Fixed spoiler hydraulic rams w/ stop leak, little different method.
#126
11-08-2020, 08:10 PM
I had a leaky ram that finally leaked enough fluid to start throwing the dreaded spoiler failure warning. I used Lucas Oil power steering stop leak to remedy this, and it seems to be working perfectly so far. I made a few observations that make this job a little easier than the other methods I've read, so I thought I'd post my version of the directions. I did this without removing the wing which saves quite a bit of trouble, and I believe that this method gets nearly all of the air out of the lines without bleeding.
1. Remove the black paneling that covers the hydraulic pump and covers the whole bottom of the rear hood. It uses a number of 10mm bolts in different places. Remove the 10mm nuts that hold the hydraulic pump. Remove the intake snorkel. Remove the caps off of the bottom of the rams. Slide the cover down and out of the way and let the pump hang down.
2. Unbolt the 2 hydraulic lines from the hydraulic pump and set them to the side. They might leak out fluid but this is not a concern.
3. Now you must empty the remaining oil from the pump so put a catch pan, rag, bucket, under the two openings to catch the oil. Turn on your key and press the button to raise the wing. Listen closely and when you hear the ram start to struggle, press the button going the other way. Your pump should be fully forward. Now remove the 3 small torx screws that hold the micro switch on the passenger side ram and place the switch to the side. This will allow us to fully retract the pistons in the pump so that it will take maximum fluid. Now hold down the button to lower the wing and when you hear the motor slow at the end of the action get off of the button quickly. Your pump should be all the way down and you should be able to stick a screwdriver a few inches into the hole, as opposed to the spoiler up position which places the pump pistons close to the openings. Now disconnect your pump from the power lines so that is completely disconnected now. You can re install the micro switch now.
4. Now prepare your new fluid. I used a mix of 50/50 Prestone power steering fluid and Lucas Oil Power Steering Stop Leak. I couldn't find Pentosin locally so I used Prestone. Mix this up in one of the bottles and shake it up. This seems to form a suspension and not a solution, so it will separate on you. Let the bubbles settle for a few minutes and then slowly pour the fluid into the two openings on the pump while held in a vertical position obviously. Once it is full, hold it and thump it with your palm and try to work the rest of the air out. Put two fingers over the openings with the pump full and flip it upside down to try to work more air out. Let the pump sit upright against a wall for an hour or two to let any air settle. You need to get all of the air out or the wing won't raise level. Fill it so that it is overflowing.
5. Now this is where I did things differently than most. To prime the lines I cleaned the ends with the brass bolt and copper washers removed. Stick one of the hydraulic lines into the bottle of fluid/stopleak. Have someone hold the bottle for you with the fitting at the bottom of the bottle so that it can suck in fluid.. Now you manually grab the wing at the very end on the side you are filling and lift it on one far side with one hand on the wing and one hand under it on the hood. Now you pump it in and out several times to suck the fluid in and blow the air out. The rams are spring loaded to stay down, so you need to use some slight force. You only need to do this a few inches to accomplish this. The wing has some play in it so it will be fine if you just move it about half way. You may want to loosen the screws on the rams to give it more play. Once they are purged of air and full of fluid, prop the ends of the lines in the air. I tucked them up under the fittings on the rams so that they would not leak out. Do this to both sides and your lines should be air free.
6. Carefully connect the hydraulic lines back up with the pump. Try not to let the lines leak out, so you have to hold it up a little bit. Tighten them up, connect the power, and go ahead and give it a test. You might need to repeat the pump bleeding if you still have air.
7. Put it all back together.
Hope this helps someone.
EDIT: Mine leaked out again after a few years. I refilled it with 15w40 oil with 50% stop leak. This mixture is much thicker and does not seem to be leaking out.
1. Remove the black paneling that covers the hydraulic pump and covers the whole bottom of the rear hood. It uses a number of 10mm bolts in different places. Remove the 10mm nuts that hold the hydraulic pump. Remove the intake snorkel. Remove the caps off of the bottom of the rams. Slide the cover down and out of the way and let the pump hang down.
2. Unbolt the 2 hydraulic lines from the hydraulic pump and set them to the side. They might leak out fluid but this is not a concern.
3. Now you must empty the remaining oil from the pump so put a catch pan, rag, bucket, under the two openings to catch the oil. Turn on your key and press the button to raise the wing. Listen closely and when you hear the ram start to struggle, press the button going the other way. Your pump should be fully forward. Now remove the 3 small torx screws that hold the micro switch on the passenger side ram and place the switch to the side. This will allow us to fully retract the pistons in the pump so that it will take maximum fluid. Now hold down the button to lower the wing and when you hear the motor slow at the end of the action get off of the button quickly. Your pump should be all the way down and you should be able to stick a screwdriver a few inches into the hole, as opposed to the spoiler up position which places the pump pistons close to the openings. Now disconnect your pump from the power lines so that is completely disconnected now. You can re install the micro switch now.
4. Now prepare your new fluid. I used a mix of 50/50 Prestone power steering fluid and Lucas Oil Power Steering Stop Leak. I couldn't find Pentosin locally so I used Prestone. Mix this up in one of the bottles and shake it up. This seems to form a suspension and not a solution, so it will separate on you. Let the bubbles settle for a few minutes and then slowly pour the fluid into the two openings on the pump while held in a vertical position obviously. Once it is full, hold it and thump it with your palm and try to work the rest of the air out. Put two fingers over the openings with the pump full and flip it upside down to try to work more air out. Let the pump sit upright against a wall for an hour or two to let any air settle. You need to get all of the air out or the wing won't raise level. Fill it so that it is overflowing.
5. Now this is where I did things differently than most. To prime the lines I cleaned the ends with the brass bolt and copper washers removed. Stick one of the hydraulic lines into the bottle of fluid/stopleak. Have someone hold the bottle for you with the fitting at the bottom of the bottle so that it can suck in fluid.. Now you manually grab the wing at the very end on the side you are filling and lift it on one far side with one hand on the wing and one hand under it on the hood. Now you pump it in and out several times to suck the fluid in and blow the air out. The rams are spring loaded to stay down, so you need to use some slight force. You only need to do this a few inches to accomplish this. The wing has some play in it so it will be fine if you just move it about half way. You may want to loosen the screws on the rams to give it more play. Once they are purged of air and full of fluid, prop the ends of the lines in the air. I tucked them up under the fittings on the rams so that they would not leak out. Do this to both sides and your lines should be air free.
6. Carefully connect the hydraulic lines back up with the pump. Try not to let the lines leak out, so you have to hold it up a little bit. Tighten them up, connect the power, and go ahead and give it a test. You might need to repeat the pump bleeding if you still have air.
7. Put it all back together.
Hope this helps someone.
EDIT: Mine leaked out again after a few years. I refilled it with 15w40 oil with 50% stop leak. This mixture is much thicker and does not seem to be leaking out.
THANK YOU for this write-up. Followed your instructions today and got it all working used the 15w40 oil and stop leak. Hopefully nothing leaks out for a while!
#127
11-27-2020, 03:15 PM
After the 9 pages great reading..... I still have a question..... which is the recommended best oil mixture? I was thinking in 50/50 Lucas motor oil stop leaks and ATM fluid ....... or maybe to make it thicker the Lucas and 15w40 engine oil.....
what do you recommend?
many thanks to all of you that shared you time and experiences....
what do you recommend?
many thanks to all of you that shared you time and experiences....
#128
11-28-2020, 10:56 AM
i've done the 50/50 lucas and pentosin mix as well as just pentosin factory fill.
after having re-bled successfully several times over 11 or so years. my belief is that the viscosity of the factory fill ch11s is sufficient.
just make sure the stanchions remian as free of dirt and grime as you can ( q-tips ) and check the banjo bolts occasionally too.
the key to longevity is maintaining them - and spotting and remedying any leak or "low" fluid/uneven deployment asap.
after having re-bled successfully several times over 11 or so years. my belief is that the viscosity of the factory fill ch11s is sufficient.
just make sure the stanchions remian as free of dirt and grime as you can ( q-tips ) and check the banjo bolts occasionally too.
the key to longevity is maintaining them - and spotting and remedying any leak or "low" fluid/uneven deployment asap.
#129
12-02-2020, 02:25 PM
I think a thicker oil might hold up better but I really don't know. Mine is all torn apart right now and I'm working on a way to replace the seals in the rams this winter, I may go electric too not sure.
#130
12-02-2020, 03:13 PM
let me know if you want the permanent eRam solution that keeps your wing functional. I’ll send you a special coupon code.
#132
12-03-2020, 07:23 PM
but that said. dave's kit is the ultimate long term solution as many have been using it now for "years" -- and my years of "luck" with the spoiler makes me an outlier lol.
i literally just checked and cleaned my stanchions ( taking my own advice ) today with a final spritz of silicone lube.
#133
07-13-2022, 11:34 AM
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Clemmons, NC
Age: 64
Posts: 10
Rep Power: 0 
God Bless You!
I had a leaky ram that finally leaked enough fluid to start throwing the dreaded spoiler failure warning. I used Lucas Oil power steering stop leak to remedy this, and it seems to be working perfectly so far. I made a few observations that make this job a little easier than the other methods I've read, so I thought I'd post my version of the directions. I did this without removing the wing which saves quite a bit of trouble, and I believe that this method gets nearly all of the air out of the lines without bleeding.
1. Remove the black paneling that covers the hydraulic pump and covers the whole bottom of the rear hood. It uses a number of 10mm bolts in different places. Remove the 10mm nuts that hold the hydraulic pump. Remove the intake snorkel. Remove the caps off of the bottom of the rams. Slide the cover down and out of the way and let the pump hang down.
2. Unbolt the 2 hydraulic lines from the hydraulic pump and set them to the side. They might leak out fluid but this is not a concern.
3. Now you must empty the remaining oil from the pump so put a catch pan, rag, bucket, under the two openings to catch the oil. Turn on your key and press the button to raise the wing. Listen closely and when you hear the ram start to struggle, press the button going the other way. Your pump should be fully forward. Now remove the 3 small torx screws that hold the micro switch on the passenger side ram and place the switch to the side. This will allow us to fully retract the pistons in the pump so that it will take maximum fluid. Now hold down the button to lower the wing and when you hear the motor slow at the end of the action get off of the button quickly. Your pump should be all the way down and you should be able to stick a screwdriver a few inches into the hole, as opposed to the spoiler up position which places the pump pistons close to the openings. Now disconnect your pump from the power lines so that is completely disconnected now. You can re install the micro switch now.
4. Now prepare your new fluid. I used a mix of 50/50 Prestone power steering fluid and Lucas Oil Power Steering Stop Leak. I couldn't find Pentosin locally so I used Prestone. Mix this up in one of the bottles and shake it up. This seems to form a suspension and not a solution, so it will separate on you. Let the bubbles settle for a few minutes and then slowly pour the fluid into the two openings on the pump while held in a vertical position obviously. Once it is full, hold it and thump it with your palm and try to work the rest of the air out. Put two fingers over the openings with the pump full and flip it upside down to try to work more air out. Let the pump sit upright against a wall for an hour or two to let any air settle. You need to get all of the air out or the wing won't raise level. Fill it so that it is overflowing.
5. Now this is where I did things differently than most. To prime the lines I cleaned the ends with the brass bolt and copper washers removed. Stick one of the hydraulic lines into the bottle of fluid/stopleak. Have someone hold the bottle for you with the fitting at the bottom of the bottle so that it can suck in fluid.. Now you manually grab the wing at the very end on the side you are filling and lift it on one far side with one hand on the wing and one hand under it on the hood. Now you pump it in and out several times to suck the fluid in and blow the air out. The rams are spring loaded to stay down, so you need to use some slight force. You only need to do this a few inches to accomplish this. The wing has some play in it so it will be fine if you just move it about half way. You may want to loosen the screws on the rams to give it more play. Once they are purged of air and full of fluid, prop the ends of the lines in the air. I tucked them up under the fittings on the rams so that they would not leak out. Do this to both sides and your lines should be air free.
6. Carefully connect the hydraulic lines back up with the pump. Try not to let the lines leak out, so you have to hold it up a little bit. Tighten them up, connect the power, and go ahead and give it a test. You might need to repeat the pump bleeding if you still have air.
7. Put it all back together.
Hope this helps someone.
EDIT: Mine leaked out again after a few years. I refilled it with 15w40 oil with 50% stop leak. This mixture is much thicker and does not seem to be leaking out.
1. Remove the black paneling that covers the hydraulic pump and covers the whole bottom of the rear hood. It uses a number of 10mm bolts in different places. Remove the 10mm nuts that hold the hydraulic pump. Remove the intake snorkel. Remove the caps off of the bottom of the rams. Slide the cover down and out of the way and let the pump hang down.
2. Unbolt the 2 hydraulic lines from the hydraulic pump and set them to the side. They might leak out fluid but this is not a concern.
3. Now you must empty the remaining oil from the pump so put a catch pan, rag, bucket, under the two openings to catch the oil. Turn on your key and press the button to raise the wing. Listen closely and when you hear the ram start to struggle, press the button going the other way. Your pump should be fully forward. Now remove the 3 small torx screws that hold the micro switch on the passenger side ram and place the switch to the side. This will allow us to fully retract the pistons in the pump so that it will take maximum fluid. Now hold down the button to lower the wing and when you hear the motor slow at the end of the action get off of the button quickly. Your pump should be all the way down and you should be able to stick a screwdriver a few inches into the hole, as opposed to the spoiler up position which places the pump pistons close to the openings. Now disconnect your pump from the power lines so that is completely disconnected now. You can re install the micro switch now.
4. Now prepare your new fluid. I used a mix of 50/50 Prestone power steering fluid and Lucas Oil Power Steering Stop Leak. I couldn't find Pentosin locally so I used Prestone. Mix this up in one of the bottles and shake it up. This seems to form a suspension and not a solution, so it will separate on you. Let the bubbles settle for a few minutes and then slowly pour the fluid into the two openings on the pump while held in a vertical position obviously. Once it is full, hold it and thump it with your palm and try to work the rest of the air out. Put two fingers over the openings with the pump full and flip it upside down to try to work more air out. Let the pump sit upright against a wall for an hour or two to let any air settle. You need to get all of the air out or the wing won't raise level. Fill it so that it is overflowing.
5. Now this is where I did things differently than most. To prime the lines I cleaned the ends with the brass bolt and copper washers removed. Stick one of the hydraulic lines into the bottle of fluid/stopleak. Have someone hold the bottle for you with the fitting at the bottom of the bottle so that it can suck in fluid.. Now you manually grab the wing at the very end on the side you are filling and lift it on one far side with one hand on the wing and one hand under it on the hood. Now you pump it in and out several times to suck the fluid in and blow the air out. The rams are spring loaded to stay down, so you need to use some slight force. You only need to do this a few inches to accomplish this. The wing has some play in it so it will be fine if you just move it about half way. You may want to loosen the screws on the rams to give it more play. Once they are purged of air and full of fluid, prop the ends of the lines in the air. I tucked them up under the fittings on the rams so that they would not leak out. Do this to both sides and your lines should be air free.
6. Carefully connect the hydraulic lines back up with the pump. Try not to let the lines leak out, so you have to hold it up a little bit. Tighten them up, connect the power, and go ahead and give it a test. You might need to repeat the pump bleeding if you still have air.
7. Put it all back together.
Hope this helps someone.
EDIT: Mine leaked out again after a few years. I refilled it with 15w40 oil with 50% stop leak. This mixture is much thicker and does not seem to be leaking out.
For those looking for a less risky, more reliable solution, I found a patented, electric actuator system developed by Rennkit and sold at Pelican Parts for $1755.95.
Expensive? Yes. Much more reliable? Presumably! One thing is for sure in my mind - if I were ever going to sell my car, I would have to either replace the actuator properly with the factory parts or it’s electric equivalent at Pelican, OR disclose the defect to the potential purchaser and adjust the purchase price accordingly. I don’t think that most Porsche buyers in the previously owned category would accept the repair outlined above for several reasons, chiefly among them being the potential for a very expensive repair within the first few months after purchase.
However, for those of us already owning a car with a broken wing (pun intended), the Steering Stop Leak is a brilliant solution, with pretty good longevity odds and a fairly straightforward trait if it must be repeated.
Thanks, again, for taking the time to outline a great alternative repair process that is relatively robust, saves a TON of money, and is nearly plug-and-play. It addresses an otherwise expensive repair that nearly all 997 Turbo owners will have to face eventually.
Cheers!
David Savopoulos
#134
07-13-2022, 05:09 PM
Actually a new 2” eRam Kit can be had for $1424 with 6Speed5off coupon. https://rennkit.com/eram-kits/
#135
08-05-2022, 08:39 AM
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Clemmons, NC
Age: 64
Posts: 10
Rep Power: 0
Work for Rennkit? Need Help
Actually a new 2” eRam Kit can be had for $1424 with 6Speed5off coupon. https://rennkit.com/eram-kits/