911T Questions

73911guy · 02-03-2007, 09:17 AM

Hello everyone,

My user account is not new, but I am new to this forum.

Here is the story:
Some of you should remember my father, Jim Dasher. He posted here constantly and now I have to continue the tradition. He recently passed away unexpectedly and now I am left with his wonderful pride and joy, 73 911T. I grew up with the car and love it

I know plenty about early 911's, but I don't know the exact technical specifications.

So here are my questions:

1. I assume that he was not planning to drive the car for a while because he drained all the oil out of the car. Before he left, he purchased some Castrol GTX High Mileage 10w40. Can I use this during the winter? What should I use in the summer? This might be a no brainer, but how much oil does the 2.4l engine hold? Is it also ok to leave the car dry until I am able to drive the car?

2. The car has an Optima Red Top battery with a trickle charger. Is it ok to leave the trickle charger on the car; I won't be able to drive the car for atleast three months.

3. What do you normally set the starting idle at? As I have never driven the car, I have no experience. The original engine was rebuilt 15 years ago and it does have the Webers.

4. I know that he upgraded the sway bars. Do you guys remember what size he used? He might have posted the specs.

I know that these questions might seem basic, but I just need to know. Our family was not expecting Jim to pass and it is a total shock. I have never driven the car and I just feel obligated to keep his 911 in the same shape that he left it.

Thanks for your help,
Chris Dasher

tonythetarga · 02-03-2007, 09:43 AM

Hi Chris,
Sorry to hear about your dad and applaud your wanting to keep the car in great condition. Not knowing much about your car, I would think the first thing you want to do is read everything you can about that year/ model. Get the engine and VIN numbers and take some photo's of the areas you would like feedback on. An owners manual can give you specifications for things like oil capacity, however, if a front or fender oil cooler was added, the capacity will increase by a couple of quarts.
I am attaching a link to the 911T registry, a group of T owners that should be able to give you lots of help and some that may know the car. http://www.911t.org/
If you know your dads user name for Pelican, you could do a search on that user name and pull up all the threads he participated in, gaining information about what has been done.
There is always excellent help here from people willing to share their experience with you as well.
Check around for any service records and keep all that stuff going forward. You never know when it will come in handy.
Good luck with the car.

cubby911T · cubby911T's Garage

Hi Chris,

Sorry to hear about your Dad. I hope that you will be reminded of him often as you learn about and enjoy his (now your) 73 T.

I'll let some others comment about questions 2-4, but regarding the oil - are you certain your Dad drained all the oil out? Did you determine this by checking the dipstick? If so, just remember that the air-cooled 911's have always required the engine to be running at operating temp (and the car on a level surface) to accurately determine oil level. If you check the dipstick with the engine off, you probably won't see any oil on the stick.

limble · 02-03-2007, 11:53 AM

Chris,
This guy does a lot with the early cars.

http://the-nurburgring.com/

Mike

randywebb · 02-03-2007, 12:05 PM

1. I'd put new, fresh oil in now - the air space has water vapor in it that condenses out -- oil fills up the air space somewhat.

2. leave it on trickle - no problem

3. I use an idle speed of 1,000 rpm - you can lower if you want to.

The best thing is to drive the car in winter if there is no salt where you live. Otherwise toss a few pieces of carpet or rubber mats under the tires to reduce flat spotting.

Best wishes.

Early_S_Man · 02-03-2007, 07:08 PM

Chris,

I am saddened to hear of your father's passing, and sorry you had to join 'the club' at such an early age.

You now have a family heirloom to take care of, and it sounds like you have the right attitude to do a fine job! Assuming the car doesn't have an optional [or retrofitted] front oil cooler, the total oil system capacity is about 11 quarts, and about 9 - 9.5 quarts is required for a change. Some oil remains in the oil cooler and lines after the sump and tank are drained. Unless you have an exceptionally hot summer, the 10W-40 oil can be used year round. If you expect hot summer driving conditions, then 20W- 50 oil should be used. What I recommend you do do after oil has been drained from sump plate and tank ... is to put 9 quarts in and run the engine until it is warmed up to 180°F - 190°F, then check the oil on a level surface with the engine running. Use the dipstick in the tank fill spout ... the desired level is about halfway between the low and high marks.

The car may have been originally fitted with a 13 mm front anti-roll bar. The upgraded bars are probably both 15 mm.

I may be confused about the idle speed question, but I use the hand throttle to the left of the emergency brake handle pulled all the way up to start, then push down to a 1500 - 1800 rpm warm-up speed. Idle speed with the hand throttle all the way down and engine warmed up should be 900 rpm. Here is a thread with distributor maintenance info, and idle timing specs:

distributor lube...

Good luck with the car!

fryardds · fryardds's Garage

Chris,

I too am sorry to hear of your loss. I am part of a small, but enthusiastic group of early 911 owners here in the Midwest. You are a bit far south but we would enjoy having you join up with us for some events this coming summer. In May there is a really great Porsche event (the Taj) in Dayton, OH you would enjoy on Memorial Day weekend.

Did your dad remove the mechanical fuel injection system and put on the Webers? If so and you still have the parts, putting that back on the car someday would be a worthy project for your family heirloom.

73911guy · 02-10-2007, 10:27 AM

Thanks for the help guys,

I've been really busy with little projects and school so I haven't had a chance to reply.

Anyways,
Yes, all the oil was drained out. Dad always put a piece of tape on the windshield to indicate there was no oil. The piece of tape is still there and I distinctly remember him draining everything.

To Fryardds:
My dad was actually planning on driving up to Dayton to go to that show, but the starter failed and he had to replace that. Unfortunately, my insurance is ridiculus (18) even though I have yet to have an accident or claim. So, it looks I'll be secluded to driving the car around the neighborhood.

Final questions for the thread:
The car came with CIS - I'm positive about that. Some way down the line of owners, someone switched the CIS to Webers. This would be a future plan ~ 7 years away, but would it help the value of the car to switch it from Webers back to CIS?

Does anyone mind looking up the history of the car? The VIN # is 9113102663 with engine #6134909.

Again, thanks for the help guys!