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Green wire problem and repair

I have had intermittent complete loss of power while driving my 83 911 SC. It is thought that it is either a fuel or an ignition problem that I have. I spoke to Bob Ashlock the CDI repair box specialty man. He also suggested that it might be a green wire problem. And his specific suggestion was to start the car, let it warm up and get to a good steady idle, and then go and just move the green wire off of the distributor back-and-forth just a little bit to see if it affected the car in anyway. And so I did, and of course after moving the wire slightly back-and-forth the car died. Any specific direction for replacing the green wire on my 83 911 SC? It looks like the green wire comes out of a plastic receiver off of the side of the distributor and up to a male connector opposite the distributor.

Old 10-23-2020, 05:03 PM
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ROW '78 911 Targa
 
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Sounds like you have the short green wire installed. (About 6” long)
Just replace it. (Not cheap)
https://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/pel_search_2016.cgi?command=DWsearch&description=Green+wire
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Old 10-23-2020, 05:08 PM
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Congrats on finding the problem after our discussion earlier today!
Old 10-23-2020, 07:32 PM
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Replaced my green wire couple of years ago (1978 SC). You have to remove the distributor but no big deal. Easiest if you set it to TDC before you remove it and mark position of bracket where nut secures it so that you can install in same position. I bought the URO product but it failed and ended up buying from my local Porsche dealer. URO did refund me and I think they have improved their product. If you lose the timing, again no big deal; I had my distributor out a number of times and eventually forgot to set it to TDC. You then need to know when #1 is firing (on compression) and I did this by removing a inlet valve cover and check for play on the rocker. Actually, removed right hand side as it was less work and checked that #4 was tight at TDC which means that #1 must be loose. Hope this makes sense.
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Old 10-24-2020, 02:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Ashlock View Post
Congrats on finding the problem after our discussion earlier today!
Thanks Bob
Old 10-24-2020, 07:04 AM
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Are there any videos online (youtube?) that demonstrate this job of replacing the green wire?
Old 10-24-2020, 07:11 AM
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As I said this is not a difficult job. Process is described on page 280-11 in Bentley manual. If you don't have this I can talk you through the process. First you need to buy a new green wire. Then we can continue.
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Old 10-25-2020, 03:16 AM
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Originally Posted by JSV798 View Post
As I said this is not a difficult job. Process is described on page 280-11 in Bentley manual. If you don't have this I can talk you through the process. First you need to buy a new green wire. Then we can continue.
Thanks. I actually read through my Bentley manual last night and in particular page 280-11. I see exactly what you’re talking about. Thanks again. Pelican has the green distributor wire both as a genuine Porsche parts item and also as a Bosch item. They have the Bosch item in stock and not the genuine Porsche parts item. Strangely, the Bosch is actually a little bit more expensive. I’m not sure if one is significantly better than the other or if they are relatively comparable and I should just go with getting the Bosch since it’s in stock.
Old 10-25-2020, 06:30 AM
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One thing Bentley doesn't mention is that I recall the rotor rotating as the distributor is removed as the drive is bevelled. Try not to move the rotor after removal and it will go back and align with the scribe mark referred to at the bottom of page 280-11. It doesn't matter too much if you do move the rotor; it won't then line up with the scribe mark so you take it out rotate slightly and try again. There is only position that is correct. If for some reason you lose the timing completely, all is not lost as it's just a bit more work. I'll cover that if you lose the timing.
One thing on safety though: I never go anywhere near the HT leads when the engine is running so when you were playing around moving the green wire in your diagnosis you were living dangerously if your hands were near the HT leads.
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1978 Porsche SC coupe (bought in 1993)
Old 10-25-2020, 07:18 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JSV798 View Post
One thing Bentley doesn't mention is that I recall the rotor rotating as the distributor is removed as the drive is bevelled. Try not to move the rotor after removal and it will go back and align with the scribe mark referred to at the bottom of page 280-11. It doesn't matter too much if you do move the rotor; it won't then line up with the scribe mark so you take it out rotate slightly and try again. There is only position that is correct. If for some reason you lose the timing completely, all is not lost as it's just a bit more work. I'll cover that if you lose the timing.
One thing on safety though: I never go anywhere near the HT leads when the engine is running so when you were playing around moving the green wire in your diagnosis you were living dangerously if your hands were near the HT leads.
I got the distributor out and I replaced the green wire. Getting the distributor back in the car is proving difficult. I have got it in but I can't get it to set down about the last 2 inches. Any tips for getting the distributor back in the car and installed all the way down?
Old 11-08-2020, 06:05 AM
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Suspect the gear teeth are not quite aligned. Try rotating the rotor a little as you push down. Once it's completely down it will be obvious if you have it one tooth out as the rotor will not align with the mark on the distributor base.
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1978 Porsche SC coupe (bought in 1993)
Old 11-08-2020, 06:19 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by myslateblue911 View Post
I got the distributor out and I replaced the green wire. Getting the distributor back in the car is proving difficult. I have got it in but I can't get it to set down about the last 2 inches. Any tips for getting the distributor back in the car and installed all the way down?
If the o-ring is new you will have some resistance when getting it back in place. Lubricate the lower part of the dist and also the o-ring (I used motor oil). Once you are sure everything is lined up and you can't push it any further, use a wood block and a rubber mallet to very gently tap it in the rest of the way. Good luck! Hope you get it back on the road soon.
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Old 11-08-2020, 06:39 AM
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Did you manage to get the distributor back in?
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1959 Bristol 406 (bought in 1972; sold in 1977)
1966 Porsche 2.0 coupe (bought in 1977; sold 1981)
1978 Porsche SC coupe (bought in 1993)
Old 11-11-2020, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by JSV798 View Post
Did you manage to get the distributor back in?
Yes. Thank you very much for all of your encouragement and advice. My mechanical skills are modest to say the least, so I can get easily intimidated by any project that I have not tackled before. Anyway, the advice about turning the rotor slightly was spot on. I pulled the dristibutor back out and then put it back in and turned the rotor slightly and it "set" right into place. It was also helpful to let me know that if it was one tooth off that the rotor would not line up with the mark on the side of the distributor. I finally got everything else hooked up tonight and the car fired up first thing, no problem. I let it idle for several minutes and then wiggled the new green wire back and forth and the car did NOT die. I then took it for a short test drive and everything felt great. The proof will be in the pudding when I take it for a nice long drive without any trouble.
Old 11-11-2020, 04:59 PM
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Congratulations. That will be a great confidence booster. To complete the job you might want to check the ignition timing as there no telling if it was correct before you removed the distributor. Again not too difficult but you will need a timing light. Bentley has the details but I can talk you through it if necessary.

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1959 Bristol 406 (bought in 1972; sold in 1977)
1966 Porsche 2.0 coupe (bought in 1977; sold 1981)
1978 Porsche SC coupe (bought in 1993)
Old 11-12-2020, 07:54 AM
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