87 Carrera engine troubles, Help?

bbmar26 · 02:40 PM

Started having some engine troubles today, the car has been outside in the heavy rain on a steep incline facing up (i usually park it facing down) im not sure if that had something to do with it? The problem started last night when i turned on the engine and it seemed normal and was waiting for the car to warm up then it felt like the pistons were really struggling to go and there was a lot of vibration and it eventually stalled out, i tried again and when i revved the car it seemed fine but just starts struggling in idle and i was not able to get out of park on a steep incline. The next morning it started fine but still felt a bit sluggish and couldnt get out of the park on a steep incline, it would just stall out. So i backed it down the hill and turned it around and was able to get it going but it felt like i was going with no power for a few seconds then the gear would engage and it was fine, but every once and a while it would cut out again like there was no power or be really sluggish. I have it parked now near work but i dont want to risk damaging anything.

I also noticed the oil guage (not the oil pressure) was starting to get a bit low in general the past few days. So i was going to check the oil and put some more in today, maybe low oil is not allowing the engine to be properly lubricated?

What do you think this is? Anything i can do to keep it running until i can get the car to a mechanic?

Thanks,
-Ben

curiousone940 · curiousone940's Garage

Assuming the car was running satisfactorily prior to the rain event, I would suspect that water has somehow got into the intake.......perhaps a look/see at the sparkplugs might reveal if this is the culprit. IF so, then a good cleaning of the fuel delivery system is in order. Hard to say without being there.....

stlrj · 10-03-2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbmar26

What do you think this is? Anything i can do to keep it running until i can get the car to a mechanic?

Thanks,
-Ben

If you open your distributor cap you might find your problem...moisture! Caps are not water tight and are notorious for wicking water at their base with capillary action, primarily to keep mechanics busy whenever it rains.

Cheers,

Joe

bbmar26 · 02:57 PM

Yes prior to this the engine was running well, but just a little rich (high hydrocarbons) and was going to get adjusted this weekend from the mechanic.

I read a few other posts where people had a similar problem with rain but it sounded like it was with newer 911's and some chip was getting wet.... Do you think waiting for everything to dry out will help this problem?

This is my first 911 and first sports car so im a bit new to all this.

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

Some spargplug wire boots don't like to get wet either.

bbmar26 · 10-03-2011, 03:19 PM

Would you guys recommend spraying the distributor with CRC 5-56? My buddy said every time it rains he has to do that to his Mini. Or will something like this hurt a 911?

Hoss911sc · Hoss911sc's Garage

Could be the plug wires too. I had wet problems like this last year and the plug wires were worn out. Changed the distributor cap too.

pete3799 · pete3799's Garage

The CRC 5-56 will work fine.

bbmar26 · 10-03-2011, 03:50 PM

Thanks guys! Will give that a go.

bbmar26 · 10-03-2011, 05:36 PM

went and checked it, runs fine now. Must have been a combination of the steep parking angle and all the rain. Its been sitting on a level surface for half the day and not very much rain and sounds normal now.

bbmar26 · 12:35 AM

So after work it started up fine and i decided to take it for a long drive to get a feel for the car since the rain incident the morning (i should also mention it is really cold here right now if that will affect anything). At first it seemed normal but the acceleration was very slow in general, especially in 3rd gear, RPM's seemed to have trouble getting past 3000 on the meter (but it eventually did on some long stretches) and in general the dial seemed really slow going up and down than what i remember. So i drove it for a half hour or so to get the engine warm and hopefully get any remaining moisture out of the engine. Towards the end the acceleration came back in second gear but 3rd gear was really slow still (put your foot all the way down and very slowly accelerates)...is this because of the cold?

When i got back to my place and parked it the idle seemed normal but there was more 'popping' than i remember before the rain/stall incident. could this also be from the cold weather?

twistoffat · 10-04-2011, 01:33 AM

Certainly sounds like your distributor cap has moisture in it. I´d give it another really good clean just to be sure

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

Porsches run fine in cold weather, you have other issues, it seems.

stlrj · 10-04-2011, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twistoffat

Certainly sounds like your distributor cap has moisture in it. I´d give it another really good clean just to be sure

Might be a good idea to get out the blow dryer and dry out inside your distributor. Keep the blow dryer handy whenever it rains.

Cheers,

Joe

Nine9six · Nine9six's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by stlrj

Might be a good idea to get out the blow dryer and dry out inside your distributor. Keep the blow dryer handy whenever it rains.

Cheers,

Joe

I am assuming you do not have a garage for your Porsche. If that's the caee, standing in water, while using a blow dryer, is prolly not recommended

Gwyn911 · Gwyn911's Garage

Hi Ben,
Check condition of your rotor arm and plugs, should be clean and in good condition not oily or black (how many miles on your engine). Do you have water entering the car, stick your hand under the seat where the ECU and DME relay live if you have water entering, it wool pool around this area. Change your DME relay.

bbmar26 · 10-04-2011, 01:55 PM

yeah it is kept outside at the moment, its been fine since i got it but recently there has been a tropical storm so its been more rainy then normal.

I will dry out the distributor today and see how it runs.

the car has around 91,000 miles on it, no water in the car.

bbmar26 · 10-04-2011, 05:27 PM

There are 2 screws on either side of the distributor which are a bit hard to get to, is it just something i can pull off or do the screws need to come off first?

TimNiceBut · TimNiceBut's Garage

Are you talking about the two screws on the distributor cap? Those hold the cap to the distributor so you'll have to undo them. From memory (my car is currently in the UK) they're a little fiddly but not that hard to undo.

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

The screws are part of the cap and are spring loaded. Push and turn 180 degrees.