There's rough, and then there's *rough*

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

So, the friend of mine that's looking at the basket-case targa calls me up a couple days ago. It seems a friend of his bought a 911 - apparently without any sort of PPI. My friend tells me "He says it's rough, but it runs good, but there's a couple little noises he wants your opinion on." Ok, tell him to bring it by, but I'm probably not going to be able to fix it. I plan to have him bring it over yesterday between 11 and noon.

About 11:15, a turbo cab pulls up in front of my shop. A Ruf Turbo cab, that is. Amazing what gets lost in translation between a neophyte Russian "911" owner and a 914 guy as relayed to a long-time 911 guy. IIRC, it was an '88 - it had the G50 5-speed.

The car was actually very clean, other than a couple of amatuer hacks that are easily reversible (like trying to re-color black trim pieces with White-Out - yes, the stuff used to correct tpyos)

His primary complaint was that it made a rattling noise occasionally while driving, and he suggested I drive it to check it out. Um, OK!

The first problem is the clutch requires enough effort to make Ahnold sweat. On top of that, the shifter is very difficult to move between the gears; it's not difficulty in engagement, but the lever is physically hard to move, like it's gummed up or something.

We take off, and as soon as I have some open street, I put my foot in it - and this poort guy just about has a cow! "What are you doing? Can you do that? I never take it above 5!" I explained the car's redline and rev limited to him, and got an "OH, I didn't know that. I usualy shift at 3" Hmm. I'm beginning to see your problem...

This thing pulls much harder than my 3.6L, even in my 2000# car, but my car is more streetable apart from the full cage and overly-loud exhaust. When the boost come on in this thing, it comes ON! I don't know the specs on it, but it has a huge intercooler and some other 'stuff' in the engine compartment which I didn't know what it was. Good thing he didn't ask!

The car didn't make the noise with me driving, so we swapped and had him drive. He was able to reproude the noise - by shifting from 2nd to 3rd @ 2100RPM - this poor car was pinging like a Chinese table tennis tournament. Next I explained detonation and it's relationship to expensive engine rebuilds.

When we got back to my house, I put the car on the lift and gave him an educational tour of the undersides. We made a list of stuff for him to get checked out in the near future, and I'm trying to talk him into taking it to the track. He paid $34k for the car, and got a bolt-in roll bar with it, although it isn't installed in it right now.

All in all, it's a great car, but it's way more car than he can handle at this moment.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Can you put training wheels on it for him?

asphaltgambler · 02-27-2005, 07:56 AM

Install a tennis ball under the accelerator until he learns how to drive it.

masraum · 02-27-2005, 08:19 AM

OMG, he's going to destroy the thing. SHeesh, shifting at 2100. I haven't ever shifted anything at 2100. Not even V-8's.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

2100 is even too low to drop the clutch on a fast take off....

VaSteve · 02-27-2005, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by widebody911

The car didn't make the noise with me driving, so we swapped and had him drive. He was able to reproude the noise - by shifting from 2nd to 3rd @ 2100RPM - this poor car was pinging like a Chinese table tennis tournament.

LOL

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

Sure it's not the g-50 rattle under load instead of detonation?

$34K - for a RUF turbo cab - now that is sick...

350HP930 · 02-27-2005, 09:06 AM

The previous owner of my car was too scared to use it to its full potential. It took me a few months before I felt comfortable enough to accelerate full tilt out of a corner.

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

California........what a country.

Great short story.......stretch it out a bit and get into Panorama or something.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Thom,
Very funny! Thanks!

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

What's the "G50 rattle"? ( I guess I could do a search... )

Groesbeck Hurricane · 02-28-2005, 07:12 AM

My Turbo gets shifted at 2,100 RPM every day!! I don't see the problem here...'cept that, uhhh, uhm, this is a 911 Turbo you are talking about and I have a 7.3 Liter Diesel Turbo in a 3/4 tonne truck, uh, ahhhh, uhm... nevermind!!!

jmohn · jmohn's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by widebody911
What's the "G50 rattle"? ( I guess I could do a search... )

IIRC, the G50 rattle is actually caused by the shift rod rattling (against something?) on it's way back to the transmission. Again, IIRC, the "fix" was to use a (proper size) O-ring looped around the shaft and hooked to some other (remember I'm basing this on vague memory) protruberance to hold the rod to one side and stop the rattle.

I know, I know, there were too many IIRC's in that paragraph, but I don't have a G50 so I didn't really commit the problem and fix to memory when I read about it.

BTW, I don't think anyone who's heard real detonation would mistake it for some other rattle.

Jerry M
'78 SC

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

I dunno - If I start out in low gear/low revs and load it up, especially going up an incline, I get a rattle that sounds alot like a chinese table tennis tournament.

350HP930 · 02-28-2005, 02:53 PM

its just probably gear or clutch dampner chatter from the power pulses of the motor.

84porsche · 84porsche's Garage

I would be willing to make a trade to help this guy out. It would be a real sacrifice on my part.

450knotOffice · 450knotOffice's Garage

I used to live in Florida. I don't remember any "inclines" in that flattest of flat states.

Unless we're talkin' about going to the dump and driving to the top of the "mountain".

toolman · toolman's Garage

You have'nt seen flat until you see Michigan flat. Like a f'n pancake.

randywebb · 02-28-2005, 04:45 PM

There ARE inclines in FL - they are the sides of hummocks. The hummocks are often not high enough to relaize you are at the highest point around, but if you check the changes in vegetation -- from submerged, to always wet, to wetlands, to dry type plants -- you'll see that you have indeed reached the pinnacle.

JeremyD · JeremyD's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by 450knotOffice
I used to live in Florida. I don't remember any "inclines" in that flattest of flat states.

Unless we're talkin' about going to the dump and driving to the top of the "mountain".

Nice - I lived in California too - paid $300K for a $hitbox overlooking 101. That was 15 years ago... best move I made. From a past Florida PCA drive - that there is topography...