944 Foot To The Floor

How To Troubleshoot Porsche 944 Headlight Problems - Part A

2015-10-18T14:43:00.000+01:00

THE WHY

Back in 2011 I wrote this post on how to troubleshoot a problem with the headlight lifting motor on my 1984 Porsche 944. It's now 2015 and I've had 4 trouble-free years with no headlight problems until the other day when my headlights would go up but would not retract back down. I checked the relay and the headlight fuse (Fuse 1 on the Additional Fuse Board) which were fine and then the lifting mechanism which had no obvious signs of binding so I turned my attention to troubleshooting the rest of the electronics.

For future reference anyone following my two guides on headlight problem troubleshooting should follow Part A first here (at least until the end of Step 1) then follow Part B if needed.

THE TASK

You will need the following:

Multimeter (capable of checking DC voltage and circuit continuity)
Flat bladed screwdriver

I also recommend that anyone reads the headlight tutorial at Clark's Garage which explains the theory of operation and has been a key guide in helping me write this post

THE HOW TO

STEP 1 - MOLEX Connector Test

I started by checking the voltages on the 4 pins on the headlight motor MOLEX connector (top arrow shown below)

Start by disconnecting the connector from the motor housing and then test each pin individually with a multimeter (one probe of the multimeter should be attached to a good ground on the car, the second probe is used to test each pin individually - do not short the pins otherwise you will blow the headlight fuse under the dashboard).

Before checking the voltages at the connector it should be noted that the headlight switch has 3 position states which are as follows:

Position OFF: All lights should be OFF. Headlights in the DOWN retracted position

Position ON 1: Headlights should be OFF. Parking, dash and license plate lights should be ON

Position ON 2: Dash, parking, license plate and headlights ON. Headlights in the UP raised position

The MOLEX connector is wired in the following order (shown in the picture below)

To check the voltages at the MOLEX connector you need to perform the 3 following tests and the voltages on each individual pin should be near as follows:

	Grey	Red/Green	Brown	Red/Blue
TEST 1 Ignition OFF Headlight switch OFF	0v	12v	0v	12v
TEST 2 Ignition ON Headlight switch OFF	0v	12v	0v	12v
TEST 3 Ignition ON Headlight switch ON position 2.	12v	0v	0v	12v

If you find that all the voltages are CORRECT then the problem is likely to be the headlight motor relay, the headlight lifting motor or binding of the headlight lifting mechanism. You should then follow tutorial Part B instead.

If you find that any voltages are INCORRECT (mine failed Test 1 and was only showing 4v on the Red/Green pin) then the problem is likely to be with headlight switch, headlight fuse or wiring. You should proceed to Step 2 below.

STEP 2 - Headlight Switch Connector and Fuse Board tests

If the voltages are INCORRECT at the MOLEX connector we need to follow the problem along the wire to the next point in the connection chain using the Porsche headlight electric diagram shown below (taken from Clark's Garage tutorial).

If we start at the area around the rotary switch (this is near enough the same area as the MOLEX connector) we can see the four coloured wires labelled.

Grey goes to the headlight switch - Follow Step 2a
Red/Green goes to the headlight switch - Follow Step 2a
Red/Blue goes to the fuse board (Fuse 1 on the Additional Fuse Board) - Follow Step 2b
Brown goes to ground (bottom right) - You should do a continuity test between the pin on MOLEX connector and the ground point underneath the right front headlight, regardless you should unbolt and clean the ground point

STEP 2a - For the back of the headlight switch connector (Red/Green and Grey wires only)

Use a flat bladed screwdriver to pop the plastic headlight switch housing and remove it from the dashboard. Keep the headlight switch connected to the connector block and perform Test's 1, 2 & 3 on the back of the headlight switch connector for the Red/Green and Grey wires only (shown in the bunch below)

CORRECT voltages for the Red/Green or Grey wires indicate that the issue is likely the Red/Green or Grey wire itself (broken, shorting or poorly crimped at the connection points at either end), therefore the wire needs to be fixed or changed. In my case I was seeing 12v on the Red/Green wire on the back of the headlight switch connector, therefore my problem was the Red/Green wire itself as it was only 4v at the MOLEX end. There was no problem with the crimping at either end so I cut the wire at both ends and patched in a new length as it was too difficult to find a short or break. My headlights now retracted correctly.

INCORRECT voltages for the Red/Green or Grey wires indicate that the problem is likely a headlight switch fault or a problem with the main power wire to the switch. Therefore you need to do a switch continuity test (see Step 3) or a voltage test to the headlight switch connector block (see Step 4).

STEP 2b - For the fuse board (Red/Blue wire only)

Locate the 'Additional Fuse Board' underneath the dash (shown below), then locate Fuse 1 (16A) shown below.

There are two screws that hold the entire fuse board bracket to the underside of the dash, undo these so you can gain access to the back of Fuse 1. On the back of Fuse 1 you will see a Red/Blue wire and Red wire.

CORRECT voltage for the Red/Blue wire indicates that the issue is the Red/Blue wire itself (broken, shorting or poorly crimped at the connection points at either end)

INCORRECT voltage for the Red/Blue wire indicates that the issue is a faulty fuse or that the fuse board is not receiving enough power. Recommend to replace 16A fuse and check Red wire on Fuse 1 is showing 12v

STEP 3 - Headlight Switch Continuity Test

This is what the inside of a brand new headlight switch looks like on a 944/1. The left-hand-side shows the dimmer variable resistor and the contact plates that connect to the various blade connectors on the back of the switch. The right-hand-side shows the 3 sprung switch plates that are activated/deactivated at the various 3 positions when the switch is cycled.

Here's what the inside of my used headlight switch looked like. The switch still functioned correctly but there was definitely signs of wear on the contact plates, so I replaced it just as a matter of caution.

To test the proper functioning of the switch remove the switch from car and do a continuity test using the various connector blades on the back (as shown below).

Using the below diagram you should get continuity at the red and green groups of points when the switch is in the various OFF and ON positions. If you fail to get these results you may be able to disassemble the switch and clean the contact points inside to get it working correctly. If all fails you will need to buy a new switch.

You can also test the resistance range between the 2 pins 58a and 59b for the dimmer. My new switch showed a range of between 0.5 to 7.0 ohms (Ω).

STEP 4 - Headlight Switch Connector Block Voltage Test

Testing the front of the headlight switch connector block is straight-forward and the correct voltages should be present using the table below.

	Ignition OFF	Ignition ON
X	0v	12v
56	0v	0v
58L	0v	0v
56K	0v	0v
58	0v	0v
30b	0v	0v
58R	0v	0v
30	12v	12v
58a	0v	0v
58b	0v	0v

Whilst the switch is detached from the block this is also a good opportunity to replace the bulb that illuminates the headlight switch. Bulb specs are as follows and can be found on ebay.

Osram 286 Single Bulb 12V 1.2W Dashboard Dash Interior Auxillary Car Single

Product Dimensions (mm): H 18 x W 5 x D 5

12v 1.2w W2 x 4.6d Indicator & Panel

How to replace rubber hatch latching seals on a Porsche 944

2013-07-12T16:59:00.000+01:00

THE WHY

The rubber hatch pin seals on my 944 had clearly seen better days (no surprise considering my 944 is nearly 30 years old) but other more pressing repairs and maintenance had meant they'd never reached the top of the priority list, until now. So taking advantage of the lull in critical maintenance I thought I'd tackle this little matter whilst all was calm. I'd also read on some forums that new seals also helps with the action of the automatic hatch release as well as preventing water getting into the hatch locks.

THE TASK

You will need the following:

Washing up liquid
Plastic bike tyre lever or a flat bladed screwdriver

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time approx. 30mins to 1 hour)

The first thing to do was to acquire some new seals as the last thing you want to do is dig out the old ones (and probably destroy them in the process) and not have anything to put back in. I sourced a pair of new ones from 944online, the seals are different each side so you need to make sure you get a left and a right one. Part numbers for my 944/1 were 944 512 365 01 & 944 512 366 01

Having got the new seals I proceeded to dig out the old ones with a small flat bladed screwdriver to expose the bare locking mechanism beneath as shown below. Also gave it a good clean and dry inside to remove gunk build up. You also need to pop off the main hatch seal along the lower edge to aid access when it comes to inserting the new hatch latching seals.

Here's a shot of one of slightly tired seals next to one of the new ones, you can see a slight difference in design along the top edge (probably one of Porsche's many part upgrades)

Before you begin to press in the new seals take not of the back edge, as you can see the seal is shallower one end than the other.

Fortunately Porsche also mark the seal L or R on the top in case you get mixed up (marking inside orange circle below)

To make the fitting process as easy as possible rub some washing up liquid on the surface of the seal and around the opening of the bodywork, this helps it slide in easier. I found it was best to push the inner corner of the seal (see blue arrows above) first then ease the rest in as best you can. I used a plastic bicycle tyre lever to get the seal to sit properly under the bodywork, massaging it in gently bit-by-bit. Be careful not to push too hard otherwise you'll split the rubber even on these new seals.

Once both seals are in you may need to let out the hatch pins a little to accommodate the un-squashed fresh rubber.

How To Replace Power Steering Rack On A Porsche 944

2011-11-08T19:21:00.003+00:00

THE WHY

My 944 usually only sees action at the weekends and most weeks sits patiently in its parking spot on my road. I remember it had been a particularly wet week and one morning when I left the house I glimpsed an unexpected amount of oil floating on the surface of the water that was laying in the kerb by the side of my car. That evening I had to do a short drive and instantly it became clear that things with the steering were not at all well. As soon as I turned out of my road a resonating groan came from the direction of the engine and was repeated at nearly every other turn until I reached my destination. A quick check in the power steering bottle confirmed it was almost empty and nowhere near as full as it should have been. At first I suspected that a power steering line that had been badly fitted by a previous owner (it was on my list of things to do) was the culprit. However when I had a look in the clear light of day it was coming from completely the opposite side. Having quickly whipped off the undertray it was clear the leak was coming from the rubber bellow at the end of the steering rack.

THE TASK

You will need the following:

32mm Spanner
32mm Socket (optional)
19mm Socket and/or ring spanner
17mm Socket and/or ring spanner
2 x 13mm Socket and/or ring spanner
2 x 10mm Socket and/or ring spanner
Flat bladed screwdriver
Centre Punch (optional)
Small hammer
ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) Dexron II
General purpose grease
WD-40 or similar penetrating oil
Oil catch tray

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time approx. 2-3 hours)

It is worth pointing out straight away that the power steering rack for right and left-hand drive cars are identical, however the suspension cross-member and the way the power steering rack attaches to the cross-member are different.

Left-hand drive cars have two extra mounting adapters that secure the rack to the crossmember (as shown in the Porsche parts picture below) whereas right-hand drive cars don't, the rack simply bolts straight to the crossmember and no adapters are needed.

Left-hand drive power steering rack (Red arrows show adapter brackets)

Left-hand drive cross member (mounts at 90 degrees on front, no hole for steering gearbox)

Right-hand drive power steering rack (without adapters)

Right-hand drive cross-members (blue arrows show mounts at 45 degrees on front and orange arrow shows hole for steering gearbox)

To make this job as easy as possible raise the front of car as high as you can go, then remove the undertray by undoing the 5 bolts that hold it on. If you are doing this on your own it also helps to remove the front wheels to take the weight off the track rods when you detach them from the rack.

Next step is to confirm you actually that leak is coming from the rack itself, if it is then nine times out of ten you'll see red fluid coming from one or both of the black rubber gators as was the case with one of mine.

Pop the gator off at the end that is attached to the rack and roll it back to expose the 32mm nut that attaches the steering track rod to the rack inside. On the edge of the nut you should notice it has notch that has been tapped; this is to prevent the nut from undoing, thus before you can undo the nut you need to tap back this notch so that it will pass the groove it sits in.

With the nut undone position the track rod so it is not in your way and repeat the procedure for the other side.

Next position an oil catch tray underneath the car and detach the hose at the point where it connects to the power steering coiled oil cooler (shown by blue arrows below) and drain as much power steering fluid as you can. It helps to undo the cap on the power steering bottle so a vacuum isn't created.

With most of the oil drained you can now detach the other hose from the point where it meets the power steering pump (blue arrow below) with a 19mm spanner/socket and catch the remaining oil.

With the hoses removed you are now almost ready to begin detaching the rack itself. At this point if you are following the Haynes or Porsche 944 workshop manual it will tell you to remove the stabiliser bar, this may be necessary for left-hand drive cars but I was able to manoeuvre/wiggle the rack about and remove it on my right-hand drive 944 without doing this and it wasn't too much hassle.

To remove the rack start by undoing the four 13mm bolts that secure it to the cross-member.

Don't undo the bolts completely though as you also need to undo and remove the single 13mm bolt (blue arrow below) that attaches the steering linkage to the rack. Keeping the rack momentarily held by the four steering rack mounting bolts aids its removal. It helps to spray some penetrating oil on the bolt and spline itself as it can be difficult to undo and ease apart. You must remove the bolt completely as there is a grove in the spline that it sits in. With the bolt removed if the linkage won't budge off the spline you can tap a screwdriver into the slot and ease the jaws of the clamp slightly, use more penetrating oil if you have to.

With the linkage detached and the four cross-member bolts now completely removed you can proceed to wiggle/twist and manoeuvre the rack free from the car.

The only thing left for me to do was detach the two steering oil lines from the rack that I had detached from the pump and oil cooler earlier (the large thick one in the picture above and the skinnier one shown by itself in the picture below). You will use these again with new copper washers on the replacement rack.

The replacement rack was a reconditioned part with all new seals and brand new rubber gators that I got from a seller on ebay who specialises in replacement steering racks for all types of cars. The rack arrived within a day or so as a complete unit (you have to send him back the old rack as part of the deal). I also purchased some replacement copper washers for where the steering oil lines attach to the rack and steering pump, I got these from a general auto store for few pennies.

As a side note if you are interested in replacing the seals on the rack yourself check out the tutorial here on Rennbay http://www.rennbay.com/psrsealkitfull.html

You will now need to reconnect the lines to rack with the new copper washers (following the correct torque settings in the Porsche manual).

Next step is manoeuvre the new rack back into position on the car. Use 2 of the 4 mounting bolts to loosely hold it in place whilst you line up steering linkage with the spline (make sure the flat groove on the spline lines up with the bolt hole otherwise the bolt will not tap through). When the linkage is attached you should be able to see clear through the bolt hole and the bolt should just push/tap through with ease. If you're slightly out of alignement even by 1 or 2 notches on the spline the bolt will not got through and you'll need to repeat the whole alignment procedure again. It took me 2-3 attempts to get this right.

Don't worry at this point trying to centre the tracking with the steering wheel in the car as you will do this at the very end when the wheels are back on the car. This is a simply case of pointing the wheels directly ahead and removing and adjusting the steering wheel.

With the linkage attached and bolted to the spline you can do up all four steering rack mounting bolts so the rack is now securely in place.

The next step is to fit the new gators to the track rods. I found the easiest method was first to use a little grease around the openings of the gators and slide a 32mm socket inside side them first.

This helps you easily slide the gators over the wobbly joint on the end of the track rod (you can just see the socket butted up against the wobbly joint pointed out by the orange arrow below)

Slide the gator all the way onto the track rod and onto the rubber bung (shown top left in the photo above).

You are now ready to hook the track rods back up to the rack. Carefully line up the threads on each side and do up the wobbly joints so they are finger tight. Then tighten them with a spanner. It is important that you use a punch or flat bladed screwdriver to tap the locking notch back into place (as shown below by the orange arrow). This prevents your steering coming apart through vibration and is an essential safety feature.

The final step involves putting a light amount of general purpose grease on the steering rack itself before the rubber gators are attached to either end of the rack.

You are now ready to reattach the hoses from the rack to power steering pump and pipe from the power steering oil cooler.

As a precaution I used some plastic cable protector to wrap the pipe to prevent it rubbing on some points on the chassis (shown by orange arrows below).

With all the pipes connected (making sure they are routed correctly and away from any belts or other moving parts, plus clean any old ATF fluid away from any of the pipe joints as this makes it easy to identify new leaks as opposed to phantom ones) you are now ready to fill up the power steering bottle to the level on the dip-stick. Pour in the ATF fluid as slowly as you can as you want to minimise creating bubbles. When the level appears to to remain constant and with the car still raised off the ground start the ignition and allow the engine to run. Keep checking the level in the power steering bottle and top up as necessary. When the level appears to remain static slowly turn the steering wheel completely to the left, top up power steering fluid. Then turn the steering wheel completely to the right, top up power steering fluid. Repeat several times until no change in the fluid level occurs. Turn off the ignition and slide back under the car to check for leaks at all the points where you disconnected/re-connected the power steering hoses, if no red fluid appears to be leaking from anywhere and the fluid level hasn't dropped then it looks like you have done a good job. Before re-attaching the under-tray I took the car for a quick test run, brought it back, checked for leaks and did a small top-up on the fluid and that was that.

If you find that your steering wheel is not centered then make sure the road wheels are facing forward as straight as you can get them by manoeuvring the car. Then pull off the horn button that sits across the centre of the steering wheel. Use a socket with and extension bar to undo the big nut in the centre. Then simply pull off the steering wheel, adjust it to the correct position, reattach the nut and horn button and you are done.

As a final bonus and if your power steering pump needs an overhaul you can find a good tutorial for it below.

Also, here's an overview of the power steering system on a left-hand drive 944 you may find useful too.

--- UPDATE June 2022 ---

So, it's been 11 years since I installed this refurbed rack back in 2011, but today I had to repeat the job again as it had begun leaking fluid on the near-side seal. There were unfortunately no refurbed racks readily available from any of the UK sources I tried, so I've taken a chance and gone for one that's been pulled from a parts car. Installation and removal went exactly the same as in this tutorial. I'll keep the leaking one as a spare that I can send for refurb at a later date.

How To Remove And Replace A Porsche 944 Thermostat

2011-11-01T20:04:00.002+00:00

THE WHY

Over the British summer I noticed that temperature gauge was creeping up a bit higher than usual whilst stuck in traffic and having spent a few uncomfortable moments with the internal heater turned full on to compensate and cool down the engine I decided it was time to investigate further. Having checked the level of coolant was ok and that the fans were kicking in roughly when the needle hits the half way mark on the gauge, I went for the next common cause the thermostat. At around £20 for a Porsche one they're not cheap, but going through the cars history I could see it hadn't been replaced for a long while.

THE TASK

The thermostat can be a tricky thing to get at, most guides say that need to approach it from the underside of the car. This isn't true, as long as you have the right tools and remove the distributor cap then you can get to it from the top front of the engine.

You will need the following:

Stumpy flat-bladed screwdriver
Long flat bladed screwdriver
Long bent-nose snap ring / circlip pliers
Small torch
Dentists mirror
Catch bowl for old coolant
13mm spanner

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time approx. 1 hour)

Pull off the HT leads that connect to the distributor cap, remember which order they attach. Then remove the distributor cap using the small dumpy flat-bladed screwdriver to release it's locking pins.

Place a catch bowl under the engine bay, and then release the screw on the hose clamp, pull the hose off the water pump, a rush of coolant should come out. Watch to see if the coolant is dirty/murky/oily as this could indicate other problems.

Push the end of the hose out of the way below the water pump inlet. The thermostat is then located directly inside the water pump inlet as shown by the orange arrow. Put your fingers inside the hole and have a feel around to suss out the position of the snap ring. Use a torch and a small mirror if you have to, it is very tricky to see the location of the snap ring holes.

The next part is where the frustration levels are likely to rise. If you have anything other than snap ring pliers I suggested at the beginning of this tutorial then you are going to make life very very difficult for yourself.

Take the snap ring pliers and locate the two prongs into the holes in the snap ring, squeeze the snap ring and make sure you pull it out parallel to the hole entrance. This is likely to take several attempts, I think it took me about 4-5 goes before I got it out.

This is what you should end up with

Once the snap ring is out you should just be able to pull out the thermostat, take note of which end goes in first. There is a rubber washer that runs around its outer edge, make sure it doesn't get left inside the water pump.

Here's the thermostat removed from the water pump. The base shows that it is rated at 80 degrees centigrade.

The next step involves testing the thermostat to make sure it is opening at the correct temperature. Simply plop it in a pan of water and boil it until the temperature reaches its range. If it opens all the way at the temp stated your thermostat is fine, if it opens later then it is time for a replacement.

Here's the test.

Here's a photo of my old (left) and new (right) thermostat. Notice the difference in the size of the rubber seal around the edge.

Once you've determined whether the thermostat is faulty or ok it's time to fit it back. The process is the reversal of removal. The only watch out is making sure the snap ring sits squarely into its recess, before you insert the thermostat run your finger round the inside of the water pump inlet and you'll feel the recess the snap ring fits into. Once the thermostat is fitted and all the hoses are connected back up you need to refill the system. First set the heater switch to maximum inside the car. Then you need to release the coolant bleed screw on top of the upper most radiator hose (shown by orange arrow below). Then fill the system at the header tank until coolant can be seen coming from this hole. Close the bleed valve and belch the system by squeezing the top hose (shown by blue arrow). Repeat the process until you can't fill the coolant tank any more.

Next run the car up to temperature, this will cause the thermostat to open and release coolant into the rest of the system, keep an eye on the fill level of the coolant tank. Turn off the car and fill then belch the system repeatedly until no more coolant topping up is needed. Run the car up to temperature again and check the fill level. If all is ok just have a final check that none of the hoses are weeping and you should be done, if not just keep topping up the coolant until the level stops dropping.

How To Replace The Front Stabiliser Bar Bushes On A Porsche 944 (Square Dash Model)

2011-07-22T17:10:00.003+01:00

THE WHY

Having been trying to solve a previous problem (power steering oil cooler location) some months ago via the Pelican Parts forums a member pointed out to me that from the photos I'd posted he could see that one of the bushes on the front stabilisation bar looked like it needed replacing. I'd always thought it had seen better days but since the car had passed two previous MOT's I didn't think it was that serious. Anyhow having finally cleared the list of jobs on my 944 that I considered to have higher priority I thought I go back and investigate this one.

THE TASK

You will need the following tools:

13mm Ring Spanner
13mm Socket
10mm Socket
Socket Extension Bar
Socket Ratchet Spanner
A bench vice (optional)
1600mm G-Clamp or bigger (optional)
Washing-up Liquid

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time approx. 2 hours)

Undo the 7 x 10mm bolts that secure the engine undertray to the vehicle and remove. You will then see the stabilisation bar running the width of the vehicle secured at either end to the front wishbones and to two supports (circled in orange below) that hang down from the engine bay walls.

Before you can begin removing the stabilisation bar you need to start by either measuring the diameter of the stabilisation bar (at the points above circled in orange) or by cleaning enough grease and grime off one (or both) of the centre rubber bushes to reveal the Posche product code stamped on their edge. This is because for some unbeknown reason Porsche decided to make 3 different thickness (20mm, 21.5mm & 23mm) stabilisation bars. You then need to select the right size bushings for your bar. Mine happened to be the 23mm variety (Product code 477 411 053 J) of which I ordered two. The bushes at end of the stabilisation bar are the same diameter no matter what stabilisation bar you have, I ordered two of those too (Product code 171 411 314 A).

Here's a useful diagram and part numbers

Once you've sourced your bushes the next part involves undoing the 13mm nuts that hold the clips to the inner brackets (two per bracket) and then the 13mm nuts that secure the bearing brackets (two per bracket) to the wishbones.

I had very little trouble undoing the bolts on the inner brackets however when it came to one side of the bearings brackets at the wishbone I had to cut the bearing bracket off the wishbone with a grinder. Because the bearing brackets are only made from a light alloy it appeared some corrosion had gone on and because the bolt head is inset into the bracket this just chewed its way into the alloy and left me with a spinning nut.

With the stabilisation bar now removed I was able to easily pull off the bushes from either end. However the centre ones required a little bit of invention to pry open the clips for which I used the outer edge of some vice jaws and then wound out the vice as shown below.

With the clips removed the old rubber bushes simply slid off the bar. Here's a few photos comparing the old ones (centre) to the new ones (either end).

As you can clearly see the left centre bush has seen much better days. Its not surprising that it was in much worse shape than the other side as it sits on the side of the car that tends to get the worst of the oil leaks (power steering bottle, engine gasket and seal leaks).

With the bushes removed it was time to clean the stabilisation bar with some degreaser. This revealed some pitting that had occurred on the side of the worst bush.

Not wanting this to cut into the new bushes and neither wanting to purchase a new stabilisation bar I decided to smooth it off with a fine grindstone and emery paper to remove the worst of the pits.

The new centre bushes were then slid onto the bar with the aid of some washing-up liquid. And the clips were then slid over them and clamped in the vice so they were loosely secured around the bushes.

Because previously I had had to destroy one of the bearing brackets to get the bar off I ordered a complete new pair.

And the bushes to go in them.

The bushes are quite difficult to press into the bearing brackets. I found it was best to insert the top rounded edge in at an angle and then press in the sides. I obviously used washing-up liquid again and a little help from the vice being careful not to damage the rubber or alloy brackets as I pressed then right in.

The bushes have obviously been modified since the ones that were previously on the car. Here's a photo showing the new vs the old.

As you can see from the photo above the old (good) bracket that I didn't have to cut off is pretty badly corroded, so much so that I couldn't even extract the bolts from it.

The next step involved pressing the bearing brackets and their new bushings onto either end of the bar. Again I had to improvise and found that clamping the curved part of the bar in the vice and then using a G-clamp to gradually wind and push down the bush onto the bar - again with help of some fairy liquid. This is not shown in the photo but I used a small plastic disc to stop the round G-clamp jaw from damaging the rubber bush as I would it on. This was by far the most difficult part of the job.

The final part involves re-fixing the bar to the car. I started by loosely clamping up the centre bush clips to the drop down brackets and then located the bolts through the outer bearing bracket bushes and into the holes in the wishbones. Everything was then tightened up and the engine pan put back on.

Porsche 944 Camshaft Gasket Replacement Procedure

2011-06-24T12:37:00.003+01:00

THE WHY

The trouble with fluid leaks is that it often takes some work deducing what fluid is leaking (water, engine oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid - to name a few) and where it is coming from. Having previously cured and therefore eliminated two fluid leaks on my 944 (power steering reservoir bottle and one from the OPRV Oil Pressure Relief Valve area) I was determined to get to the bottom of the next one. In this particular case unlike the previous fluid leaks (somewhere above the removable engine floor pan) this one was clearly coming from the rear of the engine and making its way down the back of the grilled engine sump. Being the middle of the week I thought I'd make a post on the Pelican Parts forums to see if anyone had some ideas as to where I should be looking. The response was fantastic.

THE TASK

10mm Socket
Small/Medium Socket Ratchet
Small/Medium Torque Wrench
Multi-purpose engine grease
800 Grit Emery Paper
Degreaser
Camshaft Gasket ( Part No. 9281058902 )

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time approx: 1-2 hours)

Here's the picture I posted to the Pelican Parts forums, you can see the dark oily trail down the back of the grilled sump.

As I said earlier the response by the board members was fantastic and if you read the post it seemed pretty clear the oil was coming from one or more of four possible places.

The possibilities were:

A.) The cam gasket housing
B.) The lower balance shaft plug o-ring
C.) Balance shaft housing to block sealant
D.) Oil pan gasket

Judging by the discussion, possibility 'A' was the first thing to check after having taken photos of all the surrounding areas. Apparently the gasket is made of cork and doesn't have particularly long lifespan. Here's a picture to show the culprit area.

The cam gasket sits between the cover and the main head block at the back of the engine bay (circles below).

The easiest way to check if it is leaking is to get you fingers under the lowest edge of the cap and check for oily matter running down the back of the block. If like me you find some then wipe it dry and then give the car a good drive before you check again. If the oil has returned you know the gasket needs replacing.

As per a suggestion on the forum I followed the description on Clarks Garage (right at the bottom of the article titled "Rear Cam Housing Gasket Replacement)

Removal of the cam gasket and cap is fairly straight forward and involves undoing 3 x 10mm bolts, the lowest one is a bit difficult to get to so you will probably need a small 10mm socket and ratchet. With the three bolts undone and a little wiggle the cam cap and attached engine hoist loop will come off in your hands.

As you can see from the following two pictures there is a clear amount of oil present on the lower edge of both the engine hoist loop and cam cap cover.

(Engine Hoist Loop)

(Cam cap cover)

Now turning the cap over shows the charcoal-like remains of the cork gasket itself

Without scratching the metal surface of the cap try to remove the old pieces of gasket with a blunt object like a plastic scraper or bicycle tyre lever.

Next I cleaned up the cap with some degreaser and then laid down some fine 800 grit emery paper on a flat surface and lightly rubbed the flat mating surface of the cap to remove any fine pieces of gasket and dirt.

Here's a picture of the new OEM gasket from Porsche.

And here it is alongside the cleaned-up cap

Now take a small amount of engine grease and lightly coat one side of the gasket before aligning it on top of the cap. This helps create a good seal as well as aiding the re-installation procedure.

Next I cleaned up the surface of the engine block with some blue tissue paper making sure there was no old bits of gasket, oil or dirt.

Before installing the cap make sure you apply some more grease to side that will pressing against the block as well as remembering to attach the engine hoist loop. Do all three 10mm bolts up to finger tightness and then STOP.

This bit is very very important. The bolts must be correctly tightened using a torque wrench to 8 Nm (6 ft-lb). This is very important to make sure the cap seals evenly all round. Again I would suggest you get yourself a small/medium sized torque wrench as the bottom 10mm bolt is very awkward to get to.

And finally a picture to show the finished result.

How To Remove And Replace Porsche 944 Transmission Drive Axle Seals

2011-06-22T17:57:00.000+01:00

THE WHY

If you're experiencing an oil leak coming from the rear of your Porsche 944 then it is probably coming from the transmission/gearbox's oil filling plugs (there are two) or more likely one/both of the drive axle seals (one either side where the drive axle meets the transmission). Other symptoms include harder than usual shifting or transmission whine due to lack of transmission oil. Having replaced the filling plugs for new ones at the last gearbox oil change it was pretty easy to trace the black greasy patch on the underside of the transmission to both the drive axle oil seals - they simply needed replacing.

THE TASK

I used the following:

8mm Spline Bit
8mm Hex Socket
17mm Hex Socket
Socket Ratchet Spanner
Torque Wrench
Socket Extension Bar
Small/Medium Heel Pry Bar or Seal Puller Tool
Seal Press or 38-40mm socket
Rubber Mallet
2 x Radial Shaft Seals (Porsche OEM Part number 016 409 399 B)
1 x Large Zip Tie or Length Of String/Rope
Spray Degreaser
Oil Drain Pan.
Stiff Scrubbing Brush
Axle Stands
Trolley Jack
Swepco 201 Gear Oil
Anti-seize thread lubricant
White Spirit
Karcher Powerwasher (optional)

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time approx: 2-3 hours).

Start by raising the rear of the car and support on axle stands (the higher you can get the rear off the floor the easier the job becomes). As you can see from the photos below the seals on mine were leaking quite badly from both sides.

Depending how badly the seals have been leaking now might be the time to give the transmission underside a blast with the powerwasher and degreaser. The purpose of this is it makes the job a lot less messy and enables you to check for leaks once the job is complete.

Now follow my tutorial on how to remove the transmission oil, you will also need to refer to this when it comes to refilling the transmission once you've replaced the seals.

With the oil drained it's now time to remove drive axles where they meet the transmission. Start with the one that isn't under the exhaust (shown below) as it is the easier of the two and is a good way of getting a clear idea of what needs to be done when you start the slightly obstructed exhaust side.

To release the drive axle you need to undo 8 x 8mm spline screws. Make sure the spline bit goes in straight and not at an angle otherwise you risk rounding off the spline bit and probably the screw too. If you find it difficult to get a good angle on some of them then simply release the handbrake and rotate the wheel to improve the access.

With the spline screws removed you should now be able to move one end of the axle. Find a suitable place to hang the drive axle out of the way and cover the end with a plastic bag (this stops any grit getting stuck to grease in the universal joint).

The next step involves removing the flanged shaft. Start by poking an old screwdriver all the way through one of the empty spline screw holes, this stops the flange from moving when you release the 8mm hex screw from it's centre. Use a socket wrench with extension bar and 8mm hex bit to undo the centre screw as shown below.

Once the screw is removed the flanged axle should simply slide out. Give it a good clean and check there's no wear or rough areas on the axle near the flanged end.

Now we can see the large black coloured seal we are going to remove. I used a small heeled pry bar (or you can use a seal puller or other hooked instrument) to gently work around the seal and ease it out. Be careful when doing so as the blind side of the seal that you can't see contains and elasticated spring and it's easy to leave this behind in the transmission. Keep at it and the seal will eventually come out.

(Seal before removal)

(Blind-side of seal and elasticated spring)

(Seal removed)

Once removed it's a good idea to thoroughly clean the area so that no grit or muck enters the transmission when you come to install the new seal.

Here you can see the new seal (left) alongside the old seal (right)

You are now ready to install the new seal. Before you do so, take note of the small raised lip (see arrow below) that the new seal must press up against inside the seal hole. Now take a small amount of white spirit and lightly rub some of it around the outer edge of the black seal (this aids fitting and will shortly evaporate). Now press the seal squarely into the hole making sure the spring is facing in towards the transmissions internals. Now take a 38-40mm socket and a rubber mallet and gently tap the seal into place making sure it doesn't skew as you knock it in. Use your fingers every now and again to feel around the inside of the seal to see when it is fully pressed up against the lip on the inside.

Photo below shows a 38mm socket compared to the size of the seal.

And photo below shows the seal correctly fitted.

Now you can re-install the flanged axle and re-attach the drive axle shaft. You may also want to take this opportunity to refresh the grease in the CV joint at the end of the drive axle before reattachment.

Now all that remains is to repeat the procedure for the other side before refilling the transmission gear oil.

How To Troubleshoot Porsche 944 Headlight Problems - Part B

2011-02-22T10:14:00.030+00:00

EDIT 2015:

Anyone following my two guides on headlight problem troubleshooting should follow Part A first (at least until the end of Step 1) then continue to follow Part B if necessary.

THE WHY

Retractable headlights are great - except when they fail to go up and down as they should. Not having had a problem with mine in the two years I've owned my 944 I was expecting another trouble free winter. No such luck this year. As the cold weather set in I noticed that the headlights were a lot slower the raise and lower than they had been in the summer. This went on for one or two weeks before returning home one evening I switched off the headlights as usual only for them to stay in the raised position. It was late and the headlamps had gone out so I thought it no harm to leave them up over night and investigate the problem in the morning. What I failed to realise was that even if the headlamps switch off and the lights stay in the raised position then your rear lights still stay on! Hence in the morning I was greeted with a flat battery. So to prevent a flat battery it is always worth remembering to wind down the headlights manually using the black knob located on top of the lifting motor (you'll need to remove the black rubber rain cover first) should you find yourself in a similar situation.

I began by researching the problem on the Pelican Parts forum that evening and it seemed that problems with the headlights fall into few areas (the most common seem to be the first three):

1.) Binding of the lifting linkage/mechanism
2.) Molex connector and/or Relay on the motor housing
3.) Electrical problems relating to the switch on the dashboard
3.) Electrical problems relating to the switching mechanism attached to the lifting motor
4.) The lifting motor itself.

THE TASK

Getting at the bolts for the lifting motor and mechanism is a bit of a fiddle so it's a good idea to have a couple of options to get the bolts undone in the confined space. I did it with the help of the following:

10mm socket
10mm spanner
13mm socket
13mm spanner
Cross-head screwdriver
Flat-head screwdriver
Lithium grease
WD-40 or some other spray penetrating oil
Gunk spray degreaser
Molex Pin Removal Tool (optional and very hard to find)
Wire cutters
Blade connectors
Electrical Multimeter

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time 1-3 hours depending on problem)

Step 1 - First things first, start by checking the fuse for the headlights on the fuse board is ok.

Step 2 - Pop the bonnet and pull back the rubber boot (Part No. 477 971 923) that protects the electrical connections to the lifting motor (as you can see from the photo the rubber boot on mine was perished, so I just ripper it off and bought a new one to go on later)

Now you can see the Molex connector (upper arrow) and headlight relay.

Pull off the Molex connector and check the pins aren't corroded (these look good to me), then connect it back to the motor and try to switch on the headlights, if nothings changed move onto the next step.

Now remove the relay, check the 4 contacts for corrosion and then reconnect it. Try the headlights again. If there's no change then we need to test the relay with an electrical multimeter (replacement relays are about £16 from memory).

Here's a really easy tutorial for testing the relay

If none of the above help solve your problem then it's time to check the lifting mechanism itself

Step 3 - Ideally start with the headlights in the down position. If you need to lower them manually then turn the knob on the top of the motor (shown by the orange arrow - you will need to pull off the rubber cover that is stretched over the motor housing first to expose it).

Then take a 13mm socket or ring spanner and undo the nut that connects the lifting mechanism to the motor spline (orange arrow shown below). It's a good idea to note, mark or take a photo of the lifting arm position before you undo the nut as this should help you avoid alignment problems later.

Then take a flat bladed screwdriver and separate (orange arrow below shows where to wedge the screwdriver) the lifting arm from the spline. You don't need to remove it from the spline, but just enough so the mechanism becomes slack and moveable by hand.

With this done it's worth checking to see if there's any life in the lifting motor. Try turning the headlight switch on to see if the black knob on the top of the motor rotates (it should start spinning and continue for a couple of seconds before stopping by itself), then try turning the switch off (again the black knob should rotate for a couple of seconds before stopping by itself). If this happens the good news is that you now know that the relay and electrical connections are fine when the load of the lifting mechanism is not attached, so the problem will now be either binding of the lifting mechanism itself and/or an issue relating to how much power the motor is generating (as turned out to be the case with mine - see my motor overhaul procedure in Step 5 later in this post). If the black knob doesn't spin at all then you'd be wise to first try Clark's Garage tutorial for a comprehensive electrics overhaul procedure before following my motor overhaul procedure later in this post.

Step 4 - Now we'll take a look at binding of the lifting mechanism. First thing to do is try to raise and lower the headlights by actuating the linkage by hand, this can be a little tricky and you may need to get your fingers under the front edge of each headlight to help them up. You should feel that the linkage movement is smooth and not all sticky at any point; raise and lower the headlights slowly and see if they are catching or rubbing at any point. I noticed on mine that the black plastic surround on the passenger-side headlight was not seated correctly and was ever so slightly rubbing on the inside of the body work. I adjusted it to solve the problem and then decided to degrease and re-grease all the linkage pivots as they looked like they could do with an overhaul. I used some spray degreaser, old toothbrush to clean all the linkage points before using lithium grease and some cotton buds/Q-tips to re-grease and oil all the linkage points as shown in the three photos below (orange arrows show the points that were degreased and then re-greased, blue arrow shows where you need to squirt penetrating oil on the inner pivot post and outer pivot of each headlight).

(Non-lifting motor Side)

(Lifting motor side)

(Outer Pivot)

(Inner Pivot post bracket shown by blue arrows in 1st and 2nd photos above)

Here's a before, during and after shot to show the difference

Once all the points have been re-greased work the linkage up and down a few times to make sure the grease settles in. My linkage motion was now noticeably smoother. The next step involves re-attaching the 13mm nut that secures the lifting arm to the motor spline, making sure the headlights are in the fully down position and the headlight switch is set to off before you do so. Refer to the notes, markings or photos you should have made before you removed the nut to make sure the arm goes back in the same position it came off. Once the nut is tightened test the operation of the headlights to see if you've solved the problem. If like mine the headlights still failed to rise or lower better than they were before you need to progress to the next step.

Step 5 - Motor Assembly Overhaul Procedure

The motor assembly (shown below) can be removed and dismantled by following the general overhaul procedure at Clarks Garage.

As per Clarks guide I was expecting to see a whole load of corrosion on the contact wheel (pictured below) once I had removed it from the assembly. But in fact there was only a minor amount on the bottom left quarter. It's also worth pointing out here that a small ball bearing sits in the centre of the wheel (the small hole in the centre of the wheel is where it sits) and this can be easily lost and/or overlooked when removing the contact wheel and the plate that covers it.

The corrosion was easily cleaned off using some fine emery paper.

Also inspecting the teeth on the wheel revealed they were in good shape too.

The copper brushes on the brush plate (shown below) for the contact wheel were also in good condition.

The next step was to check the brushes and commutator (sometimes referred to as 'com') on the motor itself. Start by removing the black know on the top of the motor which simply pulls off.

Nest undo the two large screws that attach the motor housing to rest of the assembly

The black motor housing will then pull off, it may resist slightly because of the power of the magnets inside. The next step involves removing the motor coil itself. To do this you only need to undo the green screw (shown below) and remove the locking plate beneath it.

You can now carefully pull the motor coil free from the assembly, notice the 2 sprung motor brushes either side of the copper com these are very delicate and should be inspected for wear. The photos I took of the disassembly of the motor were actually taken as I was putting it back together as you'll notice that the com is a nice shiny copper colour that it should be. This was not the case when I took it apart. Shown below is how the com looked when I first took the motor apart.

As you can see the com is pretty oxidized and running my finger across it I could feel some slight grooving. This was probably caused by the binding of the linkage putting too much strain on the motor and would explain why the headlights struggled to raise and lower.

To clean the com I simply clamped the motor coil in an electric drill and gave it a few hundred rotations with some fine 600 grit emery paper.

The result as you can see is much better

The motor was then reassembled in the reverse that it was taken apart. If you have trouble keeping the brushes out of the way whilst you re-insert the motor coil just tape them inside their holders with some insulation tape that you can easily pull away once the com is sitting between them.

Also before using Clark's tutorial to put the motor assembly back together I used some switch grease to protect the contact wheel from corroding in the future (this picture also shows the ball-bearing sitting in the centre of the wheel before the brush plate goes back on).

I reattached the motor assembly back inside the car with 3 x 10mm nuts. Before clamping up the 13mm motor spline to linkage arm nut you need to connect up the electrics and switch the motor on and off to reset it. Before I could do this I need to sort out the rubber boot that goes over the white Molex connector and relay as it had previously perished, so I had the little task of fitting a new one. The slight problem with this is that the rubber boot cover will not fit over the chunky 4 pin molex connector. There are two solutions for this:

1st Method: Use what is known as a 'Pin Removal Tool' (it's the chrome one at the bottom of the set of four that you want) to press all the pins out of the molex connector, feed them through the rubber boot and press them back into the Molex connector in the correct order. The problem with this method is that the 'Pin Tool' is difficult to find and can be pretty expensive. I've read on other forums that using a section from old telescopic radio aerial sometimes works as cheap solution to a pin tool.

2nd Method: Simply cut the wires to the Molex connector quite far back like I did leaving enough space to pass the wires from the Molex connector through the rubber boot and then re-attach using simple blade connectors and some heat-shrink or insulation tape to cover over the connections.

Once the electrics were hooked back up and I'd reset the motor, I then clamped up the 13mm nut on the motor spline to linkage arm and all worked fine. Check out the video below to see the linkage working correctly, notice the rotation of the linkage arm when raising and lowering the lights.

For further adjustments to the alignment of the headlights follow Van Svenson's excellent tutorial video below.

Power Steering Location on a Porsche 944

2010-10-26T15:16:00.000+01:00

THE WHY

If your gut feeling tells you it doesn't look right then it usually isn't.

When I first got my 944 the previous owner told me that he'd had the power steering unit fitted several years previous because his wife found the car difficult to drive (early 944's like my 1984 had optional power steering), and this was confirmed with the receipts in the service history. The first time I noticed something wasn't quite right was when I removed the floor pan and noticed one of the power steering lines on the outside of the sway bar mount. This made me suspect that the location of some of the other parts weren't correct either and so I got to researching where they should be. This proved more difficult than I had anticipated as both the Porsche service manual and Haynes manual have no diagrams and very very poor photographs. Fortunately after posting some photographs on the Pelican Parts forums I found some very excellent members who helped me out.

THE TASK

I was only relocating the cooling coil which required the following:

10mm socket
10mm spanner
Socket extension bar
Socket Wrench
Dexron II Automatic Transmission/Power Steering Fluid (Approx. £5-£7)
Flat bladed screwdriver
Cross-head screwdriver

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time Approx. 2 hours)

Half the battle with this particular job was establishing right from wrong and making sure I had the correct parts and brackets. It is also worth noting that there are two versions of the power steering oil cooler, fortunately the more common coiled version fits later and early models with the correct bracket.

Early (Square Dash) long cooler coil - quite rare I think

Later (Oval Dash) looped cooler coil

THE WRONG WAY TO MOUNT THE COOLER COIL

So here's how the cooler was wrongly mounted and why I couldn't just leave it where it was. The picture below shows it mounted incorrectly in the engine bay on the radiator between the fan and the lower radiator hose.

The coil is very rusty and has been twisted to fit the location. Look how close the lower part of the coil is to the power steering belt! And has also been zip-tied to the power steering pump belt adjuster arm.

Longer arrow below shows just a single clip attaching the coil to the lower right hand corner of the radiator

Arrow below shows a kink in the rubber hose due to it being routed incorrectly

THE RIGHT WAY TO MOUNT THE COOLER COIL

To get an idea of just how wrong the location was take a look at the photo below which shows the coil correctly mounted ahead of the right front wheel and NOT in the engine bay or near the radiator at all.

So here's how I set about mounting mine after a purchased a good 2nd hand coil off ebay with the correct mounting bracket. I set the car up on axle stands and began by draining out the existing power steering fluid by simply detaching the hose from the lower end of the old coil. Do not reuse the old oil when you come to bleed the system at the end. I then removed the hose that secures the coil to the power steering bottle and detached the coil from the mount on the radiator. I then set about locating the mounting position using the photos form the Pelican Parts forum.

The photo below show where the bracket will attach directly below the washer bottle.

Now with bracket attached

Flip the headlights up to make threading the solid metal part of the coil around the front of the washer bottle easier.

Arrow below shows the headlights up and where the tube should appear

Arrow below shows the same tube but with the headlights down making sure it doesn't affect the headlight mechanism.

Photo below shows how the coil clips into the bracket

First arrow on left shows the end of the coil being held by the second bracket (attached to the corner of the raidiator bracket) and hose fed along engine bay towards steering rack.

Continuation of above picture showing hose going to steering rack.

Having securely connected up all the hoses I then proceeded to bleed the system. Whilst the car is still up on axle stands fill up the power steering bottle with new fluid to the correct level, then turn the steering wheel all the way from left to right several times whilst topping up the fluid to the correct level as it will drop on the cap dipstick as the air in the system is forced out. When the level appears not to drop anymore then you may run the engine and repeat moving the wheel from extreme left to right and vice versa making sure the fluid level doesn't drop and topping up if necessary, also check for leaks on any hoses too.

If your power steering rack needs replacing see my other how to here

Erratic Idle Problem Porsche 944 (Square Dash Model)

2010-10-11T17:42:00.003+01:00

THE WHY

The words idle, problem, Porsche and 944 seem to appear more times together on any forum than any other niggle to do with the car. The reason they appear so frequently is that there are a number of situations and/or combination of situations that can cause the idle speed of your 944 to behave erratically as the following clip of my own car shows.

You will find a lot of posts talk about the cause being vacuum leaks or something known as the 'Idle Control Valve' or 'ICV' as it is often abbreviated (the Porsche parts catalogue calls it the 'Idle Speed Adjuster'). What is not often clear is that the ICV only appears on the Oval Dash models of the 944. The difference in configuration between the Square Dash and Oval Dash models can be seen in the two diagrams below.

Square Dash configuration

Part 9 - Auxiliary Air Regulator (944 606 103 00)
Part 16 - Electric Air Valve (944 606 215 00)

Oval Dash configuration

Part 18 - Idle Speed Adjuster (930 606 161 00) ... aka ICV

I have no idea why Porsche changed the design but if you are an oval dash owner you may want to check out this post if you want to test your ICV. If you're a square dash owner then read on.

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time approx. 30 mins)

Fortunately the fix for my 1984 square dash model didn't require checking for vacuum leaks. The problem was actually dirty electrical contacts on the Auxiliary Air Regulator and Water Temperature sensor on the radiator. This occurs due to the constant heating and moisture that the engine bay is subjected to.

Auxiliary Air Regulator

Water Temperature Sensor (located top corner of radiator on the air box side) - Top view

Water Temperature Sensor (located top corner of radiator on the air box side) - Bottom view

To clean the contacts simply pull the connectors off their plugs, spray the contacts with some electrical switch cleaner and before reattaching apply some switch grease to the contacts to prevent moisture from corroding them in future.

How to repair sunroof on a Porsche 944 (Square Dash model)

2010-07-12T18:07:00.002+01:00

THE WHY

Before I bought my 944 I did a fair amount of research on the net to find out about the things to look out for when purchasing a car of such an age. Amongst some of its well know weaknesses the sunroof lifting mechanism happens to be one of them. There also happens to be TWO versions of the 944 sunroof lifting mechanism, one for the earlier Square Dash model and one for the later Oval Dash model. A lot of the forums and tutorials on the web will often cover the Oval Dash model only which has a habit of stripping the white plastic gears (two gears, one in each lifting arm), and a simple fix for it can be found here. The Square Dash model does NOT have these gears and uses a different method to lift the roof. A good tutorial for fixing both versions exists in the official Porsche Workshop manual (contained in this tutorial) and here at Clarks Garage. I used both of these sources to help understand and fix the sunroof on my Square Dash 944 and have therefore provided more detailed pictures to supplement these existing guides.

THE TASK

You'll need the following:

Philips cross-head screwdriver
Flat-head screwdriver
Cleaning wipes/cloth
Degreaser

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time: Approx. 1-3 hours)

Having taken the complete mechanism apart I discovered several faults on mine, these were as follows:

1. Broken drive dog (Shown further down post)

2. White transfer box mounting holes disintegrating

3. Both black lifting arm boxes mounting holes disintegrating

4. Main drive coil and left lifting arm coil missing several coils where it engages white transfer box

Luckily I managed to source items 2-3 in one 2nd-hand lot on ebay, and item 1. I was easily able to get from Porsche.

Tips for reassembly:

Once all the new parts arrived I cleaned out all 3 drive tubes using pipe cleaners and degreaser, then degreased all the coils themselves. I also cleaned all the accumulated dirt from the drive motor and slide rail too.

I then re-greased the drive tubes and coils as well as the lifting arms themselves.

The next step involved attaching the the new drive dog (white plastic square in photo below) to the new main coil I'd received. Luckily the new coil I received had the modified screw-in connection (upper picture) for the drive dog as opposed the old crimp style version (lower picture) on the broken coil.

Once the drive dog was attached I then threaded the coil into the drive tube in the boot (shown by right-hand orange arrow) so that went all the way back into the car. Left-hand arrow is the power connection for sunroof motor.

The drive dog was then slid into the rail on the motor assembly with the correct length of coil (305mm).

The motor assembly was then mounted back in position

Next I moved back inside the car to assemble the lifting arms and attach them to the transfer box. I made a slight modification the lifting arm boxes by securing them with zip ties after they had been secured together. I did this because the fixing holes on the previous pair had disintegrated where the screws had either been over tightened or the pressure of the arms had made the boxes explode. The zip ties therefore help spread the strain the screws come under.

Now finally, the transfer box is quite a tricky part to piece together with one pair of hands especially as all 3 drive tubes and their coils have to be lined up correctly. To make up for the lack of an extra pair of hands I used a 3 zip ties to hold the two drive tubes (that are attached to the lifting arms) in place in the transfer box before I inserted the drive gear and then finally the main drive tube (in the space shown by the orange arrows).

Once the whole mechanism was assembled and secured it took a bit of trial an error lining the lifting arm boxes up with the insertion point in the roof. This was achieved by packing them out with a few large shilling washers (shown by orange arrow).

The last piece in the jigsaw involved setting the limiter on the microswitches back on the motor assembly (shown by orange arrow).

How to change water pump, camshaft / balance / timing belts on a Porsche 944 Turbo

2010-07-09T17:14:00.003+01:00

THE WHY?

Having had my belts done when I first got my car a year and half ago I shouldn't really need to touch them for another 25,000 miles and having looked extensively around the net everyone has their own methods. The trouble is nobody seems to have posted a complete tutorial until I came across these excellent videos by VSVENSON on youtube. He takes you clearly through the steps and it doesn't appear to be as daunting as I had originally imagined.

THE TASK

There are a couple of special tools you may need to do this job and they can be quite rare and expensive. Luckily I found this site where a fella makes his own versions for a lot less.

THE HOW TO

Well here are the videos. Please make an effort to visit VSVENSON's YouTube channel and leave him some words of encouragement and praise for all his hard work.

Part 1 - Water pump

Part 2 - Water Pump

Part 3 - Water Pump and Camshaft / Balance / Timing Belt Change

If you need a written walkthrough try these at Clarks Garage

Camshaft (Timing) Belt General Information
Camshaft (Timing) Belt Installation
Camshaft (Timing) Belt Removal
Camshaft (Timing) Belt and Balance Shaft Belt Tensioning
Camshaft Chain Tensioner Replacement (16V)

And now there is now also an excellent thread on the whole procedure at the Pelican Parts forum (more specific to the non-turbo 944) to which most of the credit should go to forum member John_AZ.

How to remove and replace OPRV (Oil Pressure Relief Valve) on a Porsche 944

2010-07-09T16:19:00.004+01:00

THE WHY

Since purchasing my 944 I'd always been aware of a slight fluid leak, but since none of the fluids (engine oil, power steering, water, brake fluid) seemed to be disappearing at any great rate and there were other more pressing issues I decided to put investigating it on the back burner.

Having now decided to tackle the problem I firstly discovered I actually had two fluid leaks, one from a power steering hose going from the reservoir to the pump which I dealt with right away by replacing the hose. The second however seemed to be coming from the engine but it was difficult to tell where from due to the oily grime all over the bottom of the engine and aluminium floor tray. So now the rest of the story follows how I went about identifying the cause of the oil leak and how the OPRV (Oil Pressure Relief Valve) fits into the story.

THE TASK

You'll need the following:

Karcher or other brand Water Pressure Washer
Gunk Spray Engine Degreaser
10mm socket
17mm socket (if you have the old style OPRV)
24mm socket (if you have the new style OPRV)
Ratchet socket wrench
Long socket wrench extension bar
2 x Axle Stands
Trolley Jack
Torque Wrench
Plenty of tissue or old rag

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time: approx. 30mins - 1 hour)

Start by jacking up the front of the car and support on the first or ideally second stage of the axle stands.

Remove the seven 10mm bolts that secure the aluminium under-tray to the bottom of the car and remove the under-tray.

The picture above was taken after I'd degreased the underside of the car. I tried various methods of scrubbing, wiping and pressure steam cleaning but by far the best was pressure washing.

The best method I found was to let the engine run for 10 mins to warm it up, then spray Gunk Engine Degreaser over all the oily blackness you may have (Do not spray it near the belts or any bearings). Let the degreaser have 5-10 mins to take effect and then simply blast off with the water pressure washer (There's hardly any electrics on the bottom of the car but avoid them at all costs). Spraying the washer in quick bursts is the best method. Repeat as necessary and wipe down anything that looks oily, not forgetting to also clean all the oil of the under-tray too.

Now you have a clean canvas to identify your leak. Unless the leak is bad you probably won't be able to see it straight away, so this is where some patience comes in. Either leave it jacked up over night and see if you can identify a drip in the morning or re-attach the under-tray and do a few miles to put the engine under load which usually force the oil out of the place it is escaping. When you jack the car up again, you'll be able to see the area where the oil is dropping on the under-tray and then just trace it back up into the engine well.

The oil on mine was falling onto the left hand-side of the under-tray so I started to investigate in this area as shown my the orange arrow below.

This is where I found a drip coming off the end of the OPRV (Oil Pressure Relief Valve) nut.

Here's a couple of photos to show you what to look for (The nut has been removed but you can see the port it screws into)

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THE OPRV - here's where it gets complicated:

83-86 models will have a 17mm or 24mm nut
87 models onwards will and should always be 24mm.

Picture shows the difference between the 24mm on the left, 17mm on the right.

The 17mm nut may also look like this one below as well (photo taken from another Porsche source)

If you have the 17mm nut then you have the OLD discontinued OPRV, which can look like one of the two versions shown below (Difference is in the style of the nut and and piston). There are 4 pieces to each version, the nut, aluminium washer, spring and piston.

From the 87 model onwards a new OPRV was produced along with a retro-fit upgrade for people with the old style valve.

Here's the NEW retro-fit valve (944 107 035 11) for 83-86 models

And here's the one (944 107 035 02) for 87 models onwards

And here they are side by side, 83-86 on left, 87 on right. (Main differences are in overall in length and the taper on the thread).

Both these newer style valves are serviceable to a degree in that you can replace the external and internal O-rings using this procedure below which was posted by a kind chap on the PelicanParts forums. Note valve type A requires two different size O-rings for the internal and external, whereas type B uses the same size O-ring for the internal and external.

The photo below shows what one of the newer OPRV's looks like when you take it apart. Note the aluminium sealing ring far left, damaged black internal O-ring in the middle and what should be a thicker green O-ring at the end (also damaged). If you need to replace the entire valve they aren't cheap either, £250 from Porsche.

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OPRV removal

Take a 17mm or 24 mm and socket extension bar that should be long enough to enable you to ratchet it from inside the wheel arch.

Once I had it removed I ended up with this

Notice the small nut that was inside the piston that some previous enterprising owner/mechanic had used as a space packer. I also found the spring to be 3-4 coils shorter than it should be, so who even knows what vehicle it was from. So not only did I have a leak from ORPV, I now had to replace the OPRV and at £250 that's quite a hit.

So here we are the OLD alongside the NEW

Installing the new OPRV is the reverse of removal, making sure you use a new aluminium sealing ring and lightly oil the o-ring and length of the valve to aid it's insertion. You should then use a Torque wrench to tighten to 45Nm.

Finally re-install the under-tray, run the car making sure the oil pressure gauge doesn't exhibit any strange behaviour and you're done...........well almost.

After doing all this I still found I had more oil leak coming from the same area, it now looks likely it's the gaskets for the Oil Cooler that the OPRV screws into. This looks a bit of an ugly job and not having the time to do it I'm going to get a mechanic to sort it out. For anyone that wants a go here's the procedure and here's another.

Finally here's the Porsche bulletin that goes into a few pages of detail on the OPRV. (Click the pictures for larger versions)

How to remove and replace a worn gear shifter stick on a Porsche 944

2010-06-07T21:55:00.001+01:00

THE WHY

Having initially replaced the worn shifter linkage at the transmission end with a short shift kit last year which removed a considerable amount of play I was still experiencing a little trouble selecting gears (especially between 1st and 2nd in both directions). I therefore decided to investigate the shifting stick itself as I'd read on other forums that the pin can wear over time, not surprising since the number of gear changes over the 26 years of the life of the car so far.

THE TASK

You'll need the following:

Flat bladed screwdriver
Long-nose pliers
13mm socket
Socket wrench
Socket extension bar
Graphite/Multi purpose grease
Protractor
Sliding bevel

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic job time: approx 30-40 mins)

Start by peeling back the leather gaiter around the base of the shifter to expose the inner rubber gaiter (you may need the flat bladed screwdriver to get you started prising gently under the lip). Then do the same with the inner rubber gaiter to expose the metal shifter stick.

Remove the spring clip that secures the gaiter to the stick and pull off the gaiters to expose the stick

Next pull off the circlip that connects the shifter stick to the black transfer bar and decouple the pair taking care not to loose the spring washer. At the base of the shifter stick you'll find two 13mm bolts, you'll need to pull aside the sponge sound absorber.

Undo these bolts being careful not to loose the upper gripper washer and lower washer that come with them. Then simply pull the shifter leaver assembly up through the opening.

Next you will need to separate the gold metal part of the leaver from it's ball-joint mount. Do this by pushing the leaver down to push the white plastic cup out of the black housing. Then use the flat bladed screwdriver to pop the the leaver ball joint out of the white cup socket.

Old leaver left alongside new one right (Part number 477 711 205 D approx £25 direct from Porsche). Transfer the black rubber bung to the new leaver.

Black shifter mount and white plastic ball-joint cup

Comparison of pin wear - tapers off from middle of pin outwards (old shifter left, new shifter right)

Now remount the new shifter stick through the black mount and pop back into the white ball joint cup (mine was still in really good condition so didn't need replacing just a bit of a clean up).

Next take the sliding bevel tool and set it 85 degrees as stated in the Porsche maintenance manual

Remount the shifter stick assembly back in the car using the two bolts, star washers & washers so that it's just loose enough so that you can slide the black mount towards and away from the dash. Add a little grease to the stick pin then re-attach the transfer rod not forgetting the spring washer first and the circlip last. Then make sure the stick is in neutral.

Now take the sliding bevel tool and rest it flat across the metal lip that the rubber boot would attach to. Now slide the shifter stick mount until the stick lines up as best you can with the 85 degrees of the sliding bevel making sure the stick is still in neutral. Now tighten up the two bolts fully.

Finally reattach the rubber and leather gaiters not forgetting the securing clip and all is done.

Here's a couple of videos to demonstrate the before and after play in the shifter pin.

Before.....

And after....

FURTHER READING

Before deciding to write this tutorial I stumbled upon some other useful information and some work-around's that other other 944 owners have used.

One alternative suggests using a small piece of metal cut from a soft drinks can as a small shim, this is then wrapped around the shifter pin to reduce the play and then inserted back into the shifter bar. Several wraps may be required depending how worn the pin is. Might also be advisable to use metal from a steel can rather than aluminium as it should be harder wearing.

A second alternative actually involves modifying the shifter pin of a new lever and then using the bushes from a Porsche 968 after some drilling of the shifter pin hole in the transfer bar. A full write-up and pictures can be found on the Porsche Club GB forum (you will need to register with the forum to view the thread)

A third alternative uses bushes found in a Porsche 924 with a G31 transaxle.

Porsche 944 Engine Mounts

2010-03-04T19:41:00.023+00:00

If your steering wheel or bodywork noticeably vibrates when your 944 is idling (sometimes the rev counter will see-saw at idle too) then it is more than likely that your engine mounts need replacing. There are two mounts and the mount on the drivers side is particularly vulnerable and is usually the first to go.

When I first had both my engine mounts replaced I'd not had the car long (2-3 months) and being the middle of winter I didn't fancy doing it myself, so I had the local general motor mechanic do it. Not being a Porsche specialist and because of the age of the car he wasn't sure how much the mounts would cost, so I said I'd source them from somewhere on the internet.

Not having had any quality problems with third party parts before I sourced some brand new mounts from a place in the states through Ebay. They were cheaper than the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) equivalent so I ordered them and they arrived in a few days. I gave them to the mechanic who then fitted them. He showed me the old mounts and especially the drivers side one was noticeably crushed down more than the other and the rubber had split.

So, nearly a year and a half on I'm writing this post to clear up some things I've found out since.

HERE'S WHAT I KNOW NOW

1. Symptoms of worn engine mounts (Click images for larger versions)

2. Engine mount modifications (OLD Version on Left, NEW Version on Right)

3. How to remove and install engine mounts (Click image for larger version)

As further reference you can use these guides to remove the engine mounts

Tutorial from Clark's Garage.
Tutorial from Pelican Parts forum user

4. The Engine Mount Heat Protection Plate

If you refer to point 5 in the removal instructions above you will notice it mentions removing the shield for the right engine mount. This is in fact known at the 'heat protection plate' (See part No.19 in the diagram below)

.
I would recommend that every 944 owner checks that they have one as upon checking my own car after the 2nd set of engine mounts were recently installed I found that mine was missing. This may explain why the previous 3rd Party engine mount on this side deteriorated (about 15 months) so quickly due to it being cooked by the heat from the engine manifold.

Here's what to look for on the right side of the engine by the exhaust manifold. The orange arrow points to upper one of two mounting posts for the heat protection plate.

Here's the same shot but a wider view showing a missing heat protection plate

And now here's the same shot again but showing the heat protection plate correctly attached

Her are a couple of photos of the heat protection plate itself

The heat protection plate costs about £23 direct from Porsche and has the following part numbers depending on your version of the 944 (right/left hand drive).

944-341-107-01 LL
951-341-108-02 LL
945-341-107-01 RL > My right hand drive 1984 944 (In the photos above)
952-341-108-02 RL

5. Even though OEM Porsche engine mounts and some third party mounts look the same they are NOT.

Third party mount (solid rubber)

OEM Porsche mount (hydraulic)

6. Genuine OEM Porsche engine mounts for a 944 or 944 Turbo WILL ALWAYS BE 'hydraulic'. This means that the black rubber middle is filled with fluid. When these mounts wear out the rubber will often split and the fluid escapes. When you buy 944 mounts from Porsche they will be the uprated 944 Turbo ones (Product code 951 375 042 04) and are roughly £130 each.

7. Solid rubber mounts I have been informed by Porsche are actually only meant for the 924 even though they have exactly the same fitting as the 944. I did not know this when I purchased mine from Ebay and having looked on various Porsche parts sites since and inquired about the hydraulic version it seems that actually a lot of people are only selling the solid rubber ones. My 1st pair of Third Party solid rubber mounts from Ebay cost about £55 each, my 2nd pair of Genuine Porsche Hydraulic mounts cost £127 each.

I initially replaced the engine mounts in December 2008 with the Third Party Solid Rubber variant and then when I noticed engine vibration 18 months later I had them replaced with Genuine Porsche Hydraulic mounts.

Below are the Third Party solid rubber mounts once they were removed from the car.

Notice the mount on the right (UK Drivers Side) is considerably crushed down more than the one on the left. I measured the heights of the detensioned mounts and found that the one on the right was at 63mm which is 2mm below the recommended level. The one on the left measured at 68mm which is OK and is between the 65-70mm tolerance recommended by Porche (See point 1 at the beginning of the post)

(63mm mount)

.

(68mm mount)

Here's a couple of photos of one of the brand new Genuine Porsche engine mounts (Left) alongside one of the Third Party ones (Right)

8. Third party mounts DON'T always look the same, here's some others.

CONCLUSION

In my opinion and based on my experiences I would only consider using the 3rd Party solid rubber mounts in two instances. In the first instance I would use them if you intend selling the car within 6-12 months as a means of solving engine vibration that could affect the sale price of the vehicle. And in the second instance I think you could probably use the solid rubber variety on the left side only (as this takes less weight and heat from the engine) if you are trying to save a few quid, but would always use the more expensive hydraulic ones on the right. Therefore if you intend keeping the car for the long term ie. 2 years+ then it would be wiser to go for the more durable genuine Hydraulic mounts from Porsche because the awkwardness and cost of doing the job is something you would want to avoid repeating too often.

How to remove and replace a Porsche 944 fuel tank (Square Dash Model)

2009-12-30T23:19:00.007+00:00

THE WHY?

If you've ever asked yourself "Should I buy an early (square dash) or a late (oval dash) 944?" then this article may be the deal breaker. Having put my 944 in for a service my mechanic discovered a leak that appeared to be coming from the fuel tank. No big deal I thought, I'll buy a second hand one from a breakers or ebay. However upon further investigation it turns out Porsche significantly changed the material of which the fuel tank is made from between the early (square dash) and later (oval dash) 944. The square dash 944 (and 924) has a fuel tank made from steel, whereas the oval dash model has one made from plastic. More investigation reveals that the fuel tanks are also of different capacity (oval dash has the larger 80 litre capacity, compared to square dash's smaller 66 litre). Even more investigation finally concludes that the plastic fuel tank will not fit the early (square dash) 944's as the cross-member that supports the transmission is non-removable and therefore blocks the insertion of the larger plastic fuel tank.

So the options I had were:

a.) Buy a new steel fuel tank from Porsche for near £1500.00!
b.) Repair the old tank
c.) Buy a good 24 year old fuel tank from a breakers £40.00

I went for option 'C'.

For the record and from research on forums it seems the steel fuel tanks are susceptible to cracking due to the vacuum that causes the fuel tank to contract and expand. They are also susceptible to corrosion, externally and internally.

THE TASK

You'll need the following tools and a lot of patience and a spare pair of hands:

Socket set
Spanners
Couple of screwdrivers (flat and cross-head)
Container to empty petrol into
Clamp-able pliers
Trolley jack or two
Axle stands
Waxoyl (Spray version) - optional
3M Scotch Weld 80 Spray Adhesive - optional

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic Job Time approx: 2-3 days)

You want to start by emptying the fuel tank as much as possible before you start. I did this by driving the car until the fuel light came on solidly on the dash.

The next thing to do is disconnect the battery, as fuel and sparks don't mix.

Now undo the fuel cap to release any vacuum or pressure in the fuel tank.

Next slide under the rear of the vehicle and locate the main hose between the lowest point of the fuel tank and the fuel pump. If you have a fuel clamp or a pair of clamp-able pliers then clamp the hose nearest the fuel pump and proceed to undo the jubilee clip that fastens the hose the fuel tank.

Below is a photo of the fuel pump with the main hose removed.

With the jubilee clip loosened get your empty container positioned below the tank to catch the remaining fuel. Wriggle the hose off the fuel tank and catch all the excess fuel until completely drained. You can now undo the much smaller hose that is also connected to the lowest part of the fuel tank.

Jack up the rear of the car as high as possible and set it on axle stands.

Now remove the rear section of the exhaust by undoing the 3 connecting bolts on the exhaust tube in the centre of the car and then unhook the rear box from its rubber hangers (shown below).

Next remove the four bolts that secure the exhaust heat shield (shown below) to the underside of the car.

Now remove the transmission (See this post for instructions)

Now it's time to get inside the car. Start by completely removing the carpet from the boot area.

Next pop out the rear quarter window on the fuel cap side and completely remove the interior panel of the same side (See this post for instructions)

Lay down the rear seat and un-clip and pull back the carpet from around the side of boot of same side to expose the fuel filler cover (Shown below)

Undo the surrounding screws, not forgetting the two small nuts at the base of the cover. Then as shown in the photo above position a screwdriver in behind the cover either side and pull towards you. The cover may resist at first because of the black goo it is secured with, but it will come away eventually to expose the filler hoses (shown below).

Undo the jubilee clips on all the hoses and pull off, with the exception of the largest hose which you can slide upwards to reveal the corner inlet of the fuel tank.

Now lift the large silver heat shield square located on the floor of the boot to expose the plastic cover for the fuel sender. Prise this up to in turn expose the sender wires. Make a note of what wire goes where and disconnect them all (shown below).

Get back underneath the car and locate the two large straps at either end of the fuel tank (shown below)

Undo the bolts and unhook the straps, the fuel tank is now only supported by the steel cross member it is wedged over.

Get your hands behind the rear most edge of the fuel tank and pull down. Keep wriggling the tank up and down checking that the fuel filler hoses aren't trapped. This part takes a lot of effort and patience as the tank is an extremely tight fit over the cross member and has probably never been removed before. Trust me the tank will eventually come free. You may need to unbolt the fuel pump from its rubber mounts if it gets in the way.

With the fuel tank removed we can now clearly see the fixed cross-member that stretches the width of the car underneath and the fuel filter bottom right (shown below).

As stated at the beginning of the post I decided to source a replacement tank from a breakers yard, it had a bit of dent in the side and some surface rust that I cleaned off. I then Waxoyled the whole tank to prevent further corrosion. I would also recommend you get them to pressure test the tank as I did. This helps prevent the problem of putting a tank back on that is the same or worse than the one that came off. It may also be worth checking the condition of the rubber hoses as they may have started to perish and go hard after 24 years of use and replacements would probably be a good idea.

Here are a few photos of the replacement non-leaking tank that I sourced from a breakers (note the expansion tank hanging off the bottom of the photograph and the fuel sender top left in the first photo).

Not shown in the photos is the large foam pad that sits around the fuel filler neck part of the tank. I carefully removed this before spraying the tank with Waxoyl. It was then finally put back on and stuck down with 3M Scotch Weld 80 spray adhesive before the tank was reinstalled.

Tank installation is the reverse of removal.

For more information on the steel fuel tank cracks and repair procedure if you can't source a replacement tank then follow this forum post. It also shows the differences in dimensions of the early and later 944 tanks side by side.

How to fit a short shift kit to a Porsche 944

2009-12-30T18:01:00.006+00:00

THE WHY?

It has to be said that the 944 doesn't have the lightest gear shift you'll ever come across. So it makes sense to keep this part working as efficiently as possible. There are several ways this can be achieved. The first and by far the simplest is to make sure the transmission oil has been refreshed (A job that only takes an hour, but can make your drive feel 100 times better). The second and third options involve replacing the shifter mechanism at either the gear stick end or the transmission end. Over time you'll find that wear and tear take their toll and the shift will not be as precise or as smooth as it should.

Since I had the transmission off the car and had noticed quite a bit of play in the plastic ball joint on the linkage I decided to replace it with and after market short shift kit.

THE TASK

This job is far easier if the transmission is off the car, however it is still do-able with it still attached. You'll need:

Socket set and/or ring spanners
Short shift kit (Bought mine off ebay, but you can also buy a really nice one from here)
Hammer

and maybe....

Hex rod and two rose joints (see foot of post)
Hacksaw (see foot of post)
Thread tapping set (see foot of post)

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic Job Time approx: 1.5 hours (off the car) or 2+ hours (on the car)

Firstly identify the original shifter linkage and support arm attached to the gear box. If your transmission is still attached to the car the linkage sits on top of the transmission. You'll also need to slide back the rubber boot and undo the bolt that connects the linkage to the shift rod that runs through the car before you can continue.

Now remove the black rubber boot completely by sliding it off the linkage rod (you'll need to re-attach this to the new linkage later).

Next undo the nut and bolt at the top of the linkage where it joins the support arm. At this point the bolt on mine sheered as it was so old and rusted. If the same happens to you then you can either buy a replacement from Porsche or make you're own alternative support arm using some hex-rod and a couple of rose joints (See end of post for details on this).

Assuming you've not had problems undoing this nut and bolt you can then proceed to remove the small bolt that fastens the linkage to the shifting stub on the side of the transmission (Note: the flat side of the shifting stub that the bolt presses against). Having removed the bolt a small tap to the side of the linkage with a hammer should remove it from the stub and the transmission completely leaving only the support arm attached to the transmission at one end.

Here is a photo of the new linkage (left) beside the old one (right).

Installation of the new short shift linkage is the reversal of removal, taking care to line up the flat side of the shift stub as you slide on the linkage and do up the bolt. Then reconnect the support arm to the linkage and finally slide the rubber boot back on.

Here's what the finished article should look like.

Now for those of you that are interested in the support arm (The orange rod in the picture above). Having researched the short shift kit on the web before I attempted this modification there are several manufacturers all offering roughly the same piece of kit at varying prices. Some of the short shift kits come with a support arm similar to the one I made and some (like the one I went for) just make you use the original arm (and had the bolt not sheered then I would have reused the arm).

To make the arm you will need to source a length of hex-tube / hex-rod. In the UK this is easier said than done as most hardware stores don't stock it. Fortunately because I have been going Karting since the age of sixteen I happen to know that hex rods are used as the steering track arms on these vehicles. So a quick search on ebay for 'Kart track rods' brings up a number of results right away and at some very reasonable prices. The good news about buying them off ebay is that they usually come with the rose joints already attached at either end. If they don't then you'll need 1 x 8mm Left Hand Thread rose joint & 1 x 8mm Right Hand Thread rose joint (They are also known as 'track rod ends').

If you've bought your Kart track rod then you'll instantly notice that it has an 8mm thread cut into it at each end, one will be a left handed thread and the other will be right handed (Right handed threads are standard on virtually every screw you've ever come across). We need to make the rod shorter which means cutting off one of the ends. Leave the left hand threaded rose joint attached to the track rod and measure it up against the original support arm. Mark the length and use a hacksaw to cut off the standard right hand threaded end (we don't need this bit). You will now be left with left handed threaded length and will need to re-tap an 8mm right hand thread into the sawn end. Once this is done attach the right handed rose joint and you'll have an adjustable support arm. By simply using a spanner to turn the rod you'll notice it'll pull the rose joints inwards and by turning the other way it will push them outwards.

Simply attach it in place of the original support arm using a couple of 8mm Allen bolts and some washers as shown in the photo above (Using Allen bolts instead of normal hexagonal bolts allows the rose joints to move more freely).

How to remove and replace the headliner on a Porsche 944

2009-09-24T14:06:00.006+01:00

THE WHY?

If you've owned your 944 for a while and like me searched the internet to discover the pros and cons of owning one then you've probably discovered that the sun roof mechanism can become a little troublesome after 20 odd years of use. This often requires investigation of the gears and worm wheel mechanisms behind the rear headboard where the lifting arms are located. Unfortunately this also requires you to either peel back the headliner or cut holes in it so you can get at the mechanisms. Inevitably the headliner often tears leaving the inside of the car a little less than perfect (See below).

THE TASK

Philips screwdriver

Flat head screwdriver

Fat & thin rolls of double-sided sellotape

New headliner material

Lots of small bulldog clips (I used about 24!)

Scalpel (or craft knife)

Hair dryer or heat gun (optional)

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic Job time: Approx. 1 day)

(Part 1 - Removing the headliner)

Start by picking a nice sunny break in the British weather and start as early in the day as you can, you'll need it to do a proper good job. It may be worth noting that if your sun-roof isn't working and you plan on fixing it then I'd do it before you install a new headliner. My sunroof repair guide will be up shortly.

Firstly completely remove the sun-roof from the car, this won't be going back on until the very end. Now unscrew the dozen screws that hold the rear headboard on and remove it.

Beneath it you should see headliner material stretching all the way to back window seal or like mine you will see the sunroof mechanism because the headliner had already been previously messed with.

Now turn your attention to the screws securing the sunvisors, remove all of them along with the sunvisors.

Next unclip the rear view mirror from the windscreen and prise out the cabin light that sits above where the rear view mirror was and disconnect the blade connectors and tape them up with insulation tape (We don't want any cabin fires). Tip: Use a flat-bladed screwdriver to prise the side out opposite to the switch first.

Now you're ready to remove the sun roof wind deflector. Start by prising out the microswitch button in the centre mount as shown in the photo below.

Here's the underside of the button once removed, you can see the two tabs at the longer end that hold it clipped in place.

Here's what the centre mount looks like with the button removed, note the screw in the centre and remove it.

Now you're ready to remove the mounts at either end of the wind deflector. Unscrew them and be careful to support the weight of the wind deflector as there are two fragile wires attached to the microswitch beneath the centre mount.

You should find that the only thing keeping the wind deflector attached to the car is now the two wires, either cut them and connect them back together later like I did or spend ages trying to prise the delicate microswitch out of it's housing. (Wind deflector completely removed below)

Now unscrew the two recessed mounts where the sun roof would usually clip into and you're ready to remove the front headboard.

To remove the front headboard get your fingers in along the edge that is closest to sun roof opening and gently but firmly pull down. It feels like you are going to break the headboard but it's just because it's been stuck there for 20 odd years. There is a little adhesive underneath it so you will just need to tug and wiggle it free. You may find it is really sticky along the the windscreen edge, just be careful and patient. (Photo below shows front headboard removed)

With the front headboard removed you can now carefully lift up the rubber trim that goes all the way around the hole left by the sun roof, being careful not to bend it.

After that it's time to remove the rear quarter windows. From the inside of the car start by getting a flat bladed screwdriver underneath the lower corner (nearest the rear of the car) of the rubber around the window. Once you have enough lifted to get your fingers underneath then do so. With your other hand begin to push that same corner outwards whilst peeling back the rubber further around the window. Once the window is half out move to the outside of the car where you can pull the window out. Be careful of the rubber running down the side of the doot pillar as it hooked over a lip of sorts on the outside of the car.

Now go back inside the car and remove the little clothes hooks that are attached to the door pillars. You can also pull away the rubber seals around the edge of the door openings. You don't need to do the whole door, just enough so you can expose the edges of the headliner.

Now you just need to roll down the lining that is wrapped around the door pillar just enough expose the end of headliner, as we will be reusing this as it is not damaged.

Finally pull away the rubber seal around the top of the rear hatch opening.

You can now finally pull away all the old headlining from inside the car (Photos below show the headlining completely removed).

Depending on the condition of the headlining you may be able to salvage it and use the template to make your own headliner. Here's what the old headliner looked like once removed, pretty shabby.

And the now the new one I bought from ebay.

(Part 2 - Installing the new headliner)

Being the first headliner I've ever installed it was pretty much trial and error, but the end result was well worth it for the cosmetic difference it made to the inside of the car.

To begin with you will need to gather a suitable pile of bulldog clips (clothes pegs may even work), the more you have the easier it will be. Get 1 wide and 1 narrow roll of double-sided tape and a craft knife.

Step 1.

Start by loosely clipping the new headliner around the inside of the sun roof opening.

Step 2.

Make sure the parts of the headliner that go around the door pillars are sitting central on the pillar, remove and adjust the clips until you have got this spot on.

Step 3.
Remove the clips along one of the shorter edges of the roof opening and apply a strip of the narrow double sideed tape over the lip. Stick the headliner to it and re-clip. Repeat on the other side.

Step 4.
Now along the longer edges of the roof opening one at a time do the same as step 3 with the double-sided tape and re-clip. If the material doesn't seem to be fitting at the corners, don't cut or trim it just yet as you want to leave it until the last possible moment. You can always peel back the liner and re-adjust as you go along.

Step 5.
Stretch the headliner towards the back of the car around the rear hatch opening. Again clip it along the entire length until you are happy with the fit.

Step 6.
Move onto the liner around the door and quarter window. Depending on the material you have you may need to use a heat gun or hair dryer to get it to stretch around the door pillar.

Step 7.
We are going to leave the front section right until the end as it takes care of itself when the front headboard and fittings go back in place, so leave it for now. Instead concentrate on getting the fit and stretch right all the way around the rest of the car re-adjusting where necessary and adding double-sided tape as needed. Once you are satisfied with the outcome you can begin to trim some of the excess material away and reattach the rubber trims. Begin by re-applying the sun-roof rubber trim as everyything stretches away from it making sure you fold a little of the excess headliner over the trim lips and edges.

Step 8.
Re-apply the rear hatch rubber.

Step 9.
Roll up the lining on the pillars before re-fitting the quarter windows. Make sure the pillar edge of the window pushes in first starting with the bottom corner. Use a screwdriver to pull the rubber over the lip from inside the car (work your way around from pillar edge bottom corner to hatch bottom corner to top hatch corner and finally to pillar edge top corner) until the window is back in place.

Step 10.
Make two holes in the headlining so that the wires for the sun-roof switch and interior light can poke through.

Step 11.
Trim the headlining around the windscreen pillars and tuck behind the the trim on these where necessary. Now take the headboard and manouvre it into place. Take one of the sun visor clips and screw it into place. Do the same with the other. Re-attach the sun-visors completely.

Step 12.
Re-connect the wind deflector microswitch wires and re attach the wind deflector.

Step 13.
Re-attach the sun-roof clip housings.

Step 14.
Re-attach the clothes hooks to the door pillars.

Step 15.
Re-attach the rear headboard making sure you've trimmed enough of an opening for the sun-roof lifting arms to poke through the headlining.

And now the finished article.

How to change transmission oil on a Porsche 944

2009-09-17T19:45:00.007+01:00

THE WHY?

If your 944 is 25 years old like mine with just over 120,000 miles on the clock then you may have noticed that the gear changes are not as smooth as they once were or maybe your gearbox is whining a bit. Then it's quite possible your gearbox / transmission needs some fresh lubricant.

THE TASK

Quite a simple one really. This is what you'll need.

17mm Hex bit
Torque wrench
Anti-seize thread lubricant
Swepco 201 gear oil (Approx £50) - You get 3.8 Litres in the bottle, the transmission needs 2 Litres
A large syringe
Bowl to catch old lubricant

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mecahnic Job Time approx: 1 hour)

If your transmission is still attached to the car then it's probably best to give it a 10-15 minute drive to warm the old oil up so that it flows out more easily. My transmission was already off the car so I just had to make sure it was on a level surface. The transmission is located under the rear of the car. Take an empty bowl and place it under the left hand-side of the transmission ready to catch the old oil. On the left side of the transmission you will find two identical oil drain plugs situated to the right and below the drive shaft mount.

Start by cleaning off any dirt or rust around the threads on both drain plugs, give them a spray of penetrating oil too. Remove the upper plug first (in case the lower one is seized then you haven't lost all your oil with no way of putting fresh oil back in). Then remove the lower plug using a 17mm hex key, the oil should then start to flow out. Once all the old oil has flowed out stick your finger in the hole and feel around checking for metallic particles left in the bottom of the transmission. If there are then your tranny may need a little more attention than just an oil change. Now is a good time to inspect the condition of the drain plugs. Mine were pretty old and roughed up so I decided to change them for new ones, only a couple of quid each from Porsche. Notice the tapered thread on the drain plugs.

Now apply a little anti-seize thread lubricant to one of the drain plugs and tighten it into the lower hole to a torque of 20Nm. Now fill the syringe with Swepco 201 gear lube which I bought from here and pump it into the upper right hand hole. Repeat until the oil comes level with the bottom of the hole you are putting the oil into. Once you're there apply the same anti-seize thread lubricant to the remaining drain plug and tighten to 20Nm. Job done.

How to install new bonnet / hood sound absorber on a Porsche 944

2009-09-10T21:36:00.006+01:00

THE WHY?

The benefits of installing new sound absorber to the underside of your hood / bonnet are reduced noise. It also keeps the heat inside the engine compartment preventing damage to external paintwork and keeps the engine at the optimal operating temperature aswell as insulating it from the sun and snow.

THE TASK

Before you can start you will need to remove all the old sound absorbing material, see my other post for a how to. This is very important as poor preparation could end up costing you a lot of money.

You will then need the following items:

a. Methylated spirits
b.Wax paper or baking parchment
c. 3M Scotch Weld 80 Spray Adhesive (£15)
d. Scalpel
e. 2 x sound absorbing pads from Porsche or here (£30-40 per side)
f. Large sheet to cover engine bay
g. Masking tape
h. Old newspapers

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic Job Time approx: 1-2 hours)

As stated above you should have completely cleaned the old sound absorbing material from the underside of the bonnet /hood. If not see here for a how to.

Now begin by covering the engine bay with a large sheet, this will prevent any glue getting on the engine. Next use newspaper and low-tac masking tape to mask off one of the sound absorbing areas as shown below.

Give the exposed area a quick wipe over with methylated spirits to remove any grease, allow a moment for the meths to evaporate. Now depending on what sound abosrbing material you've bought the process here may differ. If you've bought genuine Porche sound absorber I believe it has it's own adhesive backing. If like me you bought 3rd party sound absorber you will need to use a special heat tolerant spray adhesive called 3M Scotch Weld 80. Spray the exposed area giving it a generous coating, then tear off two large sheets of wax paper / baking parchment and stick these over the glued area (as shown below) making sure you leave about 2-3 inchs of exposed glue along the top edge.

Now pick up the corresponding sound absorbing pad and coat the back of the pad in the same 3M adhesive. Once you've done this take the top edge of the pad and carefully line it up in the correct position and stick it to the underside of the bonnet. This glue is not repositionable so precision is the key here. Once you are sure you've got it lined up correctly remove the upper most sheet of wax paper and carefully smooth down the pad making sure you massage any air pockets out to the edges. Then remove the lower sheet of wax paper and smooth the final piece down. You may find that the bottom edge overlaps the area, but before you trim it make sure you remove all the surrounding masking tape and newspaper. Now simply trim off any excess with a scapel and press down all the edges. If you've got any bubbles use a pin to make a smal hole in the centre of the bubble and massage out the trapped air.

Now mask up the other side and repeat the process.

Now the finshed article with transfers applied

Here is a link to the 3rd party manufacturers instructions in case you are still unsure or need further detail.

How to repair heater control valve on a Porsche 944 (Square Dash Model)

2009-09-10T17:53:00.002+01:00

THE WHY?

One of the good things about the 944 is that it doesn't take long for the engine to warm up, which is great in the winter when you need to de-mist the inside of the windscreen and heat the passenger compartment. However it's not so good in the summer if like mine your heater is always giving out hot air even when the heater slider is set as far over to the left handside (the cold setting) as possible. This is caused by usually one of two possible problems. Either the hot/cold slider has a broken cable or the heater control valve (HCV) is faulty. It is usually the heater control valve (HCV).

THE TASK

It is important to note here that the HCV and heater mechanism are completely different on the square dash 944 model to the oval dash 944 model. Oval dash owners should look here and here as this guide is only for square dash owners.

This job is relatively simple (if a little fiddly) and should only take an hour or two.

You will need the following:

Long & small flat bladed screwdrivers
Long-nose pliers
Heater Control Valve (approx £20 from Porsche main dealer)

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic Job Time approx: 1-2 hours)

Firstly it's important to know what the HCV actually does. The HCV is basically a tap that allows hot water from the engine to enter the heater matrix. When you set your heater to hot the tap opens and lets hot water into the matrix and when you set it to cold the tap closes stops the hot water entering the heater matrix.

It's also important to understand how the heater controls work on a square dash 944 as I've seen alot of confusion over this on some forums. There are 4 controls for the heater. This is what they do:

Upper left slider controls the direction of heat (footwell & centre)
Upper right slider controls the direction of heat (centre & windscreen)
Lower slider controls the hot or cold setting
Dial to the left of the sliders controls the fan speed (Off & speeds 1,2,3)

To begin with it's important to make sure the cable that goes from the hot/cold slider to the HCV is not the fault. Start with the lower hot/cold slider all the way over to the cold setting as shown below.

Now open the bonnet and locate the heater control valve which sits tucked down at the back of the engine smack bang in the centre. Below is a picture of the heater control valve.

Because the heater slider is set to cold the heater control valve should have its white arm all the way over to the left hand side (as shown below). You can even see the cable extended.

Now go back inside the car and move the hot/cold slider all the way towards the hot setting. Go back and look at the HCV and you will now see the white arm has moved all the way over to the right (as shown below).

If the white arm of the HCV is not moving then your problem is with the cable. Either the cable has become disconnected at the HCV end or at the hot/cold slider end. Or the cable has broken in the middle somewhere. If the arm is moving you now know that it is very likely that the HCV is the fault.

To remove the HCV you will first need to remove a small metal clip that locks the black outer of cable to the HCV. Do this with your fingers or a pair of long nose pliers. DO NOT LOSE THE CLIP otherwise the cable will not be able to work the HCV. Now unhook the inner cable from the small hole at the end of the white arm on the HCV. Next you will need to undo the 2 hose clips that help secure the 2 hoses to either side of the HCV. Once this is done twist and wriggle the HCV loose from the hoses. Do not be alarmed if water comes out of either hose whilst doing this, just make sure you don't allow the lower of the two hoses to hang down once you have removed the HCV as water will go all over your clutch, just wedge it so that it's upright.

Below is an image of my new HCV (left) against the old HCV (right). Note the washer in the middle that appears to have come loose inside in the old HCV.

You are now ready to install your new HCV. Installation is the reverse of removal. By far the hardest and most important part is re-attaching the metal clip around the black outer of the cable, it took me several attempts and you might be advised to familiarise yourself with how the clip works with the HCV before you attach the hoses to the new one.

One last important thing is that you may or may not have to top up your coolant level as some will be lost when you removed the HCV.

How to remove a Porsche 944 transmission (Square Dash Model)

2009-06-16T16:19:00.002+01:00

THE WHY?

This is not really a why, but more of a must in my situation. Having had my 944 for little more than six months I began to notice a small fuel leak under the rear of the car. And after a bit of reading on the web it seems early 944's are suseptable to this due to the metal fuel tank they use, which either corrodes or develops cracks due to the flexing caused by the fuel vacuum. So to get to the fuel tank the transmission has to come off. This got me thinking about what else I could do to the transmission if I was going to have to go to all this trouble. So, I decided to change the shifter mechanism, swap out the transmission oil, change the transmission mounts, re-grease the CV joints on the axles and underseal the body work. If you're gonna do a job do it properly.

THE TASK

It may sound daunting but the removal of the transmission is relatively simple. Removing the transmission took me about 6-8 hours being a first timer at this task.

You'll need the following:

A pair of long nosed pliers
Socket set
Spanners
A trolley jack or two
A plank of wood (the length of the transmission)
Long heavy duty zip ties
Flat bladed screwdriver
Long screwdriver or length of tubing (Approx 30cm long)
Allen key set (8mm allen key or wrench for transmission to trans-axle coupling removal)
Spline bit set (8mm spline bit for drive-shafts removal)

A second pair of hands to help with lowering the transmission.

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic Job Time approx: 6-8 hours)

There's the Porsche mechanics way of doing it and then there's my way. I used that alongside the Porsche Haynes manual which is just about OK but a bit light on details.

Jack the rear of the car up and support it on axle stands at their highest setting.

Remove the gear knob and leather shroud by prising up the edge where it meets the centre console with a flat bladed screwdriver. Underneath you'll find a rubber shroud which removes in exactly the same way; exposing a black block with a sprung clip. Before the gear knob will come off completely you'll need to release the clip on the black block with the screwdriver. This will expose the mechanism where the gear stick meets the shifter rod.

Now get under the car and locate the shifter mechanism (located on the top of the transmission between the two rubber transmission mounts). There should be a rubber boot to slide towards the rear of the car that exposes the nut that connects the shifter rod to the shifter linkage.

There will probably be a piece of wire threaded through the nut which you will need to untwine before releasing the nut with a 13mm socket. You can now separate the linkage from the shifter rod with a bit of wiggling and pushing it towards the front of the car.

Now get back inside the car and remove the circlip that is used to secure the shifter rod to the gear stick with a pair of long nosed pliers and unhook the rod from the stick. You should now twist the gear stick 90 degrees and lay it over as far towards the passenger seat as possible (See photo below). Still inside the car, next get hold of the black shifter rod and twist it 90 degrees onto its side and push it towards the front of the car and through the sponge sound absorbing material under the radio (See photo below).

Once you've done this you will now need to get back under the car and use a long screwdriver or piece of tube to push the end of the shifter rod all the way through plastic tube located at the top of the transmission bell housing (It should be pushed forward by about 30cm's).

The next stage involves removing the two plastic covers on the bottom of the transmission bell housing (shown below), just prise them out with a screwdriver. This exposes the 'coupling' between the transmission and the trans-axle that runs the length of the car. There's an allen bolt at either end of the coupling (one per hole).

Before you remove the bolts mark a line across the width of the splined (toothed) part of the axle at the transmission end of the coupling with a permanent pen. This will help you slide the coupling back into the same spot when you come to reassemble as you'll notice that the bolts in the coupling actually slide through indentations machine in the axle itself. These indentations are there to prevent the coupling sliding up and down the axle and to make sure the coupling sits equally between the trans axle and the axle going into the transmission.

Now to undo the allen bolts (with a long 8mm allen key or wrench) you will need to rotate the trans-axle by hand so you can get to them squarely. To do this you'll want to wedge something onto the clutch pedal (See photo below).

Once you've undone the bolts slide the coupling towards the rear of the car until you can see the gap between the spline of the gear box and the trans-axle (As shown below), you may need to lever it in the direction using a screwdriver.

Now before we begin to unbolt the transmission theres two wires connected to the reverse gear light sensor on the top of transmission that need to be disconnected. Remember which wire goes on which terminal and simply pull them off.

Now locate the two driveshafts that go from the rear wheels and attach to the transmission. You only need to undo the spline bolts (6 per side) that attach the driveshafts to the transmission and you will need a 8mm spline bit to do it (don't use a star bit as they are a different fit). It's worth noting here that it makes the job alot easier if you remove the driveshafts altogether, plus this also gives you a chance to regrease the universal joints at each end. If you decide not to remove them then you need to hang the loose ends up so that you don't damage the the CV joint at the wheel. I did this using some long cable ties that I looped over the top of the shock absorber mounts and around the disconnected end of the shaft. I also covered the exposed end of each CV joint with a plastic bag to stop grit sticking to the grease.

Next locate the 4 bolts around the edge of the transmission bell housing and remove them. Now all that is holding the transmission to the car is the two bolts securing the two rubber mounts to the cross member directly above the transmission (Shown in the two photos below).

Now's the point where you need and extra pair of hands. A word of warning here, the transmission is possibly the heaviest thing I have ever lifted, words cannot describe the weight of this thing.

If like me you don't have a transmission jack I modified my regular car trolley jack with a plank of wood (roughly same length of the the transmission) that I strapped to the jacks mounting post with a couple of heavy duty zip ties. I then raised the plank of wood under the tranmission. You want to centre the jack towards the rear (thinner end) of the transmission (about 2/3 along) as that's where the majority of the weight is. I then looped two heavy duty zip ties around the transmission and under the the plank of wood to make sure it would have less chance of toppling off the wooden plank. It may help to support the wooden plank with a second trolley jack if you have or can borrow one. Now's the time to undo the two transmission mount bolts. Once undone you need to simultaneously move the transmission towards the rear of the car whilst lowering very very slowly as you don't want to damage the plastic tube that the gear stick shaft uses to pass through. Your transmission should now be removed.

And finally just a quick photo of new transmission mounts (2 nearest camera) vs old mounts (the one on the end was well knackered. Really easy to replace two small bolts hold each to the transmission. Replace them one at a time with the transmission supported by jack if you don't want to remove the transmission.

How to remove sound absorber from the bonnet / hood of a Porsche 944

2009-05-27T18:50:00.004+01:00

THE WHY?

The benefits of removing and replacing the sound absorbing material from the hood is that it prevents the engine heat from damaging the exterior hood paintwork, it absorbs some of the noise from the engine and also stops the old material depositing itself all over engine bay.

THE TASK

This is one of those jobs that there's no easy or quick way of doing, it purely comes down to sweat and elbow grease. Saying that anyone can tackle it, you just need patience and determination. Allow about 8 hours to remove all the sound absorbing material.

You'll need the following:

Plastic edged scraper (I used a white body filler spatular)

A large plastic or disposable sheet - to cover the engine bay

Cellulose Paint Thinners (I used 4 bottles of this!)

White Spirit

A mini roller and tray (use the cotton roller, not the sponge type)

Something to scrape the gunk into - I used a dustpan

Some latex gloves to keep the gunk off your hands

THE HOW TO

(Amateur mechanic Job time : Approx 3 hours per side)

Firstly cover the entire engine bay with a sheet otherwise it'll be a nightmare to clean all the old gunk off afterwards. Now unlike mine yours might still have all, some or bits of the original sound absorbing material clinging to it, so remove as much of this as you can until you're left with about 1mm of the combined glue and foam layer.

Now the fun begins. You need to soften up the dried glue and foam layer by rollering on the cellulose thinners in 30cm sections several times over and then quickly scraping this off with the plastic scraper until you are left with just the glue. Repeat as necessary. If you look at the image below the right hand section is after the cellulose thinners has been used and the left hand section is still to do.

Now, once you're left with just the glue on both sections we switch to the white spirit and use the same method of rollering it on. You can afford to do larger sections with the white spirit as it doesn't evaporate as quickly as the cellulose thinners. The picture below shows the glue completely removed from the left panel using the the white spirit.

And now the finished article....

Now, see my post on how to install new sound absorbing material here

	Ignition OFF	Ignition ON
X	0v	12v
56	0v	0v
58L	0v	0v
56K	0v	0v
58	0v	0v
30b	0v	0v
58R	0v	0v
30	12v	12v
58a	0v	0v
58b	0v	0v

	Ignition OFF	Ignition ON
X	0v	12v
56	0v	0v
58L	0v	0v
56K	0v	0v
58	0v	0v
30b	0v	0v
58R	0v	0v
30	12v	12v
58a	0v	0v
58b	0v	0v

	Ignition OFF	Ignition ON
X	0v	12v
56	0v	0v
58L	0v	0v
56K	0v	0v
58	0v	0v
30b	0v	0v
58R	0v	0v
30	12v	12v
58a	0v	0v
58b	0v	0v