Dom_911

Hi all,

I have just purchased my first 911 (86 C, 97,000 miles, 17" cup alloys) and am finding it great in most ways, but there are a few niggles which I would like some info/advice on if possible... One thing that I cannot fathom is how the rear speakers connect to the head unit when there are only four speaker wires that I can see, surely there should be eight?

On the mechanical side, there is an occasional klunk from the front suspension over certain types of bumps, from both sides, but more commonly the O/S, could this be worn shocks, or loose suspension components? It is also quite hesitant when on partial (20%) throttle in lower gears such as second. Is this just because the engine is quite a high state of tune, or could it be spark plugs or fuel injectors clogging?

Sorry about the length of the post, but I would like to sound like I know what I am talking about if I take it to the garage!

Regards,

Dom

Millzeee

the wiring for the speakers is a bit of a pain as (i take it you have the fader in the centre console) they go to the fader which on modern stereos isn't a lot off use.

my standard radio which was in the car was only two channels.

the fader splits this to 4.

i used this facilty to run my tweaters so have two channels up front running 4 speakes in the doors and have the facilty to adjust the balance.

the best way to sort the rear is to run some new wires to the back.

Dom_911

Oh, nuts! There are speakers in the back, so I am surprised that they are not wired up. I fiddled with the fader when I was installing the stereo, but it made no difference. I take it that they did come with rear speakers wired in?

Have you put speaker cable in yourself? Where should I run the wires and should I leave it to the pros? Are there any wiring diagram resources on-line?

Thanks for your help.

Dom

Chris Martin

I recently installed rear speakers in my SC, not hard at all. I ran the speaker wires directly from the head unit, under the carpet, (under the pasenger sill plate), removed the passenger side rear panel and then to the deck. I think it looks clean and it surely works well. The PO had an 80's style system with blown speakers, an amp and maybe 10 pounds of wiring; glad that's gone.

Personally I would not use a fader as modern head units produce high power with the fader built in.

Rick Lee

Test your front shocks by pushing down hard on each front corner. If it bouces back once and stops, you're ok. If it bounces up and down, your shocks are on their way out. If your front end bottoms out a lot when going into and out of parking lots, that could also be bad shocks. As for throttle response, drive this car (once warm) about 1000rpms higher than you would any other car. 911's don't come to life until about 4000rpms. Believe me, they can handle it, but they don't like low revs.

Dom_911

Despite the fact that the wiring looks like it is straight from the 80s, I think that it must be newer as the sound to the front speakers doesn't seem affected by moving the fader on the centre console; you would think moving the fader to the rear would cut off sound to the front.

I have noticed that the car comes alive at 4000 rpm - I am just thinking that on my boring commute to work, it would be nice to drive it more economically, but if it doesn't like it, I'll just drive it quicker...

Millzeee

you can just run some wire to the back of the fader and disconnect it as there are 8 wires coming out of it and join them up this saves taking all the trim off

Jgordon

for the suspension clunk, sheck the sway bar mounts. I heard the same thing from the rear end of my car a little while back, and when I looked uner the car, there was definitely torn metal where the mount had been.

Stephen Masraum

The 3.2L cars minimum fuel consumption occurs at about 2600rpm and the consumption stays at a very low point between 2000 and 4500. So don't worry about low revs on your commute. don't forget the owners manual says not to shift out of each gear at around 2500rpms (it's actually a little different for each gear ranging between 2400-2600). I generally don't let my revs drop below 2 grand and usually keep them at around 2500-3500.

About the clunk, you might want to double check the rear swaybar mounts (the middle mounts to the body). On the '84-'89 MY cars it is pretty common for one of those mounts to tear away from the body and cause a clunking sound over bumps. I know you said front end, but sometimes those sounds can fool you. There are upgraded mounts to be welded on to fix that problem.

JackOlsen

This sounds like a purchase was made without a pre-purchase inspection. My advice would be to get the PPI done now, even though you already own it. A good independent shop will be able to test drive the thing, and tell you if it's in your imagination, or if it's just part of the 911 driving experience, or if there's a problem that needs to be fixed. However it comes out, you'll be able to relax.

While you're at it, have them check the condition of the brakes, transaxle, wheel bearings, compression, etc. Lots of piece of mind for $100-$200.

Dom_911

I bought the car from a reputable Porsche specialist (Autobahn, UK), so I didn't buy blind, as it were. I am just noticing things now which tend to become obvious through ownership. I do have a 3 month parts and labour warranty on the car which is why I would like to find any problems now and get them sorted.

Viv Offord

A standard Carrera 3.2 will come 'alive' at about 3000rpm and pull very well in any gear up to the redline (not sure about 5th near the redline though). It shouldn't have a poor response from 1500rpm and above and should be very useable around town between 2000 and 3000 rpm.

Sounds like yours is either modified in some way or needs looking at.