964 Revival after 15 years in storage

[TorqueHead]

I have just purchased a 1992 Carrera 4 (964) that has been in dry storage for the last 15 years. The car has only 25,000 miles on it but I know it will probably take quite a bit of work to get it running and back on the road. Before the purchase I posted in the Marketplace forum under "Advice on Price 1992 Carrera 4".

The purpose of this thread is to seek advice on how I should proceed. Invariably there will be a difference of opinion and that's ok by me. Life would be so boring if we all agreed on everything, right?

So, if this were your car, what steps would you take to get it running? I think the biggest hurdle will be to purge or clean out the old fuel. Is complete disassembly of the fuel system absolutely necessary? Is there a fuel additive that can help dissolve varnish and clean out the system? Where is the fuel pump and filter located?

I am hoping someone has walked this path before and can provide some guidance and if not, I am sure the collective experience of the enthusiasts on this forum should be able to provide some helpful tips. I have included a picture of it where it was found. Thanks in advance for any advice anyone wishes to offer.

[wesleyc]

Congratulations ! Looks to be a nice one to get running. Looks like they already put 993 side mirrors on it. First mod out of the way. I bought a 95 993 that hadn’t been drove in a while before knowing about this forum. You will get a lot of good advice here. My 95 has a access plate on the front passenger side under the car and the filter is on the passenger/right side engine bay. The 993 and 964 are similar to each other so I’m assuming your fuel systems the same. But like I said. I have a 993 not a 964. The best thing I did for myself was buy a Bentley book/manual to help me. Happy tooling.

[kc911s]

Congrats on the car. Need to post more pictures of the white lady. What's the backstory on it? Why stored so long? How did you come across it? I'd say fuel is going to be your biggest issue. That tank is going to be pretty nasty if not drained before storage. When you do get her running you will prob have some leaks as time will have dryed out some seals. If it was mine- I'd be tempted to drain the gas and see what the tank looks like. If that checked out I would change oil to know it has the proper amount and do a spark plug change. While the plugs are out squirt some oil into the engine then hook up a fresh battery and see what shape the electronics are in. Then I would crank her over and see if we get fire. But that's just me. Good luck!

[christiandk]

Originally Posted by wesleyc

Congratulations ! Looks to be a nice one to get running. Looks like they already put 993 side mirrors on it. First mod out of the way. I bought a 95 993 that hadn’t been drove in a while before knowing about this forum. You will get a lot of good advice here. My 95 has a access plate on the front passenger side under the car and the filter is on the passenger/right side engine bay. The 993 and 964 are similar to each other so I’m assuming your fuel systems the same. But like I said. I have a 993 not a 964. The best thing I did for myself was buy a Bentley book/manual to help me. Happy tooling.

Teardrop mirrors were standard on the 92 model.

[wesleyc]

Originally Posted by christiandk

Teardrop mirrors were standard on the 92 model.

Oops.. learn something every day 😁

[Cobalt]

Major score!!! A 92 with just 25k original miles is worth a pretty penny. People have paid close to 6 figures for cars like this. IMO it is worth taking your time on this. First thing I would do is gather as much history on this car you can. You might not care about objective evidence of its history but someone else will and if you decide one day to sell you will appreciate having it.

Knowing how the car was stored for all these years is critical. Worst case scenario. Drain fuel tank, inspect all fuel lines replace if cracked. Replace fuel filter, drain oil. You might consider sending the oil out for analysis. Drain and flush brake system, inspect all components. Replace tires. Battery etc as needed. Adjust as you go based on overall condition.

You will also want to inspect all oil lines for cracks, brittleness and hardness along with all suspension bushings Odds are if the car was well stored most of these things will be fine. There are also the hydraulic lines for the AWD system and the transfer case flush

If it were me I would drop the engine and inspect everything along with pulling the plugs and inspecting the cylinders with a borescope. Remove valve covers check head studs clutch thickness and as much as I could. Good time to do a valve adjustment and inspect distributer belt. It seems like overkill but it would be in your best interest over time.

Best luck and enjoy it once you have it up and running.

[TorqueHead]

Thanks guys,

I appreciate the advice. I don't have the complete backstory yet but I am the third owner and can trace the ownership back to new car purchase. Will post more pictures when the car arrives. I will of course replace the tires, oil, oil and fuel filters and purge old gas, install new battery and do a very thorough inspection of all rubber parts, hoses, oil seals etc as has been suggested. I had not thought of changing the brake fluid but that sounds like a must-do as well.

The CARFAX said there was one outstanding recall ; something to do with a universal joint. Anybody here know what that is about? Closest dealer is about 300 miles away but I have been tinkering with cars and motorcycles my whole life so I hope to do most of my own work anyway.

[jrbennett]

You should be able to get more info on the recall here:

https://recall.porsche.com/prod/pag/vinrecalllookup.nsf/VIN?ReadForm

I assume it's for the lower joint on the steering column.

[Paperboy]

Congratulations.Great find.Bought my 964 4 92 ten years ago,private sale w v decent history. Even if you are planning on doing work yourself it might be worth considering an initial "big service" which will mean engine out and a good inspection. Mine showed cooling tinwear needing changing and a dubious oil feed pipe. Fortunatly found a good somewhat local independent specialist giving good advice.
Have done most work myself since. Considering that anything that hasn't been changed on the car is 25 years old and this being my daily driver its been one of the most reliable cars I have owned.

[strath44]

nice looks like a real find!

looking forward to seeing more pics, when does it arrive?

would be worth stripping the brakes down and cleaning possibly replacing the pads, not a massive job and you'd be in at the calipers to bleed them when new fluid is installed anyway.

you'll probably find that something like gummi plege

https://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/CARE/POR_CARE_CAREXT_pg14.htm

......is your friend as I suspect some of the seals will need a bit of tlc.

I'm not familiar with the 964 sunroof seal but I wouldn't be surprised if it leaks a fair bit under the first wash and then is ok once you clean and treat the seal!!

[TorqueHead]

Thanks for the link. When I punch in the VIN on the Porsche site it says no outstanding recalls but CARFAX said the following: "Manufacturer recall issued #AT07 universal joint with a date of 08/12/1996." CARFAX also points out that this recall is "OPEN" and they don't show any service that would have fixed this recall. Hmmmm, what to do now? I guess Porsche knows the car better than CARFAX? If the recall was done, and Porsche knows it, why did CARFAX not know it? Any ideas? This is my first use of CARFAX.

Originally Posted by jrbennett

You should be able to get more info on the recall here:

https://recall.porsche.com/prod/pag/vinrecalllookup.nsf/VIN?ReadForm

I assume it's for the lower joint on the steering column.

[TorqueHead]

Nice to hear about the reliability. Ok, I will bite, how long to drop this engine? I have dropped my fair share of VW bug engines, but I expect this would be a lot more work. Bugs were pretty darn simple back in the day.

Originally Posted by Paperboy

... Even if you are planning on doing work yourself it might be worth considering an initial "big service" which will mean engine out and a good inspection.

[boeing 717]

It took me about 8 hours the first time I dropped my 964 turbo engine but that was taking pics and labeling everything with tape and with zero experience. The second time it only took me 4 hours.
It’s not technically difficult just takes a little while to unhook everything.

[Don Plumley]

Very cool! There are some relevant threads in the general 911 forum on waking up sleeping beauties like yours.

[jrbennett]

Originally Posted by TorqueHead

If the recall was done, and Porsche knows it, why did CARFAX not know it? Any ideas? This is my first use of CARFAX.

No idea about CARFAX, but I work at a dealer and can most likely get you more detailed info of when/where the recall was completed.

If you're interested just send me a message or e-mail with your VIN

jon(at)edmontonporsche(dot)ca

[manbridge 74]

Recall concerns a tool that most older dealers have. It’s a go/no go gauge for the joint. I’ve never seen one out of spec but is worth a look whenever you get the chance. Look for the TSB on it.

[TorqueHead]

Thanks Manbridge,
It sounds like nothing too serious. I also took JRBennet up on his kind offer to look into this recall. I will post back here if its anything signifcant or interesting.

Originally Posted by manbridge 74

Recall concerns a tool that most older dealers have. It’s a go/no go gauge for the joint. I’ve never seen one out of spec but is worth a look whenever you get the chance. Look for the TSB on it.

[TorqueHead]

Just wanted to say a collective thanks to all who have posted here and on the Marketplace forum. I read and appreciate all postings. I also want to thank those that have come up with interesting names for my 964. Thus far she has been referred to as:

The White Lady
Sleeping Beauty
The Old Girl
The White Virgin

How about Snow White? I think Sleeping Beauty is the best so far.

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

Congratulations on the acquisition, i'm looking forward to seeing what you do with this 964!

I was going to suggest naming it Snow White too, more specifically, The Snow White Mistress!

[TorqueHead]

Mistress is appropro. She is beautiful, a temptation and will definitely get me into trouble if I spend too much time with her.

Originally Posted by Eric at Pelican Parts

:
I was going to suggest naming it Snow White too, more specifically, The Snow White Mistress!