Lawrence gets frustrated with my lack of photos documenting the work I’m doing to bring PFKATBR back to mechanical acceptability. Sorry. Not sorry. First of all, I’m a mechanic, not a photographer. If I stopped to photograph everything, it would take three times as long, and in many cases, I’d simply be repeating pictures that are all over the Internet already.
For example, I re-did the odometer to repair a failed gear. There is website after website with pictures, text, video and links to the parts vendors documenting a common problem and its repair. Why should I add one more? Remove instrument cluster following site A’s procedure. Disassemble speedometer following mechanic B’s video. Order replacement part from vendor C. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly. Odometer fixed. And the replacement gear is much more substantial than what failed.
Since the last installment, I’ve replaced the rear window lift struts. Now the push button hatch release works. Push the button, the hatch opens. Repaired the rear demister wiring. Replaced both dome lights with new fixtures and LED ‘bulbs.’ Replaced the sealed beam headlights with proper Hella E-Code QI lights. Repaired the windshield washer pump. And ordered a replacement because the repair, while it restored the function, looks funky. Installed a solid state DME relay. (What’s a DME relay? you ask. Pelican Parts has the answer.) The solid state replacement is claimed to be the forever solution. We shall see.
Another small repair: I repaired the passenger side door pocket. JB Weld repaired the broken out screw holes and as long as passengers don’t use it the slam the door, I think it will work.
The next project is repairing the climate control system control. A Copenhagen Blue Porsche in the PNW this summer MUST have working A/C. A replacement control panel should be here next week. (The broken switch is a solder in part that goes for close to $200. I found a complete panel (used) for a little less than that.)
While I’m waiting on A/C parts, I’ll probably tackle the notoriously poor 944 instrument lighting. Maybe take the passenger side door apart to find out what’s rattling inside it.
Onward!