Most people’s initial reaction when they see white smoke coming out of their exhaust, is to assume the worse…..blown headgasket, slipped cylinder lining, catastrophic engine failure. While on rare occasion that is the case, many times it is nothing more than a bad Oil Air Separator (OAS, AOS, Air Oil Separator, etc). 996, 997’s, and Boxsters use an oil air separator which basically reduces oil vapor that recirculates in the engine. Unfortunately, they use a rubber diaphragm that is prone …
24Aug2009
Busy day at DWR
Had quite a few cars roll through in the last couple of days. First was a nice 1988 911 Targa that need new clutch cylinders and hood emblem. Smooth sailing, and we were back up and running. Then we had a 2000 Boxster S with a bad waterpump and serpentine belt. A 2002 Boxster that need a new Oil Air Seperator, climate control button cleaning, window microswitch, and parking brake adjustment. A beautiful 930 that got a new starter and …
24Aug2009
Sticky Boxster/996 A/C control unit?
Here is a easy little fix for you guys out there with A/C and heater control units that have sticky buttons on the control panel. Why do they stick? Well, driving around with coffee, pop, etc in the car, eventually something is bound to get spilled…….. First start by removing the side trim on each side: There are clips on the forward most side, just get your fingers behind the trim piece and lightly pull out. Next, remove the trim …
24Aug2009
Follow along a little Journey…….
It all started as a crazy idea my good friend Jim had. Pick up a 60’s Caddy, Lincoln, or Buick, and journey across the US using maps and roads only from the 60’s. Well, everyone liked the idea so much, that we decided to go forward with the project. We recently picked up a ’67 Cadillac Fleetwood out of Oklahoma City, and will begin prepping the car for it’s spring road trip! The initial plan is to head south through …
20Aug2009
Road America 2009
Well, last week we headed to RA up in Wisconsin for the Nord Stern Region’s annual advanced DE. As always, we had an absolute blast. Bob, Val, Tia the shop supervisor, and I headed up from Kansas City, and met up with some good freinds from South Dakota. I think everyone had a great time. With great displeasure, much of our crew was absent from our adventures this year, but we still managed to get by 🙂 We managed to …
04Aug2009
Boxster Clutch
Had a boxster come in today that was making a heck of a squealing from the clutch area. My assumption is that the dual mass flywheel is starting to get too much play in it, which is a known issue on the dual mass flywheels. With over 80k miles on the car and still on it’s first clutch, it is probably about time to get in there and replace it anyway. Up on stands, pulling stuff apart. For those that …
01Aug2009
More 968 Cam Maintenance
Another 968 came through today. 158k miles on the clock, with an unknown history of cam maintenance. Pulled the valve cover to see what we were dealing with. The top pad, while worn, was not in horrible shape. Typically I see more wear on the bottom pad, but you can’t inspect it without pulling the cams and tensioner. Cams out of the car……To pull the cams, you need to remove the timing belt. On the 968, that more or less …
18Jul2009
Project Fix Stupid Trailer…….
My track car hauler was starting to look a little……mmmmm…..rusty after sitting out the in the elements for the last couple of years, so I have spent some time on it in the last couple of weeks to bring it back up to par. The trailer is a 1990 Texas Bragg Enterprises trailer that has seen some miles. It is a fantastic pulling trailer, and quite light for a steel trailer since it has an open floor. This also comes …
16Jul2009
993 Suspensions
A quick round up of different suspension options on the 993: Stock configuration: Lowered with Bilstein HD’s and H&R lowering springs: Lowered with PSS9’s. Height is infinitely adjustable…. Porsche ROW suspension on the left, PSS9’s on the right…..