That looks like a nice way to self isolate.
That looks like a nice way to self isolate.
Been driving the car on errands and the pedal feel is coming in nicely. Still need to get more pad transfer on the rotors but that'll happen with use.
Time to try and fix the last thing on my off season check list, get the tach feed working for the Traqmate. I thought I'd gotten it going last year, but every time I created a video there wasn't any tach info. I'd bought a cheap right angle OBD2 plug with bare wires on it, the vendor told me Pin #9 (which is the tach wire on my car) had the white wire, so that's what I tapped.
First off I tested to make sure I had a good connection at the Traqmate box. Yup. Then I cut off my junction wire and twisted the two wires together, holding them too. Fired up the Traqmate and opened up the window where it'll show the tach feed in real time. It was reading zero. Hmm, guess it's not that wire!
Time to start stripping the ends off all the other wires (tons of them, ugh!) on the plug and touching them to my feed wire one by one to see if I get a reading. Luckily the very first wire I tried was the right one! Grey wire, not white for those keeping score at home.
Off to the bench to solder/heat shrink them together. Then back into the car to make sure it still works.
Score!
Reads what my tach does.
Off season check list completed!
Time to drive it!!
So I've been driving the 911 around a bit and it threw me a low brake fluid light again. Hmmm, last time this happened on my old Cayenne Turbo a few bleeder screws were just a bit loose.
So back onto the lift it went and I double checked all the bleeders, which were pretty much all completely tight. However the new caliper crossover tubes weren't totally tight, I got maybe 1/4-1/3 turn on each of them. Hopefully that does it, I've topped off the reservoir and I'll see what happens. If it pings at me again it's likely that one bleeder that had a few damaged threads...
So when I first put these (second) set of Euro GT3 seats in my car I moved the Brey Krause fire extinguisher mount over to the drivers seat. I thought I could run the fire extinguisher on my side and it wouldn't be in my way. Well, it was, so I removed the fire extinguisher but never removed the mount. To do so would require removing the entire seat and I thought it wasn't in the way too much so I left it out of laziness.
Well a few days ago getting into the car I nailed my heel on it pretty hard while wearing sandals. Ouch! Bloody too. Ok, that things gotta go. Luckily I've taken the seats outta this car several times so it's not a big deal.
So, seat out of the car, then pop the seat out of the side brackets. Here's the bracket...
I smacked my heel on the aluminum corner. I need to stop hurting myself... Four 13mm nuts and then me struggling to remember which way the bracket goes. Oh yeah...
Put the seat back into the side bracket, then vacuum up the car. Put the seat back into the car. This doesn't do a great job of showing the space but there's nothing to smack my heel on now. Result!
Drove the car to PT today and was greeted with an airbag light. At first I was really puzzled, like WTF!? Then it dawned on me that I'd pulled the seat and probably hadn't gotten the seat belt receptacle plug in all the way.
Crap! A quick query to some professional Porsche people revealed what I suspected, you can't reset that light without a special scan tool. Plugging in the harness properly doesn't do it and neither does popping off the negative battery terminal. Drat! I've had the drivers seat out a number of times and haven't had this problem. I own a half dozen scan tools but never got around to buying a Durametric Pro, which I need for this car.
I posted on some local Porsche Facebook groups and someone near me has the tool and has offered to help me out. I just popped the seat back and removed/reinstalled the harness, making sure it was totally seated then used a zip tie to secure it into place.
Hopefully when I reset the light it stays off!
What a great bucket list car and the mods you are doing just makes it better. Monster for sure
I feel like If bought a modern 911 I would have to personalize it and definitely make it lighter. One of the things I really liked about the RUF article is how much crap is not included in their builds. Epic
In reply to OjaiM5 :
Yeah, I can drop 2-300lbs out of the car really easily by converting to to rwd. I just haven't really felt the need to do it tho, the awd system is heavily rwd biased as it is and the car doesn't feel heavy on the road/auto-x/track at all.
Checked the seat belt receptacle plug and it looked fine. Unplugged/replugged it. Went to my friends house and tried to reset the light. Didn't go out. Argh! He was nice enough to lend me his scanner, so I went home. Made dinner for the family, then after dinner back into the garage.
Fished the plug out again, unplugged it, flipped it 180 degrees, plugged it back in, checked with the scanner. Reset the code and it immediately popped on again. At this point I'm wondering if the seat belt receptacle itself has gone bad, which apparently is a pretty common thing in 996's. Unplug it again and carefully look at it. Hey, is that my witness mark there? Sigh. Plug it in again with the marks lined up, reset the codes and presto, fixed!
So, yeah, so making a witness mark only helps if you use it to plug things back together properly. This is one of the few plugs on a German car that can literally go in multiple different ways, usually they're keyed to only go in one way.
Didn't feel like driving the R to work yesterday since it's on a donut spare after I picked a screw up Wednesday leaving work. Decided to drive the 911 instead.
On the way to work I was following a pick up truck who was harassing the guy in front of him to pull over. To do so he was putting his drivers side tires into the median and kicking all sorts of crap up onto my car. Including rocks. I didn't think anything of it until I left work.
Got in the car and noticed a nice 6" crack in the front windshield, eye level on the passenger side. Sigh. Apparently going back to work isn't agreeable to my cars!
Good news is Hagerty is covering the windshield totally for me! They're also replacing it with OEM glass since that's what I have now. I took a pic of the "Sekurit" badging on the windshield and emailed it to Hagerty for proof that I have an OEM windshield.
Just waiting for the glass company to call me now...
In reply to docwyte :
You have a good local glass guy you use? Or just the recommended insurance guy?
My Tundra needs a windshield.
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) :
Multiple people in my local Porsche Club have recommended the Safelite at S. Holly and County Line, which just so happens to be a few blocks outside my neighborhood.
I heard from the glass clearing company today, they asked me some questions, verified OEM glass is going to be used and are checking my benefits with Hagerty. Once that's done I'll schedule an appointment to have the glass repaired.
In reply to docwyte :
Good to know, thanks. That's not too far from me.
Ok, had a total fiasco with Safelite. They brought out the wrong windshield and their communication was horrible. Installer had never done a 996 windshield either, which didn't make me feel great.
Called my body shop and they recommended Cornerstone Auto Glass, who came out today and did an awesome job. Brought the right glass and seals, had tons of experience with 996's and got it done in about an hour.
Super stoked to have a new OEM windshield installed, no more 17 years worth of pitting to deal with.
Local PCA member is getting out of track driving. He's been selling off spare stuff, some tools, etc. I was tempted a few times by some of his stuff but did a marvelous job of resisting. Was helped quite a bit by not working for 2 months and not wanting to spend money. Well, I'm working again and he posted something that I actually can use vs being "nice to have" and it was *cheap*.
I got 3 VP Racing 5 gallon gas cans, with lids and 4 spare lids, along with 2 brand new bottles of Mothers race rubber removal spray for $45. Score!
The Turbo is a gas HOG on the track. I end up going through a full tank of gas, plus another 5 gallons in 1 day. Then have to limp it the 20 miles to the nearest gas station to fill up again. So I really need to bring two 5 gallon gas cans with me to the track. Currently I have one of these gas cans, in KTM orange. So now I have four of them.
Eventually I'll install my tow hitch and pull my tire trailer so I'll figure out a way to mount the gas can rack to the tire trailer and be all set.
The Golf R did an admirable job hauling all the cans home.
Is your Golf R stock or have you thrown any mods at it? Your two AWD turbo cars are from completely different philosophies--how similar are they to drive?
In reply to nderwater :
The R has some basic bolt ons, intake, turbo inlet pipe, intercooler, downpipe, etc.
The big difference between the two cars is the AWD systems. The Golf feels mostly like a FWD car and when you lean on it, then it sends power to the rear wheels. I have a huge neuspeed rear swaybar on it, that makes it handle more neutrally.
The 911 feels mostly like a RWD car and when you lean on it, then it sends power to the front wheels. It's also brutally fast compared to the R. More lag but when the turbos hit, it really boogies. It's a much more analog car, hydraulic power steering, lower seating position etc.
An E30 tune on the R would give it around 450hp and the same in torque. At that point I think it'll feel similar speed wise to the 911 but I don't want to do that until I need a clutch, as the stock clutch can't hold the power.
I had to get the 911 smogged here in Denver and I went today. Actually I went twice, first when they opened but I saw literally 100+ cars lined up so I turned around and came back 2 hours later. Still a line but no longer wrapped around the block. They do a gas cap check and OBD2 scan here and the car passed both. So even almost two years later the HJS cats are efficient enough that the monitors are happy.
Time to fix something's that I've been meaning to do for awhile. When I installed the Bilstein PSS9's I broke an axle bolt. We found another one that fit from the local hardware store so I could get the car back together. I actually ordered the correct one awhile back and have had it sitting around for months.
Today's the day, get the car up on the rack and lift it. Time to remove the belly pan, which is 4 10mm plastic nuts and a bunch of metal clips that are a PITA to deal with. Got lucky and the bolt I need to replace is on the bottom, so have perfect access.
One of these things isn't like the others...
6mm allen and it's out
I'm sure it would've been fine to leave but it's not stainless and the correct bolt was less than $1.50 at RM European, so why not just replace it?
Assembly was easy, put the bolt back in, torque it to 29 ft lbs, then put the belly pan back on. Honestly R&R'ing the belly pan was the hardest part of all this...
docwyte said:I had to get the 911 smogged here in Denver and I went today. Actually I went twice, first when they opened but I saw literally 100+ cars lined up so I turned around and came back 2 hours later. Still a line but no longer wrapped around the block. They do a gas cap check and OBD2 scan here and the car passed both. So even almost two years later the HJS cats are efficient enough that the monitors are happy.
I was there on Thursday.....like you, I was there twice but that was because my daily failed the gas cap test. So I got to wait in line for an hour twice.... I talked with the guy who was taking down mileage and plate numbers and he said they can't get people to work. They were supposed to open Parker last week and they only had 3 people that would show up. I hope they get something worked out, because the poor people there at the County Line station are slammed.
And I love this thread and all that you're doing with the car!!
In reply to HikerDan (Forum Supporter) :
People are getting more $$ staying on unemployment than by working. It's impossible to find temp dental works, none of the agencies can supply anyone. Hopefully when that runs out in the end of July everyone will go back to work. On an older car it's almost worth having a new gas cap sitting in the car in case it fails. If the old one passes just return the new cap, if it doesn't hand them the new cap and you don't have to come back.
In other news the DMV wants proof of insurance to complete the registration on the 911. Easy right? I already have the card from Hagerty, I should be able to take a picture of that and upload it. Nope, system doesn't support that! So now I have to go in person to the DMV to renew the registration! ARGH!!! At least they take appointments now, unfortunately the earliest I could get in on a Friday is July 17th.
Might as well try and get a personalized plate for the 911 at the same time. I wanted to get "Ronin" but it's already taken. I'm thinking maybe L8RAPEX or WHOOSH. I have 7 character spots I can use, any other suggestions?
Thanks for the kind words about the car!
In reply to docwyte :
I'm sure you're on to something with the unemployment situation. That's a great idea on the spare gas cap.... this is the first time I've had something fail emissions since the 80's (when I brought in an AZ car that was de-smogged to CA). What a drag about the online registration!! Is it just the file type? How in the world do they expect people to provide proof of insurance??
Curious, are you a DC? A DDS? Oh, and Happy Father's Day!
For the license plate, I like WHOOSH..... not only the turbo reference, but the noise as the car whooshes past you.
Dan
In reply to HikerDan (Forum Supporter) :
I'm a bit confused as to why I need to provide proof of insurance. Maybe Hagerty doesn't trasmit the info to the DMV and USAA does? I'm also bummed out this isn't something I can just upload/scan/email to them. Seems like a waste of time to have to go into handle this.
Yup, I'm a family dentist and thanks!
I've got a few other plate ideas I like too, I'll list them out and people can vote on them...
BLUBYOU (blew by you)
IXLR8 (excelerate)
FLATSIX or FLATVI or FLAT6TT or FLACH6
METZGER (I think this is taken in Colorado already)
SCHNELL
BOOSTT (Two T's because it's a twin turbo)
NOBRAX (no brakes)
DRSTIG
WARP911
ACHTUNG
OVERSTR (oversteer)
SRYOFCR (sorry officer)
H20KULD (watercooled)
Bday presents have arrived courtesy of Adams Polishes! Got their Ultimate kit with the 15mm throw random orbital buffer and their Ceramic kit. Should be enough to do both the 996 Turbo and the Golf R. This'll keep me busy for a few weekends...
I'd heard that the 997 Turbo rear brake ducts are a direct bolt on, so I figured I'd buy a set next time I had to order stuff. So when I ordered the Cayenne Diesel 60k maintenance stuff, I picked up a set for $42/pair.
I had a tough time initially trying to figure out which control arm they mount to, I kept trying to put them on the main lower control arm and they don't fit there. I clipped the forward part of the 997 brake duct thinking I had to for fitment, turns out you don't.
They actually go on the diagonal lower control arm, but you need to take the wheel and inner fender liner off first
Now put the brake duct into place
When I put everything back together I discovered the inner fender liner and the brake duct wanted to occupy the same real estate. Since the brake ducts are cheap I decided to modify them vs the fender liner. All I did was slightly cut the brake duct, that let the fender liner sit back where it wants to go. Then I folded the brake duct over the fender liner...
I thought this was going to take 20 minutes, tops. Took me a few hours between figuring out where the ducts went and then having to take the car apart, putting the ducts on and then reassemblying the car.
Went to start the detailing process today. First I washed the car with the foam cannon. I'm just using up the Meguires car soap I have, so not the insane bubbles if I was using a proper foam cannon soap
Then I clay barred the car, using some Mother R3 to remove old rubber and tar bits from behind the rear wheels. Then I taped the car off so I could start compounding it with the Adams 15mm DA. Only to discover that they'd forgotten to send me the actual compound and polish. Doh! They put everything else in the box tho. Sigh. Since I bought it thru Amazon I've reached out to them thru there, but I'll probably also call them tomorrow.
Since they're local to me I'll probably have it mid week. That'll mean I'll have to rewash and tape off the 911 again tho. I'll throw the car cover on it now, hopefully that'll keep it clean enough that I can just go straight into compounding it...
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