From my online browsing, I was aware that the door check straps are a known weakness on the 993 models. When I got mine, neither door check strap had ever been broken, but the passenger side door was making an ominous clicking sound.
I followed the excellent instructions for this repair given on www.pcarworkshop.com here, so I won't repeat that information. Through the steps, I did have a few deviations and notes.
1. I noticed that the door pocket had cracked around the screw hole by the door handle. I used a bit of super glue for a quick fix, but I'll have to see how well this holds up. I noticed the driver side had the same issue, so the design seems a bit poor.
2. This is probably obvious to the experienced weekend mechanic, but it is NOT necessary to remove the complete door panel. Removing the speaker, at least with the basic audio system, is sufficient. I'll remember this next time :-).
3. When I got the door check strap removed, I noticed that mine was missing a rubber "washer" for cushioning the door strap (orange rubber washer on the left photo below from pcarworkshop). Rather than try to find the same washer, I cut one out of some door stop rubber purchased for a few dollars at my local auto parts store. (Update: when doing some other work on the driver side, I found this washer in the bottom of the door. It was cracked and brittle and had fallen off this side too. It seem that washer dies in something less than 17 years, at least in Texas).
I followed the excellent instructions for this repair given on www.pcarworkshop.com here, so I won't repeat that information. Through the steps, I did have a few deviations and notes.
1. I noticed that the door pocket had cracked around the screw hole by the door handle. I used a bit of super glue for a quick fix, but I'll have to see how well this holds up. I noticed the driver side had the same issue, so the design seems a bit poor.
2. This is probably obvious to the experienced weekend mechanic, but it is NOT necessary to remove the complete door panel. Removing the speaker, at least with the basic audio system, is sufficient. I'll remember this next time :-).
3. When I got the door check strap removed, I noticed that mine was missing a rubber "washer" for cushioning the door strap (orange rubber washer on the left photo below from pcarworkshop). Rather than try to find the same washer, I cut one out of some door stop rubber purchased for a few dollars at my local auto parts store. (Update: when doing some other work on the driver side, I found this washer in the bottom of the door. It was cracked and brittle and had fallen off this side too. It seem that washer dies in something less than 17 years, at least in Texas).
When everything was re-assembled, I am happy to report that the clicking sound was gone. I'm not sure if it was the overly tight check strap, the missing rubber washer or the fact that the bolts holding the check strap to the door fame were pretty loose, but it is fixed for now. Fingers crossed nothing here breaks!
4. Months after doing this repair, I read a suggestion on forums.rennlist.com to place a deep socket over/around the head of the pin and use a c-clamp to push the pin out. I much prefer this idea to hammering it out, which is what I did. Of course, I haven't tried this approach so I don't know if it works, but it sounds promising.
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