HOW many CORRECTLY running cars are there really?

[Nick Triesch]

Yup, sometimes I wish I had an SC instead of the Carrera so I could fiddle with it a lot more before going on road trips and stuff. It would then be more of a fun hobby car. What fun is popping in a bottle of Techron once in a while??

[2jmotorsports]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Bought my '83 SC 5 years ago.

Tim, how long did it take you to get it sorted? Serious question as I know you have done a ton of work to your car.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

Yup, sometimes I wish I had an SC instead of the Carrera so I could fiddle with it a lot more before going on road trips and stuff. It would then be more of a fun hobby car. What fun is popping in a bottle of Techron once in a while??

BAM!

Ho.........motronic.

In loving memory. Donald Turnipseed III. AKA: Ronnie's930. Banned for life a few weeks back for incessant sheep jokes. What a way to go. God rest his soul.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by 2jmotorsports

Tim, how long did it take you to get it sorted? Serious question as I know you have done a ton of work to your car.

That's hard to say. Calendar time and actual work time aren't the same. I wouldn't say I was 'done' with the engine until about a year ago, so about 4 years on the calendar start to finish. It was spread out over time based on my available time to work on it, money, priorities and learning as I went.

Also going from absolutely zero Porsche knowledge is a steep learning curve. If you presented me with the same car today (knowing what I now know) it obviously wouldn't take as long as it did the first time.

Now I enjoyed doing my own work. That is a big part of why I bought the car in the first place. Now that this one is almost exactly where I want it, I am getting itchy again for another project.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by tirwin

Now that this one is almost exactly where I want it, I am getting itchy again for another project.

That said, the other side of the coin is they work well for a long time if repaired correctly.

Let's say you want to check the Aux Air Regulator in a CDO (Tim/Tony) manner for 2jmotorsports.

You find the Allen wrench that fits the cap screws. You get the screws out 1/4 turn at a time. You unhook the two hoses and the electrical connection. Put it in the freezer to open it. Put it in the oven at 125F after it is frozen and see if it closes after six/seven minutes or so.

Pass? Ok. Back in the freezer 'till frozen. Hook up 12V to the terminals and see if it closes a little faster. Plus you want to check the ohms resistance on the coil that spins the disc at some time beforehand. Is resistance in the proper range?

Pass? Apply air pressure to one snoot while capping the other snoot. Any leaks from the body of the unit? Switch sides with the air.

Pass? Check voltage on connecting wire. 12V?

Pass? Hook back up and pressurize intake and make sure no leaks at connections.

Pass? Turn key on and with a mirror make sure by looking into the passenger side air snoot it closes with juice applied.

Pass? Good to go.

No particular order on steps and that is how I did it (with Tony's help) Just a demonstration of the work involved on one component.

Each step easy. You just need help/time to gather the info.

[fizeus]

I love my baby... she make me happy and sometimes angry... something needs to be tuned an something needs replace.

Let's say this is what we like in our 911s. If we want to run without little problems we can simply buy a new porsche or two ... and they will run in the exact same way ... very fast but very boring.

Our cars and their problems is what make us keep reading this forum and this forum make us became friends... isn't it?

[RarlyL8]

HOW many CORRECTLY running cars are there really?

I say that every time an EFI thread comes up. Folks not willing to get the engine running correctly with the existing FI system because it is too expensive to rebuild a fuel distributor don't mind throwing 10x that amount in money and 20x the time in work to install a completely different system.

[shaunmbenson]

running a 3.2 here and will say in a year and a half I have sorted my car to run extremely well -- best 3.2 I've driven -- mostly mechanic's work with me doing the easy stuff.
That said -- this car runs in no way similar to my old 3.2 coupe which ran no way the same as my 3.2 targa. And all of these cars were low mile low owner cars -- just time and POs setting different courses for the lives of these living breathing beauties -- I mean seriously - imagine sending 3 911s each to at least 3 different homes over 30 year each -- the permutations for services and shift habits and track time and accidents and home repairs becomes HUGE. Amazing how many actually RUN

[dicklague]

I know this is an SC thread, but I went through a couple of years of work getting my 73 2.7 with MFI right.

Lots of great MFI information here helped so much.

A good AFR instrument permanently installed was the key. I cannot over emphasize what a good tool this is.

Upgrade in CDI from Bosch and Pertronix Hall effect ignition were huge upgrades. I am sure it runs better than when it was new.

I started with a Mark Kinninger at Black Forest in San Diego built the engine in c 1997 so I started with a good base....and I have driven it 130,000 miles since rebuild.

[BE911SC]

I had my stock 3.2 in for a clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, 1-4 synchros, and general post-purchase fettle, to include a new alternator and setting the idle mixture with a sniffer probe up the exhaust pipe and it now runs amazingly well. (John Walker did the work.) Put the stock airbox back on as well. I am in the as-Porsche-intended-it mindset and it feels like they must have when new. Would be easy to daily-drive it if I wasn't nervous about leaving it unattended. And yes, just yesterday I reached in through the open window and started it and it idled up and settled in on its own after a few seconds. I had to write the check to get it sorted but it was worth it.

[DanielDudley]

I have had 2 SCs. Both were set up to Euro spec, one was an actual Euro.

Yes, they run very well when set up correctly. Good power and good throttle response. I personally know carbs and Bosch electronic fuel injection much better than CIS, but CIS is a good system. Steve Weiner always says to put Marine Stabil in your tank with every fill up. I think that is a good idea for people who run CIS, and don't drive a lot.

With very few exceptions, CIS can be made to run well. Webers, or PMOs really have a throttle response advantage, because when you stomp the throttle hard, you open the butterflies and dump a TON of fuel right down into the barrels of a six cylinder cannon. It's the 1812 overture right now, going off in your engine. And almost as smokey.

CIS and Ljetronic also have a problem with radical cams, which carbs do not. But there are good grinds out there. Stock is nice for a lot of people, because of tractability, but really, taking the cork out of the exhaust is great if you can do it. A lot of people overlook the mechanical advance in the distributor on CIS cars, and heck, as old as they are, this is something that can easily freeze up.

Always a good idea to baseline these cars and get all the deferred maintenance out of the equation. And really, aside from the engine and fuel injection, these cars are pretty basic.

[fanaudical]

I have a '75 S with a mostly stock 2.7 (that I rebuilt) with CIS - all running as the good doctor intended. No cold start issues and pulls through the entire power band.

[Tippy]

Originally Posted by RarlyL8

I say that every time an EFI thread comes up. Folks not willing to get the engine running correctly with the existing FI system because it is too expensive to rebuild a fuel distributor don't mind throwing 10x that amount in money and 20x the time in work to install a completely different system.

I'd like to argue against you, Brian, but there's some truth in your statement.

But once they're dialed in, they're great.

[gamin]

Both the 70 and the 88 run as good or better than new. They both get regular exercise.

[seanratpel]

The Hardest part for most people is they have .....NOTHING ....to compare to. How are u supposed to know your car is running they way its meant to when you only drive your own car. I guess if it makes you happy the way it is ........stop.

[Josh D]

I have mine pretty well dialed in, with the exception of a higher idle speed than stock. It handles running the A/C better without having the off throttle dips due to compressor drag. CIS didn't have a mechanism to compensate for that, and I like mine to run a bit rich.

[shaunmbenson]

The problem for me with the 'as Porsche intended' or as my old mechanic Otto used to say "Porsche knew what the f*ck they were doing" - which is why he was in the run it stock camp (unless it was track built of course) is that in North America we are all driving cars that AREN'T as Porsche intended out of the gate. So until we restore to RoW spec we haven't begun. Now my compression is not euro but my chip (again, 3.2) and euro premuffler get it closer.
I don't know what the CIS equivalent is but I know the US (and therefore Canadian) SCs were hamstrung too.

[seanratpel]

its all too confusing

[Bleedsblue]

Originally Posted by seanratpel

The Hardest part for most people is they have .....NOTHING ....to compare to. How are u supposed to know your car is running they way its meant to when you only drive your own car. I guess if it makes you happy the way it is ........stop.

Simple. Even if you turn your own wrenches, take the car into a well-known, respected air-cooled focused shop and ask what they think. It's called a PPI (in this case, POST Purchase Inspection ).

I do all my own work aside from mounting tires and alignments, and have taken my car to two shops in the past two years for jobs I couldn't do. I ask the shops to check the car out, because my skills are confined to maintenance, not diagnosis. I'll do this even if the car "feels" perfect to me--it's the worth the charge, if they charge.

One shop recharged the a/c and looked the car over (given clean bill of health), the second was an alignment and c/b, in which they noted I was lacking a clutch pedal spring and a few other minor issues that have cropped up. I thought all Carreras had heavy clutches, apparently not!

Driving some other guy's car won't help--how can you know his is "better"? I leave the diagnoses to the professionals and bring the car back home to turn the wrenches myself. No confusion that way.

[tdw28210]

I'm sticking with my best guess... 11