Running a cheap Boxster, what could possibly go wrong?

I've used a foaming spray window cleaner with a brush and cardboard boxes disassembled and laid flat underneath. The cardboard can absorb most of the mess that falls and make the garage cleanup easier.

Adrian_Thompson said:

So the guy rebuilding it has got super busy.  Apparently with Corona virus and people staying at home, everyone is working on their cars and he's super busy so it's going to be three weeks until he's finished it.  No problem, lot's to do.

So, what do people do to clean engines and engine bays when the car is immobile up on jack stands without making a huge mess inside?  I'm thinking of 50% simple green in a squirt bottle and some soft brushes.  Any better ideas?

If you got something super oily to clean up, I've brushed on Go-Jo hand cleaner (not the kind with pumice!) straight from the tub and let it marinate a while before wiping/washing it down.

Probably not the best should it be draining into open streams though.

I used this technique in the past when I had to deal oily airplane undersides (open crackcase ventilation) and you need something that would cling to an overhead curface when applied from a creeper.

Adrian_Thompson said:

wawazat said:

Spray brake cleaner for the nasty stuff and lots of scrubbing.  Got a pressure washer?

Yes I've got a pressure washer, but I'm not using it inside my garage!!!!  Remember the car is on jackstands inside the garage.  I'll leave the garage door open and you can look from afar if you like, I'll even leave you a beer at the end of my drive if you like!!

I'm happy to let you borrow my knock-off Go Jack style wheel dollies if you want to move the car outside to pressure wash it.  Lemme know.

That was quick!  Look whats back already.  Before I'm ready for it actually.  I only started cleaning parts this last weekend.

So, the diagnosis was a bushing failed in the pump and sent material through the trans and torque convertor.  Rebuilt trans internals and an exchange, re-manufactured torque convertor from ZF.  I knew I'd have to fill with ATF (special ZF Lube ($$) or Pentosin ATF1), but it never occurred to me I'd have to fill the diff as well, I just assumed that it was common fluid.  Glad he let me know and put the big 'DIFF EMPTY' tag on for me.  HE told me I need to flush my oil cooler with mineral spirits and brake clean.  Now, dilema.  Should I flush the cooler or replace it?  At the local dealer, Pelican parts and FCP the oilcooler is #200-$250.  But on Amazon there are various much cheaper alternatives.  WWGRMD?  flush my OEM one, or buy a cheap new one?  Below is what's on offer from Amazon.

I also damaged the end of the shift cable when removing it as can be seen in the next two pics.

So unless I can find a nice simple mini heim joint to replace the end with I need a complete new cable that snakes somehow forwards to the shifter.

I'd at least try cleaning out the cooler yourself. See how much (if any) crud comes out of it. It's my firm belief that the OEM part is better quality than whatever Chinese crap is being sold on Amazon, so if you can keep it, you should.

That said, I'm also the guy with a Chinese aluminum radiator in his 944. But that's because my OEM one was leaking, and this was a MUCH cheaper alternative.

 It looks more like #8 in the picture, but I could be wrong.

I would flush out the OE cooler.

note the green label is mineral spirits based, blue is water based. Water bad, chemical good...

In reply to Gearheadotaku :

Damn, that's why I love this place.  Never heard of Cooler Clean (sorry Kooler Klean, but I hate this substitution of letters) before.  Two cans of the green stuff ordered from Amazon for the same price of one can of water based blue.

If you don't have good used parts locally, David in Tulsa probably has the shifter cable + linkage available. 720-645-4071

He has been pretty reliable once you can get in contact with him.

In reply to AAZCD :

Excellent, will call later.

So, yes I've been slow.  It took ages for parts to arrive, then with the sporadic warm weather I've been doing house/yard projects and other days have been too effin cold to go into the garage.  Well parts were finally here and I went to start this weekend.  Got all the various stuff bolted on to the outside of the trans and went to lift it into place.

I've been a big proponent of the hammer store over the last few years, their tools have got so, so much better.  Well not all of them.  The Harbor Freight trans jack absolutely lives up to the hammer store moniker.  These things are supposed to hold 450lb's.  Now while the ZF auto is a hefty bit of kit, certainly weighs well over 200lb's, it's no where near the theoretical limit.  Three times I got the trans on to the lift, under the car then started raising it up.  Three times it fell over.

Below is the forth time when it was worst than ever and started to topple as soon as I started raising it.  

I see now looking at the pic that the bearing on the left has popped out of it's track.

Now the obvious issue is that the weight isn't centered side to side.  The problem is that there's a safety strap to keep the trans on the jack.  The problem is as the trans isn't symmetrical, as you tighten down the strap it pulls it off center again.  Thinking now I may be able to put a strategic piece of wood on one side then tighten it up and then it may stay centered.  That and / or another jack on the right (of this pic) raising that up at the same time.  I was hoping to use the second jack to try and level it fore/aft.

The only damage caused by falling over it this cosmetic only (I think / hope) to the oil cooler.

Patrick (Angry Corvair) is an effing hero, he's lending me his motorbike lift to get it in.  Will pick up after work tonight.

Your pictures aren't working for me.

Pics don't work for me either

Bike lift sounds like a good idea. Never thought of that!

Yeah, another two star vote for the Hong Kong fright granny jack. I hoisted a 4R75W. One problem is the white center section is too slipery, and no transmission is a well centered mass, they are tippy and hard to guide upwards. I used a combo of 2x4s and jack stands for multiple stability points. 

I picked up Patrick's bike jack yesterday.  It's so, so much better, than the trans jack, although ironically it's still a Harbor Fright jack.  Super stable and easy to use.  The only down side is it's physically larger footprint.  I've currently got the jack and trans under the car, lifter to approx the right height with about an inch between the engine and bell housing but the jack is hitting things.  Tonight I'll try and jiggle it, if not I'll drop it, repositions and try again.  Much better solution though. 

I did have another hammer store fail on the way over.  My new HF trailer jumped off the ball when I hit an (unexpectedly) large pothole on the way.  Yes I had pin through the coupler, it's just E36 M3ty quality.  Luckily the chains did their job.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :

With my ATV/Bike jack, I lay a piece of 3/4" plywood on it, then have a few scrap pieces of 2x4 under the transmission to raise it a little higher than the top surface of the jack. That way the top of the jack is clear of the lower obstructions of the car.

In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :

Yikes!  Did that damage your vehicle?

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

Porsche sells upgraded end links, they came on the GT3s. They're for manual transmission but it looks to be the same part 

Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) said:

The only down side is it's physically larger footprint.  I've currently got the jack and trans under the car, lifter to approx the right height with about an inch between the engine and bell housing but the jack is hitting things.  Tonight I'll try and jiggle it, if not I'll drop it, repositions and try again.  Much better solution though. 

some scraps of wood and some screws and you can make a pretty stable cradle to sit on top of the bike jack.

Adrian-these two beasties are sitting in my driveway getting ready for tear down and possible combustion.   If they’re possibly helpful to you gimme a call or reply here.   

OK, I am very close. I have the top three bolts started. The trans and the engine are still 3/4 to 1 inch apart. The thing is this is the first time I have ever removed and replaced the engine or trans with an automatic(*). I am used to getting the input shaft lined up with the clutch disk and things slide together. I assume I just have to rotate the torque converter so it lines up with the holes in the torque plate and insert the bolts. Am I missing something or is it just as I assume?

(*) Note. This is the first automatic I have owned that has not been a disposable daily driver.

E36 M3. It's all about to go to hell with bad luck. As if I need more with this car! After 25 years I have finally managed to crack the glass in my mirror.

Oh no!   Broken mirror is how many years of bad luck?  Is there a Porsche multiplier?

If it's like every auto trans I've ever done, the torque converter gets inserted gently into the trans and rotated until it engages all the different splines.  Be sure to do this right! And don't let the TC slide away from the trans as you're jostling it into position. Then yes, after the trans is drawn all the way up to the engine,, you just rotate the TC until the bolt holes line up with the flex plate.