DYI tune-up

[bcr4d]

I'll be doing my first tune-up on my car, 88 cab. I bought from our host: oil filter, fuel filter, car already had a K&N fliter element, so I bought the recharger kit, distributor cap and rotor, feeler guage, three extra #4 blades, valve cover gaskets, and spark plugs. Now my questions; (1) did I miss anything in completing my tune-up? (2) Will taking the rear tires give my any more room getting to the lower valves (3) do I need to use any gasket adhesive when replacing the gaskets, and what do you use to remove the old gasket residue from the head and cover, and last but not least, do you tork the nuts or tighen by feel. thanks in advance.

[Zef]

What is the model of you car...You don`t need to put sealant under the valve covers and you have to torque the nut IAW the specified torque...get the Benthley maintenance manual and check the technical section of our host web site.

[azasadny]

what torque should the vlave nuts be tightened to

[Nine9six]

I would assume Mr. Crawford has an 88 911 cab. But we all know what can happen when we make assumptions.

[LakeCleElum]

No sealant on the VC gaskets. Yes to torque. Use the new nuts and washers that come with the gasket kit.

Don't really need to remove the rear wheels. Due to the position of the Heat Exchangers, you work more from the rear of the car. If you don't want to change oil at the same time as you do the valves, jack the car up from the side instead of from the rear. You will loose very little oil this way. Good luck.

[bcr4d]

sorry again, I always forget to specify what car. car is 88 911 cab. another question, I've been using castro gtx 20-50 oil. Is this the best brand oil to use in 911's? I've been using it in my BMW's for the last 10 years with no problem.

[RoninLB]

Buy

101 Projects for Your Porsche 911
by Wayne R Dempsey

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by bcr4d

Is this the best brand oil to use in 911's.

search under member LubeMaster77 for some extraordinary info

[bcr4d]

thanks again

[Por_sha911]

Clean the old valve cover gasket material off carefully. Don't scrape the surface. Clean both sides well and torque the nuts to 6-8 ft/lbs and it should be all good. There are plenty of posts about valve adjustments. Take off the airbox cover, blower tube, and leave the oil filter off when doing the valves. Some folks like to move the AC compressor to the side as well. Be sure the engine is stone cold and go back thru a second time to be sure your adjustments are on the money. Make sure you have NEW lock nuts and washers for the covers and crush washers for the oil drain plugs.
How old are your wires? If you don't know you may want to change them to "baseline" the car. How long ago has a fuel filter been done? How old is the O2 sensor?
Lubemaster is the man!
Use Bentley's and 101 Porsche Projects books.

[livi]

I am not gonna jump in here pretending I am a seasoned DIY:er.

But, I recently did exactly what you are planning. To summarize it was easier and way more fun than changing gear lube. The actual valve adjusting was even inspiring. I did not use a torque wrench on the cover nuts. Would not fit on the intakes anyway. I just used a short wrench and tighten the nuts from inside - out, with small increments till they felt evenly snug and just a tad more. No leakage what so ever. A drag but important to clean of the old gaskets completely.

Make sure you tighten the new fuel filter so it does not leak. And have a spark plug tool with rubber inside. Its amazing how deep into the engine those little buggers are located. You loosen one and drop it - its fishing time.

I did not begin with loosen up the elephant foot nuts. I checked with the gauge firstly. It was fairly easy to enter the space and I ended up only needing to adjust four valves. All too loose.

When you have the engine at the TDC for a particular valve pair - grab the rocker arm and make sure you are able to move it slightly - you will here a little clicking sound. If it does not - it could mean you are not on the right position on the cam lobe.

Well, that came out sounding to sure of myself. Hope its fairly adequate info. Others will duly flog me if not.

[Por_sha911]

Good points Markus. Also, use the factory spark plug wrench! It is worth its weight in GOLD!

[CarreraDan]

One more thing to add is to put a rag or something on the passenger side heat exchanger so when you pull that valve cover the leftover oil doesn't go all over it. Other than that what everyone has said is spot on. I just did all this tonight and really enjoyed myself. Like Livi, I only needed to adjust a few exhaust valves. Just take your time, and use 101 Projects and the Bently manual to guide you along. Don't forget to smile about how much money you are saving when you do #3 and #6 intakes.

Another thing I did was to just bend a regular feeler guage. Next time, I will have a cat bypass pipe too, so their will be a lot more room under there. I strongly suggest getting a fender cover too, I borrowed KCinBR's and it protected the fenders very well--especially since I had the AC compressor laying on the passenger side fender. Have fun and good luck.

[911 in SC]

Daniel, how dare you do this when I when I am out of town on business! I will certainly be ready to do this when I get back to town. OK, honestly, I'll be ready to drive it like you couldn't believe! Then I'll be ready to do some much needed maintenance. BTW, I'm thinking of ordering the Fabspeed euro pre-muffler and M&K exhaust now and it'll be there by the time I get home. Not sure yet. It sure will make adjusting the valves alot easier!

Later,
Mike

Oh yeah, sorry for the off topic....

[bcr4d]

thanks for all the help fellows, I really appreciate it. I didn't even think about the wires and 02 sensor. Car had a top end at 58K, I now have 78K. I'll go back through my records and see when they were replaced.