I've been working on the Idle Stabilizer Valve for some time. You can read back through this post for the history. To recap, it didn't work...but not because the valve was bad. The computer circuit powering it was faulty. Read on to see how I fixed it.

I made an appointment to have my 944 inspected at Midas. I like the Midas guys here. I see the same mechanics every year and they take good care of my car. The car passed without issue...but that's only because they told me I only put 600 miles on the car the past year. Six hundred miles. sigh

I decided to put the bra back on the car. The paint chipping is really getting bad. Might as well try to save it for as long as I can. Plus, I think the car looks great with the bra on it again. I had some trouble getting the hood to close though. Read on through to see how I fixed it.

The weekend we receive over two inches of rain is of course the weekend where my windshield wipers decided to die. It didn't happen during the snow fall or during the mini-heat wave in March. No, but during the heavy downpours when I'm out of groceries. Just my luck. The motor crapped out. Read on for the story.

This is just a short update to say that the 944 has started every single time since the new BOSCH was installed. The starter turns remarkably fast, even when sub 30 temperatures are happening. The car starts right up and seems to be recharging the battery properly. The dash reads 13.9V and the battery reading 14.1 with the voltmeter across the terminals. Let's hope that now that I replaced the engine-->chassis ground cable, as well as the battery, the corrosion will refrain from forming.

It just doesn't stop with this car. The winter has always been this car's arch enemy. It's routinely failed to turn over, charge the battery, idle properly; it hates the cold. Well, these last two weeks have had me in a tizzy. Yes, a tizzy...over yet another no-start condition. Turn the key and nothing. Here's part of the problem.

This was the beginning of the Great Battery Catastrophe of 2010! Keep reading if you would like to be as depressed as I am.

After the new ISV was installed, I'm chasing a hunting idle. The car surges to 1800rpm, then falls to 1200rpm, then surges to 1800rpm, back to 1200rpm. It's barely cracking 30 degrees out so progress will be slow. Clamping off the ISV resolves the issue. However, I can't be driving around with a vice grips inside the engine bay.

Took the ISV apart this week to find out that it wasn't just my imagination that it wasn't operating properly. There was sign of wear from condensation on the commutator and the contact brushes. But my worries about the unit itself being bad, leading to the transistor/DME damage came true. More inside.