I've been reading around a lot since I got my 997TT to replace my previous Targa 4. I noticed my rear wing on the TT wasn't lifting as high as I thought it should, and then noticed that the passenger side also had some moisture on it. I knew what it meant, and procrastinated doing anything about it until the warning came on last week.
Last week I gave instructions to my local dealer to code the rear control unit as a fixed wing, and then I'd figure out what to do about it. The warning at 75 mph in red that you can't clear was really irritating, especially considering EVERY time you dropped below 75 and then hit it again the beep would blare in your ear all over again. They cleared it and set it as a fixed wing for me at no charge, because they overcharged me for the maintenance the first time they worked on it for annual maintenance.
2 clips, 4x10mm bolts, and 8 torx bolts later (4 on the fan, and 4 on the hydraulic motor), I had the whole system under the rear deck exposed. I took off the hydraulic lines with some cups underneath them to catch drips. A rag would have been sufficient, but I didn't know that in advance and thought there might have been more fluid to it. My spoiler was in the fully down position, so that might have had something to do with it. Anyway, with the 12mm banjo bolts off and the hydraulic lines off, I looked at the whole system for a few minutes to better understand it. I opted not to disassemble the rams completely. I just bought some simple nuts, washers, and some threaded rod instead and it worked SPLENDIDLY for a fixed wing.
Supplies needed: Nuts and washers I got at a local hardware supply store - have to order in the threaded rod.
6 x lock nuts M8-1.0 - $3.60
4 x M8 (5/16") fender washers - $1.50 (
Home Depot example - you don't need this many though
)
1 x M8-1.0 threaded rod (
Grainger Threaded Rod
) - $15-20 - If you can find this locally that would be ideal, but it wasn't something I found anywhere around me.
1 x Hour of your time.
Dremel, grinder, or hacksaw to cut the threaded rod
I had already removed the hydraulic lines and motor, along with the 2 intake tubes. I now only had the snap ring holding in the rams. Using snap ring pliers I spread the ring, and then the ram snapped about a millimeter into the casing - nothing dramatic, and they were off. I could now completely remove the spoiler out of the car.
I cut the threaded rod to about 6", and threaded each 6" rod as deep by hand as I could. Take one of the lock washers and thread it down the whole rod tight against where the original banjo bolt used to hold into the ram. This will lock the rod into place (where the banjo bolt used to go) once tight.
Next, start another nut down the threaded rod on each side. Fit it where you want, as this determines the final height of the spoiler. Mine sits about 4-1/2" to 5" off the rear deck, and that was after putting the middle nut at about 3/4" onto the rod). Test fit the spoiler back into the car (careful that you're getting the threaded rods into the hole on both sides inserting into the ram casings that are still in the car. If it sits to the height of your liking, remove the ram casings from the deck lid, and slide one of the fender washers on each side, slide the casings over the rods with washers on them, and bolt the ram casings back in place. Now you should just have 2 little bolt ends poking out of the bottom of the ram casings where the hydraulic lines used to connect. Put the other fender washers on each side, and tighten it down. Re-install the hydraulic motor cover, fan, and intake ducts. Done.
Sounds like from everyone else's posts if they got the "kit" from eBay for $270 they weren't really impressed by the end product vs. cost.
I am not saying that any of the other solutions is not a good one, just that I think the "shopping list" that everyone needs to accomplish this is far simpler than anything I had read. I really like the aggressive stance of the car now.
Anyone with other suggestions on how to improve this would be welcomed. I think it's a simple and solid solution though. I wouldn't go higher than I have here, as I'm leaving about an inch of the original ram inside the casing so it keeps some support/stability. If you move the middle nut on the rod then you can also adjust the height in a few minutes just by removing the original ram casing, move luck nut, and reinstall the casing and nut. Nothing too complex.
This is what the ram looks like from the bottom.
Here's what the side of it looks like.
Here you can see the bolts that need to come off as part of the first step.
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There is another option that raises and lowers the wing electrically. Do a search for rennkit.
