High miles on my 83SC (should I worry)?

My 83SC has 145K. I bought it last April w/134K on her. I had some problems with the CIS but now all seems well.The car does NOT have the tension update nor the pop off valve. The oil is changed every 2500-3000 with a Porsche filter EVERY time. The car seems fine as the oil press. is usally at 5 bar when driven normaly when at operating temps. How many miles can I see before something major happends to require a rebuld.
Oh the rubber center clutch was updated befor I bough the car.
Jon 83SC

Well, I'm not sure that 145,000 miles is really high mileage for an SC, or for any 16 year old car (about 9,000 miles per year).

I would not worry about the engine wearing out. Bruce Anderson, in his "bible," says that he has seen many with 300,000+ miles. In fact, in the first version of his book, he said that he was unaware of one ever having to be rebuilt because it wore out. I think in his new book, he says he has seen one with 450,000 miles. A friend of mine has about 230,000 on his, with no problems.

The '83 is less prone to tensioner failure than the earlier cars, as the factory changed the angle of the thingy that holds the roller which the chain rolls on. The earlier version supposedly had a less than ideal angle that caused some binding. Still, if it were my car, I'd put on the Carrera tensioners. Its a pretty easy DIY job, and I think good peace of mind, esp. on a 16 year old car.

The air box was also changed in about 1980 to try to prevent backfires and air box blowouts. But, all SC airboxes are susceptible, I think. Given the low cost of a pop-off valve, I think I'd do it. Its cheap insurance and works great.

Finally, while I guess you can't change the oil too much, I think that 2500-3000 miles is a bit excessive, given that the car holds 14 or so quarts of oil and has a huge filter. I think you can safely safe a bit of money and hassle by going 5000 miles or so. This is still changing the oil way more often than the factory specs.

Brian Kumamoto

[This message has been edited by Brian Kumamoto (edited 08-16-1999).]