First Carrera

[kyngfish]

Hi All,

Today I purchased my first Carrera. A 1986 3.2 in Guards Red. It has 76k miles and it's going to be a daily driver. From what I hear, with a little in reserve for incidentals, the 3.2 is fairly reliable so though it's a risk, hopefully it's a calculated one. I just, wanted to get it before it got too far out of reach.

I've been poring over the forums and look forward to learning from you all. A few things I want to do, are the H4 headlights, the front spoiler, and a Steve Wong chip.

But I wanted some advice one a few things. First, although I've read through a bunch of threads, any pointers on what to watch out for would be great. Second, I had an SLK32 AMG before and as long as I kept it waxed, the paint had no issues, but I've heard the 3.2 Carrera paint can be more delicate, what do you recommend for paint care if the car will be in the elements?

Thanks!
Martin

[darrin]

welcome! Few thoughts

1) by "front spoiler" do you mean adding a rubber spoiler lip below the front valence? It's my understanding that the front spoiler is designed to work in conjunction with a rear spoiler and adding one without the other results in an imbalance

2) H4 headlights -- are you looking for the better looks of the 911-specific H4 light assembly, or simply better light. If the latter, adding drop in bulbs to your sugar scoop headlights will get you the better light for a LOT less $$ than the assemblies -- be sure to add headlight relays when doing this!

3) Not mentioned, but since you're using this as a daily driver in Miami, AC -- 911 systems weren't very good in the first place -- a lot of options to improve, etc.

Nice Car!

[kyngfish]

1) Yes, and good point. The people who sold it to me just recommended it and it isn't too expensive. I appreciate the warning.

2) Mainly better light. I've not seen this option, is there a thread you can point me to?

3) Luckily we're heading into winter. This morning the A/C wasn't too bad, this afternoon will tell. I do plan on upgrading the AC eventually.

Thanks!

[ganun]

V nice Martin, congrats,
darrin is correct about balance but IIRC its a rear tail that should not be added without a "balancing" front spoiler, so just a front spoiler is ok. It will need the valence with the holes along the lower lip but it's easy to look under there and along the sides to see if the holes are present.

By H-4 I suppose you mean the 87 up flush style but with H-4 not H-5 (US version), and yeah IMO the look better and also throw more light in addition to having the "city lights" that you can wire to work with the parking lights but $$$.

If you're down south there is a breakfast tomorrow at the Town & Country Mall

[kyngfish]

Originally Posted by ganun

If you're down south there is a breakfast tomorrow at the Town & Country Mall

Is this for Porsches and Pancakes? Or something else?

I'd love to join, but I have class at UM from 8 am to 12. If there's still stuff going on later than that, let me know and I'll head down.

Thanks!

[Barrpete]

+1 on the headlight relays as darrin mentioned regardless of what mod you decide to do. Another electrical issue to address is that there are several circuits that are unfused that should really have fused added. The front AC condensor fan, the footwell blowers and the dash lights IIRC.

Oh, and get a spare DME relay and keep it somewhere handy.

[bkreigsr]

If it were me, I'd hold off on the SW chip. Get used to driving it, then ask yourself if you really want to go messing with the Motronic mapping. SW chips are usually done in conjunction with exhaust mods and an upgrade in fuel octane.
FWIW, you can add a front spoiler/air dam with no ill effects. The factory did it with 97% of the 3.2 Carreras made and received very few complaints.
An original paint job by the factory, if garage kept and properly maintained, is no more sensitive than your average Camry or Accord. I've always used a high-end product on my cars, but that 's just me. High end = P21s or the Zanio's system. (Note, Guards Red seems to like the P21s)
Bill K (Guards Red '85 3.2)

[darrin]

1) question for the group -- how would adding the rubber front lip enhance the OP's car?

2) headlights -- you can simply swap out the 7" round headlights themselves with their european equivalents and retain your current "sugar scoop" headlight frames/etc. -- this would run you just over $100 -- see Pelican Parts - Product Information: 70476-M44 -- or, you can go all in with the full 911-specific h4 set for a little over $600 -- light output is pretty much identical --

3) I agree that you might want to hold off on performance chips/etc. and get to know your car (and get it completely dialed in) first. One thing you might want to consider (if not already done by the PO) is adding a fan to your front oil cooler -- especially if you're getting caught in traffic, the fan could help keep engine temps down.

4) Since it's new to you, keep careful track of its oil consumption -- some of us have suffered excessive oil consumption due to worn valve guides. IMO, excessive oil consumption is burning a quart of oil in less than 700 miles.

What do you know about your car's maintenance history/etc. If you can't pin down when last done, it would be smart to immediately flush brake fluid, transmission fluid and change engine oil

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by darrin

1) question for the group -- how would adding the rubber front lip enhance the OP's car?l

lowers the drag coefficient
looks cool

[kyngfish]

That's great advice. Thank you. I'll definitely do the conversion.

I've heard about the oil consumption. I know it was last changed when they brought the car to the shop because it had a slight leak which they fixed, and the oil looks clear and gold on the dipstick.

How do I know how much is in there? How do I know when a quart is gone?

[pmax]

Nice ! Good to see some younger folks (I'm guessing) getting these cool classics.

About the paint, they might be referring to the lack of clear coat which is a good thing IMO and watching out for rust since you are planning on daily driving it. I would make sure the window seals work perfectly and any rust spots are taken care of immediately.

[billydeakins]

Congrats on the new 3.2 Martin! They're phenomenal cars as anyone here can attest!

I have an 89 3.2 which came with the front and rear spoiler options. I replaced the rear decklid with the smooth style as I much prefer the clean lines of the car without it. I did keep the front spoiler though and have not noticed any issues from it. Looks much better with the front spoiler in my opinion. The later cars all had the flush H5's so here's a shot to give you some motivation!

[darrin]

Originally Posted by kyngfish

That's great advice. Thank you. I'll definitely do the conversion.

I've heard about the oil consumption. I know it was last changed when they brought the car to the shop because it had a slight leak which they fixed, and the oil looks clear and gold on the dipstick.

How do I know how much is in there? How do I know when a quart is gone?

Oil level -- our cars have a dry sump system that pulls the oil out of the sump under the engine and stores it in a tank next to the oil filler and filter. I mention this because, you can only accurately check your oil level AFTER the car is warmed up, and while it is running and on a level surface (pretty much backward from how you'd normally check the oil).

If you remove the oil filler cap, you SHOULD (if it's still there) find a dipstick in the middle of the filler. Proper fill is midway between the two lines on the dipstick while the engine's running.

You also have a oil level gauge on your dash (far left, same gauge cluster as the fuel gauge) -- Same considerations as above apply to reading/interpreting that gauge (only read it when car's running, warmed up and on a level surface). There's a healthy amount of mistrust for the oil level gauge -- I wouldn't trust the gauge until you have some experience checking the level at the dipstick and confirming what the gauge shows immediately afterward -- that way, you can start to tie the gauge reading to the dipstick.

Be careful to note how the dipstick fits into its holder ring -- easy to drop it into (the bottom of) the oil tank if not careful.

[scarceller]

Your in south FL, I have one piece of advice: In extreme heat (>95F) never run these cars below 3000RPMs. The cyl head temps climb like crazy because the main engine fan can't flow enough air to keep things properly cool. I monitor CHTs in my car and it's amazing how they can climb 30-50C if you lug these motors below 3000RPMs on hot days.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by ganun

darrin is correct about balance but IIRC its a rear tail that should not be added without a "balancing" front spoiler, so just a front spoiler is ok.

Originally Posted by bkreigsr

FWIW, you can add a front spoiler/air dam with no ill effects. The factory did it with 97% of the 3.2 Carreras made and received very few complaints.

Actually, a front spoiler by itself is worse than a rear spoiler by itself. And there was never an option from the factory for a 3.2 Carrera to be fitted with one spoiler or the other. They always were fitted together.

The reason is that a rear spoiler by itself just makes the car the car understeer more strongly the faster you go, whileas having just a front spoiler affects it in the opposite way and makes it more tail-happy in high speed corners, which nobody wants.

The real benefit to spoilers is the lessened crosswind sensitivity, which becomes fairly apparent when you spend enough time driving a car so equipped.

JR

[scarceller]

A great addition and well worth every penny is a Wide Band O2 gauge in the cockpit. I suggest this gauge:
New aem 30 4110 A F Digital Wideband Uego Controller Gauge Air Fuel Ratio 4 9LSU | eBay
The reason you want/need this gauge is that these motors tend to develop intake air leaks with age, having a high end AirFuelGauge will instantly let you know what's going on with mixture.
And you have the added bonus to be able to check and adjust your base mixture.

Gauge is a simple 2 wire hookup, power and ground. Then route the sensor harness back to the exhaust and have another O2 sensor bung welded in right next to the factory O2 sensor. Or simply remove the stock O2 and drop this WBO2 sensor in it's place. Then the gauge has another 3rd wire that mimics a narrow band sensor. You can then take this 3rd (white wire) and feed it back to the signal line from the stock sensor.

[Cook&Dunning]

First off, Congrats and welcome - as a relative newb, I can only say that this forum is an amazing source of info. Love the Guards Red, Love the black & tan seats. I agree with losing the sugar scoops - hideous in my opinion. Carry on.

[996 esquire]

Originally Posted by javadog

...And there was never an option from the factory for a 3.2 Carrera to be fitted with one spoiler or the other. They always were fitted together. JR

WOW!... that means that all the Carreras with a plain engine lid had their front spoiler added after they left the factory. That's a huge number! Thanks for the info.
Bob S

[Jack Stands]

Congrats on your purchase, the Carreras are great cars and the Motronic injection lets them run beautifully.

Read the threads, use the search function to get info on areas that you're not sure of. But, most of all, drive and enjoy it! I wouldn't start modifying things until you're familiar with the car, then go slowly one thing at a time. Porsche did add fuses and other changes from year to year, so not all Carreras are the same.

When the weather starts getting warmer, have the AC system checked and consider converting to R134 if it hasn't already been done. Then check out the Griffith's Kuehl website to get some good info on the AC system as you might find it marginal in the Miami summer.

[sugarwood]

I've never heard about any paint issues unique to the 3.2
It's base coat and clear coat. That happens to be 30 years old.
I am sure your existing detailing skills will apply here.

I prefer the rinseless wash and wax method since my car doesn't really get that dirty.