First few tasks done on my first 911.

[BKC]

I started off by changing the fan belt as mine had some minor cracking. Took me a few minutes to realize that the new belt was slightly smaller so I was having a hard time reassembling the pulley. Ended up with all 5 (1 missing) shims in. After a 100 miles or so I see it may be loosening a tad so maybe I'll pull a shim out later.

Changed the oil today. Used Swepco 306. I bought a 3.5 gallon pan and started with the tank. Pulled the plug and it filled to within 3/4 of an inch to the top of my pan. (Whew!) Not a whole lot came out of the cranckcase side. I'd estimate 12 qts total and I can only assume that the auxiliary cooler was still holding some back. I put 9 qts back in and ran the car for about 30 seconds. Checked the level and it wasn't on the stick. Added another one and a half qts and it showed up about half-way on the stick. Perfect! Or so I thought. A subsequent 10 mile drive pushed the level right up to the upper mark. I don't notice any issues so I suppose it's okay.

The car, an 81 SC, has zenith carbs and runs extremely rich. This is the thing that concerns me the most about the car. Gas mileage is 12 at best. There's obviously fuel in the oil and it let's out a cloud of blackish smoke when you "get on it". So, I thought I'd pull the plugs and clean them up. Obviously, they were severely fouled. I cleaned them up (easily done without all the CIS in the way!) and the car runs much better.

I don't know what the long term solution is for this. There must be a way to get the car to run more appropriately. It's ridiculous rich. It runs 3# downstream of the regulator so I thought I'd back it off a quarter pound or so just to see what happens. I'll bring it down to JW in Seattle and see if he can get it to run more reasonably. I guess I didn't really know what I was getting into with these carbs. If reinstalling the CIS was a feasible option, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Hopefully John can work his magic on it!

That's it so far. I'm enjoying the car but am disappointed with the function of the carburetor set up. Next up will probably be to change the tranny fluid.

[Hendog]

Good start.

As for the shims on your fan, you should have all six of them installed at all times; it's just a matter of which side of the pulley you have them on. If you're missing one, get one.

The oil should be checked while the engine is at normal operating temperature, idling on level ground; it takes a good 20 minutes of driving to get all the oil up to temp, so checking after 30 second will result in a wrong reading. You may have to much in there now.

You have John Walker on your side? You'll be just fine.

Pretty much everything you can ask has been covered at some point, so you'll find a lot of good information by using the "search" feature. This doesn't mean you can't ask a question anyhow, there's lots of people happy to help around here.

Oh ya...Let's see some pictures of your "new" car

[BKC]

I did check it after a 30 minute drive and it was right at the top mark on the stick. Not sure if that's too much or the limit? If that's too much what would be the easiest way to lose half a quart? I could loosen one of the drain plugs and let some drizzle out but that would probably ruin the crush washer wouldn't it? Maybe pack in some rags and spin the filter off?

Seems like the belt had two shims in and three out. Now they're all on the inside to account for the smaller belt. Do I really need to get a sixth if it would just be on the outside anyway?

Any advice on the rich run condition?

[dshepp806]

You need to use ALL 6 shims.

Oil can be suctioned out of the oil tank from the fill neck...I wouldn't run her at the top level.....

Did she smoke before?

Doyle

[BKC]

I successfully siphoned a half quart out of the oil tank so all should be good.

[HarryD]

If you are short a shim for your fan you need to get one ASAP. You have bottomed the nut on the alternator shaft and the next step is damage to the pulley halves and/or alternator shaft. These things can become expensive to repair.

As far as your oil, always, always check your oil when the car is:
1-Hot (if you have a temperature gauge 180-190 F, or at about 8 or 9 on the unmarked gauge)
2-On a Level surface
3-Idling.

You want the oil to be about 1/2 way between the upper and lower fill marks (the marks are 2 quarts apart).

From what I can gather, carbs are a mixed bag, great sound, good throttle response, bad mileage. If it is really rich, you may get some relief with a few adjustments.

sound like you may have low compression or worn valves. A compression test and/or leak down test may be in order to determine if significant motor work is needed. JW can do these as well.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by BKC

... Next up will probably be to change the tranny fluid.

Good start.

Do not drain the tranny oil before getting the refill plug out (top one). If you can't get it out and already drained the oil, you are in for an engine drop...

Do you have Wayne, 101 project book? Best $20 investment.

[BKC]

JW looked at the car before I bought it and gave it the okay. Compression and leak down were acceptable. Guess I better find some fan pulley shims.

[BKC]

Got the shims and Wayne's book on order.

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by BKC

... That's it so far. I'm enjoying the car but am disappointed with the function of the carburetor set up. Next up will probably be to change the tranny fluid.

I didn't notice this in your first post. Here's a guide to help you out: Changing the Oil in an Early 911 Transmission (Changing the Oil in an Early 911 Transmission)

[BKC]

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.