rich motor, help

strupgolf · 10-25-2004, 05:08 PM

I have a few questions. First, where should the oil level guage be upon start-up. Mine is in the red, then as I drive, it climbs up to the top. Anyone see any problems here? Second, the engine is still running very rich, and it seems to bog down in the low gears upon starting from a stop. The plugs look good, but when I pull into the garage, it smells really bad, lots of fumes left over. What would you all do to get it running good. The CO2 sensor is attached and working?. Thanks for any reply

stlrj · 10-25-2004, 05:14 PM

Are you talking about a VW or a Subaru?

strupgolf · 10-25-2004, 05:33 PM

Sorry folks; its a 86 911 targa, 3.2 with no mods except for a test pipe in place of the coverter.

Gunter · Gunter's Garage

A lot of people just ignore the oil level gauge and go by the stick in the oil filler spout. It is more reliable. As for the mixture setting, a shop wouldn't charge that much to set it providing all the rest is good.

Early_S_Man · 10-25-2004, 05:46 PM

strup,

Full on the gauge [verified by dipstick] when the oil is at 190°F - 200°F idling, with car stopped on level ground is way TOO FULL!!! It should be in the 1/2 down to 2/3 down level when oil is at operating temps.

Your owner's manual has the correct measuring procedure, and I'm quite sure there isn't any recommendation about watching the gauge while driving, or immediately after starting a cold engine!

strupgolf · 10-25-2004, 05:58 PM

My mechanic said that an old way to look at the oil is this. When the engine is warmed up, at idle, the needles on the oil level gauge and the oil pressure guage should be horizontal with each other. Sound like a good story or not. When I checked the oil after a good drive, the dipstick read about 3/4 full, car level. Does the smell sound like a fuel mixture problem? Thanks

nhromyak · nhromyak's Garage

Curious, How do you know it's still running rich?

strupgolf · 10-25-2004, 06:58 PM

Well, after a drive of about 15 minutes, I pulled back in and shut it off. The smell was just like my old v-8's. in that it smelled like it was not burning all the gas. Its hard to explain. I had to open the widows in the garage to air out. Do many 911's have a rich-type problem like this, and is it just a mixture adjustment? It does miss a little when it is warming up, but I cant sense any problems when it goes down the road at 65. It just seems sluggish at slow speeds. Thanks

Eagledriver · 10-25-2004, 07:02 PM

You are on the right track with the oil. I trust the guage on my car and confirm with the dipstick once in a while. The oil level will drop when the car is cold or when the engine is above idle. That's why the tank hold 8 quarts. This is normal.

I think the smell you notice is the wonderful smell of burning oil that these cars have. It's especially noticable in cars that leak oil onto the exhaust system. It's part of the charm of the car-get used to it.

-Andy

strupgolf · 10-25-2004, 07:10 PM

I had the oil tubes replaced recently. It fixed all the leaks. Now I dont know if there still exists some oil on the block. but it might have some. I guess I will soon change the oil, get it right, and hope the smell goes away.

nhromyak · nhromyak's Garage

I have two cars that are both computer controlled without Catalytic converters.

They both smell nearly the same. I am fairly sure my Chevy V8 with a computer-controlled computer is running at stoich 14.7 in closed loop, becasue that's what the computer believes, using my DIY diagnostics (shareware). These two smell nearly the same as my '85 currently with no cat.

But the only way to be sure is to use a gas analyzer. That's why I asked.

I checked my CO on my '85 and it was at (IIRC) .6 with no cat. As it is supposed to be checked before the cat.

Good luck.

Eagledriver · 10-25-2004, 07:24 PM

The oil gets into the heat exchangers and takes a long time to burn off. You can try taking it to a car wash and pressure washing the outside of the heat exchangers. Let them cool for a few minutes first.

-Andy

strupgolf · 10-26-2004, 03:33 PM

Thanks for the reply.I had it out today for about a 1/2 hour, it didnt smell too bad, was not missing, etc. I checked the oil level on the dipstick and it was at the top "rung" as you look at the stick. To me, that says the car is full of oil. There is no oil residue on the engine that I can see, so I dont think it is burning any oil, on the outside. I'm just concerned about a overfill in the tank, which I might have done when I got the car back. Like a dummy, I looked at the stick when it was off, and cold. Well, brand me with at D for dumb, but for a 1st time owner, I can make a few mistakes.