New to Forum 1979 911 SC

[skime219]

Just purchased a 1979 911 SC with 103k miles on it.
Purchased from my cousin and the car had a good bit of documentation.
I used this site extensively to research before the purchase, thanks a ton to Pelican and this forum.
Good news is the car had all of the recommended work completed on it. Upgraded chain tensioners, pop off valve, AC converted to 134 and the list goes on. Totally excited about the new ride, always wanted one. Yes the car had a crappy paint job a few years back and I will need to address that. One Club member suggested it would not be noticed at 150 mph…
Bad news is I backed it out of the garage yesterday and now it will not crank?? The blower motor for the heater is not working and I noticed that one wire was disconnected, so plugged it up and tried to crank the car. It acted like it wanted to crank, a few cylinder fires, but no go. Disconnected the wire and still no go. Battery was turning the motor over no problem but does not want to crank. Thought I smelled gas so left it alone over night but still no go this morning.
Will start with spark tonight and begin to narrow the search down from there. Suggestions??
Thanks again for the great site and forum. Will surly spend a few bucks here.

[911Freak]

Welcome! Try searching this forum for no start threads, this has been covered many times and a quick glossing over of the threads will provide you ample diagnostic procedures to get to the bottom of your issue.

spark-air-fuel
Make sure you start here with these basics and report back.

Good luck, probably something simple.

BTW You aren't pressing the throttle when starting the engine right? The CIS system doesn't react well to this...

[Oh Haha]

Welcome to Pelican!!

That color is pretty cool.

Like 911 freak stated, spend some time reading threads about the no-start condition before trying to diagnose.

Here are some to get you started-
Pelican Parts Technical BBS - Search Results

[crustychief]

Welcome to the board. There is a lot of good information in the link Wayne provided.
Who is going to pass you going 150? They probably will not notice the paint because they will have their hands full of the car they are driving. Just kidding.

[Buckterrier]

Welcome to Pelican. Very nice car. Good luck with it.

[don gilbert]

you need to take quick study of how your CIS system works, a must if you are going to work on the car yourself. I alway like to go ahead and tune a new (used) car when i get one, just for piece of mind. (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, oil ,filters, vacuum hoses and what nots) Make sure you are getting spark, and then check fuel press, then check timing, then comp.

[nesslar]

Please make sure there is no fuel leak before starting it?!? Just my first thought, maybe someone with knowledge will add...............

[Brillo]

Welcome!

When I got my '79 SC over 11 years ago, it needed a paint job as well. It looked like the car had been washed with a Brillo pad, hence the nickname "Brillo", lots of deep swirils and the clear coat was starting to go. I think the original owner didn't know how to use an electric polisher. I bought it knowing that eventually it would have to be painted. A few years ago I had it painted. One nice thing about poor paint condition, you don't have to worry about how it looks too much.

Sorry to hear about the problem, I had some also when I first got mine. There's a wealth of knowledge on here and many willing to help.

[skime219]

Again, a totally awesome site.
Wonders never cease...charged the battery and started right up late this afternoon.
It was turning over slow this morning so that may have been why it did not fire early this AM.
Will take advice and read threads on not starting. Will also research the CIS system for future needs.
Thanks guys!

[at7driver]

Welcome,

as mentioned above DO NOT apply any throttle when starting.. have fun they are great cars.

[Oh Haha]

Originally Posted by skime219

Again, a totally awesome site.
Wonders never cease...charged the battery and started right up late this afternoon.
It was turning over slow this morning so that may have been why it did not fire early this AM.
Will take advice and read threads on not starting. Will also research the CIS system for future needs.
Thanks guys!

Glad to hear that you got her running but......


You may want to check for a parasitic draw that COULD be draining the battery. A good battery should be able to sit for weeks and still start a car.

Otherwise, drive and enjoy!!

[oneblueyedog]

Nice car and welcome to the SC adventure.

Some things to try...

Listen for a high pitched squeal from the CD box when you have the key on before turning to start.
If there is one, it's most likely good.

Check the red relay for the fuel pump for looseness and bright clean pins. It is in the trunk.

Check the green wire from the distributor to the wiring harness. Do it carefully, it's brittle when aged. Should have insulation intact.

Make sure all of your plug wires are on tight.

Make sure you have enough gas in the tank.

make sure the 6 pin terminal to the CD box is on tight.

Check the multipin terminal from the main engine wiring harness to the chassis for clean pins and firm connection.

Check for fuel leaks from the fuel filter to the main fuel pipes to the CIS. Check the return line from the CIS as well. (not likely to cause a no start, but a good safety check)

Change the fuel filter.

Perform the sensor plate lift. You'll know if the fuel pump is working then. Careful not to flood the engine. Read more about it.

Find threads on CIS and look a this link CIS Primer for the Porsche 911

Remember to throw knowledge at the car first, then wisely spend money to fix it.

I've enjoyed mine for 12 years so far.

[Jdub]

+1 on the baseline of replacing oil, gas, & air filters, oil, 'plugs, distributor cap and rotor, and purge the brake system of fluid. If you have ANY DOUBTS AT ALL about that battery replace (Group 44 battery type FYI). A weak battery will screw up your alternator and that gets expensive.

Mark spark plugs to their cylinders and have a good look to diagnose any problems (oily, etc.).

Also, with air box cover off, wipe out any and all oil in the airbox, being esp. careful to remove from the large plate with arm you see in there. Do not move the plate/arm up too much - this gases the car (bad!) - just remove the oil.

Great cars, the SC.

[jwakil]

One of the first things I did when I bought my SC was get rid of the blower motor and all that ugly ducting. Do a heater backdate (lots of info on that) and you will have a lot more space to work in and still have plenty of heat. (Basically you will duct the air directly from the engine fan down through the heat exchangers instead of going through the blower).
Also, you need to read the Bosch fuel injection book by Probst. Once I read that, all the mystery of the CIS system went away and I was able to diagnose and fix most of my problems.