1980 911SC Self Tune-Up Inquiry

[These]

Hello all,

I am new to the forums, but have been snooping around a bit and I'm glad I've landed in such a resource-rich site! My story goes as this; My 1980 911SC needs a tune up severely, and I have bought all necessary things to do so. I have in my possession the service manual and I am well versed with a wrench, so this should not pose a threat to me. I have asked both my mechanic friends at the local Porsche dealership and specialty Porsche shop questions as to whether or not it is essential to drop the engine from the car to preform the tune up and I have gotten mixed responses. The dealership guys told me that it was not necessary, but did make things easier whereas my other shop friend advised that it was absolutely necessary. I am aware of the multitude of positives that result in dropping it out, as ease of access to everything is increased ten-fold. I do not however have a lift with which I can accomplish said task. Subsequently, I find myself here, looking for second, third, and fourth opinions (who better to ask than you guys?!). Sorry for the long-winded response, as I felt I should be as detailed as possible. Thank you all in advance!

~Harrison

=D

[aldente295]

Hi Harrison - and welcome! I've also found these forums to be absolutely invaluable, and so far have 'taken' a lot more than I've 'given' - so I'll try and give a little back here.

In answer to your question 'do I need to drop the engine', it obviously depends on what you are going to do as part of your tune-up. When I first bought my car, I limited myself to the basics -

- oil change
- valve adjust
- new spark plugs
- new silicon gasket seals
- new rotor
- new tranny fluid

All of which were easily performed with the engine in the car. I say 'easily - the valves are a bit of a PITA with having to get out from under the car repeatedly (search for posts on the 'backside method' for an alternative - which I wasn't keen to do my first time round), ... and the back right spark plug will have you weeping at those sadistic german engineers with (apparently) very small hands who designed its placement ... but it's still very doable with the engine in the car.

If you're planning on doing anything beyond that - say, checking for oil leaks on the front of the engine, replacing fuel lines etc - then you'd need to do a drop.

I'd say the two essential upgrades for the SC are the carrera tensioners and a popoff valve for the airbox. As long as you have both of those things in place, and you've changed the fluids, and it's running OK -- just get out there and drive it!


cheers
Al

[aldente295]

Oh, one other thing - if you do a search on methods of dropping the engine, you'll see that very few of us are blessed with a lift to do it with. The usual method is to build a trolley for the engine to sit on, then lift the car up and over it (Taking the rear bumper off makes the angle you need to jack the bum of your car in the air _slightly_ less terrifying).

[James Brown]

Perhaps if you tell us what you want to do, we can tell you if engine removal is necessary (like a clutch change) Welcome aboard!

[These]

@ Al, Thank you so much, that is great news!

@ James, As far as what I am hoping to accomplish; Pretty much a full tune-up, I am buying the kit from this site and new wires as well, as they are not included with the kit from Pellican and I am definitely in need of them. And thank you for the welcome! I am happy to be here.

~Harrison

=D

[James Brown]

Put it this way, the only thing you need to drop the engine/trans (as one piece) is to: rebuild engine, rebuild transmission, replace clutch assembly, concourse detail (hehehe), replace some rear suspension bushings. Everything else can (might be difficult) be replaced/fixed in the car. Kinda like every other car. Don't let that mechanic charge you a extra 6-10 hours so he can be comfortable. Get a Bentley manual and study it. There is everything you can do to the car in there. See for yourself and have fun!!
Tune-up stuff is a great way to start the learning curve.

[These]

Thank you so much James, and just as I noted towards Al, a tremendous amount of weight has been taken off of my chest. I'll keep you updated =)

~Harrison

=D

[Gunter]

What Service Manual do you have??

The Bentley SC Repair Manual is a must to have for an SC. One big mistake in it that the direction of rotation of the distributor is given as cw but in fact it is ccw!

Tune-up sequence: Mechanical (Valve-adjust, gaskets, replace hoses and parts as needed)
Ignition (Plugs, wires, rotor, cap)
Mixture-adjust (With a long, long 3 mm Allen key).

Aside from the usual parts needed, consider replacing oil pressure switch, thermostate O-ring and breather gasket. These are on top of the engine, are prone to leak over time and are cheap to replace.

The ignition distributor most likely needs servicing. No matter how careful a tune-up you perform, if the distributor has a gummed-up mechanical or vacuum advance, the engine will run lousy.

Distributor service (Clean and lube) real easy without removing the pinion gear! - Pelican Parts Technical BBS

Do you have the Bentley Manual?

[GaryR]

The problem with the Bently Manual (so i'm told) is that it was written for the 84-89 Carerra and then "backdated" for the SC so it has quite a few little issues (wiring diagrams?) but I agree that other than factory manuals and Wayne's book it is the best general source.

[Gunter]

Aside from the mistake about direction of distributor rotation, there are a few minor mistakes with a few pictures/sketches but the rest is very user-friendly with good write-ups and pictures.

Wiring diagrams inside the Bentley are correct for SC's.

Keep in mind that factory service manuals are designed for experts and dealerships and not that user-friendly for DIY.