Open Road

UG!

This has been a day. Lost my phone on the train, then when I tried to start the 928 at the train station the battery was dead. As in voltage went to zilch and no start

When I walked home and got another car and jumper cables the car would not crank at all. I can hear the relay and the solenoid, so this probably means the damn starter lifted a commutator bar when I tried to crank it with low voltage. Not sure if anyone has a better explanation.

So I'll tow it home, try to charge the battery to full, but might just wind up having Porsche pick it up to fix it. Too damn cold to be under there dropping the starter, and to be honest the car has been making a squeaking sound which is either a bearing going bad on the air pump, AC, power steering (probably not, it doesn't change tone when turning), alternator (likewise probably not) or the water pump/timing belt pulleys (both at 100k miles).

Can Porsche be trusted to change the timing belt/water pump/whole nine yards/starter? Any other thoughts or ways to test before I have it flat bedded 50 miles to the nearest dealer?

C

ChrisZ wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2025 7:36 pm Can Porsche be trusted to change the timing belt/water pump/whole nine yards/starter? Any other thoughts or ways to test before I have it flat bedded 50 miles to the nearest dealer?

I *highly* doubt that any Porsche dealer still employs a tech that has ever done a timing belt on a 928.

Find out how much it would cost to have it towed to @Mrmerlin

Scratch that… it doesn’t matter how much the tow will cost. It will be less than bent valves.

I don't know if Mr Merlin has the time or the space.

Meantime, got it home, put it on a charge, and tried the starter after an hour. Click, nothing. I can hear the click under the hood, so the starter is shot.

*grumble* The joys of switching out a starter in 10 degree weather on my back are starting to not seem as fun as they used to.

ChrisZ wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2025 11:12 pm I don't know if Mr Merlin has the time or the space.

Ask him.

IF Stan (Mrmerlin) is booked up, and you want prompt service, ask Otto for a recommendation. He lives in the Baltimore area. Sorry, my old grey matter can't come up with his moniker here on Open Road.

Gary

Good idea!

Gary Knox wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 2:55 pm IF Stan (Mrmerlin) is booked up, and you want prompt service, ask Otto for a recommendation. He lives in the Baltimore area. Sorry, my old grey matter can't come up with his moniker here on Open Road.

Same as on The Site That Shall Not Be Named:

@Eplebnista

worf wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 8:25 am

ChrisZ wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2025 11:12 pm I don't know if Mr Merlin has the time or the space.

Ask him.

Ok, I'll drop him a line. Ralph (the go to guy here in MD) retired, but he always had a policy of not working on 928's because he'd fix them then people wouldn't pay the (yeah it's a lot) money.

In the meantime, I need to fix the starter to get it running. How much of a bitch is it to pull (2 bolt job?) and aside from disconnecting the battery (as the main wire is always hot) any other issues?

Question 2: Can one test the starter by jumpering the start relay with the key ON? Just want to ensure it's not an interlock issue or maybe the stupid alarm died. Hey that could be it if the battery went wonkers.....

I'll take the motor apart. My guess is I'll find a stuck brush or something similar.

ChrisZ wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 6:25 pm Question 2: Can one test the starter by jumpering the start relay with the key ON? Just want to ensure it's not an interlock issue or maybe the stupid alarm died. Hey that could be it if the battery went wonkers.....

I have no idea.

However, I have “jumped” the starter by bridging the exciter wire to the jump post.

Consult your wiring diagrams to determine wire color and pin location on the 14-pin connector for the front main harness at the jump post. (Typically Yellow on T18, Pin 14 - but check for yourself on your diagrams) Then detach the cover of the housing. Locate the pin and short it across the jump post with a 16GA or larger jumper.

Obviously, make damn sure it’s in neutral and the parking break is on. And don’t spot weld yourself to the fender.

ChrisZ wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2025 7:36 pm ******
Can Porsche be trusted to change the timing belt/water pump/whole nine yards/starter? Any other thoughts or ways to test before I have it flat bedded 50 miles to the nearest dealer?

C

To be clear in case Worf’s answer wasn’t, never in a million years. Taking your 928 to a Porsche dealer for service, especially something like a timing belt, is akin to getting a public defender to defend you in a criminal action - better off to just plead guilty and go to prison for life

You guys are so damn hilarious.....

So after spending most of a 45 degree day outside trying to get my 944S working (seriously I'll give $100 in credit to Jeannie's place to the first person who guesses what the fuck is wrong with that engine) and failing I moved on to the 928.

Swapped the battery with the one I was cranking on from the 944S, nothing. Tried jumpering with the 100a starter charger on the front post and that just does not work. I'd have to wire brush it and something that would be a proper negative ground to make that work so I put the bolt cap on and now my little fender is safe.

Then dropped the starter. What a bitch: I will say that the previous owner of this car is a saint, a giant of a Man, a person of intelligence and mercy.....

In other words, the top starter bolt was not cranked down to super tight. Got that moving then out, got the bottom one out, and after removing the sway bar hold downs the starter came down. It's filthy, I'll have to get the wiring bolts off tomorrow, but man it is covered with the power steering drip from 10 years. What a mess.

And I thought "You know, maybe the squeak I have heard is the pillow block disintegrating and the engine just decided to lock itself solid in the cold". Eh, I'll pull the wiring bolts off tomorrow at lunch and test the starter, if it works perfectly.......

We shall see.

Good news. Starter is out and on the bench. I can already see that one part of it is dead shorted, other windings are either 2 ohms or open. Hooked it up to a battery with the connections to body and motor and got nothing. Turned armature, motor cogged. So yeah it's in bad shape, new one on way from Jeannie land. We'll see what it looks like end of week.

Meantime $100 offer of beer or hookers for the right answer for the 944S holds. Full story on rennlist, but those guys are kind of clowns.

https://rennlist.com/forums/944-and-944 ... run-3.html

Well, starters are on backorder so I took it over to the local alternator/motor shop. We still have one nearby and the guy said it was an "old" Bosch but he'd look at it. Gave me a little claim tag and everything.

Old? It's a 1986 model. That's only..... oh, 40 years old.

Anyway, called today, all done. Turns out the motor was full of oil and gunk and whatnot and needed to be cleaned, new brushes. Got it and OH MY GOD it looks so clean and shiny that I want to take it to bed with me. Took home, put on a 6 volt battery, motor smoothly comes up and purrs. Put it in car, connected battery, car cranked right up.

It's still squeaking and I still have to re-bolt the swaybars, but looking good and NOT seized. Now it's time to figure out what the hell the squeak is, sounds like it's coming from the center of the car, but I'll start another thread.