Restoration Wednesday, The 928S4 Finally Catches Fire

It’s not a metaphor like: Man, that 928 catches fire and runs like little Billy away from a beehive. The 928 literally caught on fire. I bled the brakes and accidentally knocked the fluid reservoir cap into the engine bay. After 10 minutes of searching and blowing compressed air throughout, I gave up. It was lodged somewhere not to be seen. I went out for a test drive and to seat the brakes. After my third or fourth 70 mph brake to stop, I smelled something. Plastic burning. Then I saw smoke. I pulled over immediately, opened

up the hood and saw flames at the back of the engine.

I had all my tools but no fire extinguisher. I’m not supposed to have problems, I brought my tools! I looked in vain for something to put out the fire and came up with the tiny, yellow oil fill cap. I ran to a puddle, filled it up and splashed the engine. Twice. The fire went out. I probably could have spit to the same effect. Note to self, buy fire extinguishers. My body and mind still shaking but with no visible car damage, I drove home fast wondering if the plastic cap stuck between the exhaust and heat shield would reignite. It didn’t. But I nearly lost my lunch when a warning light came on. I pretty sure I still smell plastic 100 miles later.

The car also received a well earned interior detailing and a new new driver side seat switch. Man are those a bitch to put it. All told, it took me 2.5 hours from startup to clean up. The wires are ridiculously routed through finger size channels that are really good at ripping up fingers. If the process at Porsche was put all seat mechanicals together then skin with foam and leather, I wouldn’t be surprised. The pleasure of trying to jam-wires-in-there and zip tie it all in place lacks any flow or efficiency. And despite it being Porsche in the 80’s, not 90’s when the Japanese consultants tightened them up, Germans are not one for crappy processes. Hey, but guess what. The seat works. Tomorrow maybe I’ll fix the passenger switch that if you remember, I tried to take apart and fix myself. It is still missing one of four functions. $125 later, free shipping from Amazon, I’ll have that switch replaced too.