1988 Mondial 3.2

The alternator is back in! It was around 3 hours to get it reinstalled. The access is so tricky, with each part making the next harder to fit a hand and wrench in and around. I managed pretty well to tension the belt by prying the alternator down and having a ratchet on the bolt while using a ratcheting wrench on the nut. I started the car up with the belt cover off and everything looked good, so went ahead and reinstalled the covers and wheel. I’m now getting 13+ volts at the battery and increasing output with throttle. Still having the same low idle/misfire/strange throttle response issues, but I can now rely on the alternator and battery to eliminate those culprits.

 

Two crummy pics of the job.
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Finally got around to testing the protection relay and I believe it is in need of replacement. I had looked for it recently but didn’t realize that there is a lift-able panel in the bottom of the right side of the trunk, below the antenna. Two small screws hold it down. I had tested the relay in the various ways described by Steve Magnusson both with the car off and running. The 10A fuse is fine and removing and shaking the relay seemed to help the car idle better when re-installed. I was able to source the relay for $150CAD from Porsche Downtown in Toronto since all the other results I found were US based and would incur shipping and exchange costs. Several US based Porsche dealers had it for about $90USD. The dealer here should have it in tomorrow from their warehouse.

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Protection relay has been installed and the car seems all better now! I took it for a drive in and around the city today and it was back to its usual performance. The idle seemed a tiny bit inconsistent, but seemed to smooth out by the end of the drive. The new relay doesn't have any audible rattle when lightly shaken compared with the old one, which sounds like there is something loose inside. Sadly the temperature is dropping here and the top down weather is likely done until the spring.