HELP PLEASE: 1984 911 - 3 years garaged w/o driving

[daxr9191984_911]

THANK YOU ALL for the input. Because of it I (a) stopped worrying; (b) called Mayo and talked with Ed - who is just amazing...; and (c) started doing...

Because of you all, I’m headed to buy a battery tomorrow, I’ve checked the fuel tank and found no sediment, nor funky smell and just maybe, I’ll have her back up and running by the weekend. After that there will still be a littl to do, but not much.

This car was my dream... and after years of looking I found it less than a mile from my house being sold by its original owner. I didn’t haggle a bit and I drove away with a hug and a few tears. Since that day we’ve become good friends and I’ve actually felt like I was letting them down as much as myself and my son. I put some extra pictures in my garage just so you can see what you are helping me nut up and get right. And since it hasn’t left the garage for the entirety of its 34 year life (except for the time it was being driven) it’s coming back as good as ever when I was thinking I had screwed it up. Enjoy what you all have helped create - it is a wonderful resource backed by a great company.

Many thanks, Dax


(Four days ago...) Somewhat embarrassed here. I have a beautiful 84 triple black convertible. 3 years ago I was having some medical issues and during the winter the battery died. I just never had the time to get the battery changed out and so now I’ve got a great car that hasn’t been driven in three years - garaged the entire time. I live in Dallas so the winters don’t get that cold. But the summers get hot, so it’s going to need some work to make sure that I don’t leave anything unattended to.

I understand most of the problems that I’m dealing with - a failure to winterize the fuel being the biggest. I had just had its 90,000 mile service done and it was running great.

But now I’ve got fuel lines full of 3 year old, premium ethanol gas. I don’t have any idea - yet - what it’s done to my fuel tank, my fuel lines, my fuel pump. I’m sending it into a reputable place - but very few people routinely work on 35 year old 911’s.

So, any of you would be so kind, I would appreciate your input on things that need to be checked so that I can get her back to where she was before I left her unprepped in the garage for three years.

[skinnerd]

2 words.....Mayo Performance in Euless.
Top notch.
You won’t be disappointed.

[daxr9191984_911]

Any idea what it’s going to take me to extricate myself from the situation I put myself into?

It took me nearly 3 years to get my neck back to where I could be at 70% of what I was before the disk went out, and now I just want to be able to get in and drive it again. But I’ve talked to a couple non-specialist shops and some owners and they are all over the place on what they think it will take to bring it back.

Thank you by the way.

[Sailkane]

Start it up, drive to the gas station and fill the tank with fresh fuel. 3 years is not that long.

[Mark Salvetti]

Originally Posted by Sailkane

Start it up, drive to the gas station and fill the tank with fresh fuel. 3 years is not that long.

I'm thinking the same thing. Take off the fuel level sender from the top of the fuel tank, and look inside. If things are not rusty, siphon out the old fuel, replace with fresh, and give it a shot (after replacing the battery with a new one).

Mark

[yelcab1]

Start it up. It will run.

[High Life]

Personally - I would drain the tank of the fuel - Im assuming the 84 is similar to my 81 -and you can disconnect the hose that feeds the fuel pump (underneath the tank) and let it drain into a tub. Reconnect and then fill with fresh gas and add a bit of Teckron for further de-gumming.

Change battery

Start, drive and fill tank with fresh high octane gas.

With that said - most likely you can start it as the volatility of the gas can still combust.. but it wont be like fresh..

[High Life]

I need to add - as an Iowan who only has ethanol option many of the time..

Ethanol is some nasty stuff - especially after 3 years..

[pmax]

Change the fuel filter and pump the old gas out or .... just add fresh gas and go with it after checking the gas tank from the sender opening. It's probably fine but still your call to make.

[billh1963]

The beauty of air cooled engines (Porsche, VW, Corvair, etc) is that they can sit for years and not be harmed internally (assuming the engine has carbs or fuel injection in place and is not opened up). Since there is no coolant in the engine corrosion is not a factor. Sure, seals dry out, rubber hardens, etc. However, the engine itself will be fine.

[Brian911T]

In addition to draining fuel. I would remove fuse/relay for fuel pump so it wont start and turn motor over to build oil pressure in the motor before attempting to start for the first time. Also, if your not into working on your own car Mayo is a good choice but they stay very busy so it could take some time to get your car looked at. 5th Gear in Lewisville is another shop a lot of the Dallas PCA peeps use.


Good luck

[zedsn]

Being ethanol gas I have seen what it does to carbs after sitting inside for 2 years and it turned into a somewhat white paste. I would use the exisiting fuel pump to clean out the lines as well after you cleaned out the tank. Here is what I would do. Buy a new battery, clean out the tank completely, put in fresh gas. Clean out the lines with existing fuel pump and a line disconnected somewhere in the engine bay with a hose to drain into a container. then after this is done I would replace both the fuel pump and fuel filter for piece of mind and then crank it over a few times with coil wire or fuel pump relay disconnected then reconnect and see if she will start. My 2 cents.

[faapgar]

I would keep it simple.There is a 22mm drain plug on the bottom of the tank.Drain the fuel.Next remove the cap nuts on the fuel rails and drain.Put in a few gallons of fresh fuel.Then prepare to do a little CPR for the fuel pump.Have someone crank the engine over while you leave the fuel pump relay off for 30 seconds to build oil pressure.Then install relay and crank to start.If you do not hear the buzz of the pump stop and use a wooden dowel and tap gently on the pump to restart the heart.Done this many times when I had a shop.Patient should be fine.Prepare for some smoke on start up but this will clear.Let idle for a minute before giving any revs as the crankcase has lots of oil from sitting.Fred Happy Thanksgiving

[daxr9191984_911]

You all are fantastic. My mind is a little more at ease and other than setting up to get these things done, I’m just looking forward to be driving her again in the next few weeks.

[pmax]

Add a bottle of Techron before you start up.

Watch for leaks.

Also, always have the fire extinguisher at hand.

[jlex]

X2 on building up oil pressure before starting. Disconnect the coil then crank until the oil light goes out. Don't crank before you've replaced the old gas. You don't want to push crud thru your system and take a chance on clogging an injector.

[austin214]

If you don't have an easy way to drain, you can also buy a hand pump at harbor freight for like $10 bucks. You may not get all of the gunk, but just change the fuel filter out after a tank of fuel. Also, I'm in Dallas and always up for meeting fellow enthusiasts.

[sugarwood]

Yup, you can siphon the old gas out of the top of the tank.
No need to even jack up the car.

https://www.harborfreight.com/multi-use-transfer-pump-63144.html

[sugarwood]

Here is some info on changing the fuel filter
Requesting explicit detail on how to replace fuel filter ?

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by zedsn

I would use the exisiting fuel pump to clean out the lines as well after you cleaned out the tank. Here is what I would do. Clean out the lines with existing fuel pump and a line disconnected somewhere in the engine bay with a hose to drain into a container. .

Can anyone elaborate on exactly where to do this?
I have always wanted to know this.
Which fuel line would you disconnect to pump out the old fuel ?