Bentley SC Manual

Well, I finally got my SC manual today. At a glance, it seems very well done, at least for the kind of jobs I will be doing myself. The photos are very clear; far better than Haynes. Also, excellent descriptions of the CIS, ignition, and electrical systems. Unlike the factory books, it seems more in line with the D-I-Y home mechanic. I think it will be all I'll ever need.

Regards,
Doug
'81 SC Coupe

Doug,
Where did you order it from? I have seen the Bentley Carrera manual at Barnes&Noble, but I need the manual for the 74 - 77 years. I asked at B& N if they could order different years, but he didn't find any more listings. I agree that they look a lot better organized than the Haynes, with better step by step instructions.
Thanks,
Craig
77 911s

I was a little disappointed with my Bentley SC manual. It certainly is better than the Hayne's manual, but it's still lacking.

Example: Here's what it says about ride height adjustment.

"Adjust the eccentric bolts to obtain the correct ride heighth" (I'm quoting from memory, so this might not be exact). Also the section on CIS is useless. You need to still buy a seperate book on CIS. And it doesn't describe how to do a brake caliper rebuild.

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Bill Krause
'79 911SC Euro

Craig,
I ordered my copy through a local book seller. No sweet deals, but I didn't have to go the mail order route. You can also order it directly from Bentley's website. Pelican sells it too.

As far as the vices and virtues of the book, it is *not* a Porsche factory manual.
Bentley does not claim it to be.
Everyone knows how much the Porsche 911 book set costs. If you need that kind of information, then be prepared to spend that kind of money. The Bentley manual seems to be perfect for many jobs that the average D-I-Y guy is willing to undertake. And BTW, *I* did not find the CIS section "useless"....quite to the contrary, it answered many questions I had about the system, and provided me with enough info to do what I want to do. Anything else I will leave to my pro-wrench.

Regards,
Doug
'81 SC Coupe

I've got to agree with Doug. It's not a complete insight into every nut and bolt, but it puts the Haynes manual to shame. I'm a relatively cheap SOB and to me it was worth the full $120 I paid straight from Bentley.

The difference may be how much knowledge you already have. I am at the novice end of the spectrum - it doesn't take a whole lot of depth to teach me something I didn't know.

Jeff C
81 SC

I think its a damn good book.
A must for anyone who is really interested in how their car works, and if you plan on working on it, its the best tool you can buy. I think for most people, its better than the factory manual, for a variety of reasons.

I got mine from Ebay for about $80. Seller was cmuzzy, he had a bunch for sale. If I remember correctly, it is a shop in PA. One of the payment options was to call the parts department and give a CC number.

Tom
82SC coupe

Bill,

Bently makes a great book that covers CIS and Pulsed injection.

Its called "Bosch Fuel Injection and Engine Management." Its saved me many a time.

However, based on your CIS posts I have read, I doubt you need it!!

Nick.

I bought a seperate CIS book, and it was a huge help, but it wasn't at all specific to my car, or even specific to Porsche. There are lots of little variations in CIS over the model years, and between ROW and US cars.

The Haynes manual at least had the correct diagram for my system (not much else), the Bentley manual didn't.

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Bill Krause
'79 911SC Euro

The SC manual is pretty good, and for lack of the factory manuals is what I am flying on for now.

A couple of mistakes, though. First, section 660-3, Table A "Outside mirror drive motor wire colors" is a carryover from the Carrera manual. I can't say that the table is wrong though as I don't know what's right! In all events, I'd love to know if anyone out there can confirm the data.

And second, section 301-5, Figure 0018613C "Clutch release mechanism (cable-operated) neglects to show the pin through the clutch release lever (item 22) that was in the SC up to March of '79 (according to the Haynes, where I finally found the information).

And finally it would have been nice if Bentley had put the information on what the valve clearance spec. is right in the Maintenance (030-9) section. You have to turn to 152-9 to get the spec.

I write alot in my manuals, in pencil for obvious reasons. Then, when Warren chimes in, I write it in pen!

Jw

I do like the clear pics and the overlap of information.

$88 from Pelican.

I am with Doug, its good for the DIY guy. I used it a few times last week while doing my SSI conversion. I got my copy from the local Barnes and Nobel for $22. I just called an gave them the ISDN # and they said it would be $22 and would take 6 weeks to get in. It only took 2 weeks to get it! I guess I got a great deal.

Paul
81 911SC

Barnes and Noble told me that their distribution center did not stock it at all. Any tips or locations we can use to get a few more copies out of them before they figure out what they are doing?

Olivier
82 SC

My local B&N told me that they had to order it directly from the publisher. They were very fast (2 weeks, not the 6 weeks they thought). Just call your local B&N and ask them if they can order the book for you, and how much it will be.

Paul
81 911SC

22 DOLLARS????
Excuse me...I think I'm going into cardiac arrest!!!


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Regards,
Doug
'81 SC Coupe