Thread: A new car!
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Unread 10-13-2013, 10:47 AM   #67
GlenL
Workin' on it
 
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Garage
Default Good Times!

This picture clearly represents how good 928 ownership and resurrection can be.

My current goal is to make the electrics work. Some progress there. Working through a long list of features and gauges that don't work.

So far haven't made the rear wiper work. Seems the motor is just dead. Why the rear wiper? "Because it's there?" I just wanted it to work before I remove it...apparently. There's power and ground to it but it's frozen out-of-position. Pressing the button doesn't do anything.

On the up side, the back-up lights work. Just a lot of corrosion at the connector in the tire well.

The fuel sender is better. I removed it and cleaned the wires and connections. The real problem was corrosion between the contact pin and the internal copper arms. (Makes sens when it's out) The gauge work on current flow so all resistances along the way from the front, through the sender and back add up and make the tank read lower. This is why old cars never go to the top.

I fixed this one with application of sandpaper to the contacts and plug on the outside and by applying a big glob of solder to the internal contact. When assembled, they stamp/flare the pin to a copper tang. The corrosion had gotten into that joint and added 100 Ohms to the circuit. Actually more in some measurements. Can't get it apart to clean so soldered between the pin and the tang. That's not real good as it's more "brazing" than "soldering" and it'll probably corrode on its own. Anyways... Back to 5 Ohms with the float to the top and that's good.

Getting back in for a test drive found the car would start but die as soon as the key was turned to "run" from "start." Checked with the timing light and the plugs were firing while it dies. Must mean fuel. Tach is bouncing, too. I'm thinking fuel pump relay.

Well... That thing is positively stuck into the slots. Takes me 20 minutes to finally drive an awl behind the bottom plate and coax it out. Coaxed the plastic female-end block from the fuese panel, too. Looked fine on inspection so put it all back. Sure...

Turing the key th car started and kept starting. WTF?! Oh, yeah. Turned the car OFF and the engine is running with the starter engaged. Had to jump out and open the power feed at the jump post. (Remember... That takes an 11mm) This leads to hours of fiddling and searching the wiring diagrams. I'm fortunate to have an actual '80 Euro S wiring diagram. It's sorta like an '80 US and a '79 US.

Something I spot that's interesting is that there's a relay in XIV where a manual only needs a solid bridge. I remove that and it still starts and runs with the starter engaged...Zombie-like. I turn the key to start and it goes. WTF infinity.

This seems like a good time to dig deep into the electronics. This car was the victim of an audio enthusiast. That Denon CD unit tied to a Blaupunkt amp and equalizer along with all those speakers must have been way, way cool in 1982. Now it's just splices and wires and boxes I don't need.

Still... Turning the key to "start" makes the car start but after a little pause. It'll run and grind until the power feed is opened. My hunch now is that there's a short between the solenoid wire and the feed to the cold start circuit in the 14-pin engine connector. Seems like a good guess.

Pulling the panel does give access to those two grounds above the panel. Leaving the door off makes it easy to see the business. There were even some "special" wires on the back of the panel. I think there is an amp or two hiding behind the rear quarter panels. Those techs had a big job.
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1980 928S Euro x2
1987 944 N/A
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