Should I buy a 911SC?

[ksluna]

I'm in the market for a G-body 911.

I really don't care about the 915 vs G50 transmission as I've test driven an 86 and I liked the 915.

This would be a weekend driver.

Initially, I was only set on an 84-89 Carrera, but lately I've been seeing some good SCs. I know this topic has been beat to death but maybe my situation is different.

I've read countless threads about CIS vs Motronic and really, the threads on here is what swayed me to only opt for 84+.

I am not a mechanic by trade, I do like to do the basics on my cars but the CIS just really scares me. Outside of it being really finicky, I've read that parts have become scarce.

If I were to buy an SC and have the CIS tuned by a reputable shop, would it be "set" for the most part without too much adjustment or tinkering from me? And if so, would I have a hard time finding parts related to the CIS?

[joegt3cup]

I have owned many many cars including many Porsches with only a very few that I kept for a long period of time one of them was a 79 911SC owned it close to 10 years and it was bullet proof, it was one of my favorites.

Good Luck
Joe

[pampadori]

I only lasted about 1 year on CIS before I threw in the towel and went for EFI. Cracked airbox vacuum leaks is what pushed me over the edge.

Should I have started with a 3.2? hard to tell. I wasn't able to be picky when I was shopping. My budget was only enough for a **** heap so I probably would have had a project no matter what generation I bought.

[ksluna]

I like the idea of a revvier, lighter SC but it's just that I'm what I would consider a "youtube mechanic" what takes someone maybe 1 hour may take me 2. Just afraid the CIS may be more than I can handle.

Also I've read NUMEROUS threads of people suggesting SC owners to buy all the CIS parts while they can before they become too scarce.

[Trackrash]

It should be pointed out that the CIS comes in two varieties. '78-79 had the large ports and no lambda control. The '80-'83 had the small ports and extra controls.

Most people, I have been told, would prefer the '78-'79.

However I would hope others would chime in about their experiences.

As much as some people will discount the CIS, there are those who use it with good results. Back dating the exhaust will really wake up these motors, if you don't need t worry about smog.

[walt]

I've had my 82 with CIS for almost 20 years, just about bulletproof. You won't go wrong with either of your choices given they were properly cared for.

[ksluna]

I live in TX so no need to worry about smog.

As far as performance, I don't really care too much about SC vs 3.2. If I wanted a faster car I would just get a new 911

The SC I'm looking at is a '79. Are the ones without the lambda control much easier to work on and diagnose problems?

[ksluna]

Originally Posted by walt

I've had my 82 with CIS for almost 20 years, just about bulletproof. You won't go wrong with either of your choices given they were properly cared for.

Outside of reliability though, does it require a lot of adjustments depending on the season/weather?

[Cory M]

SCs are great cars. I've seen 3 or 4 solid cars for sale lately for reasonable prices too. I wouldn't worry about the CIS vs Motronic. Both are set it and forget it type systems, either one can have issues but in general are very reliable.

[ramonesfreak]

Bought my car 12/13 years ago. Loooong ago I had a shop set the mixture. Since then, never touched it. Car runs perfect. But, every one of these cars are different at this point as far as parts worn out etc.... Maybe I got lucky.

I always use non ethanol gas

Originally Posted by ksluna

I'm in the market for a G-body 911.

I really don't care about the 915 vs G50 transmission as I've test driven an 86 and I liked the 915.

This would be a weekend driver.

Initially, I was only set on an 84-89 Carrera, but lately I've been seeing some good SCs. I know this topic has been beat to death but maybe my situation is different.

I've read countless threads about CIS vs Motronic and really, the threads on here is what swayed me to only opt for 84+.

I am not a mechanic by trade, I do like to do the basics on my cars but the CIS just really scares me. Outside of it being really finicky, I've read that parts have become scarce.

If I were to buy an SC and have the CIS tuned by a reputable shop, would it be "set" for the most part without too much adjustment or tinkering from me? And if so, would I have a hard time finding parts related to the CIS?

[Yorkie]

I would be more worried about the case studs snapping. They failed on my ‘78 and 10 years ago it was a $5k job with me pulling the motor. Get a ppi

[ksluna]

Originally Posted by Cory M

SCs are great cars. I've seen 3 or 4 solid cars for sale lately for reasonable prices too. I wouldn't worry about the CIS vs Motronic. Both are set it and forget it type systems, either one can have issues but in general are very reliable.

Might be a stupid question but I thought you had to constantly adjust the mixture with CIS? So when people like the above poster who "threw in the towel" with CIS, is it not necessarily for adjustment but the wearing down of parts that need to be replaced?

[Jack Stands]

The CIS is really a mechanical system, so once it’s set, it should be quite reliable. All the controls for cold starting, etc. can cause some issues, but it’s really quite a simple system. Just don’t let it sit unused so the fuel gums up the metering rod.

[ralfoto]

I am a new owner of 1981 sc.....love it and yes it needed to have some CIS adjustments done but from all I can tell from others who own them they are bullet-proof once set up and if you drive them. I think more important is the PO care of the car, history etc......parts are parts and they wear out but how someone cares fro their care is most important.
I have had numerous Alfa Romeo GTV's from the 1970's with the SPICA injection system.....everyone was "afraid" of them but once set up correctly they proved to be super reliable....and never had problems.

[Craig_D]

I've had my '78 SC for over 10 years and 30,000 miles without a hitch. I have a number of friends with SCs that have also never had a problem. In fact, it wasn't until this thread that I see people "think" there is a problem with the CIS on these cars. Perhaps people, such as pampardori who only had enough money to buy poor condition machines, are confusing vacuum issues, or timing issues, or fuel pressure/pump issues, with "CIS issues".

Buy the nicest version you can, and I don't think you'll regret it.

[Cory M]

I think most of the horror stories are from old worn out cars and the "black box" nature of fuel injection in general. If you are making constant adjustments something is wrong and the system needs a proper diagnosis.

[garment]

I've owned an '83SC for 7 years. It's been a blast, and once I learned how to check fuel pressures AND made the WUR adjustable, no problems. I'm *this close* to putting it up for sale, not b/c I don't love it (I do) but changes in my job make it so when I do drive it, I can't take a call in the car, which limits my driving/enjoyment time. Bigger problem for you may be: do you have space to work on the vehicle? I am lucky to have ample garage space (no way would I leave it out in the elements).

[blucille]

I'm a firm believer that the SC was the best balance between easy to work on, lightweight-ish, bullet-proof, enough creature and safety features....best of the best.

I've owned a lot of them....I don't really like the heavy, bloated feeling of the later cars, especially the G50 equipped cars....

Don't get me wrong, my '72 is the car that lights the fire in me, but the '78-79 cars are the ones you can use the most, get the most enjoyment out of and without too much risk.

I've had a large number of cars with the 78-79, Big port, CIS motors, they are pure joy. The CIS has never been an issue in the 200k miles I've racked up on the various cars so equipped. not once. cross-country journeys, road rallies, track days....ZERO problems. Very simple system overall, with minimal electronics, and since so many other cars used CIS back in the day, there are plenty of spare parts around, and plenty of mechanics who know how to work on these cars.

[ksluna]

Thanks for all the info guys...

I think I will consider SCs or at least not be so scared of CIS.

Craig_D -- if you do a search on this forum or rennlist I would say A LOT of people have compared these two, and generally one of the main things they will say is that the Motronic > CIS.

Like I said, I don't care about the differences in performance or the 915 vs G50 debate. I just want a fun car that I can do the basics on and will start up every time (I do plan on driving it often, but not as a DD). What I'm expecting out of this car is to learn how to do most of the work myself, but of course the more complicated things I wouldn't have time or the skills for so I would want to take it to a shop. I just don't want to buy a CIS car and always be "tinkering"

I suppose I had a bad experience with a carbed motorcycle, and I know it's not the same thing as CIS, but the worst feeling in the world was trying to start your bike on a beautiful day and it won't start! I would hate for it to happen in my 911.

On another note, this car is interesting - 74 911 coupe

[OldSpool87]

I have an ‘82. No AC and back dated heat makes engine access easy. It’s a fun, reliable car. My CIS never left me stranded and she’s not a daily driver by any stretch of th imagination (sadly). Only thing that ever got me in a pickle was a alternator taking a dump at 5am on the way to an event.