Dashboard lighting dim

[Mr Pig]

Is it difficult to access the dashboard bulbs? How many are there to replace

[Mark Salvetti]

Eight, or ten if you also replace the parking light and high beam indicator. Get these: https://carmagic.us/instrument-911.html

Both bright white and vintage colors. You'll need to pry out all the gauges, they fit in the back. Sometimes the gauges can be difficult to pull out of the dash.

While you are ordering, get the fuse kit for the instrument lights. They are not fused from the factory: https://carmagic.us/fuse.html

Mark

[john walker's workshop]

Another vote for Carmagic. Got the white bulbs in my 77 930. Pretty much night and day difference.

[Mr Pig]

Thanks for the info. I’m a first time owner. Learning…

‘88 911 3.2 Coupe

[Mark Salvetti]

Originally Posted by Mr Pig

Thanks for the info. I’m a first time owner. Learning…

‘88 911 3.2 Coupe

Welcome! This is a great place to be. How long have you owned the car? Pictures!

Lots of little quirks to learn about, including how to check the oil level. Let us know if you would like a list of tips.

Mark

[Mr Pig]

Thanks Mark. Ordered the Vintage bulbs and in-line fuse. Open to any tips. (Not sure of the quality of the photo upload)

[Mr Pig]

Just got the car. Martin’s Classic cars serviced and vetted the ride for me. I’ve had it since Friday.

[Mark Salvetti]

Nice. Here is a quick list from an old post. i'm sure others will chime in with more:

• Carry a spare DME relay, as they fail and leave you with a no-start. Goes under the drivers seat.

• Oil changes are about 10 quarts. Have a big pan, many of us have left a big pool of oil on the garage floor from our first change. The oil comes out of the tank very fast. Also drain the engine sump.

• Check the oil every 500-1000 miles until you get a handle on how much you use. 911 engines can consume a lot, you need to really watch this if you are used to a modern car that uses almost no oil.

• Dipstick is only accurate with the car on a level surface, engine idling, fully warm. If you fill to between the marks with the car not running, you'll overfill.

• Same with the oil level gauge - only accurate with the car at idle. Still may not be accurate.

• You need to use an oil that has high zinc and phosphorous anti-wear additives to protect the cam lobes. Many modern oils have cut back on these because they can poison the cats. But we need them. Common choices are Valvoline Racing 20W-50, PennGrade 20W-50, Mobil 1 15W-50.

• If the front suspension squeaks over bumps or if you push down on the fender, you probably need new front A-arm bushings. Pretty common after 35+ years.

• Watch your battery. Consider an AGM to greatly reduce the chances of an acid spill. Rust, rust, rust.

• The 3.2L fuel lines in the engine bay are pretty old, and many have started to leak. Lots of threads on the need to replace these if they are original. BoxsterGT on this board makes custom fuel lines that many of us use.

• If it has AC, and it is original, don't expect it to work very well.

• Don't reset the trip odometer while the car is moving. It strips the gear and it will stop working.

• The full headlight current goes through the switch. You need to add headlight relays if you upgrade to higher power bulbs. Good idea to do this anyway. You seem to have the original H5 lights. Not a great light pattern. There are LED options out there, but pricey (they replace the entire assembly). I don't think replacing the bulb with an LED is going to help much.

• The Bentley manual is a good repair manual (Bentley Manual
  ). Also 101 Projects (101 Projects). I wouldn't bother with the Haynes manual. Next step up would be the factory manuals, but they are a few hundred dollars.

That's a pretty good list to get you started. As you drive it, you'll probably find things that don't seem right. Most are known issues. Post questions.

Good luck with the car!

Mark

[Mr Pig]

Ceramic coating treatment, film on the frunk, fresh Continental tires, Coco mats, came with sheeps

[Mr Pig]

I’ve bought a DME spare and glad to know where it goes. Fuel lines are being replaced asap. I’ll keep a watch on the battery. Great info. Thanks. Friendly forum…

[OldSpool87]

Not for nothing, but have you tried rotating the headlight pull switch clockwise? Make sure you just don’t have them dimmed. I didn’t know they were on a dimmer for a while after I bought my car.

[fallingat120mph]

Originally Posted by Mr Pig

Thanks for the info. I’m a first time owner. Learning…

‘88 911 3.2 Coupe

I would also recommend the Element fire extinguisher (or a traditional one) for a just in case. I used a traditional one for years and just purchased two Elements E50's to carry with me now.

Things I wish I had been told when I bought my first 911 a few decades ago:

Head studs (broken or replacement "before" broken)
Fuel lines (replace!)
"Triangle of death" oil leaks (look bad but easy fix)

and...different relays for lights, dash lights, etc.

My 911's are both 86 models so yours may not have same "issues" but knowledge is power and as I stated, just wish I had known about a few of these things and would have addressed them early on.


I too went with the Carmagic Vintage bulbs...the best upgrade was the turn signal replacements, very bright at night, but perfect in the daytime. Was actually pulled over for my turn signal being on for miles and I had no idea (driving into the sun/west Texas). No ticket and when I got home from my cross country immediately ordered the bulb kit.



It's a great forum, sometimes very direct, but with the forum and a few manuals, decades later, I now drop engines, fix electrical issues and next is a full engine rebuild.

This coming from a guy who changed a few belts, did basic oil changes, and kept tire pressure full








Erik

[IROC]

Before and after pics of mine:

[famoroso]

Another vote for Carmagic LED bulbs. I much prefer the Vintage White version.

The gauges can be tricky to remove after ~35 years. I've seen some people do damage to bezels, rubber mounts (rings), upholstered fascia piece, etc, so I suggest pushing the fuel / oil gauge out from behind (or, at least, getting removal started that way).

Stand adjacent to the fender and maneuver your left arm under the cowl, use The Force and feel for the back of either of the combo gauges and push one out with your hand. It's a bit cramped, so, if you have Popeye forearms, you can alternatively use a wooden dowel / paint stirring stick or a broom handle to push on the back of the gauge. Be gentle and take care not to launch the gauge into the interior (put a towel down over the steering wheel / in front of the fuel / oil gauge).

Once you have that first gauge out, you can access each successive gauge from behind for removal. More often than not, you have to remove the steering wheel to remove the steering column plastic clamshell trim to remove the tachometer. This then becomes a great "while you're in there" time to replace your steering column bushing if needed.

Reinstallation can be tricky depending on the condition of the rubber mounts. I "lube" up the rubber mounts with 303 Protectant as it makes the gauges much easier to reinstall, including the ability to adjust / re-clock the gauges after they've been pressed into the panel, if need be.

This is also a great time to install a Rennline cell phone mount on the clock before you reinstall it. In addition to being the best cell phone holder solution for air cooled 911s, the Rennline cell phone mount doubles as a "handle" to start the gauge removal process again in the future, if need be.

The stock headlight switch instrument lighting rheostat does not do a good job dimming LED bulbs, and Carmagic sells an LED compatible add-on unit, but most people just leave them on the full bright setting.

As mentioned, add an in-line fuse to the instrument panel circuit (and other missing or updated fuses and relays) as soon as practicable...

Added fuses & relays.

[famoroso]

You've gotten some very good recommendations on this post already. Here are some additional thoughts...

DME Relay. I use the Focus 9 Technology solid state, USA made, pump-prime unit...
https://www.ftech9.com/new-products/911-ssr-pp

Inspect your rear suspension spring plate bushings. If the torsion bar cap is not centered concentrically in the cover plate, you might contemplate replacement.

The tried and true H5 headlight upgrade is to go with European H4 halogen headlights, with stock wattage bulbs and relays. Your particular use case may require something more like higher wattage bulbs or goofy looking LEDs, but more doesn't necessarily equate to better when it comes to headlights on these cars as there are tradeoffs.

I highly recommend LED brake and rear running lights (these cars need as large a rear visual footprint as possible in modern traffic). I'm a fan of SpokeWorks 911 specific LED boards, or Philips replacement LED bulbs...





Definitely get a fire extinguisher and learn how to use it. I have Elements, but their use is not intuitive.