Confessions of a 944 Wrencher...

[Timmay!]

Porsche O phile,
I'm not so sure you're in trouble.
The chassis side hard line of the fenderwall connection is the one that spins. The brake line doesn't need to have spin-able connectors at all.

Disconnect the brake line completely at the fire wall.
Screw the brake line into the caliper first and tighten down.
Fit the brake line into the bracket at the fenderwall and turn the chassis side end into it.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I'll double check - it didn't appear to, but I'll verify. If so, that'll help a lot! Thanks for the heads-up.

[FRporsche]

A long time ago, I did a timing belt job and left the water pump alone. When I fired it up to see if I got the timing belt job done right, my neighbor (who was a mechanic) walked by and said my water pump was making noise - we used a stethoscope and sure enough it was shot. Then we noticed it was leaking out of the weep hole. D'oh!

[Panzer909]

Originally Posted by kfanazini

I did the whole TB and WP and front engine seal, took my time and did everything by the book. I removed my PS reservoir to allow for some more room to do something, I cant even remember what, but anyway when I bolted back up to the bracket I somehow bolted it up too high. How did I know it was too high...when I closed my hood, it made a nice dent in an otherwise perfect hood.

If this was supposed to make me feel better it didn't

I did this exact same thing after my TB/WP job. And to put icing on the cake, I (like a complete neanderthal idiot) saw that the hood didn't close properly......and tried to slam it down again!

[Sirius Driver]

speaking of hoods... I ruined mine by propping it up with a screwdriver that slipped as soon as I walked away. of course the screwdriver landed inside, facing up, denting my hood. Luckily, I did this the day before paint. What a dumbass...

[ballysdad]

I purchased a sight unseen non running 944 that had been to the shop multiple times and they could never get it to run right. The symptoms were that it slowly became less responsive and sluggish until one day it did not start. I went through my extensive 300pt checklist that takes 8 hours to complete. Checking everything under the sun. Wait there is a moral to this story.. After checking everything I could think of it made no scents it shouldn't start... That's when I took the cap off the rotor and noticed the set screw was missing. It must have never been put back on and the rotor was so tight no one noticed that it was slowly moving. It took a 2 cent screw and fired right up.. So next time I take nothing for granted and look there first

[alan6272]

OK my turn just happened to me, I am getting my car ready for paint and being that my drivers door was loaded with bondo from who knows when. I decided to replace it and finally got the local bone yard to sell me their door from a 84 which was PERFECT in all ways. Well here is my duh moment, I had the door balancing on my steal drive on ramp and it slipped and I dropped it, putting a 8 inch crease dead center. RRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG

[dmw319]

so here's mine. this happened last night..

Went under the car to fix a few things. Middle exhaust hanger came dettached from the exhaust so I fixed that up. Then fixed a rattle from a heat shield. Figured it had been a good days work.. but then I notice my fuel filter looked a little old and I remembered I had a spare one that I hadn't installed yet. So I think to myself "if it ain't broke don't fix it"... and stare at it for a while KNOWING that a simple job turns into a project a lot of times. The wife wasn't home from work yet so I figure what the heck. Did the job and all and was proud of getting three things done in just under an hour. Start the car up had to pump the gas a little bit and then idled fine. I look under the car to check for leaks and see gas SPEWING out everywhere so I shut off the car and jack the car up again and sure enough when I had pinched the fuel line with vice grips (as per the haynes manual) I forgot to wrap it in a cloth/towel first and ended up making a break in the fuel line from the filter to hard line. Soooo I let out this huge sigh of discontent and pissed-off-ness and went inside and ordered a new fuel line. Now I don't have the car for a while and my entire house seems to smell like fuel even after two showers since. Ha... go me!

[rick13]

Lol!!!... Put me down for missing set screw and leaking fuel line! I did use a cusion for vice grips. The lines were just too brittle.

These stories are freakin hilarious!!! Keep'em comin'

[Marks924S]

Well if your hood struts aren't brand new don't trust them and keep your finger out of the engine bay , I kneeled down to see it I had any leaks under the car after I replaced the master and slave clutch cylinders a little breeze blew and slammed the hood shut on my fingers and it latched I couldn't pull my fingers out and had to wait for my fiance to get home to unlatch the hood. That was a nightmare, also I foolishly heated the crank bolt to loosen it when I did my TB/BB and I'm dread the next time I have to take it off. Not my story but my friend with a 944 we were rebuilding the head, was moving the head to another place on the work bench so he could put the lifters in order he dropped the head and when it hit the bench sent the lifters flying, he said what do we do now? Get new ones. Haha learning a lot from these stories hope to see more

[Slam]

^ OUCH! As a guitar player, that story makes my flesh crawl. I'm always very concerned about my fingers.

[dmw319]

Originally Posted by Slam

^ OUCH! As a guitar player, that story makes my flesh crawl. I'm always very concerned about my fingers.

yikes, me too!

[alan6272]

I used to pick the banjo and sometimes still do but after 33 years as a mechanic my fingers don't work so well. So my skin crawls as well..

[79MALIBU]

Fuel Pump went out..? So I ordered a new one. I was tightening the wires, reminding myself- "It is a very small stud, do not over torque!", but of course I snapped it off. Very Disappointed with myself, after much venting, I ordered a new one.

A week goes by without getting to drive my 1987 924s and the second new pump arrives. Time for a second try, being even more careful this time and yet snapped it off again. This time I tool a closer look at the damage, after mush venting of frustration, and discovered the stud on the full pump was not threaded all the down. A few washers would have been needed to keep the nut from hitting the shoulder on the stud! Who knew!

However I did not want to buy a third pump. So I cut off what was left of the stud, drilled and tapped the same location so I could use a bolt. It worked out, but I don’t recommend this repair, if done wrong I am sure it would lead to an explosion.

Oh, and after all of that it still would not start until I replaced the fuel pump relay. . . . hmmmm

[porschetub]

Great reading and it happens to the" best of them".
Was turning my motor to do up the clutch bolts underneath,finished this job late @ night,fired up the car with the torque wrench still on the front pulley nut.
Good powerful starters in these cars had to remove starter fit flywheel lock and retighten nut to 150 ft/lbs.
No damage but there could have been.

[Slam]

^ That's a recognized technique for breaking loose recalcitrant crank bolts...

[tlechner]

Have to admit - i have the dent in the hood from the Power steering bottle as well.

But my dorkyness was on a trip back from a car show. I had my 944 - my brother his vette. At a stop light i pulled along side and noticed a loud rattly noise and yell'ed over.. Dude, your car sounds like crap!

Upon getting to his house - and him shutting off his car - we found it was my car making all the noise.
The key in the Camshaft pully had gotten out of sorts. hanging on by just little bits of metal... Luckily only a new cam shaft needed.

Now - I check to see if the noises are from my car first...

[emoore924]

My bro was doing a little tune on a buds cheby and had the valve covers off. Went to put them back on and snapped off a bolt. Then another. Then another. I said, WTF are you doing. He says tightening the bolts to 28 ftlb just like the manual says.

I check the manual.

It says INCH lbs.

Thank gawd he decided to be a doctor. Oh wait, maybe that's not so good...

[Panzer909]

Oh! I forgot this one that I KNOW you’re gonna love it:

Years ago, I drove the car up my back yard for a wash. (My back yard is at a slight angle – nothing steep but enough that it would be a good idea to put the parking brake on) Anyways, when I was done washing it, the battery was on its way out & died so the car wouldn’t start. My yard is also very narrow, so the only way to get it out for a jump was to push it back out. I get in, release the E-brake, and a friend pushes it. I didn’t close the driver’s door completely in my haste but didn’t think much of it. So with only a small nudge, the car begins rolling backwards quickly. This takes me be surprise and the door suddenly swings right out over the uneven yard…….right into my Oak tree next to the car!!

Seeing this for a split second right before impact, I knew FOR SURE that the tree would rip the door off as the car rolled backwards. But – and in a miraculous display of true German engineering excellence – the door caught the entire car and stopped it dead in its tracks on the downhill angle. The crazy part is that it made no marks, scratches, or bent anything. I couldn’t believe it.

True story!

[shadetree944]

When replacing the speed and reference sensors, I thoughtfully stuffed a rag down in the bellhousing window so that nothing would drop in there. Finally, when it was time to call it a night, I removed the rag...and promptly dropped a 7mm allen wrench down into the bellhousing!

The next day at work was a dark night of the soul. I scoured the net for stories of hope. I came back home and spent 4 hours with a coat hanger in the starter window cranking the engine gently back and forth by hand, until, miraculously, the wrench poked itself out through the passenger side top window. Relief doesn't begin to describe it. Never again!