Introduction and have a Question
 

Guys I just picked up an 85 Targa ROW car. It is in ok shape. I plan on a resto this winter. I picked up the car form a customer at our shop. He bought it over a year ago for 12K and never really used the car. The fresh air motor caught fire and melted the intake. The transmission is a little funny, I suspect syncronizers. He got fed up with the car and brought it into the shop and said he wasn't coming back for it. I picked it up for 2K. I know the tail is not stock. I have serviced it and plan on having fun with it for the summer. Now to my question. I have an oil leak at the vacuum valve above the oil tank. What is that valve?

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i2...porsche005.jpg
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i2...porsche006.jpg

You stole it. ;)

The tail is an early Turbo Tail, most likely a replica, but goes well on your ROW.

Can you show a picture of the leaky valve?

The valve is where the red arrow points, mine looks something like that one:

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i2...orsche/oil.jpg

I believe it's a fresh air valve. Something to do with letting air in while the car warms up. There are a few threads about the valve but they are from a weird noise coming from them, like a kazoo, not oil leaks.

If you have an oil leak there you may have over filled the engine/oil tank. The car needs to be fully warmed up with the engine running to check the oil level.

Nice car for 2K!

John

Agree on possibly overfilling oil.

Only check on level ground, while the engine is idling at full operating temperature.

Fill to half way between the F and L lines.

It was probably overfull. I don't know who last serviced the car. The leak looks old and the valve is oil soaked. I didn't check the level before I serviced it. I have yet to put any real miles on it yet so it is probably fine. Yea I couldn't pass the deal up. It is going to be a fun car. Also what is the HP difference between the US and ROW cars?

The ROW cars if its a 3.0 will be 205bhp, the us cars had around 185bhp i think.
Someone will chime in and give you the correct numbers.
A very nice car for the money
But i would say that ;)

Paul

You did steal it. Very nice.

It has the 3.2. I believe the US spec was 207 or 217, just not sure of the ROW spec.

Nice beach buggy. ;)

As a first step in sorting the dodgy transmission, check the shift coupler bushings (access panel in the center rear floor). Likely it is the synchros, but you might get lucky (again) as you did with your super buy-in price. Enjoy the car!

Brian

Yea, Brian I am going to try there. Also the shifter is a bit sloppy. I changed the fluid and it seems a lot better.

Good on ya. You probably know this, too, but check the clutch cable adjustment as well. Glad to see the car's found a proper steward.

Brian

US is 207 HP, ROW is 231 HP for the 3.2.

Oh, and the ROW 3.2 should have premium gas; 10.6:1 CR. (US is 9.5:1).

windsoreight, your '85 Targa has Porsche's old 915 transmission.

It does best with non-synthetic fluid...I'm using Swepco 201, but there are other choices out there as well. There are a bunch of threads on this.

The slick stuff is better left to the newer G50 trans, which came in 1987.

I put non synthetic in it. I think the shifter is the biggest problem. 1st is into the dash and 2nd is into the back seat. I may be exaggerating but the shifter is sloppy. I took it out tonight and flogged it. The air valve didn't leak a drop. The 2 main things I am going to concentrate on is the shifter and it has a rough idle. The idle is a little lopey but the car runs fantastic. The car has been sitting for 9-12 months. I found no vacuum leaks, I am hoping the idle clears up.

You're not exaggerating by much! Porsche shortened the throws in '86, but it's still long.

You have plenty of aftermarket choices, including Porsche's own Short Shift which was an option at the time. Pelican has a good selection.

As for the idle: mixture, O2 sensor, idle control valve, cylinder head temp sensor...the usual suspects. What's the RPM when your engine is warmed up?

I never really looked at the RPMs but the idle RPM sounds about right. The idle is just a little rough and probably fluctuates up and down 100 RPMs. The idle dosen't change from the time of cold start to operating temp. The shifter is really sloppy, I will pull it apart this weekend and see whats up. I suspect I will find something amiss.

nice car. sloppy shifting and "transmission is a little funny" are not the same thing. if the gears change ok but the shifter is sloppy, its probably the bushings and, the fact that your not used to these shifters...when i got mine it had new synchros but the shifter still seemed like an old tractor....to a degree, thats just how they are and you get used to it....but still check the bushings and maybe install a short shift kit

my idle is rough when cold start this time of year....surges up and down... been that way since i got it 4 years ago..once its hot, it idles perfectly and during summer, even on a cold start the idle is ok when starting. ive learned to live with it until i have the budget to diagnose and fix. its not a big deal to me

does the idle normalize after a long drive?

........drive it like you stole it.......you bloody well did!!!!!!
Great story and welcome to the best BBS there is...

Neil

As far as the trans goes, you can up shift just fine. It is a little notchy into second. You can't down shift into second without a clunk. I suspect a syncro issue. It is hard to confirm with the sloppy shifter. There was a leak at the transmission oil cooler which I fixed. The fluid in the trans was burnt and the magnet was nice and fuzzy with metal. So I am sure the trans will need going through. I do plan on a full rebuild this winter.

I have yet to take it on a long drive to tell if the idle stabilizes. Right now the previous owners tags are on the car. I have to go the the DMV friday and get the title switched over a tags.

I have an 85 Euro...(or ROW) it is indeed a 3.2, 231HP.... definitely run premium in her and yes, it is a 915 transmission with a rather "vintage" feel. Do you have the rear fog lamp? (little red light beside the exhaust pipe) It took me a while to learn how to turn it on... rotate the front fog light switch. 2K...holy sh##, I wish mine was had for that, I'd have all the "bells and whistles" by now. I think a normal priced 911 is good value in "fun per dollar"! Cheers and good luck.....sounds like you should go out and buy a lottery ticket ASAP.

Call the cops, windsoreight stole that thing.

Damn!

Holy smokes you got a good deal.

For your shifter issues, order a bushing kit and a factory short shift from our fine host. After you install those and adjust the linkages, it should feel a little bit better, but it will never really be great. These things helped my "shift feel" significantly, but I still need to replace the synchros on my transmission.

An Italian tune-up might help out the idle, if not try cleaning your ICV.

Enjoy your extra horsepower!

Thanks guys, my cop buddy already tried buying the car off me.

Drisump, I do not have the rear light. I have seen pics of them. I suspect if it had one it was removed when it was imported. I did find a sticker on the door sill stating that the speedo was changed at 255KM. They swapped in a MPH speedo.

I plan on ripping into the car this weekend. I will check the stifter out and play with the idle surge.

I'd focus on R&R'ing the shifter and coupler bushings and making sure it's adjusted correctly, and then see what you have. You certainly may need some work internally, but often it's a matter of making sure the linkage is right.

Short-shifters are not necessarily a good idea on a car with some miles. The added force required to change gears can accelerate internal problems.

The 915 gearbox will feel more awkward than what you may be used to, but you'll get the feel for it.

I think the worst thing about the stock shifter is the lack of feeling a gate. The shift pattern it so loose, sloppy, and wide. Not what you would expect from this type of car.

They aren't supposed to be that sloppy. Vague may be a better way to describe the throw of a 915 that is dialed-in properly. There are new shifters- Rennshift or Wevo that provide more defined throws with "gates". Or, the Seine Systems piece is more economical and also defines the 1-2 and 3-4 planes so that you avoid the dreaded money shift.

i agree. when i first drove one, i thought something was broken or missing...it is odd that such a well engineered car shifts this way. its the only thing i dont like about these cars but you get used to it..new bushings will not make it shift like a ferrari

Man, what a score! I thought I did well on my '75 for 3k, but it was in much rougher shape that yours. I agree with the shifting. First thing I did was refresh all the bushings, which helped quite a bit, but it will never feel like a modern sports car. You'll get used to it.

Good luck with the car, a sweet find.

----

Tom '75 targa