Air cooled engines

[John NY-Naples]

New member here. I just purchased a 1991 Carrera 4 Targa. This is my first air-cooled engine. I would appreciate any information on air-cooled engines, such as how long they can be driven before overheating, maintenance, etc.

[Don Plumley]

Hi John - welcome to the board. The main 911 tech forum sees more traffic than this model-specific board; though you posted on the right forum.

Your oil temperature gauge is your friend. Don't let it get into the red. But with a 91, that's not really a big issue. You'd have to be in stop and go traffic at 100F with the AC blasting, and even then I don't think you'll be in trouble.

Oil is your coolant. So your oil level is very important. Learn the proper process (engine at operating temp, level ground, running) by using the search function.

If you ever see your Alt light go on, immediately stop and shut down the engine. The potential implication is your fan belt broke and your engine would overheat in minutes. This is only the really super bad thing.

Make sure your 91 has the distributor vent kit. How many miles on your car?

And post a picture!

Welcome!

Don

[John NY-Naples]

Don, thank you for your reply. The car has 76,000 miles. It is being shipped to Naples, Florida from Illinois. I'll post pictures later this week when I get to Naples.

[Jay H]

I'll add to Don's post above.

A 15,000 mile service consists of:

Oil and Filter change
Spark Plug Change (all 12)
Fuel filter change
Air filter change
Valve adjustment
Fan belt (2) and A/C belt change

Also, the transmission fluid should be changed at 60,000 miles. It's good practice to have the dual distributor belt changed every 50,000 miles or 5 years.

A lot of people change oil at a much sooner interval than 15,000 miles... I'd change the oil at least once a year regardless of mileage.

Enjoy that new to you car!

Jay
90 964