Passed NYS Emissions Finally!!!

There is absolutely nothing emissions illegal in the Cayman but I haven't been able to get it inspected because ever since I modded the car for STU at the end of 2018, I've had on and off P2196 and P2198  (bank 1 or 2 pre-cat O2 sensor stuck rich) check engine lights. I made so many changes it was really hard to pinpoint the cause but for sure I had a variety of exhaust leaks from the generic gaskets provided with the Soul Performance street header. I eventually changed them all to OEM Porsche gaskets and I definitely don't have a leaks anymore but the CEL still came back...argh!!!

Reloading the Tune - 2-23-2020

Also, it seemed like no matter how many miles I'd drive the secondary air would never set readiness. Obviously between the recurring CEL that I'd have to reset and readiness not setting, I couldn't get the car to pass NYS emissions inspection despite nothing actually being wrong with the car. Well, I stumbled across one random post on Rennlist where someone had a similar issue and it was related to his tune and reloading it fixed the issue. Last week, before heading out to PCA Tech Tactics East, I loaded the stock tune back and then reloaded my FVD tune and lo and behold, within just 40 minutes of driving, no pending codes and all the readiness codes set.

Ready for Inspection - 2-23-2020
OBDLink with bluetooth OBD2 reader

I drove the car another 200 miles that day to PA and back and today drove the car to Camber Toe Performance in Lynbrook to get inspected today and passed with no issues. I don't think I've ever felt this relieved since we brought Bumblestook back to being street legal in early 2018. Anyway, the real point of this post isn't that I passed the annual emissions inspection but rather as a reference for anyone else that runs into this issue on their 987 Cayman. If everything else looks mechanically sound and you've done everything including changing your O2 sensors and put in new OEM gaskets, maybe you just need to reload your tune.

Bye Suspension Squeaks

I really loved the design of the 034 Motorsports Dynamic+ Camber Mounts for the GTi but I just couldn't stand the random squeaks you'd get when turning the wheel while stopped or at really low speeds (like driving around a garage, etc). The rest of the time while in motion they were flawless but these low speed squeaks eventually got me because it made the car sound really cheap so I eventually gave up and decided to replace them with a set of fresh OEM Sachs front strut mounts and bearings. Thankfully SJF Performance had some time today so we got it done.

New OEM strut mounts being installed - 2-15-2020
SJF Performance

New Strut Mount - 2-15-2020

New Strut Bearing - 2-15-2020

Of course this meant that I was going to lose a bit of the negative camber I gained with the 034 Motorsports mounts but since this is really just my fun "daily", then it wasn't the end of the world. What would a trip to SJF to do suspension work be without also getting an alignment and so I continue my trend of generally being the first car on the alignment rack for the season.

Everything re-installed and buttoned up - 2-15-2020

Getting aligned - 2-15-2020 - SJF Performance

The car had about an inch of toe out up front after going back to the OEM mounts so that had to be zeroed out and I was still happy that due to the car sitting lower on the Eiback ProKit springs, I still had a respectable -1.3 degrees of camber up front. I'm glad to report no more stupid squeaks. The car now sounds refined again like a proper German car should be.

I also figured that if the car was going to be in the lift, it was time to replace the last bit of fluid the previous owner had changed for me prior to selling it, the engine oil.

Time to get the oil changed - 2-15-2020

Liqui Moly 5W-40 

VW wins the "tiny" fill hole award? 2-15-2020 

I'm trying out this Liqui Moly 5W-40 "Molygen" oil. I'll probably send it in for oil analysis on my next oil change.

Maintenance Updates:

Mileage: 54,426

- New Mann oil filter
- 6 quarters Liqui Moly 5W-40 Molygen

911SC - Build Update #4

I went up to Speedsport Tuning today to drop off some parts and check on the car's progress. They've been a joy to work with on this project and are true professionals. Kudos to Marc who's been communicating with me really well and being flexible with all the scope creep. Anyone that knows me understands how things tend to evolve a bit as I get into a "while we're in there" pattern. We're in a bit of a holding pattern right now as we're still waiting on the machine shop to work on the transmission housing, KW still hasn't shipped my shocks from Germany (8-weeks and counting...sigh) and the DAS rollbar is still being fabricated.

Engine work complete - 2-13-2020

Those things aside, they've continued to get all the other bits that can be done out of the way. The engine is all ready to be dropped in pending being mated to the transmission. The new flywheel and clutch kit is bolted on and the heater has been backdated to clear the EFI kit and also tidy up the look.

New clutch and flywheel bolted on - 2-13-2020

Heater hose backdate - 2-13-2020

Heater hose backdate - 2-13-2020

I decided that the old fan and fan shroud needs freshening up so it got bead blasted and powdercoated to make it as fresh as the rest of the engine. The band was brushed then re-cleared. Looks like new now!

Fan and shroud powder coated - 2-13-2020

Band brushed and cleared - 2-13-2020

Just a reminder of the "before" look

The Momo Prototipo Heritage wheel with Porsche horn is on as well. You'll notice that the WEVO short shifter assembly is all back together but missing a knob. That's one of the items I dropped off today. It's a Momo Targa Heritage wooden shift knob with tobacco leather top that'll complement the brown interior really well.

Momo Prototipo Heritage with Porshe Horn - 2-13-2020

Momo Target Heritage Shift knob 

The WEVO motor mounts are also now in place.That's going to hold everything nice and secure.

Wevo Motor Mounts - 2-13-2020

I also got back the spare tachometer I sent off to North Hollywood Speedometer to get customized and it looks outstanding. I can't wait to see this installed in the car. They did a matching red face and I had the dial rotated so redline would be at the 12 O'Clock position for easy visibility without having to physically rote the gauge 90 degrees. I also had them increase the number by 1000 RPMs to 8000 even though it doesn't rev that high mostly just to balance the gauge out. NHSpeedometer also installed a new bezel and glass. You can see how the OEM 911SC gauge looks unmodified in the steering wheel photo above.

Tachometer customized by North Hollywood Speedometer - 2-13-2020

It also felt great lifting the cover in the rear to see my plate that I've much had since my very first car continue on in this car and decorated with the vintage Porsche frame. It's really exciting that we're getting closer and closer to completion.

911SC - Build Update #3

The most labor intensive part of the build is up next. The engine was already rebuilt recently by Porsche but the transmission is still untouched since 1983 and with 160k+ miles on it, it didn't make much sense to leave it as is. Top on my list was to have the guys at Speedsport Tuning completely rebuild / refresh the 915 transmission.

Transmission getting torn down - 2/6/2020

Thankfully, for the most part, the transmission is in good shape so that's a very positive sign the car wasn't abused in its youth.

Gear set - 2/7/2020

The main areas of concern are the clutch release shaft and the dog teeth on the first gear, both of which are common wear items on the 915 transmission.

Clutch release shaft - 2-7-2020

Wear on the teeth

The diff housing needs be sent out to be machined to have new steel inserts installed for new bearing races that need to be pressed in. This is to prevent excess play in the shafts that can cause gear mesh issues.

diff housing 

diff housing

diff housing

It's going to take a few weeks before the machine shop can complete it which is fine as we're still waiting on some other parts to arrive for the rest of the build. These findings however justify my gut instinct to spend the money to get the trans rebuilt as a poor functioning transmission would take away some of the enjoyment of driving the car later. The OEM diff seems to be in good shape too but that's getting replaced with a Wavetrac LSD for extra traction.

Stock diff - To be replaced with Wavetrac Unit - 2-7-2020

Parallel to this, the work around the engine is moving forward. The SSI heat exchangers are on the car and it looks awesome. They've also cleaned up the engine some more so it's looking really fresh. The tired looking old fan and fan shroud is bothering me so they're going to bead blast and powder coat it. It really is the first thing you see when you pop the trunk open and it seems silly to spend all this effort only to be let down by a sad looking fan.

SSI heat exchangers installed - 2-5-2020

Engine looking really fresh - 2-5-2020

I also finally found time to go see a locksmith to have them cut the new key blank so I can use the newer style key head with built in flashlight. It looks right but I won't know if it all works until I go visit the car next week.

New key cut and installed on new keyhead - 2-6-2020

Built in light to help find the keyhole in the dark - 2-6-2020

Other items recommended for replacement are the axles and flywheel so new one are going in. Really great seeing the progress so far. The customized/refreshed tachometer is on its way here from North Hollywood Speedometer after almost 6 weeks so I'm excited to see how it's going to look.

911SC - Build Update #2

The boys over at Speedsport Tuning are doing a fantastic job keeping the momentum going with the build. Got some updates today and really happy with their progress so far. For starters, the Bitz Racing CIS to EFI conversion is mostly in. The injectors, fuel rail and fuel pressure regulator are on the engine.

Holley ACCEL 150630 injectors installed - 2-4-2020

Fuel rail on - 2-4-2020

Engine coming along nicely - 2-4-2020

The Wevo 915 Classic short shifter, PSJ (Precision Shift Joint) and Billet Clamp are also in place now.

Wevo 915 Classic Short Shifter installed - 1/31/2020

Finally, the old halogen headlights are off and the new Audette Collection LED headlights with fluted lenses and chrome ring are on. I think it gives it a nice classic look that doesn't detract from the original fascia while offering me increased safety by having both significantly increased brightness and reduced electrical draw on the wiring harness.

Auf Wiedersehen halogens - 2-4-2020

LED headlights with fluted lenses and
classic chrome rings - 2-4-2020

Meanwhile the DAS rollbar is currently being fabricated for it and will be sent over to my friends at JT Powdercoating to get powder coated before installation. 

Fixing Exhaust Leaks

I've pretty much been plagued with random exhaust leaks on the Cayman since we put on the Soul Performance street headers over a year ago. First I had one on the engine side of the headers and that was fixed by using genuine Porsche gaskets instead of whatever aftermarket gasket I was initially sent. Then during SCCA Nationals last year I developed a leak at the gaskets after the cats, again from being supplied random generic gaskets. Well I decided enough was enough so I picked up new Porsche OEM gaskets and finally found some time to work on it.

Fresh OEM Porsche exhaust gaskets - 2/1/2020

Thankfully, it's an easy enough job on the Quick Jack once you clear some stuff to get to the bolts but this definitely fixed the leak. I haven't been driving the Cayman mostly because it's Winter but also because the exhaust sounded like a truck. You could hear the air blowing out of each wheel well like a two-stroke engine. When I fired her up after the gasket replacement, all you could hear was the sweet sound of the flat 6. Hopefully this also fixes the CEL caused by the air leak and I can finally get the car to pass inspection. Lesson learned, only OEM gaskets on Porsches from now on!

Yay new gaskets and cat still looks clean! - 2/1/2020

Also last year after coming back from SCCA Nationals, I decided to replace the air filter. Well, in doing so, I managed to accidentally push too hard and break the tab that the airbox covers screws into. This is no good because with the enclosed mid-engine that meant hot air was going to work its way in there so I just had the top secured with gaffers tape.

Broken intake cover tab :(

It was effective and out of sight so most people would leave it at that but I'm not most people. This was bother me so what you'd normally do is just replace an the airbox with one that was wasn't damaged right?  Something like this (cleaned up maybe)?

Used Cayman Airbox

Well, no, nothing is that easy on a mid-engine car. You can get an OEM airbox out of a Cayman by hacking it up but you're not putting in a new one without dropping the engine. No thanks! What I ended up doing was taking a dremel and cleaning up the damaged tab on the car then cutting out a good tab from my spare intake.

Tab extracted from spare intake

I put it all together with some Plastic Bonder and now I can feel better knowing that my intake lid that absolutely no one sees but me is screwed on just like it should be (yep, I know, I'm crazy).

Plastic Bonder FTW

Tab attached very firmly after an hour letting it cure

Ah...back to normal. No more tape! - 2/1/2020

Side note: Having a rollbar makes it extra annoying to work on the engine. Thankfully, the Heigo rollbar has all the segments bolted on as separate pieces so I figured out a relatively easy way to get the engine cover off. I think most people working on my car might not have as much patience as me though so I think I'll just have to remove the cover before taking it in for any work because it's just too easy to scratch up the rollbar if you aren't patient with it.