Ignition Module

[Randy Webb]

Liz - just a tip - in case you are a female Liz and not a husband of the Email name owner, etc. ... Be very careful in getting advice from any auto shop. It is very common for women to get ripped off in these situations. Ther ehave been several studies on this (if you do employment law or civil rights, you may have seen them).

This board can be a good backstop for you.

[einreb]

Liz,

I PM'd you. Souk actually lives and breaths via CIS

Stall on the mechanic and lets see who all chimes in on this... VaSteve posted it on the Gruppe B board where a lot of chicago folks post. http://gruppeb.org/forum2/viewforum.php?f=1

I'm just north of you and could help out with tuneup stuff, but I don't ever plan on learning about CIS

-Bernie

[azasadny]

I think guys get ripped off as much as gals do (just my anecdotal experience). Once "they" sense your vulnerability, the greed kicks in and you're done for. I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but I've been ripped off too many times. Now I have an honest mechanic (but he doesn't work on "foreeyn cars"), an honest contractor putting an addition on my house, honest plumber and electrician. I do computer work for them and they help me out, works great!

[lizmathews]

Thanks Randy - I know I am getting screwed. Going in there in person even makes it worse. My husband (Joey) put this guy through the ringer, but he is not a porsche guy either. Although I patiently suffered through his 78 Alfa Spyder restoration...he admittedly does not know too much about porsches.

[azasadny]

Liz,
There are tons of resources on the web you can use. I always wanted a Porsche 911 but didn't know wnaything about them until I bought mine 2 1/2 years ago, heck, I had never even driven one before. This is "Ford Country" and although I work for Ford, my desire for a classic 911 was too much and I've had a great time since. Working on these cars isn't that hard, it takes a desire and patience. The results and money saved make driving the car even more fun! My family is impressed that I do all of my own repairs and maintenance. Hang in there! Driving the car makes up for the occasional hassles...

[Oldporsche]

Restoring an alfa? This Porsche is a piece of cake!

There are a lot of good knowledgeable people on this board. Get you car out of this "professional" mechanic's sight.

If you've done an Alfa, you probably know the drill.

Good luck,
David Duffield

[Randy Webb]

Too bad it wasn't a boat-tailed spyder....

Use that legal mind to look up some of the auto repair & consumer fraud statutes. Hand the mechanic your business card (so he'll have you phone #)....

[lizmathews]

Good call guys! Maybe the guy looking for a 77 wants this one...

[azasadny]

Liz,
Keep the car, it will grow on you! I was disgusted with mine after the first month (starting troubles), then after that, it was all fun and driving. I can't imagine getting rid of the car and after I build a new garage next summer, I'm going to get a 2nd 911. Hang in there!

[lizmathews]

Art - a garage sounds divine. I now know how important those dang seals are. I'm sure I will appreciate the sunroof in the summer tho! I will definitely keep you posted on the progress and just might swing through MI when its finished!

[lizmathews]

what the hell is a "ground loop"? evidently my husband has also been doing some research. It seems that we can get the PermaTune MSD 6AL for a reasonable price. Plus, the PermaTune website even has installation instructions.

[HarryD]

Liz,

If you want to use your wallet to fix your car, find a Porsche shop that specializes in older prosches. The local Porsche club and folks on this board can steer you to a decent shop. FWIW, my shop here in Oregon charges about the same as the place that does my Ford and he is knowlegable, fair and has a good "bedside manner".

You should go to any place armed with some knowledge about possible causes to your problem. Rough idle and dying with CIS can be due to several things:

-Bad ignition module (if it runs at all, I would think this is the least of your problems);
-vacuum leaks (very likely); or
-incorrectly set idle mixture (once you get the vacuum leaks fixed, this takes 15 minutes on an exhaust analyzer).

This chart can help you sort things out:

[HarryD]

Originally posted by lizmathews
what the hell is a "ground loop"? evidently my husband has also been doing some research. It seems that we can get the PermaTune MSD 6AL for a reasonable price. Plus, the PermaTune website even has installation instructions.

Liz,

Permatune and MSD are two separate companies. MSD has (in many peoples eyes) a superior product but the Permatune will drop right in where your stock Bosch unit lives. If you have the Bosch unit, you can get them rebuilt for less than the price of a Permatune and it's a very easy thing to change out.

But before you waste your money on ignition stuff, get your CIS fuel injection checked out. I think that may be the real source of your troubles.

[lizmathews]

Great advice Harry! We checked into rebuilds and it was around $600...
(performance parts wholesale) Does this sound right?

[yelcab1]

Liz

You need to live in California, near the Bay Area. We Pelicanites fix each other cars for free.

My personal specialty is ... pedal cluster.

[lizmathews]

I'm from Seattle originally and love the Bay area! If I move back out, my specialty could be air freshener sprayer. How do you like your Alfa?

[HarryD]

Originally posted by lizmathews
Great advice Harry! We checked into rebuilds and it was around $600...
(performance parts wholesale) Does this sound right?

Outrageous!

You can buy one from Pelican for:

CD Unit, Rebuilt, 911 (1974-77 - Part number A-602-702-00R )$288.75

See this web page:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/911M/POR_911M_igniti_pg6.htm#item29

[lizmathews]

Wow Harry - how the heck did we miss this one? 300, not bad. The new is actually 1800 bucks? I'd have to sell my soul.

[HarryD]

Originally posted by lizmathews
Wow Harry - how the heck did we miss this one? 300, not bad. The new is actually 1800 bucks? I'd have to sell my soul.

Liz,

Keep your money in your wallet. I'm still thinking you got a CIS issue. Most likely vacuum leak or incorrect mixture. CIS is VERY sensitive to vacuum leaks and a small leak can cause havoc.

Do a search for vacuum and CIS and you can see some of the advise on to how to locate the leaks. This will give you an idea on what to do: Vacuum leak identified

Here's a bunch of threads to keep ya busy:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/search.php?action=showresults&searchid=939484&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending



My car did the same thing until it was finally adjusted correctly. It now runs like a dream.

[lizmathews]

Harry - you are the best! How do you like your 73.5?