How do you start a 1974 911 that has not run in 15 years?
 

All,

I am a proud parent of both one amazing boy and a vintage 1974 Porsche 911, with a 2.7l Bosch CIS engine. The car has been sitting in a conditioned environment for almost 15 years, while the previous owner lost significant time to indecisiveness. Most of the original Porsche Salmon hue has been removed as extensive legwork was performed on priming, sanding, etc. all awaiting the customers decision on paint choice, which sadly never came.

So at present, I am trying to discover where to start! The vehicle was raided by the shop for parts and is missing some parts, mostly exterior and around the bumpers. Interior will need a new headliner, seal checked on sunroof, and dashboard overhaul. But that is not my priority at the moment.

Getting the engine running is, where do I start? Worried about possible fuel within system going to glue and I am very open to suggestions. Do I need to turn the motor over by hand first? How is this done. Should the fuel tank get yanked and taken to be cleaned? Do the injectors need to be ultrasonically cleaned? Does everything need to be done first? Or can I go grab a new fuel filter, change the oil and plugs, add 2 gallons of 93 octane and start there and see where it leads? Recently, it was pointed out that if the exhaust spits out fluid that the CIS main valve was stuck and I would need to rebuild the unit. Just lost in the muddle, and timid toward creating a more expensive problem than may already exists. Plus, I feel the more I learn about the car itself, the better of an owner I become toward saving this fantastic piece of machinery!!!!

Hi Ryan, Here's what I did to my 76 2.7 CIS that had been sitting. I also have another post that describes how I reconditioned my fuel tank. Good luck

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/672599-started-right-up-after-long-18-year-hibernartion.html

There are many threads concerning starting a car that has set for a long time....DO NOT try to start it without totally cleaning the fuel system from tank to injectors !!

You will need to modify the procedures but Grady Clay's posts (13 and 14) of this thread http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/265681-spare-motor-storage-what-do.html will give you an idea of what to do.

Ryan,

There are some things that a shop might be better prepared to handle, so you might consider farming out some of the work.

I may have some of the parts you need when you get to working on the exterior and interior.

JR

This comes to how much you want to do and how much you want to have a shop do. If it were my car, I would drop the engine and take a good deal of it apart and clean it. Drain all the fluids, clean the gas tank, flush out systems that can be flushed. One of the big issues is rubber parts, if the car has been sitting the rubber lines may need to be taken out and replaced, this you will only know by checking them. I would rebuild the CIS system just for piece of mind. Once you get it all back together you can then begin to think about turning it over by hand.

Regards
Dave

From a thread posted above ..........
1. Removed fuel tank and thoroughly cleaned out 2 inches of Gooey sludge.
2. Replaced 5 blade fan with 11 blade fan.
3. Replaced Battery
4. Checked Electrical System, replaced all fuses, cleaned fuse terminals
5. Replaced Injectors, Injector lines, o-rings , insulators
6. Replaced Fuel Pump, Fuel Filter, Fuel Pump Relay, Fuel Lines,
7. Replaced Fuel Accumulator
8. FD & WUR Rebuilt by Larry @ CIS Flowtech
9. Replaced points, plugs, rotor, cap, wires etc. Set ignition timing
10. Checked fuel pressure and vacuum leaks.
10. sprayed MM oil in cylinders, let it sit for awhile then turned engine over after disabling fuel system.
11. Set valves and replaced valve cover gaskets. Covers not warped.
12. Checked Head Bolts, looked OK
13. Changed engine oil and filter and gearbox oil
14. Installed pop-off valve,new airbox straps and air filter.
15, Installed Carrera Chain Tensioner

Update: Getting a 1974 911 to run
 

As indicated earlier
1. Removed fuel tank and thoroughly cleaned out 2 inches of Gooey sludge.

--- Lucked out here, gas was still in relatively decent shape. No damage in tank, was drained, filled with new gas.

2. Replaced 5 blade fan with 11 blade fan.

--- The fan had already been upgraded to 11 blade fan.

3. Replaced Battery

--- Acquired Optima Cell Type battery

4. Checked Electrical System, replaced all fuses, cleaned fuse terminals

--- Visual inspection performed on electrical system. Replaced need fuses. Didn't clean terminals as directed. Will probably revisit this later.

5. Replaced Injectors, Injector lines, o-rings , insulators

--- Step #5 was skipped at this point.

6. Replaced Fuel Pump, Fuel Filter, Fuel Pump Relay, Fuel Lines,

--- Fuel Pump was toast. New unit has been aqcuired and installed. Fuel lines in engine bay had rot issues. All of them have been replaced.

7. Replaced Fuel Accumulator

--- Like Step #5, this was skipped up to this point.

8. FD & WUR Rebuilt by Larry @ CIS Flowtech

--- Fuel Distributor soaked for a week in Carb Cleaner and works flawlessly.

9. Replaced points, plugs, rotor, cap, wires etc. Set ignition timing

--- Points, plugs, rotor and cap have all been replaced. Ignition Timing has not be set as of yet.

10. Checked fuel pressure and vacuum leaks.

--- System has been rechecked. No leaks noted as of this time.

10. sprayed MM oil in cylinders, let it sit for awhile then turned engine over after disabling fuel system.
11. Set valves and replaced valve cover gaskets. Covers not warped.

--- Lower valve cover gaskets have been replaced.

12. Checked Head Bolts, looked OK

--- Head Bolts were checked and found to be respectively tight. One needed some TLC, and has been adequately adjusted.
13. Changed engine oil and filter and gearbox oil

--- Engine oil was changed. Gearbox will be addressed prior to driving vehicle.

14. Installed pop-off valve,new airbox straps and air filter.

--- Pop-off valve will be completed this week.

15. Installed Carrera Chain Tensioner

--- On list of things to address at later date.

Update: Getting a 1974 911 to run
 

We've also replaced the ignition's electrical component behind the switch, and determined that the ignition switch itself is faulty and will need to be replaced.

But with everything mentioned above, we did managed to get her started and running on her own power this last weekend.

When I complete the pop-off valve installation, I will submit photos, and continue to post with more frequency to help others out who may be in the same process.