these engines and decided it would be a prefect project. I found the roller in South Carolina, was a southern car all it’s life, no rust concerns, etc. but was neglected by its prior owners and finally it bit the last one in the butt. He had no mechanical skills and in his words “was tired of throwing money at it”, basically just wanted it out of his life. Perfect for me. My car has many desirable options; manual trans, sport seats, LSD, sport suspension, PSE, two sets of wheels, including a set of hollow turbo twists. Even though I’ll never race it, an occasional DE or track day is not out of the question. Mainly for me it’s just a fun road car.

Very cool. I do remember the Mini. When you moved to Asheville, were you still working for the same company? If so, are you still there? I could also see choosing that area to retire. May have been part of your plan, anyway.

Yes, I took a transfer to Asheville, a calculated pre-retirement move, paid for by the company. Now: job...I don’t need no stinkin’ Job! Retired 13 months ago.

Quotes source post: 15663228

Nice. I'm about 17 months away from it myself. Almost to the day. You probably can't tell I'm keeping track...

OK - enough of the re-acquaintance sideshow. Actually quite cool on its own. I don't think I did much yesterday. Did order a magnetic drain plug. Want to have that available when I do drain the oil. Today I set out to work my way toward removing the front bumper cover. Want to clean out all the leaves and debris around the radiators. Also want to test the right side fan. I know the driver's side works. Figured I'd start removing everything I can from the cowl and boot area. The more I see of this car, the dirtier it looks. The area under the taillights were a prime example. Let's not get started on the engine. I sure hope it's clean on the inside. Removed the panels near the cowl. One of the M5? nuts (r/s) may need to be replaced or, at the very least, re-tapped. The battery tray is a mess. It needs a good cleaning and a coat of paint. The threads for the clamp (missing) bolt holes should get chased. I'll need a clamp, the battery was just placed on the tray and wasn't even captured by the beads. Not a big deal - but I want the battery properly mounted. Noticed a couple of open connectors up closer to the base of the windshield. Then I uncovered their mates (left side hanging on battery tray). Figure they must be the headlight washers. Also found an unplugged hole in the firewall (top, just right of center). Haven't located a part in my diagrams yet. Should be able to come up with a generic plug. I did find a plug that I can't place. It's also on the battery tray in this photo, but was found between the battery and the firewall. Here's a view of the mystery plug and its part number. After removing the battery tray, I set out after the drains. I've seen where these are known to clog and promote swamp conditions. Mine were well on their way. I vacuumed in the cowl area and then pulled two out without working too hard with the vacuum. Bet you can't tell which ones. Need to get in with hot water and wet rags. Need to go through this entire car to clean and check just about everything. Needs a cabin filter. Not as bad as some I have seen here. Finding a lot of little covers and plugs missing. Will have to judge their true value. I'm seeing a lot of red under the blue. I assume this is a primer coat. Blue seems to be the original color. Might have been partially, or fully resprayed, but not over a red car. Haven't found the tags for paint and options yet. Might want to investigate that, at some point.

The plug on the battery tray is supposed to be behind the side carpets covering the hole for the headlight removal tool to be inserted.

Quotes source post: 15667027

I'll have to check that. I figure the headlights need to come out anyway. Maybe I'll find the hole for the plug. Don't recall seeing an opening that would match it, in that carpeting. It's going to come out too. Thanks for the lead. Ah - the photo helps. I haven't pulled that carpeting out yet.

Quotes source post: 15667039

Yeah, I typed on, but I meant behind. Check my picture above, in my previous post.

Here’s a video showing the plug and headlight removal You Tube

I went through the same issues when pulling the batterg tray. ended up buying a replacement tray (ebay) and new hardware (dealer) front bumper removal and radiator cleaning is easy. I had to order new hardware for bumper but my local dealer is very helpful. Helps that parts guys are all regulars at our local Cars and Coffee and have older porsches of their own... they understand the struggle lol

Now I'm no expert, and I normally don't use the underhood VIN when recording VINs when I work on other people's 911s and Boxsters, but I think your car has definitely been painted. On my 2002 the metal the VIN is stamped into is painted the same color as the rest of the car. I think it is covered by a clear label, so that might be why your VIN plate area was not painted with the rest of the car. Man someone went to a lot of trouble to completely change the color of your car though. From seeing factory assembly videos it appears that the entire body (except for perhaps doors hood and fenders are painted at one time in the same color.

Quotes source post: 15667061

Great stuff. I love two-minute tutorials. He does a good job of explaining the tabs, alignment and the crank lever. Those shorts were a little distracting though...

Quotes source post: 15667079

That's interesting. When I first noticed the red, it was under the driver's seat. Unless the car was fully stripped, that's not a place that could get painted. You may be right, but the records I have from registration by previous owners, list the car's color as blue. Will be interesting to see if the tags are still on the car or if they were removed. Such as prior to a respray. I'm not sure if I would prefer it in red. I do like red cars, though.

It's amazing what get trapped in those drains. Mine had a very fine dust/mud after a hard rain backed it all up.

Is the paint color decal still on the driver side �frame� rail in the frunk under the carpet? That would be a good data point.

Quotes source post: 15667937

Will get the carpet out by tomorrow, at the latest. May not have time to mess with anything tonight.

Just so you know, you don�t need to remove the carpet, just peel it back (as if you were going to remove the headlight). It�s one of the things I always check when I am serious about a 996.

Quotes source post: 15668009

Based on the "cleanliness" I have observed with this car - I think removing as much as I can will have little downside.

Quotes source post: 15667079

Quoting you again! I took a closer look at my "history" document. It seems there is a good chance the car was painted by the second or third owner. At about 30,000 miles: Title issued or updated New owner reported Vehicle color noted as dark blue Could easily be interpreted that this is a change. Will be interesting what the tag reads.

I don't know about other state, but Texas now states what the color is, whether it has changed or not.

Got some parts today. Mostly little things. Plug gaskets, a mount, some plastic trim fasteners, and a spark plug tube. The big item is the magnetic oil plug. Will go in next time the oil comes out. Accomplished the task of getting the bumper cover off and cleaning out the radiators. Popped the headlights out first. Thanks for the video, Charlie. Did not find a tag in the boot that would identify paint code. I think there is enough evidence to suspect the car was red before. Not sure how I feel about this. Maybe a little less - hey, look at me, here I am, hey here I am.... oh, officer, honestly, I wasn't speeding....

Found some minor imperfections in the floor of the boot. I've been looking for accident telltales. This car does not have an unblemished record. Part of the reason I was able to afford it... A few little distortions in the (boot) floor, some slight misalignment issues with the front fascia and various underbody trim pieces are some of the things I've uncovered so far. There is a little fiberglass patch job in the right side headlight mount. Based on its size. I would say it was just to address a minor crack. The ducts are cracked in the rearward most corners; more so on the right. So a low speed impact at the front, possibly offset to the passenger's side, is in Speedy's past. I'll patch, repair or replace as I go. The focus is on inspection and cleaning right now. Leaves poking out of the crack in the duct. The right side radiator looks newer than the left. I would guess both A/C condensers have been replaced, as neither looks more aged than the other.

Some cars have the paint code on the inside of the gas filler door. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...l#&gid=1&pid=1

Quotes source post: 15671897

Write Me Up red 😎 In addition to your magnetic drain plug, you might consider a spin on filter adaptor for its �zero bypass� feature. I�m convinced it was instrumental in keeping my IMS failure from taking out the whole engine.

Quotes source post: 15672030

Nope. If there was a label there, it was removed or painted over.

Try this link Scott, just enter your VIN https://vinanalytics.com

If it was repainted they did a thorough job

Quotes source post: 15672039

That's a strong testimonial. Glad you survived. I would have ordered the adapter at the same time as the magnetic plug if it had a port to allow an oil pressure line to connect. Ultimately I figure on installing the Solution. In the interim, I plan to do everything I can to pre-qualify this engine. So far I have checked codes and the oil filter. I just ordered a replacement oil filter housing. From what I have read, the pressure relief spring may degrade with age and use/abuse. When I let the oil out, I'll drop the sump, cut the filter element open and inspect everything I can. I did order the 'scope' that Mr. Raby recommended (need to get a 12 year-old over here to help me with it). Following that inspection, I will determine a path. Either there are issues that need immediate attention, or I will follow a more long-term preventative strategy. That being the magnetic plug, frequent oil changes, continuous scrutiny and, at some point, the installation of the Solution. Cleaning out the radiators shouldn't hurt my plan...

Quotes source post: 15672131

Remarkable isn't it? Just how much crap can be collected.

Quotes source post: 15672092

I think so. If you look at the photo above with the headlight - look below and around the brake booster and master cylinder. They must have masked that off, but there are still areas that show traces of red. I wonder how much of the interior was removed? May not know for sure (I hope) for some time. Found a good reason for disabling the headlight washer circuits...

Quotes source post: 15672081

Build sheet not available.

Installed the carbonated cabin filter yesterday. Did a little cleaning and tidying today. All the fabric tape that held various harness segments had essentially turned to tatters. Used baby zip ties to take the place of the tape. Wiped most everything I could reach, with a towel soaked in warm soapy water. Alternated vacuum and compressed air for good measure. A lot of red in the cowl area. Found the headlight buckets make great end tables.

After shot from cleaned out radiators and condensers. Patched up the cracks in the front ducts. Driver's side has foil tape on both sides. Should provide adequate structure to work as intended. Passenger's side after it was treated and installed.

For future reference, you can up those ducts cheap on eBay. I had to replace one on my 2000 - I think I paid $45 with free shipping.

Quotes source post: 15676038

Good to know. I figured there would be guys swapping out the front fascia for a more aggressive style. They'd be offing the ducts as well. Figured $50 each would be fair, if the need did present itself. Good to know my guess wasn't far off. Fascia back on. Need to test out my waterless wash product soon. Only the suspension and under-car is more embarrassingly dirty than the body.

Cleaned and reassembled most of the frunk components. Need to get some plugs and light bulbs. Found most of what I need from Pelican. Will source a few items elsewhere. Will test the driver's side highbeam. Seems to be the only one not functioning. Cleaned and painted the battery tray. Needs to dry. Sub-freezing temps will probably slow this process.

I did my battery tray in December. For some odd reason it did not want to be painted. I guess because it was 59 degrees in the garage. Paint would not stick. So I found a local metal shop that does metal refinishing and had an oven to bake it in. So sand blasting it to remove all the crap paint I got on it and to remove some minor corrosion, then baked on coal black automotive paint. Perfect job and only $30. They even managed to preserve the foam piece on the bottom and did not get any paint on it.

Battery tray installed with new SS nuts and washers

Beautiful. I figure once the battery is installed, I'll quickly forget how un-beautiful mine is.

I know...it's just a battery tray. I was amazed at how well it turned out. It really looked like total crap after 3 coats of spray can paint in a cold garage. I was ready to order a new one for $178 but balked at the cost (hard to convince the wife). I figured nothing to lose at giving the metal shop a go at it. It went from a disaster to really a work of art. Worthy of the car actually. Now contemplating removing my beat up wiper arms and having them do the same.

Quotes source post: 15679864

Agree, but it really does look like new. Now that I have a proper shop, it's probably time to get a sand blasting cabinet. Maybe I'll start looking on Craigslist. I did clean my tray with wire wheels and Scotchbrite pads. Then I sprayed it with carb-clean and blasted dry with compressed air. I checked it when I got home today. It was totally dry. I left it propped up, at a distance from the blast of one of the kerosene heaters yesterday. Must have turned the trick. Still need to plug the hole in the firewall. Could go with a temporary plug while I wait on the proper plug to arrive from Pelican (which hasn't even been ordered yet). Do have the battery clamp coming soon. Maybe Wednesday. Wanted to get a look at the headlights today to see if any bulbs need replacement. Found, what I believe to be, the parking lights (Pelican calls them "position" lights), are no good. Might partially explain no front lighting when in the first setting when I drove it home. There is something I am not clear on yet; when the switch is pulled out and then turned, I do get lights. Maybe that's for the "flood" (fog?) lights? Might need to consult the owner's manual... Used a lawn tractor battery to inject twelve volts into the connector per a nice diagram I found on the Renntech site. Everything but the park lights seemed to work. The bulb that I believe goes to that circuit is shown on the print-out. It has failed, and its partner was MIA. I do suspect a possible wiring or switch issue, since the driver's side highbeam did work on the bench. It seemed to be non-functional in the car. Maybe I'll get lucky by cleaning and greasing the connectors. Found a large crack and gap at the lower front of the driver's side headlight assembly. The lowest bulb and socket (turn signal) had a good bit of corrosion. Scraped the contacts and then followed up with the same thing I've been doing to every electrical connector I've found so far. That being: spray with contact cleaner, blow dry and then lube it with dielectric grease. Used foil tape to reduce the risk of further water intrusion. We'll see...

Decided that I will not wait for the firewall plug to arrive. It's probably a week out. The weather is also looking favorable in the next week or so. This car needs to be ready for the first hint of spring. Temporarily covered the hole with the same foil tape I've been using for other patch jobs. Then installed the battery. Got a nice little package of parts delivered, too. The battery mounting bracket was one of the goodies. Tested the various tail lights to see what's what. Would be interesting to see how my special lights compare against the original ones. Got two side marker bulbs. Took care of the isolation mount for the throttle body. Was kind of sitting on this until the battery installation.

Inspired by something I saw Bruce do on his car - routed the battery maintainer harness to an easy access location near the passenger's side wiper. It will be hidden under the cap normally. When I want to put it on the charger, I just have to pop the cap, pull the connector out, and plug it in. Need to buy a terminal lug so I can connect to the positive terminal on the battery. Did a little jumper for the ground (white wire in a photo in the previous post). The positive terminal will need protection - for obvious reasons.

Great pictures by the way. What camera are you using? My pictures usually turn out less than desired.

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Thank you. My current camera is a Nikon D3100. It's a fairly basic digital SLR. I'm getting a little better at using it. Started in the mid-80s with a Pentax K-1000. Learned a little about how to shoot. Now I need to relearn on a camera that is a lot smarter than I am. Lighting and focus are probably the two most important things to be sure of. One of the great things with digital is, you can take a million pictures and, you don't have to pay for film or processing. So here's a pic from today. From what I understand, the Litronic lights use a motor to change the angle of projection when the highbeam is activated. I will need to test this again - but the driver's side didn't change in the same way as the navigator's side when I checked initially. Might need to mess with something in here...

Wasted two hours yesterday, waiting for my number to come up at the Secretary of State (most call it DMV) so I could transfer the title and get a plate. Looked as though it would have been an additional hour, but I had to leave for another appointment. What a fuster cluck. Fortunately I only have to visit this dysfunctional excuse for a government "service" but once every four to five years. Went online and made an appointment for next Friday at one not too far away. The near ones were booked clear into late March and early April. Wanted to be ready to drive the car early this coming week. Looks as though it won't be (legal) until next Friday. I do believe the seller put a temporary tag on it about the day I took possession. 45 days should be enough to buy me a few days. Not sure how 'officer Friendly' would view this possible technicality. Might just put my pirate hat on, and set sail. There's really nothing holding this up, other than waiting for the roads to be washed of all the salt. I could put the lights back in and put the hardtop on. That's pretty much all that needs to happen mechanically. I did install a new oil filter canister, today. Wanted to swap out the plug tube with the chip out of it, but the old one is not coming out. Pretty clear the old seals were well worn, as they came out quite easily. The effort and risk numbers are too high to get too involved with this right now. With so little left to do until the next shipment of parts arrive, it was time to do a little more clean up. Did a little spit-shine... Left side of this view shows the before. This car is no concours contender. There are lots of blemishes, a few scratches and rashes. Maybe one day it will get a proper buffing and polishing ..... but I doubt it.

Not so bad...

Didn't do much today. Cleaned the windshield and the door glass. The hardtop should be next. I'll probably mess with the convertible top a bit, before putting the hardtop back on.

Is that gap in the cluster pad normal? Never noticed on mine, think I'll have a look. Yup, mine's the same.

Got the latest shipment of parts yesterday. Covers just about everything that I need (that I know of). Parking lights work. Luggage compartment light and trim plugs installed. Will wait to install the big plug for the firewall. Don't see a good reason to tear into that just now...

Put the hardtop on. Never messed with the convertible top. Would do that with the engine running. Can't open the side doors yet. It's supposed to hit 60F on Thursday. Hope it will melt enough of the snow and ice so I can get at least one of the sliders open. Should have cleaned the inside of the rear window before installing the top. It's going to be a real pain now... Haven't built a carrier for the hardtop yet. Had it placed on a blanket on the hood of Nico (944). Had plans of driving Nico to work today. Found the reservoir was low on fluid for brakes and clutch. Need a master cylinder. It never ends... Looks like Speedy will be on the road sooner than Nico.

Looking good!!! Dont think for a second that your last parts shipment will cover all the loose ends... ask me how I know

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Oh, I know. There will continue to be new discoveries. From all my poking and prodding, I think suspension, brakes and steering should all be good for a while. Time will tell what I don't know about yet.

Had a mini-Christmas yesterday. Got a toy car, electrical connectors and terminal lugs. Finished wiring up the battery maintainer. Used a lug bolted to the battery tray to complete the circuit. Installed the firewall plug while the battery was out. Also discovered a missing bolt from the frunk striker. Found a very special M6 bolt from my collection that might stand-in as a replacement. Messed with the bump rubbers so the boot-lid won't rattle. Seems the misaligned striker helped keep things tighter. Toy car will need a paint job. Terminal lug mounted to battery tray. Completes the positive circuit for the battery maintainer. The big present was a set of exhaust tips from Secret Santa (some know him as Ratchet1025 , here). Pics to follow. Oh - took care of transferring the title and getting a plate. Speedy is legal for use! It's raining, and has been raining (if not storming) for the last two days. Looking at next week for some actual driving. We live on a dirt road and our driveway is also unpaved, and very swampy. Hope things dry out soon.

Nice exhaust tips. Will install when I get the replacement clamps from Auto Atlanta. Started hacking the old clamps out with a sawz-all. Naturally the nuts were not going to come off. Will wait to complete the cuts when the new parts arrive. So while the car was on the lift, I installed the two undertray panels. Used the new clips for the front section. Will maneuver cars around in the garage today. Speedy will move up to spot #1. Walter goes to #2 and Nico goes to the lift. Figure to start driving Speedy on Tuesday. We've finally turned the corner on the weather....

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Reminds me of how much I don�t miss the Michigan winters.

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Yeah - the salt is the worst part. I am starting to enjoy winters less and less, of late. I really love driving in winter conditions. It's even rewarding when not in competition. The last few snow storms we've had - I had the left lane all to myself most of the way to work. You never know what the other idiot is going to do. But this idiot is prepared for winter driving. Current winter ride is shown here in spot #2. Speedy has been allowed to occupy spot #1. Still planning on Tuesday for the maiden voyage. Found a 944 jack and jack handle. Odd, it's as if Porsche has decided all jacks and jack points should match. Trimmed some Kaizen foam to fit inside the spare wheel to fit the tool kit and compressor. Jammed the rest of the junk in around the tire.

Drove Speedy to work today. Heard the "singing" IMS again. Will need to drop the sump plate soon and have a look around. No matter what it is, it can't be good. Some other minor things observed: a) left turn signal doesn't work. Indicator in the gauge is dimly lit at all times. I'm fairly certain all of the bulbs are good. b) the air bag warning light is on. c) a warning light came on for an instant a couple of times when coming off throttle and stopping. Might be the oil light. d) the stereo also did an instantaneous drop that seemed to coincide with the above (c). e) passenger side window will drop and rise incrementally when I mess with the driver's seat fore/aft switch. f) noticed the engine felt a little "lumpy" while stopped and idling at a light. The IMS noise is a big concern. I'm worried the bearing or the chains/ guides are worn. Any thoughts/ insight from the enlightened, here? Any possible connection between the IMS noise and c, d and f?

Beg, borrow, or steal a durametric. Ok, maybe don’t steal one, buy it instead as a last resort. It will let you look at cam deviations, any pending codes and allow you to reset the airbag light. Once the airbag light illuminates it stays on even if the fault is fixed, it must be reset with the durametric or PIWIS. At 125k all tensioner pads are likely worn out, could result in the cam deviations. Mine were severely pitted and grooved after only 60k. Not sure what a singing IMS sounds like, maybe “Deutschland Uber Alles”??

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It gets worse. A co-worker mentioned he was behind a blue Porsche on the way in today. It left a big cloud of smoke! I told him, that was me. Just got back from starting the car. It is smoking badly. Maybe it's 'just' the AOS. Doubt that would account for the sound though. Coolant level is also a little below the min mark. Might be due to an air pocket, or it might be something worse. Can't say anything about the chain tensioners other than, supposedly from 2001 onward, they were redesigned. Need to get the car home and start digging deeper. The Durametric may not be the highest priority right now.

Sorry to hear this and I hope it's not serious. I wouldn't start it again until you rule some issues out first. When you say singing, what does that sound like?

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I'll drive it on the trailer and take it home. The best way to describe it would be like a bearing that is not getting lubricated. Sump cover will be removed right after getting it back on the lift.

Bummer, maybe worse than I thought. Smart move to trailer it back to HQ.

I wish my 2002 cab would have lasted to 125,000 miles... I'd sure look at changing out the cam chain and tensioners. Mine failed at 72,000 miles and the engine grenaded at just 2500 rpm under no load. Sold it as a roller for $5K. Bill

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I've got some work ahead. Hope it's not too late.

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My roller ($4K) also an 02 lost one of it's chains at 124K miles before I got it.

Hopefully dropping the sump will provide more information. I keep going back to your filter photo. I know you said you ran a magnet over it and thought maybe these were air bubbles. These images look more irregular in shape than a symmetrical air bubble? Maybe they are tensioner pad material?

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You've seen the photos of the filter material after I cut it open, correct? If those were not bubbles, where did they go? Brought the trailer to work with me today. Will haul "Smokey" home later. Need to replace the master cylinder in Nico, then I can get Speedy on the lift again. Ordered up a manometer, Loctite 3900 and an oil filler cap. Won't be running the engine enough to perform a crankcase vacuum test, so the tools will be saved for later. Studying how to drop the engine. Chances are good that will need to happen, even if the sump is clean.

I've been investigating more deeply the AOS and its replacement. Came across a few threads here where it was suggested that it could be modified and never again cause a problem. Haven't found enough detail as to exactly how to do this. Do any of you guys have such detail? Would make a good subject for a technical thread. Didn't come across it specifically in the 101 Projects book, but Wayne has an article at the Pelican site. Found this very interesting: This has me questioning whether the sound I have been hearing is actually the AOS and not an IMS related noise. Is there anyone here that has experienced this? I may need to start a separate thread to get more eyes on it. I did encounter oil in the intake when I had the front plenum off, and the plugs were oily/sooty. Both consistent with the above issue. Will check plugs shortly after getting the car on the lift. Should provide a better picture of how bad things are. If the oil and sump look good, I may just do the AOS and some other basic - while the engine is out - things. Which leads to... Further questions: Can the chain guides be replaced without removing the heads? My guess is that it may be possible for the IMS to cam chains but can't tell about the crank to IMS chain. The only ones I am certain of are the pads on the cam to cam chains (5-chain engine). What about the chains themselves? Are they known to be problematic. It looks as though only the cam to cam chains are serviceable without tearing completely into the engine.

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Yes I have seen the AOS cause the RMS to make noise. The car had came from an Indy who had misdiagnosed it as a failing T/O bearing, then replaced clutch, flywheel, and T/O bearing, noise came back, was brought to the Porsche dealer where I found the AOS was the culprit..

This may help regarding the AOS modification https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ification.html

The IMS chain guides cannot be replaced without complete disassembly. The cam chain guides can be replaced without complete disassembly. The IMS to cam chains can be found in a master link type, but I would recommend measuring the chains to see if they are less than 1% wear first. If less than 1% percent I would not run the added risk of using the masterlink type chains. There are special tools to measure chain wear.

I just did the pads on mine. You can see the pad bits I found in my filter and pan along with pics of the pads, AOS location, and replacement process here: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ero-cab-2.html I have more if you're interested in anything specific. As others have mentioned, get some durametric time and you'll be able to verify a lot of things. Wish I had got mine sooner.

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That is a little encouraging. The noise only occurred at high vacuum (off throttle/ idle). If I applied throttle the sound would go away. I may investigate doing the AOS without removing the engine. Maybe dropping it lower at the rear (removing the engine mounts) a little might help. Then again, that may have the opposite effect. Will have to see what I think after I get a good look and consider options. Regardless - the valve seats have been well lubricated... That is the thread I found to be the most interesting. I bookmarked it at work today. Need to breakdown the information the Dutch guy was describing. A catch-can might be simple and effective. I'll need to educate myself on this. Or... take the 'easy' way out and buy a new AOS and install it. Might be good enough to outlast the useful life of the car. Good information. I'll dig into this. I have seen the masterlink style chain in my searches. Definitely makes sense to verify the need before going that route. I am a little worried about the IMS chain guide. The black 'sludge' I found in the oil filter may be pad material from a guide such as that. Could explain the noise as well, but certainly not the oil smoke. That's a lot of debris. I'll make no predictions on what I will find in mine. I will definitely let you know if I have questions. Great to have so many good people that are willing to help out and provide their experiences. Looked at pricing for a Durametric. Less than $300 seems like a good investment. Safely home... ...and, of course, it's rainy and crappy out. Should be able to get it back on the lift by the weekend.

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Scott, you can disconnect the AOS from the TB plenum and plug the vacuum side to test and see if it is also your source of noise and smoke. ( which I think it could very well be) Then decide to replace or do the mod above in Coopduc's post. My AOS has been bad for a year and a half (Tip, so it's a b^&ch) and have been running a catch can mod.. Just have to empty the water out of it about every 4 months or so, holds .3 liter moisture.

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Tech - that's a good plan. I'll definitely do that first. Need to check diagrams - but maybe you can tell me if you are referring to one of the circled items in the photo below? I assume you are referring to the red one. I'd be very interested to see how you modified your system. Do you have any photos or diagrams that you can point me to?

Yes, I too would like to know more about the catch can.

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Yes the red circled area is the AOS to plenum connection. I used a 5/8 expandable rubber/metal plug to cap off the TB plenum. Then just cut the plastic AOS hose near the insulation tape and fitted a hose from Lowes intended for use on dishwashers to it and ran to the catch can. The catch can is set up to vent to atmosphere ( although it can be set-up to work in-line ect) and additional fittings/caps/ filter are included. I do not consider this an advancement in technology, but rather a retrofit to an older tech that is less problematic and safer. Also it will not pass emission inspection. Excuse my dirty air filter, it is due for its "spring cleaning"

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Great information and good ideas. I'll try a quick temporary fix and see if it clears up the smoking. If it does, I'll look into a more robust set-up. We'll have to see if that was the source of the noise. That was my biggest concern prior to the smoke-out. Would be great if they are a result of the same issue. Funny you mention the dirty air filter. I just replaced the master cylinder on our 86 944. Popped the lid off the air cleaner - it's got a K&N filter - and it's filthy. We might have brakes now. And maybe clutch too. But the damn alternator isn't charging. I just replaced it last fall. Now I guess I need to check wiring and fuses. Good thing I enjoy punishment...

That is a very interesting setup Porschetech. I read in another thread somewhere where these catch bottle setups cause some sort of minor mixture issues due to the variance in vacuum? No problem with your setup? Also what did you use for the actual catch can? I know everyone says just replace the AOS, but I seem to read so many cases of brand new, out of the box AOS that fail within days or week, that I am leery of replacing something that is working (in my case reasonably well, or at least tests out with slack tube manometer), for fear of having an actual failure. I kind of like the idea of a "backup" catch can affair.

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My AOS failed a year and a half ago at "Little Talladega" Road Course (TGPR). Our local club had rented it for a track day and at the noon session my AOS failed, big cloud of smoke on start up. Yes, I tested with a manometer to confirm it had failed. My buddies scoured the pits for items for a quick fix. Came up with a suitable vacuum plug for the TB plenum and some hose and an empty Mobil 1 liter bottle, fashioned a quick temporary fix and finished out the track day. Then I went back and made a permanent catch-can fix, with the expandable rubber/metal plug, corrugated high temp hose and catch-can (E-bay) with dip-stick and vented filter. For a street only car I would recommend to just replace the AOS to keep stock and emission legal and no maintenance, but for me, fear of my engine ingesting a big gulp of oil and cracking a cylinder or bending a rod was enough to warrant the Mod. Eliminating the oil vapors, blow-by gases, and moisture vapor from being recycled into the intake and combustion chamber does change the mixture , and idle speed by couple hundred rpm, but my 99 Motronic 5.2.2 had no problem adapting and readjusting idle speed to target idle speed rpm and stoichiometric air fuel mixture. YMMV

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Great stuff. I have to thank you, Dr. Tech. There is hope and cause for celebration. I disconnected the pipe to the plenum and found a cap to cover it. Fired up and checked for smoke screen. Naturally, there was plenty at first. It subsided as the engine ran. This was after a minute or two. Then I moved Nico off the lift and back to spot #2. Figured I would just pull (truck and trailer) around the garage and unload the car backward and then back in toward the lift. Got the truck stuck in the mud! It's a slight incline, the tires suck, 4WD Lo was not engaging for me (probable operator error), and there's a lot of slimy clay right where I had positioned the truck. Had to back up and unload the car at the end of the garage. One man Chinese fire drill... After a couple of laps of the circle drive, I pulled into the garage. A lot less smoke. Didn't let it run long enough to get warm. Figure to do that tomorrow. Have a fairly full schedule planned.

Here's the temporary cap. Need to figure out what to do with the fuel vent line. There's a Y-connector. Figure I'll route the AOS pipe to a catch can. Probably should route the fuel vent line to its original port. Will have to work out the plumbing and fittings. Tomorrow will be spent messing with the Durametric. Our best buddy bought one. Just before I ordered one online, I sent him an email asking if he had one. Surprise! I've had the book for a few days. Great resource. Ratchet1025 sent the sweet exhaust tips; the clamps arrived today. My wife thinks I'm a god. We'll have to see how I measure up with the Man-o-meter. That's what it's for, right?

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You're welcome, I hope it also proves out to be your source of IMSB-like noise. P.S. Thank you for the honorary Dr. title you bestowed on me, "I pledge to uphold the Rennlist Tradition" signed Dr. h.c. Porschetech3

Good stuff gang!

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Decided to clip the connector back on and take a hack out of the middle of the AOS pipe. Kept the the fuel canister vent hose in place. Capped off the larger inlet side with a better, but still temporary, fix. Will figure out the plumbing to run between the open end to the prototype catch can.

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Yes this is what I would have done also. The 99 C2 with the cable TB has a separate connection on the TB for the Evap vent line.

Still getting a lot of smoke out the exhaust. Go figure. It does clear up after a couple of minutes. I'll have to see if I can come up with a suitable way to clean the oil from the intake; short of disassembly. Hooked up the Durametric. Found another use for those, various sized, cardboard boxes I keep around. From what little I have retained, these numbers don't look so good.

Looks like no mechanical over-revs. So I've got that going for me. Which is, nice. Found a few codes in a few minor modules. None looked to be a concern at this point. Cleared everything out. If any are real, they will likely return.

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Mess it fully up to temp Scott? I�m sure Doc will know, but I was under the understanding cam deviation values had to be fully up to temp or they can be off? Mine were 1.72 and .09 at full temp.

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thanks Doc! 😉. I might consider this, particular for track days

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Gunga Galunga! Hoping it turns out to not be a worst case scenario.

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Yes - up to temp. The numbers were slightly lower than this when I first hooked up the Durametric (engine off). Messed around to see what was happening in the other modules while the engine was warming up. Looks like I need to change a setting so I won't get the error. It kept failing anytime I selected more than two parameters. Always selected RPM first. Selected it third on the last trial. Will need to study and understand what this is telling me. My initial thought is that the chain guides should be replaced and the cam timing adjusted. Sounds like fun. Will go for a short drive today, to the car wash and the hardware store. The car is covered in clay and sand from the trailer ride. Maybe see if I can blast some of the grime off the engine, as well. Will see if I can find a hose to route from the AOS tube.

Don't forget new tensioners while at it.

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By that you mean the ones that thread in to the head? Or between the cams? Or both?

All three...

Sounds like a good idea when I check the chain guides. All on the schedule when I do drop the engine. Fortunately I believe the AOS was the cause of the biggest concerns. Will hold off even on dropping the sump, for the immediate future. I'll try to make it to work again tomorrow. Then I'll have to see if I can make it home. Went for a short trip to the car wash. I think I need my money back. Car is still very dirty. I did shoot up at the engine and cleaned out most of the inner fender dirt. Then I proceeded to drive home and pack it with fresh dirt. Did stop at the hardware store on the way home. Bought about $18 worth of hardware. Used about $13 worth of it to create this messterpiece. If that doesn't shout professional installation , I don't know what does. No really, I don't... The beer can is a nice idea, but it's too flimsy. I will look for a stronger alternative with similar dimensions. There's just a little tiny opening right where the can is, for a reasonably tidy installation. I knew it would happen. I lost the little cap where I have the charger port. Must have lost it while doing 85 on our road. I'll be sure to order two. Also need to be better at unplugging before moving, and/or leaving the cap in a safer place.

Saporo make a sturdy tin can.

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Agree. There are enough things to worry about and continue to roll the dice on. How long can I expect the tensioner pads to hold on? What else is going on that I won't know about until I dig deeper. Still need to drop the sump plate and also scope the bores. Of course, the manometer test is no longer as much of a concern. Will test when I get the replacement oil filler cap. I don't expect an issue now, with the open vent. When I do get to the chain guides, and tensioners, etc. I will want to drop the engine. Based on the cam deviation numbers, I think it's safe to say they are worn beyond spec and probably have left debris in the oil. But hey... You Tube ...which is nice..

Did the 'singing' bearing noise go away?

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So far, yes. /fingers crossed/

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Thinking that a beer bottle may have some advantages. If you use a Miller High Life bottle, it is clear and you will be able to see how much oil has accumulated. Will have to pad the holder for the bottle though - if it broke that would make a mess...

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Umm...no. Glass is not a good idea and Miller beer is a definite, no. Having a 'sight glass' does have some value. Looking at a cheap catch can such as this: Amazon Amazon Should install easily and fit the little available space. Will need a different size inlet fitting to match my special laundry tub hose. Drove Speedy to work today. No issues, from what I observed. Discovered some lighting issues. Might need a new switch. The passenger side window wasn't constantly moving, so that's a positive. If it didn't fix itself, I'll want to discover what the problem is. Little bugger gets out of its own way, pretty good.

So did it quit smokin’ and coolant level stable?

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Still a little smoke at start up. Put a little coolant in to get just above the min mark, over the weekend. Will keep an eye on that. If I'm losing coolant, I would fear a cracked head. Have seen no coolant on the floor.

I have a new unopened light switch that I'm getting ready to send back...Forgot I had one waiting in my cart when I ordered new parts and wound up with 2. If you need one pm me and I'll knock $10 off the best price you find.

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Nice offer, Bill. Let me do some testing to verify that really is the issue. Just did a quick search and found Amazon to be the cheapest, at $150 and free shipping.

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Yup, or 2 for $300.00! Hey, it was late...

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Hey Charlie, I checked coolant level when I made it (safely) home yesterday. Took about a pint to bring the level up to the min mark. Decided not to drive it today. Need to clear the lift and pull the plugs, at the very least. I do have a good Stant cooling system tester - but I don't have the appropriate adapter to mate with the coolant tank. Need to do a search. Your repair method is looking more and more like the path I may need to take. You'll get quizzed if I need to send the heads out.

Take the plugs out and look at the piston tops with your borescope. If any of them look nice and clean it is being steam cleaned by the coolant. If so, you have either a cracked head or the start of a D chunk. Both are repairable if you want to sink some bucks into it. this assumes you don’t have a simple leak like from a cracked reservoir or a simple loose hose clamp.

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Yeah - that is the plan. I used a crappy borescope a few weeks ago. Didn't put a lot of effort into it (i.e. rotating the crank). Will try to figure out how to use the new one I have: Amazon Amazon I'd really prefer to use my toy laptop with which to view. I haven't found any information that leads me to believe it can function with anything other than two types of cell phones. I do have an iPhone, so at least I've got that going for me... Found an adapter for the Stant pressure tester. Will probably order later today. Coolant will be in the bore regardless, if that is indeed the issue. The system has been pressurized as a result of driving. I see you edited. I have been questioning the reservoir (it hasn't confessed). That would be a lesser evil.

Scott, does your scope have a USB/adaptor/cable end?

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Not the new one. It transmits via wifi.

I got what appears to be a very similar one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYTHWK4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYTHWK4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I couldn't get the mirror to show anything useful. The scope without any attachment worked great for multiple things like helping seat a socket on the 3rd A/C compressor bolt or just peeking in each plug hold at the cylinder. But seeing anything beyond just the cylinder wasn't possible. The wifi connected with the iPhone app actually worked pretty well. Battery life was not that great though, so make sure you charge it between uses.

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Very similar device. Nice to have eyes in strange places. Too bad about the mirror. Mine has that - it would seem like the thing you'd want to check the cylinder walls. Will try to figure out how to use mine tomorrow. Spent today running the engine with the pressure tester installed on the cooling system. Ran it up to temp and the pressure stabilized around 15 psi. There was no change in the coolant level. We'll see tomorrow, when it has a chance to cool down. New oil fill cap arrived yesterday. Isn't is a beauty? The old one will be the test cap. Interesting number on the display.

Interested to see how your Amazon borescope works out Scott. I used my buddies Snap On one and the mirror is a must for looking at bores, but I do like the idea of being able to see it on a larger screen like iPad.

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Me too. I'll probably get to it this weekend but I got a pleasant surprise this morning when I checked the coolant level. Pressure was nearly gone, but it looks as though little or no coolant has been lost. Will continue to keep an eye on it, but this is a big relief. Getting a good look at all the pistons and bores (and plugs) should tell a lot.

Never got to the bore scoping last weekend. Weather was crappy and I was not overly motivated. Did a little bit yesterday. Put the car back on the lift. Cut off one clamp and installed one of the exhaust tips. Looks good, even against a dirty car. Compare to the old, dirty, sooty one on the other side. Was not sooty until the recent AOS issue. Something new. The good news is that the "singing IMS" has not returned after opening up the AOS vent. The bad news: it looks as though the RMS is leaking. From yesterday: Just to be sure this didn't exist previously, from a couple weeks ago. I'll try to scope the bores this weekend. Will plan on driving Speedy, possibly, later this week. Need to keep an eye on coolant, and now oil consumption.

The bad AOS caused the oil leak. The high vacuum in the crankcase sucking the seal inwards to the point of making it "squeal" has worn the seal, plus the extra vacuum will suck air in and not let oil out..lol RMS leaks are common on GT3 Mezger engines that are let sit. They have realy high crankcase vacuum and the RMS is actually installed "backwards" to keep from leaking air, but then when the engine is not ran, they leak oil. Even Porsche put out a TSB not to try and stop the leak if it is not severe. Some OCD GT3 owners who couldn't stand the RMS leak installed the "Turbo" seal which doesn't leak when sat, but does leak at air at high RPM..

Would have been nice to do the manometer test before your AOS mod. No doubt the AOS was bad, but would have liked to see “how bad”, before and after the mod.

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Yep - that's what you warned against, earlier. Therefore no surprise to see this. So when I do drop the engine, and address the multitude of issues, should I install the standard seal? Or are there more robust options i.e.the "turbo" seal? Sure, might have been nice to have before and after data - but I'm not going back. I will test in the current (open) state. May be a useful baseline for the time when (if?) I replace the AOS with a new unit.

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Yep, part # 0PB105249 is the latest greatest design that supersedes at least a dozen previous ones. fits all 911 (non-Mezger) Boxster Caymen Cayenne Panamera from 99 up (97 up for 986)

RMS is a PIA. I changed mine last winter. Perfectly leak free all last season. After sitting for three months in garage, it decided to start leaking again, alas very minimal.

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That's the number Auto Atlanta is listing. It will be on my shopping list... That sucks. Hope it stays minimal. From what understand, it's not a huge deal if it stays light. Someone more qualified should be able to say for sure. A couple of little tasks were completed tonight. I wrestled the other exhaust tip off and installed the new one. Looks real nice. Not sure if the sound has changed. Certainly won't be for the worse. Thanks again, to Ratchet1025. Beers are on me... Crappy pic. I'll get better ones. Maybe the car will be clean for those... Drilled a hole in the old oil cap and threaded-in a barb fitting. Should do the trick on the cranckcase vacuum test.

Scott, when your AOS failed was it making a screeching sound like a fan belt slipping? I think mine went out yesterday.

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Bill - yes, the sound could be likened to a squealing fan belt. I thought of it more like a bearing with no lubrication. When I first heard it, I thought it might be one of the pulley bearings, the alternator or even the P/S pump. After replacing all but the P/S pump, and the sound returned, I feared the IMSB. With the help of Dr. Tech, I think we have diagnosed it as air being sucked past the RMS. You will probably want to start by bypassing the AOS vent at the throttle body. Then keep your eyes open for an RMS leak.

Yup, those sounds and thoughts are familiar, thanks.

Good luck, Bill. Hope all works out. I decided to stop moping about and took Speedy for a little romp. About 6 or 7 laps of our backyard RallyCross course. I've decided I'll be keeping this car. Once I turned the PMS off, it was a whole lot of fun. Here's a part of our little track.

Admins, please delete, duplicate post.

That looks like fun! I haven�t driven a rallycross course since the late 90�s - good clean fun. Oh, and I think it is PSM (Porsche Stability Management). That other acronym has an entirely different meaning, and I don�t think you can turn it off...

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I am aware of the correct acronym. I like PMS better. They're both fun governors.

Drove Speedy to work today. Made it there, then to an appointment, and then home. No major drama. I am still concerned that I may be losing coolant. If so, it's in small increments. Will avoid adding more until I can get a better handle on this. I've had many cars that will equalize at a level below the min-mark. No matter how much you try to convince it that it needs more, it makes the final call. There's a bit of foamy crap in the oil fill neck. I think it's been there, not sure if it is now getting worse. Would have expected this to boil off by now. Maybe drives of greater than 45 minutes are needed. Messed with the manometer just for the exercise. It only proves the meter works. Saw mostly 2.3 - 3.1 inH2O. I assume this should be taken at idle. Hooked up the Durametric again to check a few things. Just like a fine wine, the cam deviation is improving with age.

Got the special Chinese catch can a couple of days ago. Installed it in the same location as the beer can. Found a simple zip-tie mount off the air pump. Need to work out the pipe fittings and hose routing. Will investigate a smaller hose diameter and a couple of can outlet options. Will figure on a drip tube down the back of the car near the lower bumper line. The other option might be to run the outlet hose into the airbox. As it is, the outlet is right in the engine compartment. Not ideal... Found a mystery plug today. It was under the passenger side floor mat. Haven't located a matching hole. Name this part.

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My understanding is it should be right around 5 inH2O....sounds like this may indeed be the issue.

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Which issue would this be? The AOS is bypassed. Are my numbers indicative of an issue ?

I didn't realize those readings were with AOS bypassed. Not sure how that effects things. My understanding from my readings here is that a healthy AOS (obviously hooked up stock), should read 5” H2O at idle.

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I am no expert. My understanding is that a properly functioning AOS should give a reading of 5 inH2O, or less. Higher numbers would indicate a problem. My understanding may not be entirely correct.

So I've driven the car the last two days. And by driven; I mean, like I stole it. And in reality, I may have. A few minor issues are becoming evident. Routing the plumbing for the catch can is the primary, minor, task on my agenda. Another is the navigator's side window. It often does not retract properly to allow opening and closing the door. I have to mess with the switch to lower it a little. Still not acclimated enough to remember - each time - where to insert the key; and that all the window switches are in the center console. More seat time needed. I've started a routine of checking the oil level on the dash before each engine start-up. I get a little excited when the level inexplicably climbs up one or two bars. My mind instantly thinks coolant. The second part of the routine is to check the coolant level before and after each trip. Haven't seen anything serious enough to throw the red flag just yet... Staying the conservative course and trying to remain vigilant. Still have the check of the plugs, and the bore scoping on the schedule at the next oil change. Figure if all goes well it will be in about 1000 miles. Got a special delivery a coupe of days ago. I actually had to sign for it. After all it came from Istanbul, Turkey. I can't stand the little tubes of chemicals that are good for one or two jobs. I think this will be enough to get me through. Get me through, a few hundred sump plates... Speedy gets spot #1, for the time being. Hope it holds for a while. With a couple of our other dirty cars. This is my biggest concern right now. I read that a proper cooling system pressure test should be performed at 18 psi - I tested at 15. The level does seem to be falling slightly. The bore scoping, plug inspection and oil analysis should tell more.

You will quickly learn to hate that giant tube of loctite. I bought a similar one and the force required to dispense from a typical caulk gun is nuts. I ended up cutting the tube open and spooning it into small 5ml syringes to apply. Much easier. I think that electronic oil level is not terribly accurate. It�s too dependent on the length of time the oil has had to drain back to the sump. I guess the same can be said of the dipstick, come to think of it ...just try to be consistent as far as time since parked when checking.

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So maybe the hydraulic press will be better for dispensing than a caulk gun? Another adventure. The first oil check takes place in the morning after sitting overnight on my garage floor. The second is usually in the afternoon after sitting for about eight hours. For some reason I've seen three different levels in the past two days. I did check the dipstick a little while ago. It's just above the middle of the acceptable range. I have also suspected the gauge is not 100% accurate. More data will tell if a trend exists.

Buoyed by the potentially good news from Brother Bill - I'll update a little on my custom AOS. Still not as good as it can be; but closer. Went with 3/8" fuel line and some brass fittings. Would prefer aluminum or even plastic fittings. Mounted the can on a slim piece of foam rubber to keep it from clanging around at the bottom. It's a little tidier and it no longer vents into the engine compartment. The brass fittings are overkill, but it's a bit of an improvement as far as packaging. The outlet from the catch can is the same fuel hose, but it runs along the rear of the air box and then goes forward, around it, to an opening between the engine and a coolant hose. The exit can be seen below just to the left of the hose clamp. I may just put a nipple in the side of the air box near the base of the snorkel. That would be even more tidy and should be better for cleaning fumes from the crankcase (certainly would have plenty of time under vacuum vs always at atmospheric pressure.).

Did you cut off the fitting of the AOS line that attaches to the throttle body? Are you going to change your AOS eventually or is this a permanent fix? Why not vent right to the oil fill tube (cap) with your spare?

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The AOS line has a segment cut out of it. You may not have the same design as my 01. Forgive me for not recalling your model year and its configuration. I kept the fitting, because it has a Y connector, with the other side coming from the fuel vapor vent line. I have not decided if I will replace the AOS even when I do end up dropping the engine. I certainly would not call this a permanent fix, as it is now. If I do decide to stay with something like this, the first thing would be to optimize the fittings - brass is too heavy and not as efficient as other materials would be. Further more, and to effectively answer your last question - I am thinking that a nipple at the far right side of the air box would be best for the outlet side of the catch can. My thought is that any vapors that cool enough to condense, would drop through the holes at the bottom of the air box. Alternatively, when enough vacuum is present to pull the fumes into the intake of the engine it would more closely duplicate the original configuration (i.e. some vacuum; though not at the same level as at the plenum). The problem with venting to the test fitting on the oil fill cap is that the system is more closed. It would be like trying to drain a bucket of water with a hose that returns back to the bucket.

After the magnificent redesign of my catch can plumbing, I drove to work today. Smelled oil when I got to work. Figured it was just the vent off-gassing out the rear. Checked level electronically before heading home. It was about two bars above the lower level. This is about two below what I have been observing this week. This is actually the first time I've driven the car for five consecutive days. I have to tell you, "it's been a gas". Got home and discovered a lot of oil draining from under the car. Dipstick was at the low level. It looked as though everything was draining out from the left side of the engine - maybe in the area of the AOS. The rear fascia is covered in oil film. The oil dry pile was from a few days ago and it is located under where the RMS would be located. So the big difference from yesterday and today is going with more restrictive fittings and smaller diameter hose. I'm going to speculate that the crankcase was seeing more positive pressure and forced oil out the RMS. After moving the car, the drip became much more localized to the area of the RMS. Will put the car on the lift this weekend and see if I can get a better idea if this is more AOS shenanigans (which it is, anyway) or if the restriction theory will be proven. Working off that theory, I restored the original hose and gave it a more efficient fitting into the catch can. Also put a fitting into the air box snorkel. I think this will help pull fumes when the engine is under vacuum, as opposed to allowing pressure to force oil past the crank seal. The good news is that, the coolant level seems to have stabilized at a level just below the part number marking on the tank. Might be time to drain the oil and have a look inside.

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The big oil spot on the concrete looks pretty good to me , I mean it doesn't look like intermix !! lol There are "paper towel dot" tests to see if coolant is in the oil, there are also "chem-strips" that turn colors if coolant is present. FWIW..

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I'll investigate. Thanks for the tip, Doc. Funny how things turn 180 degrees. The most recent fear has been coolant. Now it's oil. Any thoughts on my theory that crankcase pressure was the culprit, vs a totally wasted rear main seal? Then there's still the outside chance the AOS is blowing-out oil...

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Yea, I think your catch can set-up is restricting the crankcase vent . You need to maximize the hose/fitting ID and never use a hose or fitting that is smaller than the ID of the TB port if you can help it. I noticed on one of your pictures using the manometer (with AOS dissabled and vented) you still had @ 3-4 inches of water, positive pressure, with proper venting crankcase, there should be no positive pressure, test again without restrictive hose/fitting see if positive pressure goes to zero.

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Good eye. I suspect the hose on the manometer was on the wrong nipple. I'll check again. Maybe even check the instructions...

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Alright, I messed with the manometer yesterday. I sucked and blew on the two nipples. Not as rewarding as that may sound, but I did learn which one is the proper input side. I didn't get the car up to operating temperature, but I did check to verify I was getting a slight amount of vacuum. There was a little fluctuation around -3 inH2O. I had to go back to my original larger diameter vent hose. A few posts up, there's a photo of the new setup which includes the outlet of the catch can into the air box. This should be better than the restrictive configuration I thought was a cleaner installation. Need to get the car on the lift and see where all this oil is coming from... Clearly this is not all coming from the RMS. I suspect there was a blowout in the AOS that is allowing oil to pass. If I can see what's happening, I can make a call on how much tear-down will be needed. If I get really lucky, maybe just a good cleaning and an oil change will get me by until I get around to dropping the engine. Still have to check off the items on my oil change list: a) Drain oil and collect sample (send sample in for analysis). b) Drop sump plate and inspect for debris. c) Remove oil filter, cut open and inspect. d) Remove and inspect spark plugs. e) Scope both sides of the pistons (within reason). f) Determine if it can go back together, or if the engine needs to be dropped. If all seems OK, go to g, otherwise go to z. g) Reinstall sump plate with magnetic drain plug. h) New oil filter and oil. i) Drive it. z) drop the engine - buy a bunch of parts...

Oh and I have looked at early photos and feel good that the coolant level does indeed equalize just below the part number on the coolant bottle. This gives me some confidence that I am not losing coolant. High probability I will replace the bottle when the engine gets dropped. Add to that a new AOS, chain guides, tensioners, RMS and any other thing I encounter...

A couple of minor mysteries. Not sure if this cap is even from the car. Haven't found a mating hole for it. Any thoughts? Haven't had a chance to investigate this either. It's a wire under the driver's seat with exposed copper. My suspicion is that it may be related to the passenger side window. I experienced window movement any time I messed with the controls on the driver's seat. Maybe the seat movement allowed the wire to ground against the seat runner. Any insider information on this theory? I did cap off the bare wire in the meantime.

The AOS plumbing has been revised again. The restrictive hose and brass fittings are in bins. Will have to see how this goes. I will be taking Speedy, tomorrow, to work controls on a local road rally. Wish me luck. I'll carry extra oil.... It couldn't be any simpler (thanks to the recommendations from Silk , in another thread). The AOS outlet is vented directly to the snorkel of the air box. Used some 3/4" PVC connectors. Minimum passage size is 1/2" in the short pipe in the elbow. I cut a segment from another elbow to create a positive stop inside the snorkel. The chopped "nut" prevents the connection from pulling out, even if it were able to overcome the friction-fit. This was not planned. Walter (daily/winter/road rally car) got totaled today. A guy pulled in front of me. I had no where to go. Since I buy beaters and pay ridiculously low prices, I have a replacement in the wings. Sparky was intended as a parts car, for Walter. Now Sparky will need to get pressed into service... I don't have enough projects. At least it started and I was able to bring inside.

Wow. You have had quite the day. Hope you are not too sore from your accident - looks like you got hit pretty hard. Sparky actually looks pretty nice from here. Had a 1996 A4 that looked just like yours. Daryll

Scott, are you going to fix the AOS anytime soon? Did you decide to nix the catch can altogether?

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Daryll - Yesterday was a day to forget. I installed a new starter on Walter in the morning. Was going to replace the RF axle shaft too. Turns out I ordered the wrong part. So at least I didn't waste that work. Sparky is pretty clean, especially considering it has 265,000 miles on it. It's also a year later than Walter and has variable cam timing. Good for an additional 20-30 hp. It is losing coolant though. Never did get around to properly diagnosing and resolving that issue. Have a lot of work ahead to get it ready to win rallies, the way I did with Walter. Bill - I will try this configuration for a while. I don't think the catch can was doing anything special. All the condensation that I was collecting previously, will now just fall through the air box. The fact that I will gain a small amount of suction from the snorkel should provide a small functional improvement.

My office for most of the day yesterday. Worked three controls at a local rally. We use unpaved roads. They're the most fun (and a lot less traffic)... The weather was crappy. Speedy performed flawlessly. No obvious oil loss and no concern with coolant. (AOS) Breather seems to be working as I would hope. Speedy got two car washes yesterday! Still not very clean - had to drive home from the wash... Spent all day today looking at getting Sparky ready for normal use, and eventual rally duty. Discovered an interesting little thing on Walter... The lower control arm tore right through the wheel. I found a piece of finely worked aluminum in the road after the accident. Couldn't make it fit the engine or transmission. Now I know where it came from. Took back all the stuff from Walter, that had been taken from Sparky. Trunk, wiper motor/linkage, right side headlight, and the most important thing - the cup holder. I'll be juggling my time even more thinly. Maybe Speedy is ready to grow up and stop being so needy.

Closing in on 125,000 on the odometer. Probably will get there next week. Plan to do the oil change and sump/engine inspection at that time. Got my UOA kit yesterday.

Quick update: All is well. I've been driving Speedy daily, rain or shine. Lots of rain today. Still have another 650 miles to go to hit 125,000. Will take care of the oil drain, sump plate removal and internal inspection at that time. At about 70 miles per (work) day, it will probably be the weekend of May 11. We have a RallyCross at our farm on May 4th. There is a strong possibility I will be laying out the course in Speedy. Hope to get someone to take photos of that. Could be fun...

How long will the rally course be at your farm Scott? How many acres do you have at your farm?

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Hey Barn - the oval is about 1/2 mile. We don't use the north end for competition, but we often use parts of the infield. So course length is typically about 3/8 of a mile. Each competitor gets a total of eight timed runs. All times are cumulative. We have 34 acres. It's so nice being home - I never want to leave. When I retire in about 15 months, I expect I will not need to (except to go buy beer)... Image below shows the course, and a little over half of our property. Can you say; "paradise"?

What a great layout. Wish I was still riding dirt bikes after seeing your site. Always wanted to buy some acreage further North so I could do what you did.

Very nice Scott!

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Yeah - land is a wonderful luxury. Were I a religious person, I would say I am blessed. Can't believe my good fortune. For those that were planning to run - the RallyCross has been postponed until May 18th. So if you signed up, make note... And it's raining now. So I had a chance to play indoors. Messed with the Durametric tool again. Had a Q&A on fuel trims on a different thread. Decided I should look at that. Found bank #2 idle compensation to be potentially questionable. Will need to learn what I don't know. Found this to be potentially more alarming: Cylinder #3 is clearly the roughest running of the six. Might be an injector, might be a number of things. More investigation... Cyl #1 (red) is representative of the other cylinders with respect to roughness. #3 (blue) is clearly different. Sundae (doggy) says; 'hello'. Even though you wouldn't think so from her stance. She's waiting for her lady to come home.

What did you see for fuel trims? I haven't been able to find good guidance on what are acceptable values beyond just the spec limits. Trying to figure out how to isolate the potential influencing factors. Very curious about the engine roughness metric as well. Mine is all over the place for all 6 cylinders at idle. I'll collect some logs to compare.

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This should take you to the page of the other thread where it got extra interesting: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ication-9.html There are two photos on that page of my readings. Based on the feedback, there may be a leaking sluggish injector in cylinder #3. May swap it out with another cylinder and see if the roughness follows the injector.

Ah, thanks. I didn't know that's where that thread went. I stopped following it since I just installed a new AOS. Yeah your numbers on bang on actually. I've had FRA ranging from 1.05 (KN intake) up to 1.20 (OEM intake) and RKAT up to ~2% (the units are definitely swapped incorrectly on the Durametric). I just swapped my O2 sensors. I think I'm going to reset the computer and drive for a bit to try and get some accurate readings now. I'll look into engine roughness data as well. My idle is a bit high (~800) and a bit lumpy. From what I remember, my roughness numbers were quite a bit higher and more variable that what you show and are describing across all 6 cylinders.

Looks like I have an outlier cylinder as well (1). Guess I'll start with the injector swap idea.

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That's a good graph. I had trouble gathering data from more than two data sources at one time. Data rate seemed to slow to a crawl. It might actually have been similar to your graph if I knew how to change the time scale. Need more seat time with it. Maybe even look for the instructions.... No news on Speedy (no news, is good news). All fine so far, as I approach the actual 125,000 mile mark. I've got about 360 miles to go. Looks like this weekend needs to be set aside for the big opening. Need to kick Sparky off the lift. Got the head off that car today. Turbo and the whole rest of the front end came off over the weekend. Parts are on the way. Will try to deliver the head to my engine shop on Wednesday. Initial inspection shows nothing noteworthy. Head gasket replacement is the primary goal. All the 'while in there' stuff needs to get covered. Have to keep the suspension and wheels intact so Sparky can be rolled out when Speedy moves in. Non-996 content. Not pretty. Needs a little work...

Yeah graphing in the Durametric software is pretty limited. I exported the data and made this in Excel. Make sure to increase the sample rate to get better graphs. It's all setup in the 3rd tab when your looking at actual values.

The time has come, my friends. It's time to decide if you're going to be part of the problem, or part of the solution. Oil is draining. All the bolts are out of the sump. The seal has not yet been broken. A sample of oil was collected. There's a lot of oil on the back of bank #2. I suspect the oil fumes escaping the holes in the air box. Should be able to find the source of this. Will definitely reinstall a catch can if this is from the air box.

Drumroll please!

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Cam-cam guide material in sump. Not at all unexpected. Plugs #3 and #6 look good. Will get the rest out soon.

All the particles from the sump. Plan to close things up tomorrow. Hope to make it through until the fall with things as they are. Maybe drop the engine at that time and fix the list of things that I know about. Who knows what else will be found later? It turns out the oil at the back of the engine is not from the air box. There's a leak somewhere on the engine. Need to clean it up and try to isolate it. In the meantime, things look good inside.

Tried to scope the bottom of some of the bores in bank two. Clearly, I do not have the technique. Got a reasonably good view of #5. No obvious issues, as far as I can tell. Hope this isn't a crack. You'd think those icons on the right would allow one to take a photo. I've tried. If it did, I can't find the files. Could easily be operator error... Did check all pistons on the top-side. This was the worst thing I saw. Looks like a little debris damage on the exhaust side of #3.

Not exactly the smoothest bead. But it came out and the sump went back in place. In with the liquid death: Used the multiple start idea that has been recommended; to build oil pressure. After three or four shorts starts, pressure showed on the gauge. All seems good. Will see 125,000 a little past half-way to work tomorrow.

Excellent use of beer can to hold up filler neck!

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Just the right size.

Good news. It hasn't 'blowed-up' yet. Had good fun laying out a RallyCross course in our backyard; over the past couple of days. Had even more fun trying to keep from getting stuck in the mud today.

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Haha, looks like Speedy likes to play in the mud!

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Not so sure Speedy does - but I'll have to say, with proper tires, I sure do. Which brings up the subject of wheels and tires. Need to send a PM... Looking for inexpensive 17" wheels. Quite a few eclectic vehicles today. Plenty of Subarus, but some of these other guys are more interesting... How about a turbocharged Chevette? More Swedish steel... Who doesn't like the sound of a well-tuned V8?

That looks like a lot of fun and I'm impressed that there's a Chevette in the rust belt that is still going.

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You are correct. He found it in Kentucky. I mentioned to him, that had he chosen a Vega - we wouldn't even be speaking to each other now.

Thanks to Scott for the invite to a local car get together today. Many interesting and rare vehicles and truly nice people. Most importantly, I was able to establish the existence of �Speedy� and confirm that Speedy was being treated properly and with care. Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Thanks, Randy. It was nice meeting you today. Hope we get together more often. You might not recognize Speedy now. I pumped 10 quarters into the local jukebox - I mean car wash. Most of the dirt and dust is gone.

Looks like you had a blast in the mud. How many entrants showed?

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We limit entries at our place to 50. Otherwise we could have close to 70. Weather may have kept two from showing, so we ended up with 48.

Woo hoo...

Nice!

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I saw the email note yesterday in the inbox of one of my two providers. Deleted it because I thought is was more propaganda from SCCA. They use a 'clever' name for the sender: "Carrie Speed". Just found it in the "bulk mail" box of my other provider. I've been sitting at my desk with a case of perma-grin since I got a good look at the file.

Looks good for Speedy !!!!

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Yep - he's been such a good boy - I'll drive him home in a few minutes.

What a disappointment. I had to drive something other than Speedy today. Our company is having a "take your electronic junk to work day". I can't fit two really large TVs, two old printers and various other electronic relics in Speedy - otherwise, I probably would. The real sad part is that I have to drive the truck again tomorrow. A little rain scared the collectors off - so I get to take all the crap home and come back with it tomorrow. Sissies. Anyway, all is good with Speedy. I might add a photo later, just so you will remember what he looks like....

Thanks for pointing me to this thread Scott, it's quite the adventure you're having.....which of course is how you roll anyway ;^D

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Hey look at you. Nice to see you check-in here. You need to stop out for a beer one day soon. I'll take you for a couple of laps of the track....

You're right, that needs to happen! Cheers, Brian

Nothing major to report on. Speedy has been driven daily since Walter was killed. Rolled over 126,600 this morning. Did get something to fix a minor issue. In exchange for three used coils, Bruce sent me two new trim caps. Fair trade... Speedy does need a good bath. We seem to be in the monsoon season. Poor thing just keeps getting dirtier and dirtier. Maybe a few laps of the RallyCross course would knock some of the dirt off...

Try some of the Back to Black plastic product...or, leave it.

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Treat or don't treat. Those are the two primary options. Should hit 127,000 on the way home today. Lots of smiles per mile...

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I've tried about every product out there and my favorite is Lexol Vinylex. It removes the old Vinlyex when you renew it, doesn't yellow, and actually blocks UV rays! I also use this on my tires...

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Found that product at a very fair price online from Sprawlmart. Need to add enough other stuff to get free shipping and therefore avoid any interaction with the people of Walmart. Get to order at least one tire now. Found a flat after sitting here so pleasantly chatting on Rennlist. By the way. Speedy was actually somewhat clean for about a day and a half. It has been raining all day. And, on my way home, I now recall hitting a very large pothole less than a mile from home (opposing traffic on our unpaved road). Most people would correctly identify it as a small pond. The damage is a tear in the sidewall from the rim impact. For all you haters, racists and kunts - Black Wheels Matter.

New tire arrived yesterday. Will drop things off at a tire shop that can do 35 series tires; hopefully tomorrow. My tire machine limitations seem to be around 45 series and nothing larger than 17". Two strikes - when it only takes one... Had to get creative with packaging.

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Agreed! ( No mention from the OP of what type of Liqui Moly 5w40 was purchased for this maintenance)

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See post #63. Do you have data that would indicate this was a bad choice?

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Thanks for pointing that out. Synthoil appears to be a good oil.

Just read from start to finish. Great thread! Were you able to find the source of your leak?

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Thank you. I'm just enjoying the car, everyday. Assuming you mean the oil leak(s). If so. I'll try to recap. After the AOS failed I messed with a few iterations to vent to a catch can; then ultimately to the air-box snorkel. One iteration involved a restrictive set of fittings and hose. This resulted in (in theory) excessive pressure in the crankcase. This led to oil being let out in the area of the AOS and the RMS. Then I discovered a fair amount of oil at the rear of bank #2. The actual source of this has not been determined. I can say, that oil spots on the garage floor have not been a problem since I went to my "final" venting configuration (nothing noted as fresh drops). I just added a little oil to the engine this morning to raise the electronic level indicator up one bar from one above the low level (which means it's two bars from the low level, now). This brings a total of less than one liter added since the oil change at 124,980. Current mileage is 127,820. At this rate, I figure I am using a little more than a liter per 5000 miles. So any leak is not significant and no obvious telltale drops on the floor. Unfortunately, I have been very busy messing with other cars and have not put Speedy back on the lift since the oil change. My hope is that my observations have been diligent enough that there are no serious issues yet undiscovered. Will perform another oil change by the end of the month, or at 130,000 (should that come up first). Will send a sample for analysis. I'm a little torn by the fact that I am using a different oil from what was originally in the car when I bought it. I have been thinking of using Mobil 1 0W-40 (what was in the car) strictly for the winter months and then stay with Liqui Moly 5W-40 the rest of the year. Maybe the next UOA, or two, will offer clues as to the direction to go in.

Scott, here's a quote from JR on the subject... People who are constantly changing oils, labs, and etc will never learn anything from UOA, other than how to worry themselves to death, by inconsistencies that their “research” and “desire to learn”. For UOA to be beneficial, use the same engine, the same oil, the same lab, the same service intervals (until oxidation values prove you can alter them) and be consistent with everything that is done. These things create baseline trend data, then when a change is noted, you can truly trust that a real mechanical change has existed. Remember a UOA that suddenly shows BETTER wear metals, while showing a loss of viscosity, or a loss of the anti- wear package simultaneously may mean that the engine is failing. Those wear metals are NOT better, you just have wear that is now generating debris too large to be detected.

Bill - I read that earlier today. That is part of the reason I am torn between my idea and the recommendation of the expert. Clearly the engine is the same, as will be the lab. I'd like to use the same oil year round, if I had confidence in the right stuff. Personally, I am not sold on DT40. I know that is what the expert recommends. My plan is to follow proper warm-up procedure and change intervals (per the expert) while using more readily available oil. If I get a less than stellar report on my next analysis, I will do a short-change on the oil and either go back to M1 or convert at the alter of Driven. Still not even sure if that next fill will be with LM, but that is my current plan.

M1 every six months is what I'm using for the time being. Once I get a few samples and establish a baseline, then I will make a decision as to change or not.

It's good to have a plan.

Just a post to say how good it has been to drive Speedy so far. No major worries or concerns, for now. Still on alert for anything odd. So far, so good. He gets special treatment. Spot #1. I'm pleased to discover that my plan for spot #4 has turned out to be well devised. The A4 (Sparky) is in #4. I was able to remove the engine and place on a stand, with 'comfort'. I'm a proud 'papa'.

Wow, Scott you have been productive this summer, well done!

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Certainly true. But I lost nearly all of June resolving the problems on my daughter's car. A defective remanufactured master cylinder had me going in circles for a few weeks. Now have to make-up time, if Sparky is to ready for a shot at winning the Press On Regardless Rally in September. I'll also lose the first weekend in August, as we will be at Nelson Ledges for 944Fest. Sacrifices...

Good progress today. Between F1 from Britain and IndyCar from Toronto... Finished the oil change in Uwe (wife's V70 R) and swapped out a friend's winter tires (only three months late). Then I got to work on my stuff. Sparky's engine is completely apart and ready to go to the engine shop tomorrow. Might need to remove the oil pan, though...

I was wondering when it would happen. Got pulled over today, on the way in to work. Made a pass on a double yellow line. In my defense, I could clearly see through the turn and could tell there was no oncoming traffic at all. I cut the apex and took him on the inside - text book stuff. The problem, other than the state trooper witnessing this, was that the passing zone was a few dozen feet further on. Fortunately, my record is clean and was not awarded a ticket. Officer suggested I take a closer look at where the passing zone actually begins. "Yes, sir"; was my reply. I doubt he was one of the troopers we fed at this year's Detroit Grand Prix...

So I returned to the "scene of the crime", today. It's part of my normal drive to work, after all. And at the behest of the trooper, that saved me from getting a serious ticket (had he not nabbed me when he did), I took a very good look at where the passing zone begins. If I infringed on it at all, it couldn't have been more than 10 feet! Though I still think I had cleared it. I even stated so at the time - though officer Friendly didn't want to argue. Just as well. I had a clear road ahead, after the pass. Speed limits would have been exceeded by a bit...

Have all but decided to wait on the next oil change. Had figured on doing it before the trip to Nelson Ledges this weekend (944Fest). Calculated the expected accumulated mileage for the round trip and some additional miles at and near the track. Should still come home shy of the 130,000 mile mark. Did get my second UOA kit a couple of days ago, as well as more Liqui Moly 5W-40 synthetic. Will be pretty busy for the next couple of days, so putting this off until after the trip won't create any additional timing anxiety. I'll be sure to post a few shots from the little outing. There's even a chance Speedy will be clean for more than a couple of hours. That will be something. Should hit 129,000 on Friday while on the Ohio Turnpike. Packaging will be interesting. I need to carry camping gear, a little food and some beverages. My wife can't get away as early as I can, so she will travel separately (the next day). She'll be bringing the bigger things. I think we may have attended the Fest in only one 944, once. Typically it's been a mix of two 944s, or one on a trailer, or one on a trailer and one driven. This will be the first time with zero 944s. I bet we'll be forced to park on the outskirts...

Packed up and ready to go. Frunk is jam packed with camping gear and a tool box. A lot easier to pack with the top down... Rolled over 129,000 just about the time I hit the turnpike. Camp all setup near turn two. Which of these is not like the others?

Took the delivery van to collect engine parts at my machine shop. Tipped the block up, to attach the engine stand mount.

Look what else followed me home. Can I keep it? A couple of random shots from the weekend at Nelson Ledges...

125,000... whew that is impressive.

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130,000 in three days. I need to make an appointment so I can get it on the lift. Sparky has been taking up a lot of time and space. Did make real progress yesterday. Got the crank and pistons in. Have tons of stuff to do still. Had to order a new oil pick-up. Hope shipping doesn't delay progress. Being that there are so many other tasks, makes that less likely. Would be nice to have the engine in by next weekend, though... Notice: non-996 content ahead. (and above)

Moved a bunch of tool boxes, an engine crane, an engine and a rolling workbench out of the way on Tuesday. Had to make room for Speedy to get on the lift. Got the oil drain plug out. The magnet found some ferrous material. Will be interesting to see what the UOA comes back with, this time. Will short change the Liqui Moly if it shows anything questionable. Got a good look at the oil leaking from the rear of bank #2. I assume there is an o-ring that seals that cover. I'll be in there anyway for tensioners and pads when I drop the engine. Didn't see any other obvious leaks. Even the RMS and AOS seem to have stopped dripping. So I've got that going for me, which is nice. Also 'fixed' a broken piece of undertray trim at the front. I think it was already broken when I bought the car. Driving on dirt roads and laying out a RallyCross course probably has done it no good, in the meantime. Found big chunks of dried mud caked in several places up front. Some chunks were actually forcing the front of the inner fender liner in toward the tire - leaving a most unattractive gap between the fender and the liner. After getting all the dirt out, I cut a small piece of aluminum sheet to bridge the break in the trim piece. Drilled a hole in it to accept the screw that holds the piece in place and then used aluminum tape to hold the broken piece to the aluminum strip. Actually quite a piece of art. Too bad I didn't take any photos of it. Would surely amaze all...

Results are in from UOA #2. Still pretty good, but I'll probably do the next change at 4000 miles. Also seeing a little fuel dilution. Might be time to research injectors. Probably will be a good idea to replace them when I drop the engine. Based on the short time I spent looking at that job with the engine in the car - it didn't look to be simple...

No news to report on Speedy - all is well. Close to 131,000 miles. Fortunately it has been trouble free, allowing me to devote time to get my latest rally car ready. The engine build went fine and I started it on Monday 9/2, for the first time. Nothing like the last minute... The car needed to be ready to run our biggest rally of the year - the Press On Regardless. (9/6-7) Maybe this should have its own thread: "267,000 mile tune-up" A lot of scrambling to get things rally-ready. Swapped the rear anti-roll bar from the other (crashed) car, installed new front axleshafts and all of the rally gear (on 9/4). 9/5 was spent finalizing the wiring for the navigator's map light, and the sender units for the rally computer. We were ready to drive to rally HQ on Thursday, and my wife couldn't get the passenger side seatbelt to work. Had to go back to the parts car and remove that seatbelt. Wife had to ride in the back for the trip up. Completed the swap a couple of hours before we were to start the rally (Friday). Also scrambled to install the driving lights. Had no time to swap the mounts from the old bumper, so I slapped it back on this car (lots of duct tape). One of the light lenses (right side) fell out while on the rally, early on day one! Discovered the missing lens when I went to aim them during one of the breaks. On day two I mounted one of the LED lights, I was planning to use as cornering lights, in place of the driving light without a lens. Was actually quite pleased with its effectiveness. Will now try them as driving lights when I finalize the installation. I'm happy to report everything went better than expected. There are plenty of things that need to be addressed, but for the most part things went well. The engine ran fine and we succeeded with another victory!

Time to relax a little. Deadlines are now less daunting. The last couple of months have been a challenge. Happy with all that took place. Now I've focused on some minor issues with Speedy . Aside from the major task of dropping the engine and freshening the usual suspects, I've got a few little annoyances. The passenger side window is not going up all the way. Seems to remain in the "pull the door handle" position. Still have the oil leak at the right rear. If I had confidence that a simple o-ring replacement would fix it - I'd order the part tomorrow. One other annoyance is the washer fluid reservoir. There is at least one leak. Could also be a plumbing issue. Need to get a good look at the pipes going to the windshield squirters. While I'm on a roll - the trim plate around the stereo falls off occasionally. Might need a little finesse to keep steady. And by finesse; I mean silicone sealer. Felt a little guilty letting Speedy go without a wash for so long. Figured I would hit the quarter car wash on the way home today. Washed most of the top few layers off. Decided to stop at the grocery store after that. Got my stuff; and while in line, to check-out, a strong storm rolled in. The windows were being pelted by driving rain, plus leaves and branches off the trees in the lot. The cashier's damn register went down. All the other ones were fine. I moved to a self-checkout station. As I strolled out, the same people that were in front of me, in that line, were still there. Bummer. Want to work out a short and simple USB port in one of the blank switch slots. I'll have to check back on Jim and his wife's thread. Amazing stuff going on over there. So here is the normal state of affairs for poor Speedy . Dirty, but loved.

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Effort + Good intention = Love 💜💜💜

Still racking up the smiles per mile. Speedy will roll over 132,000 miles on the way home from work tomorrow. All is good. Still haven't had time to even inspect the hoses or the windshield squirters. Would be nice if it's just the hoses. There is some loose switch under the driver's seat that, when bumped around, will mess with the navigator's window (the "door handle" switch?) Haven't had time to get a good look at that (or I haven't been annoyed enough by it yet). I'd also like to address the oil leak. Please tell me whether the rear cover on bank #2 has any odd connections. E.g. chain guides, rollers, bearings, drive gears, etc. I'd like to replace the o-ring. If there is anything behind that cover that needs serious attention, I'll wait until I drop the engine. If I can just pull that cover and replace the seal, I'll do it soon. One serious issue has been discovered, Speedy is not yet set up for RallyCross course layout, much less rally use. The left side fender liner came loose and got banged around while setting up the most recent course (event ran 9/28). It rained all night before the event - thankfully the latest rally beater is just about where it needs to be. I finished up the final course layout and cruised the event in Sparky (not to be confused with Speedy). Good thing - it took two good rounds with the pressure washer to get Sparky to the point I was able to do some necessary work. The second round was on the lift! What a mess. On the way home from work today, I heard an odd scraping sound. Sensed it was from the the left front and knew right away the fender liner was grinding against the tire. I'd already worn a hole in it from laying out the RallyCross course. Regrettably, the temporary fix didn't hold. A snip and a big zip tie later - we're ready to keep on smilin'

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Found a couple of minutes to mess with the windshield washer system yesterday. The pump makes noise, but nothing seems to make it to the t-junction just below the nozzles. Need to backtrack and find the problem. Accessing the pump might be a good goal. Messed around with switch plates and pulled the stereo out, today. I've got some ideas on adding USB plugs and audio input. The stereo does not recognize the USB input at the moment. Need to resolve this, if possible. If it provides better sound quality, over the mini jack input, I'll be putting more effort into it. The first actual action (racing) sequence from the movie LeMans got reviewed again tonight. Looking to add a powered USB port to feed the GPS unit. Found a location that should work if I can keep it tidy. Might finally get a photoshoot on the track tomorrow. Too bad the winter tires haven't been ordered and mounted yet. They would certainly fling more dirt than what's on the car now.

No photoshoot for today. It's raining, again.

Waited for the mail lady to deliver my USB extension cord. Cut a nice little rectangular slot and jammed it in. Here it is installed. Would like to come up with something to cover the - (minus) fan button that did not come with the car. Might just need an application of black paint. The stereo input should work exactly as I would like. It's been tested, and all is good. Did a quick temporary routing of the GPS power cord. This routing is much better than hanging loose and getting in the way of shifting.

Hey Scott, I was reading that you have an oil leak on Bank 2 that is concerning. I got a couple of suggestions that are usual cause and one that is not usual but happens. Check the AOS "blow-off valve". There is a spring loaded valve in the "Y" connector of the AOS pipe at the top/rear of bank 2 that can stick and cause oil to drip down the rear of the head. If the blow-by is excessive OR the AOS breather pipe is RESTRICTIVE it can also cause the valve to pop-off and oil to leak down the head.( the spring is very weak and doesn't take much to un-seat it ). I would suggest to just cap it off. Check the vario-cam solenoid for leak. I have seen many leak from the end where the wires exit. It's commonly miss-diagnosed as a cover/seal leak, but is usually the solenoid its self. Check spark plug tubes. IF the leak starts at the highest point right under the spark plug, the tube _o-rings are bad. common problem.

Doc, Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure we are talking about the same area, though. In my terminology, the rear is the rear of the car, and bank #2 is cylinders 4-6. The AOS is at the front of bank #1 (it's also been bypassed at the intake plenum). I am aware of possible leaks around the the variocam solenoid. I am fairly sure this is not the issue (at least not the biggest issue). My guess is the o-ring needs replacement inside this cover ^. Do you think it's something else? Furthermore, if it is the o-ring, are there any mechanisms inside that cover that need special care? I'm worried there are cam timing adjustments in there. That would surely get messed up if I just tried popping off that cover without a proper understanding of what's in there.

That is the oil pump, or what is referred to as the scavenge pump for the cylinder head. Indeed an O-ring underneath. You won't damage anything by replacing the O-ring seal. See #15 here http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...section=104-00

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Thanks DB - I've looked at that page from Auto Atlanta more than once. I finally looked at a photo of the pump. If looks as though a paddle needs to be aligned upon installation. I might be able to do that.

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That is indeed the area I was talking about, the AOS "blow-off valve" is located right above there on the "Y" pipe for bank 2 (3-6). It is commonly misdiagnosed as a scavenge pump leak. As far as the scavenge pump goes, if you decide you also need to replace the o-ring , as you say, it has to align with the exhaust cam gear, ALSO has to be ORIENTED correctly. The small flat pads are stamped cyl 3-6 and cyl 1-3 at 180 degrees apart with arrows. The cyl 3-6 pad/arrow will need to point toward the crankshaft for bank 2, otherwise the pump will not pump.. Dr. h.c. Porschetech3

Part number 6 here is the Y pipe, but doesn't really show the blow-off valve that is there here is the actual picture of the "Y" connector, the pipe on the right is the blow-off valve open to atmosphere Dr. h.c. Porschetech3

Can someone post the purpose and connection points for each of various hoses and openings on the AOS by number from the PET? I had my AOS fail causing poor running and tons of white smoke. I'd like to understand more about how it works and how to implement the various improvements posted in this excellent thread.

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Look up the part numbers here http://www.autoatlanta.com/porsche-p...section=104-10

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Hey Doc, I figured you knew your terminology. But I do have to question how you have cylinder #3 on both banks. ^^^ I'll look closer. Your idea does make sense since I've already had trouble with the AOS. Maybe I can figure out where that piece attaches. It's not real obvious from the parts diagram. After looking at photos and diagrams - I don't see exactly where it's located and how to access...

above the #4 region...follow the AOS and see where it connects on the op right. I've seen two types.

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Follow the AOS. Wow. Pictures are worth a thousand words. I'll start hunting for photos of engines outside of the car... Found one.

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LMAO... I need to prescribe myself some new medication for SOMETIMERS !!! (getting old)

Lol, I should have read my reply before I ran out the door to work...Glad you found it!

Averted disaster. I was prepared to schedule another vehicle (Sparky) for tomorrow's, work and off-site, trips. Of all things, I couldn't get the front hatch to latch. Driving at 80 mph with the lid on the safety catch, is not a good plan. Pulled a few pieces off to gain access and remove the release: Removed it completely and did a little cleaning and lubricating. Thought there was a chance the safety release was somehow hung up and preventing the secondary catch from falling into place. It was a long shot and, it turns out, would not have been a good bet. The electric release is not releasing, when hooked up. There's no longer a solenoid sound when the switch is activated. Just put it all back together with the manual release routed under the right side headlight. Packed a little pick in the oddments bin in the driver's door. Who knows how quickly this will get addressed? I was fully prepared to remove more panels from the frunk area, as the windshield washer system is also not participating. Ended up putting most things back together and I will get to enjoy more smiles tomorrow.

Got Speedy on the lift today. Pulled out what's left of the left front inner liner to access the washer reservoir. Found the discharge hose was hanging free. Put it back in place and put a zip tie on it. Maybe it will stay for a while longer. While in the air, I trial fit my winter wheels. Need to see if there is a suitable way to remove the chrome plating from these. First off, I don't like chrome. Secondly, I want to paint the wheels to make them less obnoxious. Ordered my winter tires today. They, alone, will offer a small amount of ride height increase. I've gone rouge with sizing. Did a quick tape measure check of the ID of the spare wheel. It's about 15.25". Smaller than the 17" wheel that is in the front, above. But very close to the same dimension as the rear (16") in the lower photo. Might get interesting if it is ever needed, for real. While I had time, I installed a new frunk release. Found a cheap Chinese version from Carparts.com. It releases and returns when not installed. Whereas the original does not return. Once installed, it doesn't have enough ***** to release the catch. Guess I'll have to keep using the safety release until I come up with a better plan.

The spare is supposed to be used on the front. Rear flats require front tire swap and spare up front according to my OM.

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You might want to check that again. There is less clearance to the front brakes than the rear. I should have tried an actual fit when I had things apart. Will certainly do that when I mount the winter tires. If things are as I believe they are - if I get a flat front, I'll be screwed. The 16" rears have a small interference issue (on the front).

Drove Speedy to work today. It was snowing. No issues. I do need to finish sanding and painting my wheels so I can mount my winter tires. Had to pay to have the chrome chemically removed from the two rear wheels. My methods were not up to the task. I'll post pictures covering some of the steps. This is from hitting one with my pressure washer. I was able to get in between the plating and the wheel. Then used a screwdriver to pry up and break the plating. Not pretty. Also introduced some scratches that now need to be sanded out.

Man, that is one fugly wheel.

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For real !! That belongs in a horror movie !!

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Wait until it gets painted black. Oh the horror....

Just add some red coco mats and Crayola "Carrera" on the side of you car and it should all tie in together well

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All in orange! Reached a milestone yesterday...

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^^^ That's just cruel ! To each his/hers own... There's no accounting for taste

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I'm just playin!

Progress is slow on getting the wheels sanded and painted. I'm still on the 320 grit stage. Will advance to 400 then 500 next. Primer will arrive on Friday. Already have the color and clearcoat... With all the snow and requisite salt on the roads, Speedy won't be going out to play for a while.

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Hey Scott, did you ever get this oil leak figured out? Looks like I now have the same scavenge pump leak. I still haven't confirmed the leak on the other bank but suspect it's the AOS Vent tube. My borescope and computer aren't playing nicely together at the moment so I can't see where that side is leaking from. It sure is a tight fit in these engine bays!

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A wise man told me to follow the AOS. I'll offer the same advice to you. Actually I have not had a chance to dig into it. I haven't driven Speedy since we got our first big snow last weekend. First I don't want to be on the road in snow and ice with Speedy. There are too many idiots that don't know how to drive in the winter. Secondly the salt will do no good. My A4 has been super in the snow. I still need to mount Speedy's winter tires. Then when things melt and clear up a little I will drive him again. Let me know what you find, if you get to it before me.

touch�!

Decided to take Speedy to work today. Didn't get very far. Car hasn't been started for about a month. We've had too much snow, too much salt on the roads and I still haven't mounted my winter tires. Anyway, went to start the engine and it cranked for quite a while and didn't start. Wanted to start in short bursts to build oil pressure. With all the cranking, pressure did build and finally it did start. Heard a fair amount of ticking as I pulled out of the garage and went to clear the air. It did quiet down after a while. Figured it was the lifters refilling with oil. Got on the road and about 2.5 miles from home the CEL flickered and then went on full time. Could tell I wasn't hitting on all six. Turned around and parked it. Took the rally beater. Need to get home and pull codes and figure out what the hell is going on.

Bummer Scott. Here's hoping its something minor

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Me too. Got home and pulled codes. P0305 - misfire in #5. Pulled that plug and #6. Can you tell which is which? I suspect a leaking injector and possible bore scoring. The #5 plug smelled more of oil than fuel. Need to get a look in #5 and see what's in there. Might be able to pump the stuff out and run the engine long enough to drive it to the lift. I'll try to inspect things, including a good Durametric session. Depending on how well or poorly that goes, it may be time to drop the engine and fix the cam deviation, AOS and the other things that are on the to-do list. Hopefully none of our other junkers will need immediate attention. I just had an emergency shock-ectomy on Sparky. That was the day before I had to layout the latest RallyCross course (run this past Saturday). Around that, I fixed the Haldex rear drive system on my wife's Volvo V70R. Still need to finish the alignment on Uwe (Volvo) - I replaced front pads, master cylinder and outer tie rods. So we should be good for a couple of days...

Damn Brother, makes my "list" look sissy.

So I have good news, and bad news. The good news - I have a real good idea what the problem is. The bad news - I did a little diagnostics. I cranked the engine over for about a second. Then once again, for about a second. The idea was to force out any fluids or debris from #5 and #6 (left the plugs out from last night). Saw a couple of little puddles of fluid on the mats I used to cushion my crawl under the car. Figure I will want to drive the car to the lift, I put the plugs and coils back in. Started up and put the car in reverse to back out of the garage. I huge cloud of white smoke engulfed me as I backed out. It was obviously coolant. Turned the car around and backed in to the usual spot. I'm going with a cracked head. Started preparing things for the engine drop. Let the games begin...

Oh ****, sorry bud!

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No worries. I've gotten a lot of good miles out of this car so far. It will live again, and I plan to make it as close to bullet proof as I can. For the price of entry, I'm still ahead of the game.

What a day. Got started about 10 am. Pulled out the coil and plug from #5 so I could move Speedy to the lift without risking more damage to the cylinder. Disconnected a of bunch stuff, drained out the engine oil and trans fluid. The oil did not look good. Doesn't matter any more... Loosened and removed the bolts for the CV joints. The shifter cables were not properly in their holders. Need to correct this when it goes back together. Left off here. Still need to find the fuel return line and get the rear bolt out of the A/C compressor. Should be ready for the drop tomorrow. If the 'festivities' don't cut into my progress.

Any intermix?

I would say coolant got in the oil. I haven't drained the coolant yet. Hopefully it only went one way. Should know for sure later today.

Keep your stick on the ice!

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That's the way I play. It's out. What a mess....

New thread started. https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ld-thread.html