So I bought a 911 the other day

[Brother]

Fantastic 1980 911 SC Targa

16x7 and 16x8 Fuchs
Carrera Tensioners
Powder coated and backdated engine
New Top
New Rubber
Lowered (when purchased from original dealer)
Optima Gel Cell
Super condition all over


Drove it 1200 miles to get it home with only a few problems that maybe you could help me with.

1. Would not idle. -- I think this was due to altitude. The Ox sensor is unhooked and the car came from sea level. I drove it through the mountains when this happened. I just adjusted the idle screw and it seemed to go away. Now consistently idles from 900-1100 rpm.

2. Didn't want to start after stopping at a rest stop. Previously went through a little rain. nothing much. Stopped and sat for 20-30 minutes. Turned key and click but nothing else. The starter did nothing. The battery was fine. A quick push start got her going again, and she hasn't had that problem since. I put it on ramps when I got home. One wire on the starter was resting on top of the heat exchanger pushrod thing (i think). I moved it over so it wounldn't touch this moving part. We'll see.

3. Parking brake light will not extinguish. I think this started about the same time as number two. I have seen some threads about this, but I haven't had the time to dig yet. I can't get it to go out at all. Nothing has changed that I've seen.

4. Mixture seems rich. I started the car to go to work this morning. It idles fine and can rev with the clutch in, but when I put the load on it by letting the clutch out, I think it back fired.(thank god for pop off valves) It was real rough and coughed around 1200-1500 rpm. It finally cleared and accelerated like normal. This didn't happen after work. Temp before work = 50 after =70. Again the Oxygen sensor is not connected. The car originally lived at Sea level and now is about 1650' in elevation.

If you can help with these things, I would love to hear about it. Also, maybe you could answer another burning question of mine. Is the 911 inherently a her or is it a masculine object? Does "she" really rip at the race track, or does "he" really muscle through those corners? I don't know which of my questions is the most important, but I would appreciate any responses given.

[cantdrv55]

Welcome to the board! Nice looking car (I'm partial to SC targas). There are enough experts on this board to help you with your questions so I'll defer to them. I do want to say that my SC experienced the same symptoms you describe about not starting after a brief rest. I replaced the fuel filter, pump and adjusted idle speed and mixture. Not sure which of those actually fixed the problem but it doesn't really matter as long as the car starts each and every time now. Enjoy your ride!

[Bob's Flat-Six]

" She " is a Beauty, and is in good company with lots of ass kicking ships and machines referred to as "She"

As for the start problem check your battery and connections.

Welcome to the board

[Brother]

The battery was installed days before and the connections to that were good. That problem hasn't happened since. I'm a little more concerned with the cool morning coughing acceleration. Cool mornings in North Dakota soon become hellish frozen mornings...

When you adjust the mixture which direction is leaner/richer?

[ZAMIRZ]

That's a beautiful car, what color is it?

[Brother]

Petrol Blue Metallic?!

I'm not sure if it is the original paint. I'm about 90% sure that it is a repaint.

[speedracer]

Beautiful car. I remember when it was for sale. Looks great!

[cantdrv55]

Originally posted by Brother
The battery was installed days before and the connections to that were good. That problem hasn't happened since. I'm a little more concerned with the cool morning coughing acceleration. Cool mornings in North Dakota soon become hellish frozen mornings...

When you adjust the mixture which direction is leaner/richer?

I remember the adjustment being counter-intuitive so I believe it was CW = leaner, CCW = richer. If I'm wrong, I hope someone points it out before you go adjusting it.

[temo79]

I learned this here: right=richer / left=leaner.

[vesnyder]

Beauty! As for teh starter, mine does the same thing after I run it for a while in hot weather. It's only done it twice. Nothing a rebuild won't take care of. Start with checking the ground and connections.

[Elombard]

Is the parking brake light also the alternator charge light? or is that the oil pressure light? It might be the alternator light - that would explain the problem starting

[eddiehotrod]

911's are cars, not females. Mine's an 'it'.

[VaSteve]

Wow you must be the odd an out on your street. In two photos, I counted 6 SUVs (including the pick up truck). Congrats, nice looking car. Can we have a closeup of the calipers?

[Paulporsche]

Brother,

Welcome to the world of the 911.

There are lots of threads to search for poor startup conditions.
Popping and hesitation during startup are usually signs of lean condition.
Clockwise as viewed from above is richer. 1/8 turn seems to equal about 1% CO. 3-3.5% seems good for these cars.
There are gauges you can buy/borrow to test your control pressures and CO.
As these cars age, the often need to have their AAR cleaned, WUR adjusted or replaced and O2 sensors replaced, and decel valves adjusted or plugged.
The starters can heat soak and bind in hot weather.
The fuel accumulator and fuel pump check valve can go bad, also leading to restart problems.
Old, corroded wires, incl grounds are also possible problem areas.
A Bentley manual and our host's 101 Projects book, along w/ one the CIS fuel injection system are good to have.
The search button will yield lots of answers.

Despite all this, you have a great car there. Enjoy it.

[JackT]

Nice car. Your starter may need to be rebuilt. No big deal. In fact any armature place can do it for less than $100.
The brake light indicater is also the oil pressure light. Are you getting some small drips of oil on the front side of the engine? If so, it is the oil light switch. Again, it is no big deal and if you can find someone with long, skinny arms, they can reach back there change it. The part is about $10.00. The idle and mixture are just going to take some messing with. There are many posts about this on this board.

[OldTee]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Porschephiles, know addics, and future mechanics! Sounds like you have a vacuum leak. Try this: Run the engine until good and warm. Spray some water at the base of each injector and see if the engine changes sound. If so the seals are leaking. Pull the oil filler cap. If the motor changes a little this is good. If not, vacuum leak. Use some brake cleaner and spray at the rubber intake couplings, motor changes sound, leak. Best bet is to invest in a trip to a Porsche mechanic in your area. Let them do some troubleshooting and set up your CO.

[LakeCleElum]

Brother - Great looking Targa. That thing gives you that many headaches on the first date and you have to ask if it's a "she" or a "he"; you must not be married!!!!!!!!!!

[GettinHeadStuds]

The SCWDP grows stronger...

muuhahahahaha!

Good looking p-car.

[KobaltBlau]

Looks like pacific blue to me, definitely not petrol blue. very nice.

[vash]

brother, i love the car. i agree, that you mixture is probably off. my pcar mechanic charged me $35 to adjust it with a fancy dancy machine. most guys rely on experience and a trained ear. i have neither.