[Cloud9...68]

As our cars age, they are inevetibly developing a growing list of annoying little problems that aren't serious enough to sideline the car, but for some strange reason, tend to not get attended to, sometimes (embarassingly) for years. I'd be interested in seeing peoples' lists of these types of non-life-threatening problems, along with your reasons for not fixing them. I'll start:

1) Dead A/C
- Hyper-uber mega-buck repair, since I'll probably have to replace all the components (I've ruled out a freon leak). The car isn't a daily driver, and I want to make it more track-worthy, so I'm planning on removing the A/C altogether to save a big chunk of weight.

2) Crumbling Hall sendor casing
- Pain in the butt to get to, fear of damaging the (apparently) perfectly functioning sender, inability to find the post from xrad that listed the parts needed to correctly replace the casing

3) Turn signal that I have to hold when signaling for a right turn
- A new assembly is big bucks

4) Inside temperature display reads only in degrees celcius
- A new one is major mega-bucks (or so I've heard), and I'm kinda getting used to the novelty of the readout in celcius

5) Power seat is broken
- Nobody ever drives it but me

6) A weird quirk with the starter/ignition switch, in that it makes a grinding sound the first time I crank it if it's been sitting a few days, then is fine for all starts the rest of the day
- It has a new starter, so I'm not sure where to start troubleshooting this one. I've developed a technique where I turn the key just a fraction of the amount needed to turn over the starter on the first crank, which seems to minimize the grinding

7) The sunroof switch is possessed. Sometimes it locks the sunroof, sometimes it doesn't. Lately, it doesn't.
- Seems like a pita to work on, so I just leave the sunroof off 95% of the time

To give myself a little credit, at least I ordered a new visor clip within a couple of days after my drivers side one broke. For bonus points, I Krazy glued the existing piece while I'm waiting to pick up my new one.

That's all I can think of a the moment, though I'm sure there's more. I'll be interested in seeing other peoples' lists to see how they compare to mine.

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[flash]

lol - are you kidding? i'm definitely the wrong guy to ask that one

the starter problem could be the nose bearing/bushing in the bell housing

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[PorscheDude]

Stop being lazy!
Get out there and enjoy a good weekend with you car.
Most of that stuff is very easy and cheap to fix.

A casual attitude towards small problems, accumulates into
costly problems later.

Pay me now,
or pay me later.
I'd go with the former.

Just do it and get it done, it's actually very rewarding.

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[Cloud9...68]

Which of these items is easy? Maybe the hall sender casing. If somebody could point me to the post by xrad (who seems to have vanished - I PM'd him awhile back, and he didn't respond) describing the part to use for a replacement casing, I'd really appreciate it. I spent a long time searching for his post, and couldn't find it.

Flash - what's the nose bushing/bearing? Is it difficult to replace? Of all my problems, the grinding noise I hear when first starting the car is the one that bothers me the most, as I'm afraid it could be doing some damage.

I am planning to replace the turn signal, and will get to it soon. Just choking a little on the cost, as opposed to being lazy. Plus, I had a few large projects around the house I needed to attend to first.

Porschedude, "a good weekend with the car?" In my dreams. With a wife and two kids, that ain't never gonna happen. But I do have about three weeks of vacation I need to take by the end of the year, so that should be a good opportunity to tackle some of them. It's not that I don't enjoy working on my car - I did my own belts, engine mounts, high pressure clutch line, brake proportioning valve, etc. In fact, a mechanic has almost never touched my car. It's just that the items on my list are for the most part pretty low reward/high cost/high pain factor items. But I agree, I need to roll up my sleeves and start tacking some of them before they turn into bigger problems.

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[jaap]

I had a similar thing as item 4 (although it would only show Fahrenheit and no more celcius on ROW car). Turned out to be fuse (the one shared with sig lighter I think).

Jaap

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[Anchorman]

I fully understand, Cloud. I had a gradually worsening door handle that I knew needed to be repaired, plus I had the parts and knew exactly how to do the repair (I'd done one before). With that knowledge, I waited over a year until it finally broke and became unusable - and then I had no choice but to do this awful task. I did it, though, and now it's a pleasure to open the door again.

I'm now about to remove the instrument cluster, which has been malfunctioning for nearly two years. It started with just one light being out; then the temp gauge pegging randomly; and now the speedo and tach are reading wrong. This is another job I know how to do, and have done before - exactly the reasons I didn't want to do it again until I had to, and now I have to (I can't go to the track with a malfunctioning tach!).

Ah, yes, the temperature display...for more than six years, mine happily displayed in F. About two months ago, it started switching itself to C every time the car was turned off. I thought I'd purchase a new unit but, according to Sunset, they are no longer available. So I'm living with it.

If I were you, the one thing on your list I'd make sure to get taken care of is the starter grind...since that's the only thing that could make you stay someplace you don't want to stay. The fact that it's a new starter makes it somewhat more puzzling - except that there have been reports of new starters malfunctioning. Dig into this one, and do the others as you have time and motivation.

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[flash]

the shaft of the starter goes into the nose bushing - that is what locates the shaft and keeps it from moving around and not making full contact with the ring gear - think of it like a pilot bearing on a clutch

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[Johannvb]

When I did my clutch I saw that my bushing wasn't in the best shape anymore, but I could not find a part number at the time. If someone has the part number please share.

I believe one of the biggest reasons for 924s and 944s losing value is because they are not kept in good condition. It is a vicious circle. At some point the owner starts thinking he will never recover the money he is spending on the car and stops fixing cosmetic and non vital things. Then when it becomes time to sell it, the PPI (or purchasor) points out the flaws and the car is sold for less. Now the next owner is even less inclined to fix problems. You get the picture. I know there is another big part called desirability, but I believe the 968 is special enough to buck the trend of its predecessors if they can be kept in the same condition of the competing Boxters and 911s

My advice, spend some quality time with the car...you will love your car more for it.

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[Kim]

I agree. Although not everything is perfect on my cars, I try to stay away from that trap of letting stuff deteriorate. I get stuff fixed as soon as I can. My problem is that I don't really do any of it and it costs me a fortune. But, my wife has 23 cats, 2 lizards, 3 mice, 2 rats, 2 degus, 5 aquariums and feeds 20 raccoons and, as much as that drives me crazy, it gives me a reason why spending money on my cars is OK.

Come on, really, that's fair isn't it? I only have 4 pets.

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[Cloud9...68]

I knew I'd be subject to a certain amount of (deserved) scorn and ridicule for admitting to the rather large list of things I've been putting off repairing, so I appreciate the suggestions. And especially thanks to Anchorman for your supportive and humorous post. Between work, the house, and raising a family, there's sometimes a lot of intertia to fixing minor things on the 968 when it's easier to either ignore them, or to find a suitable work-around. You guys have inspired me to start tackling these problems, so I think I've going to start a few new threads regarding some of the specific problems.

But while we're still on-topic,

Jaap- I'll check the fuse box, although I did that not too long ago, and didn't find anything. I'm pretty sure it's the display itself, and if they're no longer being make, I guess I'll just have to wait a few more centuries until the US converts to the metric system [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img] .

Flash - Ugh, that's what I was afraid you were thinking (I'd always heard it referred to as a pilot bushing). I've had the starter out numerous times, and have checked the bushing as best I can. As far as I can tell, it seems to be in good shape, and the flywheel lock fits very snugly and smoothly in it, so my suspicion is that the grinding is something else. I say "ugh" because I've replaced these on a few other cars, and popping them out can be a real pain in the keister, with a lot of creative vocabulary involved. I'm thinking it's more likely the starter solenoid, though it's weird that it only does it when the car has sat for at least a day. It sounds like the stater teeth aren't quite catching on the flywheel, maybe because the shaft isn't extending far enough (man, I'm really opening myself up to some bad jokes here). The more I write about it, the more apparent it is that I need to take care of this pronto. Any ideas as to what parts I might need to replace, and whether this could be fixed by cleaning/lubing part of the assembly? It's not "gummy starter syndrome;" it's definitely a different kind of sound.

Johann- I hear you. I know how neglect can quickly snowball into bigger problems. I'll start posting those threads, as I have no clue where to start on some of them (the sunroof switch being the one I dread the most...)

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[flash]

it is often called a pilot bushing - i don't do that just to keep it straight from the pilot bearing in the flywheel

if it is that "naaaaaack" sound, it is definitely the starter gear not engaging the ring gear

this is almost certain that it would have nothing to do with the solenoid, or anything electrical - you would have to have such a resistance in that system that you would show other problems elsewhere (i.e. trashed wiring) -

it is almost certainly a fitment problem - this can be due to the ring gear being worn, the pilot bushing being worn, or the front bearing in the starter or the starter gear being worn

based on it not happening once the car is warm, i tend to suspect the starter itself - it is likely that the drive is not moving freely when it's cold - this could be a factor of internal tolerances, or metal expansion on the external components - either way, you will need to pull the starter to find out

this can happen on new starters too - i have seen it frequently on rebuilt ones

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[Cloud9...68]

Flash,

I think you hit it on the head - it's definitely a "naaaaaack" sound. To clarify, it's not just that it stops doing it when the car is warm; it really only happens on the first start attempt of the day. The second time I turn the key, it engages fine, if that helps.

Mine is a rebuilt starter from Sunset. I installed it on 12/28/07, so it's not exactly new. Maybe I should give them a call and ask if this is something they're seen a lot of. Maybe they'll cut me a break on a replacement.

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[flash]

aha! rebuilt unit - that's likely the root of the problem - i see a LOT of rebuilt starters fail - they are often marginally within tolerances when completed, and thus pass the tests, but then wear out early

i buy some rebuilt stuff (waterpumps, alternators) but never starters - i've seen too many failures

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[gryphon]

I only have one quirk with my 93 cab--very occasionally the tip goes into goofy mode, hanging up in 2nd gear. A restart solves the problem.

Tom

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[Cloud9...68]

Flash-

Great. Doing a search on Paragon, Pelican, and Performance Products, I can't even find a listing for a new starter. From what I vaguely remember, I think I'm going to have to keep some nitroglycerin tablets handy when I call tomorrow to get a quote on a new starter... [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img]

I know a lot of people bought rebuilt staters from Sunset when they were selling them for $100. Could I have a show of hands as to how many of these have gone bad? Thanks.

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[Winston968]

I have quite a few niggling things, some of them I've known about ever since I bought the car. My main reason for not fixing them? Trying to justify to the wife why they should be fixed [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

1) The left hatch hinge doesn't disengage properly. Using the remote switch doesn't release the hatch, I need to use the key in the lock.
2) Various cosmetic dings and scratches on the rear panel. It looks like someone had trouble lifting things to put in the luggage compartment. And the tail of the 9 badge has broken off.
3) A rattle and squeak from the hatch area, usually during warm weather. Might be the housing for the rear wiper.
4) The lower grille and sill panel near the rear right wheel have seen better days. Not falling off though.

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[Cloud9...68]

Winston,

Thanks for your contribution, and the sobering realization that there were several items I had left off my list [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img] . I too have the problem with the left hatch hinge not disengaging properly. I've greased it, and that helps some, but doesn't cure it completely. Not sure where to go from here. I just use the key all the time, and carefully apply even pressure with both hands when raising the hatch.

And I also have an intermittent squeak/rattle from the hatch area. It comes and goes, so again, I'm not sure where to begin. I guess I'd have to have someone else drive (someone my same height, because the power seat doesn't work!), while I lay back there with a stethoscope and try to pinpoint the source of the squeak.

And I don't have a single body panel without a ding of some kind. Very annoying. Maybe I should just do one a month to spread the cost out.

Cripes, this is getting depressing. I need to get working on my list to feel better.

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[Gotter]

Funny... I was making a list for my PM when I take her in later this morning. I'll post the problems now and then give an update when I get her back later in the week.

Electronically, my rear tag lights are out (new bulbs and fuse!), the door locks lock and unlock by themselves (when the car is OFF!), and the cruise control just up and quit one day (not sure why). I've heard there is a possibility that the former problem might be contributing to the latter two. Not sure how or why, but then I'm not a Porsche designer either.

Other problems:

Front wheels wobble from 50-60 MPH. I know I have one rotor that is a little out of whack, but can't help wonder if the ball joints or tie rods are worn, too.

There are five (5) very distinct sounds coming from the car that are annoying.

1. From the front left - Taking off from a dead stop to about 10 MPH, there's a chirp.

2. From the front center - There's a thin rattle that occurs when you are applying torque (going up hill) in the 2200-2400 RPM range.

3. From the front right - There's an indiscriminate high squeal. I haven't been able to link it to RPM or road bumps.

4. From the middle right - This is the loudest noise of the bunch. It sounds a loose bracket or something like that. Bums in the road *can* make the noise, but doesn't always, and it's not tied to RPM.

5. From the rear right - I think this is coming from the rear right wheel, but... it sounds like #4, but on a smaller scale.


Got a trip to Norfolk, VA coming up in late Dec/early Jan. Wanna get all these thing fixed by then. I'll update at week's end.

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[Kim]

for the hatch - loosen the attachment points a bit, close the hatch, and then tighten them from inside the car with the hatch closed. Put the carpet out first to get access. Guaranteed.

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[Cloud9...68]

Kim,

Thanks! I'll do this while I'm there hunting for the sunroof microswitches. Hopefully this thread will inspire others to take care of a bunch of their nagging little issues as well.

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