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 ;).