2015/10/25 Kill Keith

Putting the tank and fuel lines back in shows the complexity of the 928 once more. Too much stuff in too small a place, either your head and arms gets stuck in the wheel well or your fingers, who have been useful in much tighter spaces, are pottering about in the filler hole trying to screw things together.

Late in the afternoon I can finally fill the tank back up but the in-tank filter remains a source of addiction. After playing Keith once more I decide to use the old in-tank filter that came with the secondhand tank. Eat this, Keith! Fresh rubber and a fresh oral dam end the fuel job.

During a test drive it proves that the diff isn’t completely quit so I drain the transmission again and do the “change if necessary”, you remember, “note 2” thing. Not using formulas but practical logic I get the diff set to 0,22mm which will have to do for now. November 8th is approaching and I have warned the car that it must perform on the commemoration of the “Lizzytrip”, no matter what! I’ll keep U posted on that one.

2015/10/22 Pension scheme

Now that I’m replacing my gas tank I might as well take care of the fuel lines. Before removing the old junk I’d painted my tank-cover again, the loss of fuel had eaten the paint away but when I pop my head in the passenger’s side wheel well, I see there’s more that’s been eaten. Apart from a steel wire brush, sanding paper and various paints I can also get out the grinder. A 38 year old bolt that refuses to retire has to be brought to it’s senses and it’s up to me to come up with a pension scheme. Where’s the lefties when they can be of use?

2015/10/18 Vaseline

Vaseline has manny applications and vaseline-sprays are fully appreciated in the automotive landscape too. Often Vaseline is applied extraneous for internal purposes and vaseline cans are no exception to this. As soon as a vaseline can has thrusted in a vaseline covered “shaft sealing ring” I can start monitoring the diff. 

My “stot” proves to be 1,25mm and my measured backlash is 0,81mm, these numbers are needed in the magic formulas printed on p.39-20 of the WSM. Play close attention to “note 2”, something I’d better done too but for now I’m convinced my math was right and I’ve had enough of laying on my belly doing measurements. Closing the transmission and filling it up with Swepco 201 marks the end of a fruitful day. 

2015/10/09 The left-wing

After some parts shopping I take the diff out of the box and replace the bearings. 

The WSM says U need some “special” VW-tools to do so but being creative with what’s at hand will get you there also. 

The strange noises came from the “left-wing” (with a premonitory finger on one arm and “das kapital” under the other the left-wing is known for making tedious noises but we’re drifting away from the subject here) and it’s clear that the left bearing lets go a lot easier as the passenger’s side bearing. Furthermore there’s some grooves showing on the left bearing and my hopes rise that I might have solved the problem.

However, the WSM states that in order for the diff to work without any noise it must be set up properly and to do so U need another set of tools. I create my own variation of the special tools and start dreaming about a silent diff and a noiseless leftwing.

2015/09/25 We're at it again

I back off to regain my composure and decide to search for a secondhand tank. I’m not willing to invest in a new one and I’ve lost all my faith in the epoxys of the world. I’m lucky enough to find one for a mere 100$ and ask myself why I didn’t go down this route before.

It has happened before that one job leads to another and I’m not even mentioning the WYAIT’s. I should have done a WYAIT on my transmission rebuild but I might get a second change to do so now. There’s a sort of a quit grinding/knocking noise coming form the diff while driving which could be caused by the diff’s bearings so there’s a WYAIT for ya. I admit it’s a bit of an extreme WYAIT but then again the shark is an extreme vehicle.

After removing the tank, the exhaust and battery box get separated from the car. This WYAIT decision proves to be a good one since one of my axle boots is torn. 

2015/09/12 The happy couple

We are where we’d promised we’d be and the Shark îs making an appearance. How long it may last, the appearance I mean, not the marriage, no one knows. The joy of my triumphant success lasted about 2 days but came to a sudden end when being notified that the garage was flooded with petrol. The epoxy had dissolved slowly and I have to get into the Keith routine yet again. Goddamn!

I won’t get fooled again; two days prior to the marriage (not mine btw.) I try another brand of epoxy but I don’t fill the car up until the morning of the wedding and I do hope that everything about this day may last forever but in case of the in-tank filter at least until the reception. It does and because of that I feel I might be a strong contender in the “wedding pic of the year” contest.

Contrary to yours truly we don’t get much further than the start of the evening party, the Masterchef points out to me that there’s a definite smell of petrol spoiling the food in the kitchen and he’s wondering if the smell comes form my nearby parked Shark. The puddle that started to form underneath the car says it all and my anger sobers me up immediately. 

Shall I put the car on fire before I park it in? After all doing so in the garage makes such a mess, doesn’t it.

2015/09/06 The sweet smell of victory

After a first test all seems well but we can not declare victory before we’re able to tighten the in-tank filter and when there are no leaks at all. I don’t take any risk and go slowly but there’s only the filter and 2 screws so pretty soon the smell of gasoline represents the sweet smell of victory. It all seems bulletproof. After putting the sensor back we can go for a drive. Mission accomplished?