my car hates me

[toolboy62]

Well, after I got my car back from the shop, I drove it for one day(!!!) and it's already pissing me off. I had the belts retensioned and hoses replaced, and it runs great. All oil leaks are gone. So what's the problem?

1) cooling fan doesn't come on until engine is HOT. I have ruled out faults in the cooling fan circuit, it's either the thermoswitch or else a rogue air bubble in the cooling system faking out the thermostat. I can deal with this one.

2) fuel filter is impossible to replace. Fittings are welded on there and I can't get a flare wrench in... I'm stuck using an open end unless I buy another set of flare wrenches to grind/modify. Fittings have been soaked in Kroil for 2+ weeks. No sign of the old filter wanting to be removed from the car, it's moved in for good.

3) I got a new noise that sounds like maybe a heat shield or a belt driven accessory going bad. Only hear it at idle, and only when the car is fully warm so the idle drops below 1K RPM. Just making me paranoid, I feel like I have to track this down RIGHT NOW in case it's related to the T-belt.

4) yesterday morning I started the car then realized that I'd left something in my other car that I wanted. So I set the handbrake and left the car running. Unfortunately I thought it was in neutral and it was really in second gear. The thing that worries me is that it bucked for maybe a half second before stalling. This is supposed to be a brand new clutch! Are 944 clutches a little on the "marginal" side? I'm also noticing that it grabs real high in terms of pedal position. Please tell me that's normal and I don't have to go back and redo someone else's half assed clutch job!

Any advice, sympathy, words of encouragement, and most importantly, donations of cash or car parts greatly appreciated.

nate

[jts924s]

For #1, it sounds like the shop didn't vent when filling the cooling system.

[Lawrence Coppari]

For #2: I typically use 1 open end wrench and one flare wrench to remove mine. I get the wrenches on the hexes so the wrenches make an angle of about 15 degrees - just enough so you can get both your hands around both wrenches at the same time. Then I squeeze with leather gloves on. They generally come loose suddenly. That is why I never use arm strength on them but use hand strength instead. Otherwise, you'll bash an elbow or worse. Ensure you are turning them in the correct direction.

Also, when they come loose, gasoline will come out. Make sure it does not get in you eyes, nose, or ears. Some ballsy guys claim they smoke when they do this. I've also heard of gasoline dripping on an incandescent trouble light shattering the bulb and starting a fire. This last accident happened to a member of another sports car club while he was changing his fuel filter. He lost the car.

For #3: Describe the noise

[AFJuvat]

#1 Re-bleed the cooling system Make sure you turn your heat on when you do this. Many times, some air gets trapped in the heater core and takes a little time to bleed out.

#2 Just what Lawrence said - Use care with gas - I can personally attest to what happens when gasoline gets in your ear. (one trip to the emergency room and a chemically burned eardrum later.....)

#3 Describe the noise

#4 They all buck a little when you stall them out. As fas as pedal position, do a search for "clutch pedal" I know the procedure for adjusting the pedal is posted here - suffice it to say you should have a few millimeters of "dead space" in your pedal before the clutch starts to engage.

AFJuvat

[ronin]

btw: it takes for your car to fully warm up before the idle drops below 1000?

[Drover]

I just had a similar problem with #1. If you're confident the cooling system has been properly bled and the problem persists, try a little experiment. Wait until the car gets warm enough for the fans to kick on. Then, turn off ALL possible accesories that may be drawing power -- radio, headlights, HVAC fan, everything, then turn the car off. Then, turn the key back to the "on" position without re-starting the car. Is the needle giving you a substantially lower readout? If so, you have a grounding problem, causing the gauge to receive more current than it should, in turn causing a false high readout.

I had the same problem for days. I recently had cooling work done, and the system was bled numerous times, but I was still getting a hot reading. I got suspicious when the needle would jump every time a current-drawing accessory would turn on, especially headlights and cooling fans. So then I waited to see if the fans, when they kicked on, would simply stay on or would cycle. When they cycled off with the needle reading 3/4ths, I was 95% sure the gauge was giving me an incorrect reading. The experiment conducted above confirmed it for me.

[jnkyrd944]

not sure if this will help or make it worse, so you can tell me to shut up.

But my fuel filter was impossible too, until the day i had my axle off, then it took maybe 5 minutes to change. No leverage problems there.

You could wait until the next time you regrease or rebuild the CVs, just dont forget the fuel filter while your under there.

[toolboy62]

OK... update. I'm a moron. Apparently the shop that worked on my car turned the A/C on to force the cooling fans on while bleeding. I couldn't see the light until today because today was the first time I've driven anywhere after dark. rattly noise is now gone (must be something to do with the A/C clutch I'm guessing.)

Of course that means that I need to check out the fan situation all over again. The ground thing sounds reasonable though, where does the IP get its ground? Worth looking into.

I have the FSM on CD but haven't had a chance to print it out yet :/

nate

[Zero10]

Hmm... I feel very lucky about my fuel filter.
Was the original one, after 17 years. Changed it last summer. Took me about 25 minutes. Most of the time was spent transferring the fittings to the new filter. I just ran my car for 75km's after the fuel light came on (about on fumes), so I knew gas wouldn't spill out.

Just took 2 open ended wrenches, and a little elbow grease to get them out. Never even soaked them in wd-40 or anything.
*ducks as everybody starts throwing things at me*

[jts924s]

Some folks are getting 15 years out of a fuel filter!!!!!!!

I guess they aren't overpriced after all.

[Ohtori]

My fuel filter has to be changed too, and it says "Made In West Germany"! Germany hasn't been 'West' for over 13 years. Since the car was built in summer 1987, it's almost 17 years old! I just bought it before winter, and haven't put it on the road yet. Definitely on the 'to do' list. I'll also replace the fuel line to and from the filter, as they are so corroded I'll get it off, but I don't think it'll go back on (except with vice grips!). I also bought a Centerforce clutch to upgrade the stock clutch; Centerforce says to allow 400-500 miles of stop and go driving before the clutch grips to it's full potential. Likely your clutch is the same.

[Zero10]

Lol, mine was almost completely plugged. 5 years out of a fuel filter is pushing it. If you change them on time, they should never get stuck in, but when they are left too long... they let you know.

[ronin]

alright already! so I'll change the damned thing!! I mean jeez