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Why fix something that ain't broken?

The general idea was to use the off-season to tear down most of the stuff (for lack of a more precise term) that hides the engine from view; replace seals, gaskets and what-have-you, and then put it all back together again. I'd rather have this done before flammable things start leaking all over the place.

Also, some cosmetic things were fixed. There were some scratches that needed more than a good polish to deal with. And there were some reminders of an excursion through a gravel trap at the Nürburging: the side skirts showed where the gravel had hit the car.

Finally, another typical 964-issue needed addressing: fill the tank all the way, and fuel would start leaking out of the top of the filler neck under hard acceleration.

The fixing - Part 1

As I'm no technical expert I'll just present pics of the car while the work was still in progress, and let them speak for themselves, mostly.

We'll start off with some of the old seals that came out of the car. As you can see they had started to disintegrate, which resulted in quite a few leakages.

To give you an idea of the amount of crud near the engine, here's a bit of pipe that hasn't seen too much cleaning yet.

One particular leak caused most of the mess. Those familiar with 964s will recognise it: the seal of the power steering pump. It caused oil to leak on top of the right side of the engine, making its way down slowly but surely until being caught by the undertray. Here's a picture of the undertray before cleaning, and a picture of the housing of the power steering belt after a good bit of rag-rubbing.

Naturally the throttle body came off too. Its seals had become rockhard and brittle over time, resulting in false air getting into the system. The engine was running very nicely before this cleanup, but should run even smoother when everything everything's put back in with fresh seals. The resonance flap (which is being operated by Lothar's left hand in the picture below) has been cleaned too. New seals were already on hand.

The fuel injectors were out too. There are two gaskets/seals/whatever per injector, and the top ones were all still in good condition. The bottom ones will be replaced though.

It's amazing how many little things can come out of the cramped space where the engine resides.

At the moment the engine compartment doesn't look all that cramped. It's also a lot cleaner than it used to be.

Underneath the car the difference is even bigger. Unfortunately I don't have any "before" pictures, but take my word for it that it was nowhere near as clean as it is now.

The sideskirts have been resprayed and refitted with new seals. It makes quite a big difference. The shark fin had done a good job at keeping gravel away from the bodywork, but at a cost. It looks as good as new now.

The fixing - Part 2

Over the next few weeks all the remaining loose parts will be refitted. I'll also decide if a professional wash & wax job is worth the money :-)

The fixing - Part 3

To round it off the car was professionally washed, waxed, and sealed. The sealing was done with a product called Wax Guard, a lower priced competitor to the well-know Protech treatment. It was money well spent: the car looked as good as it must have done when it left the showroom 15 years ago. The show was of similar quality: the car was waiting for me under a cover to keep dust off it.

Lothar carefully removed the cover to show off the end result: a very shiny 964. After several months of not having the car in my own garage it struck me again what a beautiful car it is. No doubt it'll be just as gorgeous in another 15 years :-)

All the bits and pieces that were out of the car the last time I saw it had been refitted. Here are part numbers of some of the things that were replaced:

964.201.043.06 Fuel filler neck 993.201.271.00 Gas cap 964.110.687.03 (6x) Rubber sleeve 993.110.713.01 (6x) Sealing ring 944.110.901.01 (6x) Injector O-ring 964.110.685.03 (2x) Rubber sleeve, throttle body, big 964.110.686.03 (2x) Rubber sleeve, throttle body, small 964.207.327.00 Breather hose 930.107.791.02 Gasket for breather hose 999.113.463.40 Power steering seal 999.707.293.40 Power steering O-ring

Naturally there are lots more seals and stuff that were replaced, but these cover the more interesting areas.

Something else that was replaced was the left rear shock. It's an adjustable Koni, and I'd asked for the rear shocks to be tightened a bit. While adjusting the left rear shock it started squirting oil. Not good. It did explain why I felt the car didn't grip as well as it normally did: previously I'd put it down to the worn rear tyres combined with less-than-perfect tyre pressure in them. It'll be interesting to feel how the car behaves with the new shock, once temperatures are a bit higher and the conditions more suited to spirited driving. The shock was (of course) replaced under warranty.

Off we go!

On the way home the weather took a turn for the worse: quite a bit of snow and some hail. At least the tyres were virtually new and had lots of tread left. Still, the rubber compound doesn't provide all that much grip in freezing conditions.

It was interesting to see the Wax Guard in action: the surface of the car is so slick that the snow and rain drops slid right off the bonnet without leaving a trace. It comes with an 18-month warranty. And while cleaning the interior of the car and treating the leather, they even found 3 EUR worth of coins that I'd lost in there :-)

Amazingly the car still looks shiny and clean, despite the rain and hail it was subjected to on the drive home. It also has a deeper, glossier shine to it than before. Like I said, money well spent.

The idle is smoother than before, and it revs a bit smoother through the rev range as well. I haven't had a chance to evaluate the new setting of the rear shocks yet, but a trip through the Alps should provide ample feedback in a month or so.