Before pulling engine from car

[911lio]

Hi,
I will be removing the engine from my 1987 911 Carrera Targa for an engine rebuild. I'm expecting the rebuild to take a while to complete (2-3yrs) as well as other suspension modification I'm planning on doing.

My question is: should I drain the fuel out of the tank before I attempt to pull the engine in fear that the fuel will all spill out or is it safe to just leave the fuel in the tank and replace the old fuel with new fuel once a year with a gas stabilizer mix as I have been doing already?

Thank you

[OldTee]

No, the outlet at the engine is higher than the outlet of the tank at the fuel pump. Only a small amout of fuel leaks out during an engine removal. Take care to remove any spark sources. Disconnect the battery. You will get a bigger mess from residual oil in the engine and lines. Kitty litter time. I use rubber gloves and rubber bands on the oil lines and oil cooler outlet.

[Grady Clay]

911lio,

For that long out-of-service, pay very close attention to the fuel.
Yes, the tank should be full.

Best is unleaded 100 octane aviation fuel. This should not have any alcohol. AvGas is designed for storage. No one wants their Cessna that has been setting for a year to not run properly. Note that aircraft have a water drain in the fuel system.

Probably not necessary but some fuel preservative (Stabil) won’t hurt. Also useful is some Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel and oil.

All this said, after two years you should drain the gas and start with fresh very high octane. The reason is assembly oil and not-yet sealed rings pass oil into the combustion chamber. The oil lowers the octane of the fuel used. Start with high octane.

Perform several oil changes. You want clean oil in your cooler and lines (unless you are going to disassemble them also).

Bleed the brakes. You will want to repeat and replace the flex hoses (and possibly master cylinder) when the car goes back into service.

Install fresh (new) window washer fluid and flush to fresh in the nozzles.

Remove the battery and take it to the recycler. It won’t last even on ‘trickle’.

Check the date-codes on your tires. You may want new (not just tread depth) when back driving.

Store in climate controlled location.

There are a lot of good threads about storage.

An alternative may be to buy another Carrera engine and keep the 911 in service during your “2-3 year” rebuild. A lot more fun and easier on the car. 911s like to be driven, not set. You will have unusual things to deal with after 2-3 years setting.

Best,
Grady