Dream realized... First 911 Carrera

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Hello Pelicans,

Thank you for all your support and encouragement. Three years ago I started searching for a 911. After doing a lot of research and cost analysis, I thought it best to start off in a 1988 924s, since it was the most Porsche I could get for the money. My teenage fantasy car would have to wait.

I started looking again in December. A coast-to-coast search using the Internet was frustrating but informative. A month ago I happened on to the local classifieds section of the paper while waiting for an appointment and saw the ad for my car. It was one mile from my house.

I bought a 1985 Carrera for $12k with 99k miles. It is pretty clean, but has some maintenance issues that need addressing. My fellows Pelicans have made me feel confident that I can do some of the work myself.

I noticed that when I turned on the lights, that the gas gauge registered up a little, then went back to the former position when I turned the lights off. What's up with that?

Also, an interior fan sound came on after I had been sitting idle for a long time (waiting in line for DMV inspection). The fan noise went off as mysteriously as it came on.

I am going to have to learn all the noises and what all of the buttons do.

Life is good

[SCWDP911]

Nice ride Jeff! Look forward to meeting you on the MidTN Fun Run #1.

[Super_Dave_D]

I don’t know about your 85 but could that fan sound be from your front oil cooler fan and not actually from inside the car? Maybe your car just started get get hot and the fan kicked on/off. BTW - these cars don’t like to sit at idle for an extended amount of time and should be avoided if possible.

[Dueller]

Fan you hear is likely oil cooler fan in right front fender.

If that car is in half as good of shape as it looks, you got a great deal.

[M491driver]

My heater blower came on randomly in my '87 until I found that the red lever between the seats was not pressed all the way down.

[crosby50]

Looks like you got a great deal!

[Dueller]

While these cars are semi-exotic, you will find they are fairly simple machines. If you have a little bit of mechanical aptitude, some basic tools and patience, with the help of this board, a Bentley repair manual and Wayne's 101 Projects book, you can do a lot of work yourself. Not only does it save you a ton of $$$$ it dispels the myth that these cars are hyper-expensive to maintain. Plus, at least for me, its personally satisfying.

For example, the brake job you need to do is an inexpensive, simple 2 hour job at a snails pace...provided that you don't need to replace rotors. And even if you do need rotors, it still is well within the range of the DIY'er.

If you don't have valve guide issues or broken head studs, these cars are amazingly cheap to own. Plus, what else could you buy for 12K that's so much fun?

BTW...is that a non-sunroof model?

[FenderGuy]

sweet ride and yes I agree for 12k thats a lot of fun

[Rot 911]

Glad to see you got the car!

[SCWDP911]

Jeff,

I have the Bentley and the 101. If you are in a hurry, I could possibly let you borrow either. With Wayne's blessing, I could photocopy what is there for brakes and shoot that to you.

On another note, maybe you could try to sponsor a Porsche Work Party. I'd be game if schedule will allow. I've done brakes, but not on the Porsche yet. Maybe someone else in Memphis can help too. You have my number. Let me know.

[livi]

Great looking car and a very good year indeed. BTW, I am not convinced the 85 came with a fan on the front oil cooler. I think that feature came a year or two later. Does your 85 have it ??

[cbeers]

In my opinion, this forum is every bit as valuable as the books. I have the books too though, just in case

Welcome and congrats, that was a great price if everything is OK.

-Chris

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Shane, Thanks for the book loan offer. I am going to buy them from pelican. Work party sounds like a good idea! I am sure that I can do-it-myself, but it is always nice to have friends over.

Livi, I don't know if my car has a fan on the oil cooler, but it makes sense since it came on after running idle for a long while. It turned off after a few minutes and has not come back on again.

Dueller, I do need to replace the rotors (discs?), according to the PPI. I thought I should repack the bearings and replace wheel seals. The PPI also recommended new brake calipers... How will I know if the ones on my car can be rebuilt?

[cbeers]

They can and it's one of the best projects to tackle. Seems like it would be hard but it's not at all.

I rebuilt all of mine last year along with rotors, lines, pads etc. and I did it all myself. I'm no pro. I was amazed at how cheap the parts were too!

A rotor for my CR500 costs more!

Go figure.


Archives have all of the info, along with the tech articles on this site.

-Chris

[petrolblue83911]

You can definitly re-build your calipers, and several kits are available to complete this, take a look our host's inventory as well as others.

[bjzorn]

Looks great Jeff! looking forward to seeing it and meeting you at the MDTN fun run. I have starting looking for my second P-car as well. I am looking for a 80-83 911SC if you know of a low milage one let me know. Oh yeah I should Mention guys that I am Porsche Parts Certified and I still have a great standing with a couple of Porsche dealers and can get parts at wholesale. If you need anything let me know

Brandon J

[livi]

I believe the front radiator fan came in 87, but it could of course be retro fitted to a 85. Take a peak up the front right fender toward the front of the car. A fan should be easily spotted on the radiator.

[the]

You are living the dream - that car looks just like the C&D test car that we all drooled over when we were teens! Whenever I see an 84/85 black on black with spoilers I think back to that article, which I think I read 100 times back then and memorized.

Congrats!

[Zef]

Coooool...very nice 911...have fun...!

[Dueller]

Originally posted by JeffreyNMemphis
Dueller, I do need to replace the rotors (discs?), according to the PPI. I thought I should repack the bearings and replace wheel seals. The PPI also recommended new brake calipers... How will I know if the ones on my car can be rebuilt?

If they're working now, they can be rebuilt, no question. The question I would have is do they really need it? Most PPI's will nitpick a car to death in an effort of full disclosure and to shield them from liability. While it may be recommended as preventitive maintenance, it may be they are fine...I dunno if they saw an actual problem or being overly cautious. In any event, its not a difficult rebuild and far cheaper than replacement. Same thing with the rotors. You may find that everything is in spec and you only need to replace pads. And it ultimately becomes a "while you're in there..." proposition: So let's flush the fluid and replace and might as well replace the lines with stainless and so let's go ahead and get cross-drilled rotors and we might as well upgrade to 930 calipers and oh yeah let's replace the tie rods with turbo's so why don'y we go ahead and have the spindles raised and and and...LOL.

If you've ever done a brake job you know it will take you an hour to do the pads on the first corner and and 15 minutes to do each of the remaining three. I speak from experience as when I replaced pads for the first time on a 911, I spent 55 minutes of the hour on the first one trying to figure out how to remove the retaining pins only to discover they were removed by tapping them out with a punch and there were no retaining clips as on my other cars.

I think I might call the guys who did the PPI and tell them you're a DIY'er and ask if they were being cautious or if there is any service life left on the rotors etc...

HEY....MORE PICS OF YOUR NEW BABY!!!!!!!