August 25, 2009:
Been a while without updates! Just got new tires yesterday: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Last month
my car turned 23 years old - only two more to antique status here in Virginia.
May 25, 2006:
Car has been running great; lots of honest-to-goodness Spring weather for nice driving.
Got my windshield replaced thanks to my insurance company, and I can actually see while
driving at night now; there were thousands of tiny pits in the old one. Also upgraded
my headlights to H4s, and got my A/C recharged. This coming July marks the 20th year of my car!
November 3, 2004:
Got the car back! Now it's time to drive. A lot.
October 11, 2004:
The car was taken to ASG for some major work. Top- and bottom-end engine
rebuild (down to the cranshaft), transmission rebuild, and a new clutch.
The valve guides were indeed shot, so that is what's been causing my
somewhat rough running. I'll miss many weeks of great fall driving,
but it'll be such a thrill to have my car back with basically a new
engine. I highly recommend ASG in Fairfax. They are beyond professional,
and Raymond (the owner) knows way too much about Porsches. You can tell
everyone there just loves the cars. I feel like I'm walking into a
Porsche museum when I go there.
July 20, 2004:
State safety and emissions inspections passed with flying colors.
Went over to the dealer to have that done. While I was there I fell in love
with the new 2005 911. It'll be out in September. Looks like Porsche listened
to those of us who simply hate the 99-04 version of the 911. The new one is
definitely a return to a more classic 911. Go check it out at
porsche.com.
April 27, 2004:
So this past winter allowed me to do a few small things on the car like
replace the ignition wires, replace a front fog light, and do an oil change
or two. Here in Northern VA we're actually having Spring (usually it just
jumps from Winter to Summer), so the driving weather has been superb.
July 7, 2003:
Four new tires finally! Michelin Pilot A/S Sports. 205/55ZR16 front, 225/50ZR16 rear.
It's finally stopped raining here in the D.C. area to allow for some nice
driving.
December 27, 2002:
Not much to report in the way of my 911 this fall. With the start of
winter I'm still driving it, of course. After all, it was made to be
driven. I'll be replacing all four tires soon; about five years and
40,000 miles on these amazing Michelins.
August 3, 2002:
Well, after the second wheel bearing was replaced I guess too much brake
fluid had leaked out, so I had a LOT of air in the hydraulic brake system. That meant my
brakes were inoperative. D'oh! So, I had to bleed the brakes. I had never
done this before, but found it quite easy after some quick
research.
August 1, 2002:
Had the dealer replace the idle stabilizer to solve the hesitation problem
I've been having. Also got motivated to replace the front wheel bearings
when I got it home. Can't believe I've had the car for over 4 years now!
January 4, 2002:
Had to get a new alternator today. The alternator has apparently
been overcharging (17+ volts) for a while now, leading to some
strange behavior in the electrical system (lights dimming and
brightening randomly) and roughness in running.
Car is much improved now!
October 8, 2001:
What great fall weather in D.C. for driving! I haven't had a lot
of time outside of work, but I have been trying to take care of
a lot of the little fixes I've been putting off, such as: paint
repair (touch-up), complete exterior polish and wax, replacement of
various internal lights, extreme detail cleaning inside, sunroof
adjustment, et al.
December 21, 2000:
Boy, talk about a while without updates. Snow has hit
D.C., and driving is becoming less than pleasant, but
hey, at least I get to drive a 911. Nothing new to
report; car's running quite well. New clutch is
still needed ;-).
December 5, 1999:
Got a front bra cover for the car and installed it. Car's
been doing just fine. Even after 1.5 years of ownership, it
still finds new ways of impressing me every time I drive it.
July 13, 1999:
The car's finally coming out of the dealer's shop tomorrow
after a long ordeal. Turns out the DME control was
shot, along with the temp sensor. Yipee. Tip of the
day: buy a refurbished DME unit, not a new one.
This all started when the car stalled on me, and wouldn't
restart for a long enough period of time to drive. First
time it's been towed (well, besides the accident - See
9.24.98 log entry). Total cost of DME job: $900.
July 1, 1999: The car's been running a bit rough, so
I finally took it into the dealer for a little check-up.
Otherwise, things have been just fine... Nice weather around
here in the D.C. area for driving lately. Total cost: $270.
March 1, 1999: Sorry for the lack of updates. Work has kept
me busy enough, and the weather has not cooperated enough for me
to fully enjoy my car... More updates soon as the weather warms up!
January 14, 1998: Finally replaced the cyl head temp
sensor. Started using 89 octane Mobil gas and the car
runs much better.
November 25, 1998: The car is back, and in *great* shape.
Looks amazing, handles well. I'm certainly very happy this
week... Coming soon: pictures (eek!) and the story.
Total cost of repair: around $8600. Ouch.
September 24, 1998: The saddest day in recent memory.
After only 3.5 months of ownership, I was involved in an accident.
Whole front end smashed in. I'll be over here in the corner
crying.
So, this page will see no updates for the next month as it
is being repaired.
September 22, 1998: Replaced the O2 sensor with a
generic Bosch sensor ($150 less than the "official" Porsche
factory sensor). Required only some splicing and soldering
to attach the old plug to the new sensor, and a lot of
brute force to get the old one out.
Write up available here.
Also did an oil change.
August 29, 1998: Replaced the rear brake pads with new
Porsche stock pads. The old ones were down to 2mm!
Write up and pictures coming soon.
August 18, 1998: Replaced the stock Blaupunkt cassette player
with a new Blaupunkt CD player. Just a little soldering required.
August 8, 1998: Replaced the intake manifold gaskets in a
furthur attempt to fix the rough idle problem. Didn't exactly
fix it. Looks like the problem has been narrowed down to a bad
O2 sensor. Doing the gasket job myself saved me $500. Parts
were only $20. Not bad, eh? Pictures available
here.
July 29, 1998: The rough idle is still a concern. Visited
the mechanic (again!) and we tracked it down to a vacuum leak at
the air manifold connection to cylinder #4. Fun.
July 15, 1998: Took the car to the mechanic.
Time for valve adjustment, new crankshaft oil line, fuses,
rotor cap... Let's just say that the bill renewed my
desire to learn how to service my own car ;-/.
June 27, 1998: First oil change. I'm slowly
learning all the little quirks that make the 911 so..., well, "911".
Draining the oil from two places was a bit odd, but other than that
it was quite easy. You really couldn't ask for a better-placed
filter.
June 12, 1998: After over a week of ownership, I'm now
adjusting to the car and am beginning to understand what people
mean when they talk about Porsche automobiles. I honestly
don't think I can now buy any other make of car. Ever.
June 3, 1998: I told my boss I'd be taking a somewhat longer lunch
break than usual. I went over to the seller's house, we drove to his
local credit union, and I handed over the check in return for the
title to the 1986 911 Carrera. It was then officially mine...
I came back to the office only four hours later ;).