True DIY Confessions 1 & 2--longish

[targa911man]

I'll start with confession no. 2: After replacing the charcoal canister on my 85 Targa, it was necessary to vacuum the little jimmie-like charcoal bits from the busted canister out of the air cleaner. This required maneuvering near the oil filler tube. [Reader take note--the previous sentence is an example of "foreshadowing".] I did this about 2 weeks ago. Today, when I went to check my oil, I saw smoke emanating from a vent on the rear of the filler tube. This seemed to be too unusual a design element for even Porsche engineers to dream up. A brief investigation revealed a disconnected hose lying behind the filler tube. Amazingly, the hose fit perfectly on the vent!!! I decided to connect them with a hose clamp. Confession--I must have knocked the hose off the vent when vacuuming out the air cleaner. I had never noticed the hose or the vent before today.

Question--could any damage have been done by that hose being disconnected for a couple of weeks? Put about 300 mi. on the car in that time. Another question. Is the username targa911moron taken?

Confession no. 1 is mundane--I too dropped the dipstick down the filler tube the first time I checked the oil. I mention it only to point out that the long allen wrench with the rubber thing on the end that comes with the tool kit is perfect for fishing it out.

[island911]

. . .dropped the dipstick solution
Sound like you got lucky on the stick not falling further into the oiltank abyss.

confession no. 2: really should only encompass "replacing the charcoal canister" . . .I didn't know anyone replaced those.

Seriously though, what's this about smoke emanating from a vent? This does indeed seem to be an "unusual design element "

[Jim Sims]

If it's the hose I think it is; the vent line hose between air box and oil tank all you did is induct some unfiltered air into the engine. If you'd been driving on really dusty roads for those 300 miles it might be a concern but in Virginia that's not too likely. I wouldn't worry about it. But if your really obsessive you could wipe out the air box under the air filter and change your oil. But again, I wouldn't worry about it. If your engine and oil were hot the "smoke" coming out of the nozzle on the oil tank filler neck was likely water vapor coming out of the hot oil. Cheers, Jim

[targa911man]

Drive my baby on a "dusty" road? The horror, the horror. Yes Jim, it's the "main" vent on the oil tank. I looked it up in Bentley, and I think you're right. The crankcase vents to the oil tank, which vents to the engine. As a matter of fact, Bentley says in Section 100-4 that "At temperatures above 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) crankcase gasses are vented into the engine via the main vent." So it was probably steam I saw. Truth is stranger than fiction. thanks for the comforting words.

[Jim Sims]

If it's the crankcase vent hose, it is even less of a concern. The crankcase vent hose typically has an external braided fabric cover and is attached lower down on the filler neck than the one I was referring to. Cheers, Jim

[mskar]

Maybe this belongs under the "Funny Porsche Stories" thread but after I dropped MY dipstick into the tank (actually my wife did but only because she beat me to it) I had to pull it out with a pair of needle nose pliers through the drain hole. Along with the other 2 that were in there!