78 911 sc "issue"

[elanko]

Hey All,
New to the board-please forgive if Im not posting this in the right place. I have a 78 911 sc, targa (ac-but no other toys), and I have some starting/running issues.
Car has sat covered/garaged for 6 years. Was running when parked (belonged to a buddy of mine and I have driven it), but no longer. I will explain as best i can.
The heat exchangers are fairly non-existant, and I can see a weld in the driver-side exhaust pipes. This weld is cracked. This is the actual pipe-not the heat exchanger cuz the heat exchanger is not there anymore.
The car will crank, there is spark at the plugs (no 1 anyway), and the cd box whines when the key is on.
If the car has been sitting (for a few weeks), It will start-but only under protest-and it runs waaaay rich until it shuts down. At this point, fuel comes gurgling, and spewing out the above mentioned crack. My thought was that the cold start regulator was just wide open-but parts for this baby are a bit pricey to just start swapping without some good advise.
Any help would really be appreciated!!
Thanks

[elanko]

Hey all,
Ive been reading some of the posts-and wanted to know if I offended someone, or just stumped the whole board????
From the posts-it seems like you guys would be fairly knowlegable, but Ive gotten no love....
Any help would really be appreciated!
Thanks
Elliot

[OldTee]

I think you have not gotten a reply is because this car sounds like it has more problems than the outpatient desk at a Iraqi hospital. Too many places and things wrong.

Start fixing known problems, one at a time. Replace fuel filter, fix all leaks, replace heat exchangers, flush fuel system, replace spark plugs and wires, and when it starts to run like a huffing and puffing locomotive then start refined work on the CIS. If it isn't rusted, buy the car because it is going to cost $$$ but when it goes, it goes good!

[oldE]

Elliot,
I'm not 'up' on the SCs, but I think you're probably right on the enrichment circuit. If you've got gas pouring out of a crack in an exhaust header, I think you've got far more serious issues to deal with. Cranking the car over and pouring raw gas into the heads is a great way to ruin cylinders, pistons & rings as well as dilute whatever oil is in the car. I suspect some of the guys are saying "He's trying to start it with a cracked header?, spark on one cylinder?, flooding badly? This is a disaster waiting to happen."
Forget the urge to get it on the road quick & dirty. The motor will probably have to come out & be checked for scoring of cylinders & bearings. Good luck.
Les

[sammyg2]

You have lots of isssues, but I'd bet your starting problem is due to a stuck fuel distributor and it is flooding the engine.

Pull one injector at a time and place it in a safe container, then turn the key on. Don't crank the engine, just turn it on. If you have fuel coming out of the injector(s) that is your problem and you will need to get the fuel distributor rebuilt, along with your entire fuel system. No fuel should flow out of the injectors if the engine is not turning and if the starter is not engaged.
These things don't like dirt, water, or rust in the fuel system. If it is contaminated you need to clean everything.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Elliot,

I haven't been "lurking" too often recently and I don't know too much.

I'm also suspicious of the fuel distributor. I am also suspcious of the WUR. There is a good article in the 911 articles on how to re-build the WUR. I have not researched the fuel distributor as mine is working rather well. Is the fuel accumulator and fuel filter in good shape? I'd replace if they are not already, just for cheap insurance.

I assume you have drained and flushed the fuel system? Did you change the oil? Are there at least 10 quarts of oil in the system?

You will need to replace the pipes. This is not a safe situation.

I am not at the point of agreeing with Les, but he might be right.

Get the fuel distribution issue identified! Replace the pipes. Start with the known issues and they might take care of everything. A car that has sat for many years will exhibit other problems as well. After sitting for many years, my '83 decided to start breaking head studs and requried a complete tear down. The motor was in spec, but she needed to be re-built to replace the parts that broke because of lack of use.

Parts can be expensive, but some can be re-built or bought second hand. Second hand parts can also be bad. I am not understanding correctly, do you now own the car or are you planning on buying her? Is she rust free? What part of the country are you in?

[vash]

i know exactly what it is, if fuel is coming outta the exhaust. feel free to search my past thread, "why is fuel weeping out of my muffler?" it was hell. but i promise you that the car sitting caused the fuel to go bad and varnish onto the control plunger. that sucker is stuck in the full on opened posistion. get your lowest clearance flatblade screwdriver and remove the three screws holding the fuel dist on. careful, the screws can be tight and they are sorta soft. not a good combo. once off, carefully lift it up a bit to see if the plunger is fully stuck. with luck you can blast carb cleaner from there and loosen it. i was not that lucky, but my car sat for 12 years. if so, you need to take the plunger off, and work it out of there. it is a beatch! tight fitting! DO NOT DROP THE PLUNGER! lay towels out to cushion the plunger when it suddenly pops out of there. it is perfectly machined to hold back up to 78 psi. dont worry too much about keeping the fuel injector lines in order. they dont have a "firing order". pm me if you need more explaining. oh yea, once the car starts, turn it off. i bet money you oil needs changing due to the fuel.

[vash]

elanko, post your location. maybe you get lucky and live in the bay area?

[Wayne 962]

Vash has got it right - you need to remove the fuel distributor and work the plunger free. It definitely sounds like it's stuck open.

Other than that replace:

- Fuel
- Belts
- Fuel Filter
- Possibly Fuel accumulator
- Spark Plugs
- Cap & rotor

and then see what happens...

-Wayne