Porsche problems

[Matt7084]

Hey, somewhat new owner of a 1986 Carrera. Got it in August for 16K, didn't drive it much for a little bit, then being the kid that I am put in 2 10" MA subs, Amp, 4 new Boston Acoustic speakers, Eclipse Head Unit, 5.6" DVD Player, plus a Viper remote security system and PITCH dark window tints to protect this stuff.

Anyways I also took it to this place called Holbert Porsche in Southeast PA. Big big mistake, stay far far away from this place, Ill explain at the bottom of the post if you feel like reading why.

Anyways I have some problems lingering with the car now and gonna have to fix them myself and was needing some help identifying them.

1 - Loud whistling sound from engine anywhere in 5th gear from 40mph to ~55mph (low rpms)

2 - After much work disassembling sunroof, epoxy-ing cables back to guidepieces and reassembling, the sunroof works fine with the hand crank, but the motor doesnt move it... Not to mention I had a lot of trouble pulling the headliner back out and now its jamming the whole thing (at least its jammed in the closed position)

3 - Insulator strip around the passenger door coming off easily, how do I get this to go on and stay on? Some sort of adhesive? Guy told me "ah yeah they shrink after time"

4 - Acid rain spots all over the windows, metal polish to remove? or am I screwed?

5 - Very loud squeaking noise under my seat as I drive, comes about maybe 1 in 10 drives, very annoying. Holbert claimed it was broken sway bar...

6 - Central locking button (below AC controls) doesnt work...When i lock a door manually, this button lights up, and then when I press it, it unlocks that door. But when I press it again it doesnt lock both doors (like it used to about a week ago). The viper remote locking button wont lock the car either (like it used to), but it will unlock it.

Anyways, thats all. Id like to DIY all of these so thanks for any pointers! (BTW I have the Bentley manual - which sure as hell didnt help with the sunroof!)

THANKS - Matt

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OK if you are reading this you probably want to know why to never take your car to Holbert Porsche on 611 in PA.

Went in for inspection after I bought the car..."OK you don't have a cat converter sir, we can set you up with a new one for 1700, shield will be 200, plus labor". WOW that seemed high, thought about maybe just getting the brand new OEM cat off of pelican for 700, but instead took it to Meineke where the former Porsche mechanic there put on a brand new hi-flow cat for 200 bucks.

So then I bring it back (a mistake brought on by the cult view that you should only take your porsche to a porsche specialist) and told them about the squeaking noise under the seat, the driver side lock, and the passenger side door handle not returning.

1 week and 1100 dollars later, I had a car that still squeaked, still didnt have a returning passenger door handle, and had a misproperly replaced driver side door panel (at least the lock worked - until last week when both stopped working). About 850 of this was in Labor fees.

I think I'll stick with Meineke and myself before I go back to a "porsche specialist" IE ripoff team fooling people into thinking their cars are not cars but mystical Porsches that only they can work with.

[lateapex911]

The "problem" yu refer to with Holbert isn't limited to Porsche dealers. I have had similar experiences at Honda dealers and so on.

I think it is just a business that has identified what the market will bear. If you were very popular, and could charge $300 an hour for your labor, you would do that over say $30, right? You will find this in every business across the globe.

[emcon5]

Originally posted by Matt7084
I think I'll stick with Meineke and myself before I go back to a "porsche specialist" IE ripoff team fooling people into thinking their cars are not cars but mystical Porsches that only they can work with.

Generally speaking, "Porsche specialist" does not equal "Porsche dealer", particularly when dealing with a 18 year old car.

Porsche dealer also means dealer list prices on parts, which is a polite way to say "Squeal like a pig boy!"

Find an independant shop in your area that works on early cars. Maybe someone who lives in the area can give you a reccomendation.

RE your list:
1> This only happens in 5th gear? No noise made by the engine should care what gear it is in. Could it be coming from the transaxle? Did you check/change the tranny fluid?

2> There is a little rubber piece that connects the motor to the drivetrain for the sunroof cables. Do a search in the archives, I remember someone bringing up a problem with that in the past. Does the motor run when you hit the switch? Does it work when not connected to the cable drive, but not when connected?

3> Wayne sells the door seal for $28 here. I don't know about adhesive.

5> Broken rear sway bar mounts is not an uncommon problem. As Porsche made the rear bar stiffer, they didn't reinforce the mounts. There is an updated mount available, that requires grinding the old mount off and welding on a new mount. Some people have just welded extra material to reinforce the stock mount, it is up to you. If this is the problem, it should be easy to check. The sway bar mounts on the body are right in front of the rear wheels, if you get on the ground you should be able to see if this is the broblem.

Sorry, I don't know anything about acid rain spots or central lockeing.

Tom

[Early_S_Man]

Matt,

Welcome to the board, and visit often!

Sorry about the dealer experiences ... many here have had worse ones at dealers or independent shops!

If you are so inclined, there are very few systems on the car you can't fix or maintain yourself ... all it takes is curiosity, time, effort, tools, garage space, documentation, and occasional help from this board! Three books you need are Bruce Anderson's Porsche 911 Performance Handbook and Wayne's two books from this website.

Many here never did any significant maintenance before the 911 came along, and others have been at it 20 ... 50 years, so don't feel bad, or alone! The progress you will make with the help of this community may very well amaze you, as it has others! Have fun, and don't give up, EVER!!!

[Matt7084]

thanks for the replies!

yes it is only in 5th gear.

Yeah the little rubber piece, called the clutch actually...was thinking about just ordering that 22 dollar piece off of pelican and giving it a shot, but now the headliner is jammed up! Gotta figure out that first without furthering anymore of the hairline tear I began in the leather in one spot...

Oh and the insulator strip seems fine, it fits on and stays on most of the time, seems like some sort of glue was holding it on and now it comes off easily if you give it a small tug.

Thanks - Matt

[Quicksilver]

The locking problem could be the 4" rod that goes from the locking solenoid up to the door lock. It has a plastic socket that fits on a metal ball at the lock. When the plastic gets old it can crack and pop off the ball. The weird thing is it tends to end up pushing upward on the locking mechanism in such a way that it won't lock the door and the electrics will immediately unlock the door when it tries to lock.

The good news is the replacement rod is only $5. Note: the original rod is metal with a plastic socket on the end. The replacement is all plastic.


Wayne

[buttjoint]

You can get the glue for the weatherstriping at any auto parts, It,s made by 3m

[Matt7084]

Grrrrr

600$ of my Holbert bill went into replacing that $3.90 rod...

-Matt

[greglepore]

Email me offline with information on where you are, and I'll tip you to some good independents, if I can. Similar experience with Holberts, but lots of dealers are that way.

As to the whistle, does your car have a K&N or other cone filter?

[makaio]

#2 Does the motor run when you push the switch? If so, the gear may not be seated properly.

#4 There's aproduct called "Nothin Better", it's available at glass shops. If not, any repudable glass shop should have a similar product that will work. Probably $6 and a lot of elbow grease.

#5 Probably roll bar mount like others sugested. I recommend you take it somewhere to have this done. The updated mount is only $70 from Pelican, and a couple hours labor to install. I fixed mine with help from a friend from the board, but it is a major PITA! While your at it, I would fix the other, or reinforce it, becasue it's just a matter of time before it goes.

#6 Like quicksilver said, It's probably the plastic ball cup. $4.00 for the replacement rod. If you can't find the part number let me know, I'll look it up. About a 1 hour job, the first time. removing the door panel is a tedious job.

Good luck!

[Matt7084]

Im in southeast PA, bucks county, email is Matt5454@comcast.net if you don't wanna post it on here...

Sunroof Motor does run when I hit the switch, so ill probably replace the clutch and gear piece and see what that does.

not sure on the filter but I would bet its just factory...

Thanks again! - Matt

[Quicksilver]

Originally posted by Matt7084
Grrrrr

600$ of my Holbert bill went into replacing that $3.90 rod...

-Matt

I had the plastic replacemnt rod pop off after a month. I put it back on and it has stayed put for the last year.

$600 is insane. It can be replaced without completely removing the door panels. I you remove the door pockets and loosen the rear end of the door panel you can reach in and feel for the rod to put it back on. (if that is the problem!)


Wayne

[Zeke]

White vinegar sometimes helps with water spots. You can also *wax* your glass with a cleaner/polish.