What is a good diagnostic manual to own?
 

I already have the factory 911 Turbo supplement and the Bentley book, but not the full set for the Carrera. These books definitely help for disassembly and assembly, but what about diagnosing problems? I have yet to come across anything that would be helpful-especially with p-cars. I am not looking to be a professional mechanic here, but a good reference manual would probably be worth its weight in gold. Other than asking for help on this board, I would love to read further. Any suggestions?

Mike, I was in the same boat as you 2 years ago when I bought a 72 911E. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, but this was my first 911. I got all the manuals, but none really cover troubleshooting. What I did was go through all the postings on this board, took about a month, and printed out all the threads that I thought were helpful on a 72 911. I put them in manuals with tabs for engine, tranny, interior, brakes, etc. and always looked at them before I started on any project. Of course, if you don't want to spend you time doing that, you can always do a search on this board before starting a project, but I found by going through all the postings that I actually learned quite a bit about troubleshooting and working on the car. When I got my 86 Carrera I went through the whole process again.

Mike
I completely agree with Kurt. I spend most of the time on this site just following threads. Sometimes they are relevant to me currently or in the future. I also use www.rennlist.com and www.911turbo.com as us turbo guys need all the advice on our exorbitant maintenace costs:eek:

And as he said, print out the threads for safe keeping. In my garage I have Haynes, Turbo shop manuals, couple volumes of Up Fixin and a binder with at least 50 posts on topics like : shifter adjustment, ride height, valve adjustment, CIS, etc. And if you get stuck on an issue, just post a question. Most of the group here will respond in a hour or so. Good luck and enjoy the turb'

Diagnosing malfunctions isn't just a Porsche-specific thing. When electrons drop out of a wire, it can be in a Yugo or a Ferrari. Vacuum leaks - suck, but it happens to all internal combustion engines and the symptoms are usually the same.

What I'm trying to say is that with a firm grounding in basic systems knowledge (suspension, engine, brakes, electrical, plumbing, etc.), it's just a short jump over to a vehicle-specific application. This may seem like a little more of a time commitment, but I'd suggest signing up for a weeknight basic automotive course at your local adult school. The structure might open up areas you never thought of learning before; but it's all valuable. Besides, you'll probably get use of the shop lift to change your own oil ..... standing up (wow, what a concept!).

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars
www.seinesystems.com

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll just keep searching the archives. But as an example...valve adjustment on a turbo. There's plenty of threads on non-turbo, but there seems to be more hardware in the way just to get the valve covers off. Thought about doing it myself but don't know if it's worth all the cursing, throwing and drinking. Anyone know of a thread to this specific topic?

Mike...why don't you stop by my house in LB. I am on corner of Ohio and Park, 105 Ohio Ave. If garage door is closed bang on door on second floor on Park. Bell disconnected. Who ever uses the bell doesn't belong here. http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/wavey.gif

Thanks Ron. I actually had stopped by very briefly once before, but was in a rush to get my son to swim practice. I'll certainly take you up on the offer-hopefully real soon.

I just did my first valve adjustment last weekend. I am really happy I had removed the engine prior to this. Doing this job with the engine in the car would be difficult the first few times. Step by step instruction would be invaluable. I think the shortage of threads on Turbos is due to how few 930's were produced. The best archives on Turbo's is http://www.911turbo.com/turboclub/board/board.php3 although it doesn't have the community this board has. Turbo owners need to make it a point to post here on their projects for the good of the collective. All your Turbos our ours.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/.../eat_arrow.gif

Jeff
89 930