What is chance that my engine will explode?
 

Ok guys here is the deal, my mom and dad are mad at me for taking my car to DE events. They are telling me that my 1981 911SC is old and going to blow the motor if I keep racing it. It only has 87k on the clock and has been pampard with royal purple oil and regular valve adjustments. I have the Porsche short shift kit, K&N and Alum. pressure plate. It has been tuned to the proper factory specs and so on. So my question to you is what is the chance that my SC will blow up? Oh yeah, I shift at 6250rpm on the back straight. Here are some pics of me at the DE events and my motor after I dropped it and cleaned it up.

http://kennethhamburgerii.tripod.com/KenHamburgerWeb

I say don't disappoint your parents.......Race it hard until it BLOWS!!!!:eek: BTW Geaux TIGERS!!!!!!!!!

Assuming you've updated to the "Carrera" tensioners you *could* blow it up, but you could do that on the street too. The SC's are supposed to be bulletproof, yours is still a low miles car for a 911, and if it's been maintained properly and is in good health then you shouldn't have much to worry about. Just don't put in into 1st gear at 70mph and you shouldn't have many problems.

Kenneth:

Not to change the subject, but that's a beautiful motor/gearbox!!!
Great detailing on the upper valve covers and cooling shroud.

How on earth did you get all those cast pieces so clean, especially the gearbox/trans?

Did you use some kind of sealant?

Also, what did you do to the fan and fan shroud? Bead blast and powdercoat?
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Cheers,
Bob Sauerteig
Atlanta, GA
'87 Coupe

Did your Mom and Dad buy the car for you? If so, I'd be "mad" too.

While you're at CEO's website, check out his dad's Jaguar XK150. Sweet car! Your dad may be a nag, but he's an all right guy if he let you help restore that car!

I say as long as you are going to take the responsibility to fix it if it does blow - then more power to you... Just remember that a Porsche rebuild is going to cost a little more than replacing a chevy 350 in the neighbors pick up.

Great looking motor -

Jeremy
"It's not the speed that kills, but the sudden deceleration"

I disagree with cegerer. If you parents bought you the car, I assume they expect you to drive it at least occasionally. If one is going to drive a 911, one should learn how first. No better place for this is the track/autocross environment. We all know if he doesn't over-rev the thing, or have to many agricultural excursions, the car will be completely fine. Hypothetically speaking, if I had a kid whom I bought a Porsche for, I'd be mad if he thought he could have enough fun on the street and didn't want to go to DEs because they start too early in the morning. Now that would be dangerous.

Okay
 

1) Anyone who teases you about your mommy and daddy getting your car is just envious that they hadn't a snowball's chance on venus of owning a 911 at your age. More power to you.

2) Um, dump the senior picture on the 'about me' page in exchange for one of you working your your car. Put some grease on your face and your hands and hold a tool. Make sure some grease is around your nose and mouth so people know you aren't afraid to eat the stuff if you have to.

3) Nice bumpers. Wish I had those 964 style bumpers on mine!

4) Finally, your parents' *****ing probably serves the purpose of you autoxing mindfully. They intend only to plant a seed of caution so that you do not go overboard and blow the engine. Push the engine but don't be stupid or reckless (can you not be reckless at 23?) SCs and later Carreras really are bulletproof if you don't miss a shift (and I've missed a few biggies myself and still she purrs)

Gentlemen,

I doubt that Master Burger's engine will blow up but you're all risking a big can o' worms exploding for everybody if you keep referring in a public forum to Driver's ed as "racing". There is a reason for the distinction and you all know it.

BTW, That is one phenomenal detail job on your motor

The 911 was made to race! More power to you for going to DEs and Auto-Xing it!

I agree your parents have the right to worry since you are thier son and all that... Also if they paid for the car I can see concern there as well, but personally I would love if my children wanted to race thier cars the legal way :)

Most people do not understand how the 911 motor is made and what the car is designed to do. Show them pictures of the internal components of the engine and they will see the strength in the bottom and how it is virtually impossible to "blow"... Given you do not miss a shift and grenade the valve train. A stock SC top end should be good up to about 7000RPM and the bottom end good for about 8000RPM+ from everything I have read and heard.

Maybe if I were racing a Honda or VW I would be worried of the engine grenading :)

CEO: I think you are at tremendous risk of blowing you motor, must never rev above 3000rpm, and should stop racing immediately! After all, Porsche didn't design these cars to be driven to the edge of the envelope, did they . . .? That's why they have such wimpy brakes, floppy suspensions, weak structures, a weight saving unibody design, and that silly dry-sump oil thing found elsewhere only on race cars and airplanes.
But, you are young, so maybe you will take the risk anyway, unlike your more experienced and informed elders. . .

CEO: It looks a though your Dad is a car guy too. Bring him along, to a DE event, I bet he enjoys it! Before long you will move up to a more experienced run group and you two can share the car at the next event. (This way if something breaks you blame him!!)

The track is a great place to learn about your car and improve your driving skills. After a weekend of "no times but good times", I treat my ol' lady like the lady she is on the street and have no desire to run with the ricers, bimmers and assorted knuckleheads you find out there on public roads.

I will answer some of your questions.

VenezianBlau 87 - to get all the tranny pieces clean I used some steel wool a brass wire brush and a lot of B12 Chemtool. That stuff works awsome! Then after all was clean I wanted the motor to look good so I took like a week to decide what color I wanted all the parts to be. Then I took them and had it powdercoated. And I must say everything still looks great after 8k miles back in the car.

The reason I decided to clean the motor was to find out what a 911 motor really looked like and to try and see why she ran hot in traffic. Well, come to find out the crankcase breather seal on the back of the motor was leaking a small amount of oil and cakeing the top of the cylinders with oil and then grime and dust was sticking to it. So after I cleaned it and got it back up running she runs cool. I can leave the car running for about 1 hour before she will only go a tic past 190 and that is with a loop style cooler. I would bet that most people with heating proplems just have dirty motors. And dirty oil coolers.

And no my parents did not buy my car for me!! I invested in the stock market with the money that my parents gave me for graduation. And when my stocks when up high enough I sold my Mustang that my parents gave me and some of my stocks and got something that I have always wanted, a 911. I like money, so I try to make more out of a little. And so far it works for me pretty well.

Kurt V - My dad and I used to take the Jaguar to vintage jaguar autocrosses with the Jag club of Texas. I think that is where the Autox bug bit me. And now I am hooked. But it is great fun to drive. It is the 3.8L I6 and makes tons of torque down low! Everyone stares when we drive it, great fun!

Kurt B - did you ever notice how many Kurts where here with a K! Anyway, You bring up some good points I guess you are right because I doubt that I have enough money to fix the motor if it did let go, being that I am paying for rent and tuition. $4,700 a semester. AHHH, that is a great set of wheels. Oh well one more year left. Almost there...
The 964 bumpers were super easy to put on I did it all myself and I also sanded, blocked and primed them too. Not only do they look great but I saved 118lbs total and that is on the ends of the car, I actually did notice a big difference.

Pillow - That is exactly what I told them about the internals and such. But then you hear these stories of guys with 911s that are scared to take it over 5k what gives? I love the way it sounds at high RPM's.

And lastly thank you guys for all your compliments, all my elbow grease and hard work paid off. Glad you like my pics and web site
hopefully I will have more pics soon. I need to post some pics of my Mille Migila singal in dual out pics. because every one tells me that my cars sounds soooo good. And that is coming form Ford and Chevy people. OK have to go talk more later. ;)

Here's my prospective, from a father that has two grown sons, and 4 grandchildren. (he did ask) If your parents gave you the car, than it is yours and there should be no strings attached to the gift. Even if your still living at home or even if they are footing the college tuition (I've been there, done that) BUT (don't you just hate those "buts") I would hope that you would not want to disappoint your parents. I would presume from their comments about not blowing up the engine, that,if you did, they would be a little disappointed. Having said all of that, I would think it would be prudent of you to hold off on the D.E.'s, Auto-X's, etc. for a few more months, until you have graduated from college and are out on your own and on your own "dime". just my .02 cents - your mileage may vary.


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The dangers to a 911 engine from over-reving is not a big worry under power, and <b>NO form of REV-LIMITER providees any real insurance against the REAL DANGER ... A MISSED SHIFT!!!</b>

Several mechanical overrev incidents have occurred to board members in the past couple of years, including one during a test drive! The typical results are multiple broken rocker arms and bent intake valves, and the typical repair bill is $2500-$3000!

<b>Hardly a total engine 'BLOW-UP,' but a real danger during a DE event if concentration is lost ... at least HALF of the overrev 'incidents' reported here DID occur during a DE event!</b>

Drive it hard and take your Dad to an event. If she blows, then you'll have another great learning experience. You're an adult now so make your own decisions. Just be careful and don't get yourself hurt- everything else is small stuff.


Joe
'80 SC Targa

CEO, think a little bit more about mom and dad saying you're going to blow the motor. Your dad is a car guy, especially if he'd let his son ax his concours Jag!
Mom and dad could care less if you blow your car up. They're using parentspeak to show their concern about your safety. ;)
It may be to your advantage to drop the term racing and replace it with track day, or better yet, driver's ed (always try to get the ed in).
Spend a little time explaining different run groups and how a driver progresses from beginer with an instructor in the car, to intermediate, and then advanced. That you're learning car control skills in a controled environment not on the street.
The bumpers on your car look good.

Don't sweat it CEO. Take care of the engine with regular maintenance. You can rev it all you want, but careful that the 915 doesn't bite you. All it takes is one missed shift. Always shift very deliberately with 915s- reduces chance of mechanical overrev from missing your speedshift. Also much nicer on that crappy Porsche synchromesh! Check your shifter bushings and pour in some Redline MTL, you should be all set. Cheap!

There's some whack job on this board who never revs his engine over 3,000rpm. I'd say he's running the greater risk of having engine problems.

Royal purple? How much you pay for a quart of that snake oil?
No offense, but I don't put much stock in that stuff.