Apprentice 928
A 928 Ownership "Reality" Feature
Can this resurrected 928 serve as enjoyable transport for a local doctor?

Morgan Lazenby, our 928 Technician and Lynn Hooper 928 Product Manager have their work cut out for them. The to-do list extends a full page. And the owner, Dr. Hermann has been at the helm of many fine machines, being an experienced pilot and mariner. No detail will go unnoticed.

Our goal is to get this 928 to "Tuned-by-Jager" status in just over a week. After making the leap of faith into 928 ownership, we don't want to keep our doctor waiting. We've written the prescription. After all, every doctor should have a Porsche - no substitutes!
1990 S4 Daily Log and Status Report: Day #7 - Wrap-up (June 17, 2005)
The 928 comes back to us, with something new. The wipers will only work on #2 and #3 speeds, no delay or low speed or park! Looking at the circuit, the low speed drives all the malfunctioning positions. Swap out a new relay, no difference. Go to the motor - getting no power on the low speed line. Motor shows a good circuit. Then it's the switch. But I know these switches are reliable, so I suspect a loose connector. At that is exactly what it is. Took an hour to do that.

We get the alignment done and the steering feels great. Apparently it is just a couple of degrees off in toe adjustment. Pull the timing belt cover. Waterpump was done - evidence of black RTV gasket there and the belt looks great. We use the Jager sound method to check tension. I use our *.wav file to get the note on the bass guitar and we pluck the belt. It is 2 frets higher in tone than our spec. note. It does feel a bit tight. Nothing to "fret" about, it is a little on the high side but not out of line. The tone method of belt tension is deadly accurate, fast and no gauge, tool or hassle required. Ships worldwide in minutes too.

Turned over now for daily service, the 928S4 is running smooth and handling like a '28 should. When winter comes around we'll pull the center console to fix those couple of leaky HVAC actuators. Temp control is fine since we replaced the heater valve. Total bill came to 55 hours in labour for the service, upgrades and installation. Our hourly rate is lower than all specialty shops so the charge is quite reasonable. Parts were around $2,500 made up mostly from the tires and audio equipment. Wood interior is on order and will be in shortly. She's lookin' good! Not every car is worthy of restoration. But the 928 is quality constructed and very effecient, so yes it's worth the effort.

In this particular case it's the little things, the adjustments, steering, shifter, suspension, audio and electrical and the things that get overlooked needed to be tuned up. The major stuff was fine. Most shops are good at the major work. I believe getting the details right will determine the outcome of the ownership experience.

The List:
Wavering Idle (done)
Catalytic Temp fault (done)
Tire (RDK)Faults(done)
No temp control (HVAC) (Done)
Vacuum Leaks (Found)
Ride height off spec. -way too low. (Done )
Audio Upgrade required - head unit, amps, subwoofer.(Done )
Fix speaker mounting(done)
Steering wheel leather coming off(Done)
Check T-belt & Tension.(Done )
Check Torque Tube/Flex plate(Done )
Doors close in (no arrestors) (Done )
Rear Wiper doesn't work (Done )
Hatch release doesn't work(Done )
Rear Console stuck locked and leather coming up (done)
Loud whirring noise from rear at speeds greater than 20 mph(done)
Loose shifter handle(Done )
Adjust throttle cables, (Done )
Adjust brake pedal(Done )
Vibrations at idle (Done )
Engine dirty and manifold paint peeling (Done )
Power steering fluid burnt(Done )
ATF Fluid (Done )
Check all other Fluids & Filters OK
Check brakes, bulbs, wipers, etc.(Done )
Lube all moving body parts, cables and linkages.(Done )
Shifter cable is out of adjustment(Done )

Day #6 New tires are here. We have the local courier re-route to the local tire shop, and we have them mounted up. Shame on us, we didn't shop at home. But these tires have to be ordered in anyway and doing that online is efficient. the new rubber makes all the difference. The handling is not the same though. The car feels stuck in a grove on center. I suspect front end alignment. We play with the tire pressures boost up the rear a bit more and the car goes home. We'll have it back once again to finish the last few items and book in the alignment.

 

Day #5
For sure the whirring noise from the back is the rubber. We jacked the car up and "drove it" to a slow speed (~50 km/h) it was quiet as can be. The PSD system doing its thing in the process. Checked dates, front tires are from '96, rears from 2002. Call to Dr. Hermann and new Kumhos are on order. Remove the spacers we had in there. Check the gas lid for spec.tire pressure. It's higher than the GTS, so we pump the tires up to 45 psi. No more tire warning. How about that, the warning system was telling us the tire pressures were too low.

Adjust the front ride height as well and boost the rear some more. Swap out the subwoofer for another (the first one had a rattle to it) add a fuse block to the amp power wiring.

Morgan patiently stitches the steering wheel at the top and at the bottom. No need to recover. We'll give it a light sanding smooth, then "dye" the leather to like new condition.

The T-belt is still an unknown. The front of the engine sounds very quiet so I don't forsee any issues there. Hard to tell looking at the waterpump how new it is. There is evidence of work being done in the area. I'd like to get the other things out of the way first, before putting the couple of hours required to check the belt and set tension.

 

 

Day #3 & Day #4

Morgan installs the CD, and the new heater valve, no more constant heat. I spend the night tuning up the sound system.

The rear wiper troubleshoot - I simply trace back to a blown the fuse. Fit a new rear blade. The hatch is a mechanical issue, the latch won't adjust in enough, so I decide to make a shim and now it opens on command. I also do a quick ride height boost on the rear end. It's riding very low - bonus the adjusters turn like butter. Got love low miles.

Day #4... we hoist the car up to check the driveshaft coupling. Looks fine. There is about 0.20" of exposed splines looking through the peep hole. Oil pan gasket isn't so hot. We decide to install the Jager Speed Mount. Takes a bit of engine jacking, more force than usual to get the engine up. The existing engine mounts are baked solid. While the car is up we decide to change out the rear brakes, flush the PSD system and also do the transmission fluid/filter. PSD works great, which is sometimes a concern. We also make up some inner wheel liners from closed cell foam to cut down on the tire/road noise. Helps a bit. Morgan completes all of that.

We put the Porsche letters on for some instant prestige. Jager essentials - button shifter and a cupholder. Dr. Hermann can drive the car this weekend, and at least everyone will know what it is. Fixing up a 928 can be like an obsession. There have been several late nights. We are not done yet and I am sure there will be some more added to the list come Monday.

Day #2

Morgan manufactured and fitted the subpanels. Got the rear compartment open to expose a little treasure of Japanese CD's. The hinge is broken at the back, so the box was pulled out of the 928 for repairs. The door arrestors are siezed wide open. After LPS#2 and the arrestor kit installed it is making a really awful grinding noise. Theory is that the arrestors are actually pretty good, just never made contact due to corrosion. So I put the shim on the belt sander and added lots of grease. It is working nice now. Mixed some paint from gold metallic, silver metallic, some white to paint the manifold. Engine looks the mileage now. The whirring noise sounds like snow tires. I looked at the tread and they are a deep rain/performance design. Fronts are from '96 and rears from '02. Pretty sure it's tire noise. The CD head unit goes in tomorrow.

Day #1
I like to work alone and in my personal garage space, at home. Kids tucked away, I am working the 9 to midnite shift. First things I hit are the electrical, the ones I can knock off quickly, and the things that are bugging me most. Take a problem a run with it. The cat temp alarms are blaring in the face so lets go with that. Takes me almost an hour to locate the relays (Japan cars only) & they are these blue things hidden in the center console. Pull the relays, no more fault. Check. I find the O2 sensor plug suspiciously loose. Unplug and reconnect. Juice the S4 manifold pipe with LPS#2. Pull the air filter and check plug to the MAF. Check vacuum, indicates a leak. Heater valve bellows is shot. Plug the line. Re-start and idle seems to be alright. Spray down the engine with LPS#1, to dissolve this thin layer of humidity-based corrosion on the metal parts. LPS#2 on the throttle linkage, hood hinges, and grease the hood pin/latch. Sand the manifold and clean up the engine. Will get some paint mixed from the paint bin tomorrow. Morgan will start on the car tomorrow during the day.

 

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