Hi
I am new here. I recently purchased a 1980 911SC Targa (3.0 liter) and had a few questions I was hoping someone could answer for me. I have been reading and searching, but I haven't really stumbled on the answers I was looking for just yet. I would consider myself fairly mechanical, having mostly owned Mustangs in the past (hence my screen name). I have even gone as far as turboing a car (full fabrication of turbo setup), so I am generally knowledgeable about cars, but this car seems to be a whole different monster all in itself.

If you are interested in seeing any of my cars you can at http://www.fiveliter302.com/vehicles.html

1. The car upon accelleration seems to make a loud popping type sound. It increases with increase in RPM's. I am assuming it is the exhuast, but it doesn't sound like a typical vehicle exhaust leak. Does anyone know what I am talking about or have advice on this? If it is the exhaust, typically how much does it cost to replace at a euro-car service center for a stock type system? Is this a job that I should consider tackling? If this is an exhaust leak or whatever this problem is, is it unsafe (compromising the car) to drive it?

2. Repairs. If I decide to do repairs to the car myself (mostly minor things, such as exhaust mentioned above) or valve adjustment, oil change, etc.., am I compromising the value of the car in any way by not having a Porsche certified mechanic specifically do the work? With cars such as Mustangs this really isn't an issue, but typically when you see a Porsche for sale, you generally see ads stating that all work was done by a Porsche certified mechanic. I know pretty much most to all of the previous work was done by a euro-car service center.

3. I have the cup style wheels on my car. The front end of my car is from a 95. These wheels have large built in spacers (not really backspacing, but the actual wheel front is spaced far from the hub). The front wheels sit in a bit. I was wondering if anyone has had bearing issues from using spacers on the front end. Generally spacers wreak havoc on bearings, but since this is already spaced as such I was just curious.

4. I am missing my spare. I have been looking around for one, but I really haven't had much luck. I believe I am also missing the jack and tool kit. The toolkit I can find online, but I am definitely having trouble finding a spare and jack. Any recommendations?

5. General Comments. Does anyone have any advice, anything that I should know. I have been reading up as much as possible, but anything anyone could offer me such as advice would be great. I still have to look into my heat/AC controls, because I believe the blower works, but not the actual heat/AC. Anything else in regards to this or just in general that may help me would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks alot!

 

there might be some stuff here for you http://tech.rennlist.com/911/911scfaq.html

 

re # 2 - no

- Front end from a '95 ??? was that a typo?

 

Thank you! I will definitely take a look at that.


As far as I know my front fenders hood (front clip in general) etc.., are from a 95

 

Wow - people have put the rear suspension in to get better geometry but I've never seen the front done that way -- if it incudes the F suspension. You're sure it's not just a body kit?

BTW - saw a bunch of spares at Emory's - you'd have to pay for shipment, but could Google his web page and make him an offer.

 

#2 - yes. With shop receipts, a buyer can be reasonably assured that the work was done using proper procedures, proper tools, and proper parts. I know there are occasional exceptions to this, but generally it's true. There's no way a prospective buyer will have the same trust in you, a total stranger, who has no way of proving his mechanical expertise and may have taken shortcuts or gone the cheapo route on certain repairs. Maybe you won't do that, but why should a buyer take your word on it and trust that you knew what you were doing?

If I were a buyer and you told me that you did a valve adjustment on the car 1,000 miles ago yourself, I would assume you 1) are lying, or 2) didn't do it properly and the valves need to be adjusted. I would pay less for the car because not only does it need a valve adjustment but who knows what else you may have screwed up in there. Even a solid PPI would not convince me 100%. I've seen too many posts on this forum, and others, about guys who attempt procedures and get in over their heads, and end up doing a hack job. I wouldn't mind if you did simple things like oil changes and brake pads, but anything else would make me very wary.

 

In regards to whether or not DIY work is O.K.:

My previous 911 (an '86) was maintained by 1 mechanic it's entire life and he is a well known and respected Porsche Tech in my area. I did oil, filters and plug changes, but left the valve adjustments and other more time intensive repairs to my mechanic. That fact helped seal the deal when it came time to sell my car (sold it in 15 minutes with no PPI requested buy the buyer - who also knew my mechanic). I had a binder full of receipts and all the stamps in the maintenance book from when the car was delivered to the first owner to the current time.

That being said, there are people who are pretty good 'shade tree' mechanics and probably can do as good or better of a job than a Porsche tech. There is something to be said about "if you want it done right, do it yourself". I also find it silly to pay $100 or more to have the oil changed on an early 911 by a shop unless you don't have the time and have a fair amount of disposable income. It's pretty easy to do. Even basic stuff like plug, filter and belt changes are very simple on an early 911. If you feel you are a competent mechanic and want to tackle stuff like your exhaust problem, go for it. I doubt repairs like that by yourself will reduce your car's value (keep the receipt for the parts ). Basic maintenace peformed by the current owner may be O.K. to some buyers. It may show that you take pride in your car.

However, if I was buying a 911 and items like valve adjustments were all done by the owner and not documented by a reputable shop, I'd probably plan on having my mechanic perform a valve adjustment anyway to establish a baseline of when that service was performed. I'm the kind of guy that would change the oil and all the filters and belts if I got a new (to me) 911 just so I know where I'm at in regards to maintenance, even if the owner told me he/she just had all of that done. Oil, belts and filters are relatively cheap in the long run...

Sorry for the length...

Jay
90 964

 

as for #2 I feel it certainly depends on who you are buying from and what was done to the car as to whether or not it would affect the price. I myself have saved thousands by doing simple projects myself. I also believe that when a person purchases a car they should have a PPI done, that would tell you if the person knew what they were doing.

I can tell you that in my case, My car was always serviced by a reputable Porsche mechanic by the PO. I later had found that my oil pressure was not reading correctly and found out that the "reputable" Porsche mechanic had installed the wrong oil sending unit. So what I'm saying is that even having work done to your car by the professionals doesn't mean that the work will be done any better. If you are even a little mechanically inclined there is so much that you can do to your own car and save big $$$.

I personally do most everything myself and I document,document,document everything I do to the car and when and @ what milage. If and when I decide to sell the car, the buyer can go through the car all he wants and have a PPI done to make sure the car is as I say it is.

 

On a related, but differente note.

Nice looking 911... MORE PICS!

 

whose car are you wanting more pics of???

 

I enjoy most any pics of 911s, but i was specifically talking about fiveliter302's.

 

Thanks guys! You have been a huge help so far! I just printed out the FAQ at work, and will try to read it when I can get out of here. Looks very thorough from what I can tell.

I see alot of nice cars on here so far, and everyone seems very helpful. Believe, me this car is very different than any other I have owned, so all the help is appreciated!

As far as if it was me that you wanted to see more pics of my car, I will try to get some up later today. I am really enjoying the car so far.

Does anyone have any input on the exhuast question? I am really hoping it is just the exhaust and nothing too serious. I did make a mistake of topping my oil off a little too much, so right now I am burning the excess off, but this sound was around before I made that error.

 

where is the popping coming from during acceleration ?does it do it while sitting in the drive and revving it up, if so have someone rev it up while you are looking @ the engine then you can get a better idea of where its coming from. I would think that if it were the exhaust it would be more likley to pop during deceleration.

 

It really doesnt seem to make much sound at a standstill revving. It only seems to be when I am driving so I cant really look to see where at. I didnt know if this was a typical sound for a bad exhaust or what. Once I am fully accellerating at a normal speed it almost sounds like a loud exhaust would on a regular car. Its only at slow accelleration that it sounds like a broken up sound (almost popping).

Its definitely coming from somewhere in back, but its near impossible to tell where. You know with a front engine car, you can usually tell while you are driving where the exhaust is leaking. This is so compact (engine and exhaust are right together) that its hard to tell.

 

Here is a cool picture I took of my Porsche and 94 Mustang GT (which I recently sold)




My car at 'Super Summit' at Summit Racing



The new seats I installed/interior (Not sure what that is in the pic to the right)