Replaced Central Air Vent

I've had a broken central vent in the 911 since I bought it. The left to right adjustment is loose so it flops around all the time not staying in the same direction and one of the vent fins was just broken completely and doing whatever it felt like. I got a replacement OEM vent last year but procrastinated putting it on even though it literally takes a minute and I finally did it today. I'm not sure why I waited but it's nice when broken things are fixed.

New Vent

Old vent (top) vs New vent (bottom)

New vent installed

Replacement Windshield for Mini

During Christmas I was driving behind a pickup truck when I heard a rock or something hit the top of the windshield. It didn't sound like much but within a few minutes a crack about 12" long started to develop so had to get the windshield replaced today. Replaced by Safelite and then camera recalibrated.

Rock chip that resulted in a crack

Mileage: 73,621

- Replacement windshield

Only944 Short Shifter and Shift Linkage Arm

Last week I installed the Only944 shifter that got rid of a lot of the play in the shifter itself but the big change I wanted was to reduce the shift throws because they are quite long from the factory. Only944 makes a replacement shifter linkage that's all metal and reduces the shift throws by 30% as well as a replacement shift linkage arm using high quality heim joints for direct and smooth operation. Removal of the factory shift linkage and arm was a bit of a bear. The bolts came out pretty easily but I needed to pick up a pulley remover set to be able to separate it from the transmission shaft. The shift linkage arm is connected via a 17mm bolt at the top of the transmission which has very little room so getting that out involve reaching over the transmission to try and work a ratcheting wrench in small increments.

Factory Shift Linkage removed

You can see the difference between the factory pieces and the fresh Only944 ones. They're super high quality pieces that I expect will provide many years of good service. 

Factory vs Only944 shift linkage and arm

You have to separate the new ball joint from the shift linkage arm in order to install it to the hole left by removing the factory linkage arm. This was the most annoying part because there's no visibility, hardly any room to get your hand in there and you need a 1.5" long 11mm wrench to try and tighten it (thankfully Only944 sell this too if you don't want to fabricate one yourself). Once you get that in, you then need to reconnect the arm to the ball join which requires a fair bit of force. I ended up using a ratchet strap and yanking down on it to get enough force to push the ball joint in then long skinny plies to slot the clip back in place.

Only944 shift linkage arm installed

Next up was installing the new shifter linkage. This was much easier after fighting that ball joint. The only extra thing was to reinstall new safety wire on the bolt securing it to the black shifter rod and putting the boot back over it. The instructions didn't say to do either but it seemed logically to reinstall safety wire that was there before to make sure it doesn't back out and it can't hurt to put the boot back on. 

Safety wire

Everything installed including safety wire -
Boot pulled over bolt after photo was taken

I kept the top nut loose so I could go back in the car and make sure the shifter was centered then tightened it back down. It's a 13mm nut and you need an thin 11mm wrench to keep the ball joint from rotating while you tighten it down. The combined result of the new shifter, short shift linkage and shift linkage arm is a much more crisp, notchy shift that's the perfect throw distance. Although I cursed myself for not being able to just leave things alone while doing the install, the results were quite rewarding and worth it especially as a winter project.

944 Service History from PO

Just going over the documents handed to me by the previous owner of the 944 and jotting down the service history here for reference:

1/17/2011 - Mileage: 64,212 - CS Motorsports, WI

• New clutch kit and RMS
• Resurfaced fly wheel
• New water pump and timing belt kit (including tension rollers and idler rollers)
• water pump (new)
• Clutch lever shaft
• Clutch fork bearing
• Front engine reseal kit
• Coolant
• Transmission service - replace leaking output shaft seal
• Rebuild both rear axle shafts
• Oil Change
• Alignment

2/4/2016 - Marren Fuel Injection - Injector Service

• Bench flow test
• Before - Spray ok on Cylinder 1, N/G on Cylinders 2-4 - 8.3% difference average
• After - Spray patter and flow rate back to spec - 2.0% difference average

5/12/2017 - Mileage 73,244 - CS Motorsports, WI

• Replace starter motor
• Track alignment
• Adjust timing belts

11/12/2018  - Pelican Parts invoice

• Elephant Racing Spring plate bushings OEM spec
• Sway-a-way 26mm solid torsion bar set rear - SW-1226

2/21/2019 - Griffith's Invoice

• Kuehl Compressor kit R134 conversion

7/22/2019 - Mileage 85,105 - CS Motorsports, WI

• Replace oil filter adapter
• Replace front lower control arm (both)
• Manual transmission fluid replaced - Amsoil Synthetic Gear Lube
• Timing belt replacement
• Re-torque right rear wheel bearing

12/10/2019 - Paragon Products invoice

• Axle Assembly - SSF DS - 951.332.038.02
• CV joint bolt

Only944 Shifter

I love manual transmission cars but I can't stand sloppy shifters. I'll say that the condition of the shifter on my 944 S2 was pretty decent but it could be better. I got the short shifter, shift linkage and shifter from Only944 and focused on getting the shifter installed today. 

OEM shifter left, Only944 shifter right

Earlier generation 944s had more rubber in the shifter but it seems the 944 S2 has more solid pieces so that probably contributed to the better feel. However, the way it's designed still allowed for some lateral play. The instructions were super clear. Only a circlip and two 13mm bolts hold the shifter in place. I then put it in a vice so I could pry off the plastic ball cup at the bottom using two flat head screwdrivers. Since it's been colder recently, I heated the ball a little bit before attempting this and it came out smoothly without cracking. I then transferred the ball cup and shifter base plate to the new shifter.

Getting ready to remove the ball cup from the stock shifter

Ball cup removed

I installed the new shifter and transferred over the rubber pieces that secure the shift knob and boot in place, lubracated the bearings and tightened everything. Unfortunately, the alignment was a off so the shifter would hit the metal oval ring when I tried to go into 1st and 2nd gear so further adjustment was needed. I had to jack the car up, remove the left rear wheel, loose then bolt going to the shift linkage (13mm and 17mm bolt/nut), re-center the shifter, then tighten it all back again. This was annoying since I have a muffler heat shield preventing me from getting a clear view of the bolt I needed to loosen but after a few tries I was able to get a wrench and socket in there. 

Shifter installed and aligned

Overall, this feels so much better. Every gear shift feels nice and tight. I can't wait to get the short shifter installed since that's really going to get this more to my liking. 

Fresh Fluids and Solid State DME Relay

One known failure point that can leave you stranded in a 944 is the DME relay. The relay controls power to the DME (ECU) and the fuel pump. Most people just either constantly preemptively replace the relay as a wear item or bring a spare with them in the glove box just in case. The relay is mechanical and can therefore wear and eventually fail but there are thankfully better alternatives out there. 

Focus 9 Technology Solid State DME Relay

I picked up a modern solid state DME relay from Focus 9 Technology which is a direct swap for the OEM relay. Not only does it feature a solid state design that has no mechanical parts to wear, this version also offers a "pump prime" feature where putting the key in the on position, allows the fuel pump to prime for 3 seconds before you even start the car. This makes the fuel pressure perfect at start lessening the time it takes to get the car started. I also opted for the version with diagnostic LEDs. I can easily see when the relay is getting power, when it's pump priming and whether it's all working. Since my old relay is still working, I'm just keeping it in my glove box just in case anyway or to help a fellow 944 owner if they ever run into a DME issue.

Relay installed and pump prime mode

Car running and relay fully active

Looking at the car's service history I also noticed it's been more than a year since the oil was last changed on the car and it was looking a bit dark. The previous owner was using Valvoline VR1 20W-50 which is a really good oil with high zinc. I've personally been using Driven Racing Oil in all my Porsches also due to its high ZDDP values and I wanted to do the same here so I drained the oil and put in fresh Driven DT-50 which is 15W-50 oil. The car is noticeably running smoother with the new oil.

Fresh DT50 oil

New Mahle OC142 filter

The location and orientation of the oil filter means that it's a bit of a messy situation when removing. There's practically no way to remove it without dumping at least some point down below. I let the oil drain for about 3 hours in order to try and get as much of the oil out of the system and filter and that seems to have helped quite a bit. I also stuffed a bunch of paper towels around the base of the filter to absorb as much as I could. While I did have to do some cleanup, it wasn't as messy as I had originally expected. 

Rennline fire extinguisher mount + Element E50 fire extinguisher

I also keep a fire extinguisher in all my older vehicles for added safety. While the previous owner did have a larger fire extinguisher under the passenger seat, I gave it back to him before taking ownership since I prefer the Rennline mount and using the much more compact and easier to use Element Fire E50 fire extinguisher. 

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 96.410

- 6.5 quarts Driven DT-50 oil

- Mahle OC142 oil filter

Interior Mods and Lights

One of the cosmetic things that I felt detracted from the look of the interior of the 944 was the aftermarket Sony head unit from 2011. While it was certainly nice to have bluetooth on the drive home, I wanted something with a more period correct look but with modern features. I ended up getting a Blaupunkt Frankfurt RCM 82 DAB radio with the Metra wire harness and it makes such a difference.

Blaupunk Frankfurt

Old Sony Headunit

Metra wiring harness soldered and heat shrink wrapped

I also replaced the steering wheel. It already had a suede Momo steering wheel but I preferred the Momo Prototipo heritage edition with distressed leather. I think it looks better and is easier to clean.

Momo Prototipo Heritage

I also wanted to fix the external lighting. The upgraded H4 headlights are better but I wanted something a bit brighter so I got the LED conversion kit from Only944.com along with amber LED foglights.

LED headlights and amber LED fog lights

On the drive back I realized how old the wipers must've been because it kept on skipping so I got some fresh Bosch Microedge 19" wipers all around.

New wipers - Bosch MicroEDGE 40719A