have all the time in the world to work on my 86 targa

[remigio]

will turn 63 this month. applied for ss benefits and am returning to the us to retire. this post is to seek advice of working on my 86 targa.

i bought the targa summer of '10 and it's been sitting in the garage since, except for a 700-mile roadtrip when i first bought it. car did well -- no issues.

now that i have the time, i would like to get to know the car better, work on it some so the missus and i can hit the road with no worries about breakdowns and such. i'd worked some on my cars in the past, and watched and helped mechanic friends do their stuff on engines but i wouldn't ever call myself mechanically inclined -- more like stubborn and obtuse -- hate to give up on anything.

i have taken the first step towards this proposed learning experience -- bought a bentley manual last week and i think the p.o. gave me another (chilton?). i would appreciate help and advice from the readership on how to get started w/ working on a car which had hardly been on the road in two years. thanks in advance.

remigio/see below my rides in the past

72 280se 4.5
80 pininfarina
2 diesel submarines
1 slow attack ex-fbm
2 fast attack nukes

[steve911T]

Remigio,

First of all congratulations on your retirement and your service to our great country. When I bought my Carrera, I literally did not know where to start. I started with replacing rotor cap spark plugs just to get it running. In your case, you might first burn up all the old fuel in the car and then do the basic maintenance, oil, valve adjustment, bleed brakes, check pads, gear oil in transmission, fuel/air filter and go from there. Do the brakes pull, shocks leak, etc. Does the AC work, that in itself is quite a handful. The other thing you will need to do is to get some decent tools, such as Craftsman, not harbor Freight. Getting all the tools is another journey for the not too faint-hearted. Where will you be residing in the states, many different Porsche communities out there. Good luck. Steve

[Speed Buggy]

Hi. Ex-nuc subrunner on the 725 boat. I started with the 101 Projects 6 years ago. I freshened the trans a couple of years ago and this morning I am taking my engine parts to the shop for inspection. This bulletin board has made it possible.

[Dublinoh]

Search function here is very helpful. Just above the threads on the right side you will see "search this forum". Select that and then select go advanced. Type your search terms, and set for "titles only" This will get you quickly to information that is more focused on your search terms. This is were you start and many times you will find exactly what you need.

[ivangene]

I bet the car has plenty of miles in it with not much more than an oil change.....

86' 3.2 is a pretty good set up, I bet you were picky when buying and got a PPI so you know the health of the car and bought it because it is a good car....

go drive it

in my third year of 3.2 ownership and only left stranded once for a dead fuel pump that had I known i could have kicked and got working well enough to get home (it worked when removed and bench tested) - other than that one instance......

GO DOG GO

happy retirement, if the 3.2 gets too boring because it keeps running, you could always get something less reliable

[CCM911]

Ex Navy? Aren't all you guys totally anal retentive?

I think you are going to love working on the car. Start with an oil change. Then change the trans fluid. Next up, how about some new brake fluid? Now drive the bejesus out of the car. As things pop up, fix them.

If I had your time, I would also detail the car to within inches of its life. I mean fender wells, engine compartment, etc. This will force you to look closely at your car so you can see if anything needs attention.

Have fun!

And thanks so much for your service to our country.

[Smoove1010]

Congrats on the retirement and your 911. I'm 3 months into my 911 experience, and it's been rewarding. If you got a PPI, you could probably use that as a basis for your to-do list. If not, start as I did by making sure the car is safe to drive, then go for performance, creature comforts, and cosmetics. Here was my order of operations:

- Inspect for leaks (fuel, oil, exhaust, vacuum) and fix those. My heat exchangers were damaged, and that was priority 1 - not a big fan of exhaust in the cabin! I replaced the rear oil lines which leaked. All the fuel vapor lines in the boot needed replacement, I'm doing the fuel pickup line at the tank this weekend;
- Inspect brakes, front and rear. I rebuilt my calipers, the e-brake, replaced the brake hoses;
- Check bearings front and rear: I needed two new rear bearings, one outer front bearing, and I repacked all the front bearings;
- Check CV joints and boots. I needed new outer boots, took all the CV's apart, cleaned, repacked, rebooted;
- My tires had lots of tread but were 14 years old. New tires made a huge difference in comfort and handling;
- Make sure your turn signals, head and tail lights, and brake lights work. I replaced my brake-light switches, and did the turn signal and high-beam service documented on the forum;
- Do the tune-up stuff: cap and rotor, air filter, belts, perhaps wires, definitely plugs if you can't determine when they were changed;
- Change engine and gear oil, and oil filter;
- Check all suspension bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints. Mine aren't loose, but they're old, and I'll be doing them this fall when it gets too cool for top-down driving.
Get some quality metric sockets and wrenches to start. You'll need more specialized tools for each job as you go along, and you'll build a good collection along the way.

You'll really get to know your car well by doing this kind of end-to-end overall inspection and service. It will really start to feel like it's yours.

Before doing any of these things, I diligently scoured the forum and the manual. I can't even calculate the time and money I saved by virtue of this resource. If not for this forum and the Bentley manual, I would've struggled, but instead, it's been a very satisfying journey.

Good luck, and post on your progress!
GK

[remigio]

thanks for the advice and the comments. btw, speedb... i was the chop on louisville (ssn 724). no photos except this one

[donagain1]

Ditto on the use of the search function for threads applicable to what you want to do... can't stress that enough. I just registered for the forum today, but have been using it from time to time over the past few years. I was about to flat give up on changing the air filter myself this afternoon, grap the bottle of Jack Daniels, and pony up the $108 bucks the dealer wanted to R&R the filter. An exhaustive search of the forum threads about getting the filter cover off (and an inch of skin on my arm, and I discovered that I most certainly wasn't the only guy who's had trouble with it. One obscure passage opened my eyes to unclipping the rear clips by braille, and bada ba/bada bing it was off, filter in, and back on in 2 minutes. Bottom line here, take the time to read what the guys come before you did... priceless info, and that's what it's all about here. Well, cheap prices on parts too...