MORE Porsche Problems...Washer & One-Way Sunroof ('84 928 S) 

Hey Ivan, an old school trick for cleaning electrical contacts on switches and circuit boards is to use a pencil eraser. It is abrasive enough to clean off the oxides and remove flash burns, but not so much to remove plating and damage the switch. Using a pick works ok, but it can be hit or miss. a bit of DeOxIt with an eraser is much faster and easier to use.

It's funny. I was thinking, "I bet Dorman makes a metal hose barb that'll work." Then, Ivan breaks out a ni-cop one he made. Me, "That's way better than Dorman!"

A small wood dowel in a drill is a great way to clean contacts. Cut the dowel to have a nice flat face, chuck it in the drill, and use the face to clean the contacts. A small piece of fine emory can be used to occasionally clean the dowel face if it gets gunked up. Works a treat. For more stubborn corrosion, a small tab of emory superglued to the dowel face will make short work of it. Can also use a piece of fine fingernail file held in some small-jawed needle nose pliers. Just be careful, it's way easy to be too aggressive.

Ferdinand called: he is impressed with the progress you have made thus far with the repairs.😂

That's what I love about the old German vehicles. Every component can be disassembled and either rebuilt with a kit or repaired. Good job. Your customer us going to be soooo pleased!!!😊

Headlight sprayers! Wow! How have we ever lived so long without this absolutely essential feature? LOL 😂

Ivan - the miracle worker. You should do a live session. I have so many questions for you. Keep up the good work! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

This series has been great for a non-mechanic rehabbing a 1986 GMC S-15. Not quite a Porsche, but these little odds and ends that go wrong are common or at least analogous to other problems; and there are few online resources to learn how to fix them.

When you said, "we're in the back seat." I expected to see Mrs. PH back ther with you gettin cuddly.😂

These cars have so many features as did my 1977 and 1978 924's the one thing i remember is everything went through relays snd i was constantly having to trouble shoot and repair wiring issues. On more than one system i ended up just bypassing the relay in order to get home. Fuel pump and lights were the usual culprits. I completely sympathize with you having to deal with those wonderful wiring diagrams.

"No parts required" with an old car like this is usually "this poor car just needs some love"

Ivan, It's good to see a no parts required approach. I hope the remainder goes as smooth, but we know it will be a challenge. Great

Pretty cool that you could repair a lot of items. The labour to diagnose and repair is pretty much the same as to diagnose and replace the arts with new ones. The big massive saving is in the parts your customer did not have to pay for. Just goes to show the old parts were very serviceable and for the most part still have a lot of life in them! As far as I can see, the trunk latch is the only questionable part because it had a significant crack in the body of it. Even then, it probably has a lot of years left in it.

I like the way mechanical way they put the stuff together in the old cars

I can't believe the ears on that switch housing didn't snap off. Thanks Ivan!

These type of quick repairs I like. All of the issues found, can be future searched by the customer to put in new if available, to confirm the issue never comes back. No parts required, but great to know for sure what to find new to put in later. Good stuff Ivan!

I had one of those 84s in Sweden between 1989 and 2007. No major problems. Only a broken front spring, the rest was normal wear and tear. Ok, the rear hatch lock needed some tlc a few times, some rivets in the instrument cluster needed a little soldering + many other small electrical and mechanical issues. I managed to keep the car alive by myself during the time I owned it. The Swedish spec 4.7l V8 engine has 310hp, and the top speed of my car was about 160mph on level roads. Downhill it could reach up to 170mph. All this with a four speed Mercedes automatic gearbox on German Autobahns. The car had about 150000 miles on the clock when I sold it.

The sunroofs on them need a good clean and silicone grease up every year to keep them in good shape the light fittings are all still available vw parts from the 80s Vanagon golf passat as are the window and sunroof switches from the b2 passat mk2 golf and jetters nice work buddy I love the old 928

More NPR on the Porsche TLC saga. I think I can hear that thing purring in the background. I love the WD, buy it by the gallon, but I prefer the silicone spray for a situation like that sunroof. Really not much lubricant in the WD, and it dries up pretty fast, but that’s just My opinion. And now to the finale, I think? Nice work Ivan.👍👍🇺🇸

See? I was right! "Chick magnet!" Smart man taking the Mrs. along. Looking forward to the next episode Ivan. You're the best!

Wow, Ivan, that was awesome no NPR fixes!!! Love the series so far!! It's amazing how little quirks the Porsche is! I will bet the owner will be super happy with everything all fixed and pay you handsomely for the work being done without any new parts! Great job Ivan! Awesome video!

Ivan, instead of a pick to scrub those contacts, get a couple scratch brush pens. I have a set of them in stainless, fiberglass, brass and nylon. Great for things like that as well as other uses where you need to clean small areas.

The 928 was one of the prettiest cars Porsche made. Great car.

I am always super impressed by your willingness to go farther, opening a switch that is unobtanium giving it a clean and refresh is way farther than most would even consider. Keep doing what you do!

Jeez, I think the list of things that worked on this car is much shorter than the list of things that didn’t. Once again, Ivan the Incredible to the rescue!

The master continues to teach the students. We are always eager to learn. Thank you, Ivan.

Good going Ivan! I used to belong to a German/American race club in Germany and I'd have to say that the VW Bug that was coupled to with a four speed a transaxle to a Fiat 2 liter DOHC that was fuel injected gave those Porsche's a run for their money out on those dirt oval tracks!! When you had hit the throttle on the VW /2 Liter Fiat combo it was instantaneous torque response like no other! Our race club was determined to outfit 3 VW Beatles this way and I mean those 924 Porsche's caught hell on the track!!!

Great for PHAD all kind of awesome fixes for the 928, nice series

The broken odometer is caused by a disintegrated gear. Replacement gears are available for about 20 bucks.

How come the wife goes for a ride in the Porsche? I dont remember her wanting a ride in either of the 2 volvo's :)

I've been loving this series, Ivan. I'm a massive Porsche fan. The 928 is such a cool car. I know this was designed and first sold in the 1970s, but it's still just so weird to me that they didn't simplify the electrical system at any point in this car's lifecycle by adding modern electronics. I've worked on BMWs from the 80s that had electronic fuel injection, electronic throttle bodies, distributorless ignition, memory seats, and a body control module for other functions. The 928 was designed to be a soft and comfortable luxury grand tourer initially planned to replace the 911. This car doesn't even have a digital odometer. Luckily the car your working on doesn't have the K-Jetronic fuel injection system the earlier cars had. You need to be a wizard in the dark arts to figure that out.

Love your show and especially this series . It's refreshing to work on a proper car and not a computer all the time

My opinion of this vintage exotic? It's too old and full of niggling faults. My '89 had 315 hp with the 4-speed auto and everything worked. Everything. And it was a pleasure to drive. It was 20 mph faster as well; I believe it was the better car because it was 5 years more developed. I regretted getting rid of it, but you really need to either be a mechanic or have too much money, because it WILL break and require expensive repairs. I had a scare with mine one day when I thought I had a cracked exhaust manifold - it sounded like a truck. The local exhaust place agreed and said they could put a new manifold on for $1200 parts price plus $2000 labor because the engine had to come out to replace it. For the hell of it I brought it down to the local Porsche dealer to see what they had to say about it, but NOT TO FIX anything - just an estimate, please. They told me to leave it and they'd call me with an answer. A few hours later they called and told me it was fixed. I told them very specifically that I didn't want it fixed, and the guy said "oh, it just needed a quick MIG weld to an exhaust bung that was corroded". The bill was $35. Likely the cheapest Porsche repair bill this planet has ever seen. I vowed to good-mouth them forever thereafter. Porsche-Audi of Wallingford, CT. The local exhaust place? Out of business...

I first thought it might be the green Rain X Windshield Washer Fluid. That's real good stuff at removing bugs and helping the rain just blow off.

I'm not convinced that wasn't the bug green variety of washer fluid. I would also expect washer fluid to register on the antifreeze test since it, yaknow, isn't suppose to freeze either.

13:41 I have and recommend you diamond file from dremel, small enough to fit there, and rotate by hands is enough to clean...on the end contact spray and air blowing.

Ivan.. I'm fairly sure that actually is washer fluid; washer fluid has an "anti-freeze" element to it as well, so that it won't freeze in the winter. Usually that bright green is a type of bug remover, blue is the most common, but there is also a purple and orange: which have their own purposes I guess. I wouldn't throw it out, it's probably still good.. Of course, I'm not there smelling it-- so it could be coolant.. IDk. It looks quite a bit brighter than green coolant, from memory.

Ha Ha the open circuit is open cricuit by te way try some spray on slilcone greas on the rails of the sun roof should make the tracks glide better.Cheers mate . Just thought of marking the washer bottle lid with a sharpie to avoid the coolant mistake.

Cool 80's Porsche and very nice repairs. Interesting video series :)

Great to see things improving and no expensive parts required, Ivan! I'm a bit disappointed - I expected a major work on the sunroof, considering years without use :-) This looks like a vehicle that wasn't maintained for many years and anything non-essential that failed, was simply let be :-) Let's see if the remaining faults are also NPR (great budget repair).

The Rube Goldberg engineering is awesome not a single byte of logic used. Of course now you would have to Re-program EVERY THING YOU FIXED. The amps on the roof alone would take a day of threshold parameter analysis.😂

Great fix, on to the next video. Good One Ivan.

Good work Ivan!

Ivan, You fixed it again.

Ivan, I think you should refer to this as an "IKEA" Porsche - you've had to assemble it as you go!😁

Always great work and videos Ivan. 60107 says hi.

Sometimes they get it right. My old 90 Buick has electric door lock switches in the doors. When failing to work I went to junk yard for replacement to only find the switches electricals were just basic pieces of springy copper. All they needed was, like you achieved, cleaning. I'd guess Henry Ford would approve.

OH Come one Ivan we know you just have a green tea addiction!! there is no way they put coolant in the wash tank LOL!

RainX and Prestone both make Green colored windshield washer fluid s do several other manufacturers. It is their bug wash version.

I did have some wash fluid that was yellow maybe from yellow snow.

Some old guys used coolant in the washer reservoir so it wouldn’t freeze. Not concerned with the paint. Heard this when I was much younger.

This is taking be back over 40 years! Those rocker switches were always a bit iffy, frequently one of the front windows would stop working one way and that was when the cars were relatively new. The special Porsche "hi intense" screenwasher sysyem is worked by a little black push button onder the instrument binnacle adjacent to the steering column. The switches were mounted in a very flimsy piece of plastic which often got broken. One worked the trip reset and the other the hi intense. It has a timer relay that gave a few seconds spray to the windscreen Btw the hi intense only gives fluid to the screen, not the headlamps.

Ivan, no real Porsche owner will ever neglect his 928S as this owner did. This car in good restored condition is worth more than 50K

Maybe dry lubricant with teflon for the skylight would be better.

Death by a thousand cuts. I have an airplane that was like that. Got it real cheap because of that. Flashing beacon switch had phenolic melting out the back because a ground on the tail was corroded. And that was just the start.

Cute seatcover!

I had a customer at my parts store dump a gallon of washer fluid in their crankcase a couple years ago! 🤣 They came inside and asked me why I thought their washers didn't work but you could hear the pump. 😞 I convinced them to tow it to a shop.

I remember when these came out, everyone called them the poor man's Porsche, and then people started saying because of the body shape they were faster going backwards. 😊

Nice to Ivan adapt to 40 plus year old German technology.

Your on a roll!

Nice fixes. Love your approach.

I’ve seen it both ways… Someone fill their washer reservoir with antifreeze, and someone fill their radiator (the type where you fill the overflow tank) with window washer fluid.

That's quite the laundry list of issues this car has. Just keep chipping away at it. I've always used a silicone spray on sunroof tracks and guides. It's more effective, last far longer and is safer to use on plastic and rubber than WD40.

life is perfect when wipers hot cowl or A pilar

Good job 👍

Once all the issues have been fixed, if I was the owner I would immediately take it to caaaaarsss and bidsss! 😉

Trick is to put mineral spirits and acetone mix in the windshield washer fluid.. thataway itll super clean the windshield and clean the paint right off the metal also..

Looking up some specs on this car. This is super cool for 1984. Natural air flow, 284.5 ci V8, port injection, single overhead cam, 234 hp at 5500 rpm, curb weight of 3200 lbs. For 1984 street car this is a rocket ship. Requires 91+ octane however.

I actually looked up about that silicone spray you don't need to use special Porsche stuff you can use any stuff as long as it's that type of silicone

I was impressed with coolant in the washer reservoir. Reminds me of JUST ROLLED IN and MECHANICAL NIGHTMARES. BTW...do you remember the BRAUN commercials with their electric shavers and always had a Porsche in the commercial. Goes back a long time ago.

Dag, ole buddy was just like the cars broke to hell.. fix everything.. lol

Silicone spray doesn't leave an oily residue, that collects dirt, like WD40 for the sunroof tracks.

That owner must be over the moon that it was no parts required 👍

I'm kind of surprised how servicable that old Porsche seems to be. They really don't make them like they used to.

Just an FYI There's a bug remover windshield washer fluid that looks just like green coolant...

that may have been rain-x bug remove windshield washer fluid, it's green like that. but I assume you smelled it and it was in fact coolant.

Compared to a CAN bus hyper techical systems , this car must be a fun departure.

I'm betting someone put in the coolant with 'anti freeze' in mind for the windscreen wash and decided it was OK to use.......... Although they do say it helps keep the headlights cool in summer.......................

Needs a label saying "Washer fluid"

God I miss old school electronics

4:11i know exactly how it happened...they confused the reservoirs...i know someone who put oil in their brand new trans ...the only thing that saved them was they didnt start the vehicle or shift it into gear...so they clean out the trans pan... and refilled it with the correct trans fluid and the correct oil in the right place...

Wd40 may not be ideal for the sliding sun roof, maybe silicone spray ? :-D Leave the car in the cold garage for the night, it may play up. Who is that loverly girl sitting next to you in the car :-D

@ 04:12 The label says green tea. Yep that is correct, its green

I THINK Porsche and problems go together.

Tip to pay for Northridge fix grinding pen. Perfect for future Russian engineering jobs. Enjoy.

not sure using green tea jugs was a good idea for the green coolant. don't drink the coolant.

Is the charging system OK? I couldn't help but notice that the voltage was right at 12V and not 13-14V during the test drive.

Great series of videos.

I would put a bit of grease on the tracks of the sunroof.. WD40 won't stay on there long. If the panel binds it will break the cable. Those are not fun to replace. I did that on my Peugeot and my 85 Mercedes. I fixed the window switches on my Volvo like you did. I used a metal nail file to clean the contacts. Those were easy. My 01 e320 was unfixable, and all four switches were made on one bracket along with the trunk switch.

The washer fluid I use in the summer is green because it’s a bug removal form.

The washer pump is as loud as a new born calf. 😊😊

Ivan, are you using the original WD40 as a lubricant or the silicone lubricant manufactured by WD40? I would recommend that you use something other than the original WD40 for a lubricant. The light oil of the WD40 (mineral spirits) evaporates in a short period, especially when in an area with direct sunlight heating. The other component, a wax becomes sticky as the solvent evaporates and becomes a trap for dust. I would recommend a spray silicone lubricant which WD40 also makes. WD40 is both a brand and a product and the companies labeling is confusing.

We mustn’t forget, Porsches and BMW’s turn into old needy cars just like anything else….give a little love now and then and you may have a reliable car you can go styling in!

With all the problems fixed like new it would be a good time to unload it.

Your almost done keep up thee good work

Perfect!!

Looks like the bonnet lining has been I'm flames at some point charred to hell it looks

Ivan, demonstrate how the steering wheel height adjustment moves the instrument cluster with it. Only car I know that was designed like that.

They make a green winter windshield washer fluid. Doesnt freeze

I am sure that a lot of people have told you this, WD 40 is an awful lubricant, because it leaves a sticky residue that is supposed to help in shedding water which it does, but not as well as other products. The vastly oversold water chaser (which it is) is not too good at anything !