Fixed spoiler hydraulic rams w/ stop leak, little different method.
#33
Because when finished the rams will be down and empty, only the lines will have fluid in them. You will be putting the majority of the fluid in the pump before reassembly.
#34
Got it. the pump sat overnight and the fluid level in the two holes just dropped a slight amount. Now, I attached the drivers side ram line, no issues. When I went to attach the passenger side, the fluid in that hole had dropped significantly (it did not leak out of the hole) and I had to add fluid. Is that normal? Are they connected inside the pump? Thanks for all your help!
#38
Success!
All right. Got it all back together and seems to be working fine. Here is some additional info and photos to possibly assist others. In following the OP’s instructions, here are some things I noted:
1. Take note of how the wires and lines are routed as you remove the cover, so you don’t attach everything and find out you ran the driver’s side ram line around the ram in the wrong direction! There is one picture showing the wrong way (behind ram) and another after I came to my senses!
2. As I posted above, the dash switch would not work for me for some reason once the pump was unbolted.
3. I bought a small 12V hobby battery from an electronics store, which I used to test the pump and it worked very well. This also alleviated the need to remove the micro switch. Mine would not budge after I removed the three torx (T10) screws (prior to getting the 12V power source).
4. This may seem obvious, but lay a towel over your engine compartment as you work. Not just to catch any leaking fluid, but to also catch screws as they fall from the paneling.
5. Lucas and Pentosin don’t mix very well! And separates rather quickly. There were some small lumps of stop leak in the mixture as I poured.
6. Note my earlier post on filling the pump. There was likely a large bubble keeping one of the holes from filling originally. In hind sight, I should have poked each hole with a coat hanger or something similar to break up any large bubbles.
7. After filing the two lines (I think) I zip tied them to the 3rd brake light bracket to keep them up.
8. After filling the pump with fluid and hooking up the hydraulic lines, I plugged it back in and tried to operate with the dash switch to no avail. I unhooked the leads and hooked up the 12V hobby battery again. This operated the pump just fine. I figured out that by leaving it in the up position before disconnecting the hobby battery and hooking up the vehicle leads, the dash button was, again, operational. I have no idea why that is the case, but I did it twice!
9. I propped the pump up on an empty cardboard box while testing after reassembly. It didn't seem healthy just hanging there by the hydraulic lines.
Note that I did this project because one of my rams was leaking. I had no dash light or issues with raising or lowering. Thanks to the OP and others for responding to my questions the last two days.
1. Take note of how the wires and lines are routed as you remove the cover, so you don’t attach everything and find out you ran the driver’s side ram line around the ram in the wrong direction! There is one picture showing the wrong way (behind ram) and another after I came to my senses!
2. As I posted above, the dash switch would not work for me for some reason once the pump was unbolted.
3. I bought a small 12V hobby battery from an electronics store, which I used to test the pump and it worked very well. This also alleviated the need to remove the micro switch. Mine would not budge after I removed the three torx (T10) screws (prior to getting the 12V power source).
4. This may seem obvious, but lay a towel over your engine compartment as you work. Not just to catch any leaking fluid, but to also catch screws as they fall from the paneling.
5. Lucas and Pentosin don’t mix very well! And separates rather quickly. There were some small lumps of stop leak in the mixture as I poured.
6. Note my earlier post on filling the pump. There was likely a large bubble keeping one of the holes from filling originally. In hind sight, I should have poked each hole with a coat hanger or something similar to break up any large bubbles.
7. After filing the two lines (I think) I zip tied them to the 3rd brake light bracket to keep them up.
8. After filling the pump with fluid and hooking up the hydraulic lines, I plugged it back in and tried to operate with the dash switch to no avail. I unhooked the leads and hooked up the 12V hobby battery again. This operated the pump just fine. I figured out that by leaving it in the up position before disconnecting the hobby battery and hooking up the vehicle leads, the dash button was, again, operational. I have no idea why that is the case, but I did it twice!
9. I propped the pump up on an empty cardboard box while testing after reassembly. It didn't seem healthy just hanging there by the hydraulic lines.
Note that I did this project because one of my rams was leaking. I had no dash light or issues with raising or lowering. Thanks to the OP and others for responding to my questions the last two days.
#40
Guys - I have an '01 Turbo and had my wing start not going up all the way and throwing errors on the dash in December. I was hoping it was just because of cold weather (and an old system) but it got no better.
I tried fixing it myself with the stop leak solution in this thread to no avail. The instructions are great and a friend and I got quite good and filling and bleeding the system but couldn't get both rams to go up in sync.
Looking at the asking price a new replacement seemed ridiculous. I found a place online - Cabriolet Hydraulics in Florida - that rebuilt the whole system: internals to the pump, both rams and brand news lines, fully sealed and assembled for $760 + shipping. It comes with a 3 year warranty too. They took the time to talk with me and explain what was wrong. He explained there are two blocks in the pump assembly. The one shown in a few photos in various threads here that sometimes cracks (mine was fine) and another that holds the pistons in place and has seals around it. Mine was warped allowing fluid to get by. I also asked about how, when cycled up and down sometimes the pistons would not be at the same depth. He explained how the head of the piston (that is used to push the fluid through the lines into the ram was coming off the top of the piston if fluid was getting past it). They spent probably 15-20 mins explaining the inner workings to me and telling me how they planned to fix it. They can rebuild the pump and will manufacture new blocks out of aluminum if needed. Mine weren't needed - the block that was warped was replaced with a spare OE part he had in the shop. Very nice. The replace all seals inside the pump, rams and even the seals that are exposed on the top of the ram assembly (that the ram pistons that attach to the wing move up and down through). The whole thing looked brand new.
The system arrived fully ready to install and worked beautifully. And it's a lot cheaper than the new system from Porsche which I think comes with a 2 year warranty.
Anyway - hadn't seen anyone mention these guys. They are extremely professional - the rebuild assembly came fully cleaned and even had new rubber stickers over the bolts (if you've had yours out you know what I'm referring to). I fully recommend these guys if you're in need of a rebuild. I wanted to keep the functionality of the wing as I think it's a big part of the cars personality and somewhat unique even in cars today.
Pics below of the packaged assembly when I received it (all zip tied together) and of the wing now working perfectly!
I tried fixing it myself with the stop leak solution in this thread to no avail. The instructions are great and a friend and I got quite good and filling and bleeding the system but couldn't get both rams to go up in sync.
Looking at the asking price a new replacement seemed ridiculous. I found a place online - Cabriolet Hydraulics in Florida - that rebuilt the whole system: internals to the pump, both rams and brand news lines, fully sealed and assembled for $760 + shipping. It comes with a 3 year warranty too. They took the time to talk with me and explain what was wrong. He explained there are two blocks in the pump assembly. The one shown in a few photos in various threads here that sometimes cracks (mine was fine) and another that holds the pistons in place and has seals around it. Mine was warped allowing fluid to get by. I also asked about how, when cycled up and down sometimes the pistons would not be at the same depth. He explained how the head of the piston (that is used to push the fluid through the lines into the ram was coming off the top of the piston if fluid was getting past it). They spent probably 15-20 mins explaining the inner workings to me and telling me how they planned to fix it. They can rebuild the pump and will manufacture new blocks out of aluminum if needed. Mine weren't needed - the block that was warped was replaced with a spare OE part he had in the shop. Very nice. The replace all seals inside the pump, rams and even the seals that are exposed on the top of the ram assembly (that the ram pistons that attach to the wing move up and down through). The whole thing looked brand new.
The system arrived fully ready to install and worked beautifully. And it's a lot cheaper than the new system from Porsche which I think comes with a 2 year warranty.
Anyway - hadn't seen anyone mention these guys. They are extremely professional - the rebuild assembly came fully cleaned and even had new rubber stickers over the bolts (if you've had yours out you know what I'm referring to). I fully recommend these guys if you're in need of a rebuild. I wanted to keep the functionality of the wing as I think it's a big part of the cars personality and somewhat unique even in cars today.
Pics below of the packaged assembly when I received it (all zip tied together) and of the wing now working perfectly!
#41
great write up. always wondered if that setup was a decent option. i've been very lucky with my re-bleed over the last few years, but have had that place bookmarked
good to know it's a viable option if/when an entire assembly is needed. raised wing to you, sir.
and props to aslan for sticking with it,.. in the up position lol as well.
good to know it's a viable option if/when an entire assembly is needed. raised wing to you, sir.
and props to aslan for sticking with it,.. in the up position lol as well.
#42
Great find! Rep for you.
#43
997 Spoiler Hydraulic fix Cost $3.00
This is my first post so I'm not sure picture are inserted correctly.
After having the Porsche dealer tell me that the cost to replace my rear spoiler hydraulics on my 2008 911 Turbo Cab. would be $3200 for the parts and $800 to install it I decided to look for another solution. First I tried fixing it as outlined in this post and when that did not work I decided to figure out how make it stay up.
The solution is amazingly simple and when done right not only makes the spoiler stay up but also keeps the dreaded spoiler failure warning light from coming on without having to change any wiring.
First put something soft under the spoiler that's thick enough to hold the spoiler all the way up (if yours is stuck in the down position simply pull up on the wing and slid it under). Now remove the hydraulic lines from the Rams on both sides with a pan underneath to catch any fluid that leaks ( I also covered the whole engine compartment with a drop cloth). Tuck the lines up out of the way. Next remove the fan and then take out the four star screws that hold the plate with the hydraulic pump behind it and unplug the two wires from it. Set the unit on a table and cut off the two round ends that the bolt goes through on the ram side of the hydraulic lines.
Buy a box of 4" 20d Galvonized Nails from Home Depot and find two that are smooth so that they fit in the holes on the bottom of the rams easily where the hose attaches. Cut the two nails to about 3 1/2" so that they are flat on the ends and not sharp.
Insert nails into the holes pushing up so that they go all the way in and then put nut threw the hose end you cut off (it will allow you to snap the cover caps back on after your all done) and screw all the way back in pushing the nail the rest of the way in (you might have to pull spoiler up higher if your block under it's not big enough). Repeat on both sides and when you remove the spacer from under the spoiler it should stay up high enough to keep the failure light from coming on. Last step is throw the Hydraulic Pump in the trash.
Hope that this helps.
Nails From Home Depot:
Spoiler support Pic
Nail Inserted Pic
Bolt with Line End Screwed in
Spoiler After Repair Pic
After having the Porsche dealer tell me that the cost to replace my rear spoiler hydraulics on my 2008 911 Turbo Cab. would be $3200 for the parts and $800 to install it I decided to look for another solution. First I tried fixing it as outlined in this post and when that did not work I decided to figure out how make it stay up.
The solution is amazingly simple and when done right not only makes the spoiler stay up but also keeps the dreaded spoiler failure warning light from coming on without having to change any wiring.
First put something soft under the spoiler that's thick enough to hold the spoiler all the way up (if yours is stuck in the down position simply pull up on the wing and slid it under). Now remove the hydraulic lines from the Rams on both sides with a pan underneath to catch any fluid that leaks ( I also covered the whole engine compartment with a drop cloth). Tuck the lines up out of the way. Next remove the fan and then take out the four star screws that hold the plate with the hydraulic pump behind it and unplug the two wires from it. Set the unit on a table and cut off the two round ends that the bolt goes through on the ram side of the hydraulic lines.
Buy a box of 4" 20d Galvonized Nails from Home Depot and find two that are smooth so that they fit in the holes on the bottom of the rams easily where the hose attaches. Cut the two nails to about 3 1/2" so that they are flat on the ends and not sharp.
Insert nails into the holes pushing up so that they go all the way in and then put nut threw the hose end you cut off (it will allow you to snap the cover caps back on after your all done) and screw all the way back in pushing the nail the rest of the way in (you might have to pull spoiler up higher if your block under it's not big enough). Repeat on both sides and when you remove the spacer from under the spoiler it should stay up high enough to keep the failure light from coming on. Last step is throw the Hydraulic Pump in the trash.
Hope that this helps.
Nails From Home Depot:
Spoiler support Pic
Nail Inserted Pic
Bolt with Line End Screwed in
Spoiler After Repair Pic
#44
ordinarily your post would be met with kudos and questions as to how we also might partake of your ingenuity in the event our wings once again become flaccid. but given there are many of us here that struggle to keep our wings working as intended, through one or other of the many "fixes" found in this thread, and you have an 08 turbo and have taken "nails" to it?! i say try sharing your fix in the 997 turbo forum, and perhaps you'll receive the kind of recognition your fix deserves. for here, i'm not sure it belongs though we share the same malady, and the fixes are the same. nails. but i will say it's a cheaper fix than the fixed wing kit i bought five years ago and have never used.. since i re-bled the system..once
but nails!...really?! but good for you for trying! just please dont put that mod in your sig line!
but nails!...really?! but good for you for trying! just please dont put that mod in your sig line!