RacingBeat

i may be trying to avoid an air-cooled rite of passage here....but....so be it.....

can anyone share experiences of how long you've been stuck in a traffic jam.....and what effects on temp (or anything else) resulted from it?

this has been on my mind, to the point it has made me skittish about taking the car to events that i know are difficult to get into traffic-wise. what is a realistic expectation....?

Jay H

I'm sure others in warmer climates will have more severe examples, but I had to leave my '86 at idle for over 30 minutes one time on a summer day that was around 80-85 degrees. The motor got really hot and the temp guage was probably at the 10:00 position, but it never overheated or reached the red zone on the temp gauge.

Once I got going, the car cooled pretty quickly and I never noticed any ill effects.

I'm sure Porsche tested these motors in extreme heat to insure they would handle it. Just make sure everything is working correctly (oil thermostats open and close at the proper temps, oil lines aren't crimped, front oil cooler clear and working properly, cooling fans in working order, etc.)

Peter Zimmermann

It took me just under 4 hours to get home from work one night when some troubled individual decided to jump off an overpass onto the freeway below. It was an 80 degree evening (my normal commute time was 45 minutes), and the car (911 SC w/stock trombone cooler) didn't sustain any damage, although the oil temp got close to 240 F. One night there was a brush fire near Pepperdine University, it took me almost 4 hours that evening also, this time in my 914/6 with the 225 hp 2.6 liter engine. No damage and it didn't get over 225 F. Amazing machines!
Pete

Jay H

Years ago, when looking for my 1st 911, I looked at an '85 with 125k on the clock. The owner and I were talking and he mentioned going to the Indy 500 with this particular 911. He said he had to idle it in stop and go traffic for about 40 minutes while working his way out where he parked and back onto the freeway system and it never overheated while idling or even came close to overheating. Not sure why I remember that conversation, but the car was such a pile of junk that the whole experience stuck in my mind...

Like Peter says, these are amazing machines when they are functioning properly. Porsche built them well!

Jay H

On the other side of the spectrum, I've got road tests from the '80's (and 996 development) which journalists ride along on extreme cold weather testing. The one '80's article had them testing several regular Carrera's and a 930 Turbo. The artic air was so cold that they had to leave the cars running overnight for fear that things would not function upon the next morning's cold start. I remember them saying the Turbo used 1/4 tank of fuel overnight, but was running fine in the morning.

They drove the living crap out of the 911's and they all held up without any major issues, even the Turbo (which really struggled for traction on the artic roads even with snows - I remember reading the Turbo just kept a constant back and forth motion in the rear while fighting for traction).

My point is that Porsche really tests these cars before sending them out to the general public. They want to insure these things hold up no matter where the car gets shipped to whether it's the Artic Circle customers or Dubai customers.

I would never worry about my '84 in hot temps now that I know everything is functioning correctly (had a hard oil line replaced this summer and received a clean bill of health on the oil cooling system from my mechanic).

O.K., I think I've exceeded my post limit for one thread... Sorry!

Jay
90 964
84 3.2

JV911

it regularly gets to 100F in sydney in summer. was 112 last week but i didnt take the car out.

2.7 with trombone cooler & 5 blade fan

sat in stop start traffic for over an hour a fortnight ago on a 100 degree day and the car got to 230

if you're really worried about temps, are planning to track or just want to play it safe you could install a carrera cooler and fan

Corrales911

[QUOTE=JV911]it regularly gets to 100F in sydney in summer. QUOTE]
Ditto for Albuquerque some years. I've regularly sat in S&G traffic for close to an hour and never seen any signs the motor was going towards overheating.

RacingBeat

guys thanks so much for the info......

spence88mph

just a shame Porsche cant keep the occupants cool!!!

I did hear it was rebuild time if you got a 964 (pre gasket) too hot.

wholberg

My Carrera does fine in NC summers. If sitting in traffic for a long time in hot weather the temp gauge starts to creep up. Running the rpms up to 2000-2500 for a couple of minutes always cools it back down. This works even in 100+ temperatures.

Bretech

I live in LA, CA and work in Hollywod, I drive in Stop and Go traffic everyday(including the 405), in both my 914, and 911. Heat is not an issue, i think the wear on clutches and TO bearings is what i always think about, but it's not too bad, considering it's simply normal wear tear, and that I am out there everyday in one of the cars.

andrew911

Never has a problem in summers with any 911 I had. I think the highest temp in traffic on a hot day was about 10 o'clock position (78 sc, 87 3.2, now 93 3.6) Just make sure if its summer you're running the right oil weight. I ran 20W-50, since I always use/used my porshce in the spring/summer/fall.

By the way, probably more of a chance of a regular water cooled car overheating than the air cooled

marcandkimmie

Here in Florida, I have never had a problem with heat in my 3.2. The temp gauge never gets much past the second line even on a hot day. My old 964...that was another story. If I let it idle too long, the temp would rise...never to the red but it would climb higher than my 3.2. Then if I shut it off, I would have to wait 15 minutes to restart it because the computer would not let the car restart with the hot oil temp.

rentadate

This is an odd example. During the recent blizard I started my car for about an hour idling in about 22F temp outside, while I shoveled it out. The engine was about to overheat as i saw. no idea why, but no ill effects on it. Something's probably wrong with it. But I opened the lid, let the snow sizzle on it, and drove home with the lid open. cooled down a lot, but didn't like driving while warm.

arcsine

Air cooled P-cars do not take well to sitting warm ups. They are better off waiting for the idle to stabilize and do a driving warm up. Stay out of the upper rev range until it gets warm and all should be fine.