pilot 76

Fellow members, after owning a 964 and a 993 targa, got myself venturing into a beatifull 1986 911 carrera. For some reason I think it also has the most charisma out of the ones I had. Especially compared to the 993 targa, definately a very competent car but let it go because was always scared of when the roof eventually got bad. And then everytime you drove it and it squeeked I found myself thinking, is this the moment I should have it fixed?
Anyway, my newest 911 needs a bit of attention and not really sure what it needs at the moment. Previous owner had it for sixteen years with fully porsche records, however the car has driven 6000 miles in the last ten years, so verdict, ac compressor is leaking, so need to have this fixed and see if then it will hold its gas? Secondly rear spacers are a bit to wide for the car and if you really hit a pothole or something like that the left wheel sometimes touches the inner lining. Nothing serious so far, next on the works is ofcourse the 915 gearbox. Still is reasonably good except think the main bearing is going a bit and results in a whine when you put it in fifth with low rpm like 1800 and light throttle. Am going to try and solve this with swepco 210 before opening (letting mechanic open I mean) the tranny, because the synchros are all fine and it's only the fifth gear with a bit of a whine, on the other hand a bit afraid that if i dont open it up the fifth gears will eat themselves away and then cost might be much higher. any thoughts on this?

and then as second question really, quite often when I change gears (which i do slowly) the rpm will spike up instead of coming down to 900 or so they will go up to 1700 hover there a bit and then only come down to 900, is this a common issue with these cars? Thought it might be the computer, maybe the elec wiring, rotor, rotor caps seems brand new?, thought of maybe the throttle sticking somewhere?, but can't seem to reproduce when not driving and using the gears????

pics to follow and all comments appreciated,


ps please excuse my english only third language

pps this is really really a great site for porsche lovers worldwide

Ed Hughes

No, not common at all. Is your throttle linkage (from pedal to throttle body) moving freely? Sounds like it is sticking.

Lose the spacers, and my guess is Swepco won't fix a bad trans component. Better to address it properly by having a pro look at it. You'll need to make sure the mechanic knows the 915 and has the proper tools.

Ed Hughes

Oh, welcome and post pics!

rusnak

A well-maintained, or restored air-cooled 911 is one of life's true joys to those that know them.

I agree, lose the spacers, or go with something like 5mm. You must have 20mm spacers now.

The whine is normal, but less than 2k rpm in 5th is not, so stop doing that. If you're not crunching gears, then just change the oil and otherwise leave it alone.

You should check the throttle linkage and pedal movement. Chances are your floormat or somethin in the tunnel or under the car is in the way.

pilot 76

Thank you for the replies, about the throttle, pretty sure it is sticking somewhere underneath, will have to get it up on a hoist to find out, about the spacers, yes I know they are going, but going completely naked seems a bit too narrow, especially since the car isn't lowered.... oh and rusnak about the less then 2000 rpm in fifth is only with very light throttle like when following traffic at 45 mph, at 1800-1900 rpm ??? Can't see how that is wrong?

again thanks and yes will post pics....

User 4221

Welcome and congrats on the purchase. The throttle linkage on a 3.2 is filled with places to bind/catch. My bet is on the pivot point that resides on top of the engine and under the intake manifold. The bushings fail over time and become "sticky".

Where in Belgium are you located? My wife grew up in Turnhout and has family in Roeselare. If you are in west-vlaanderen, I can refer you to a great dealer with good techs. My wife's uncle is a good friend of the owner.

Oh, and the whine you mention sounded just like my 4th gear whine I experienced on my G50. As it turns out, it was the output bearings that support the transmission output flanges.
I hope it is an easy fix on both accounts.

User 4221

Oh, yeah... Post some pics!

audi328

I think rusnak was suggesting your engine may be happier if you shifted down a gear or two once you find you're at 1800 rpm in 5th...I know my car is!

Good luck,

rusnak

Well, each vehicle of every make includes a manual that specifies minimum RPM in each gear.

In my 911 with a 915 transmission for example, the minimum RPM in 5th gear is 2,600. I don't know if you have a G-50, or if your particular model has different gearing, but I know that 1,800 is way too low in 5th. You're lugging the motor and putting a strain on the clutch and transmission.

Ed Hughes

I'm rarely in 5 under 60mph.

rusnak

Here Ed, this one's for you:

audi328

I think I'm reading the manual chart a little differently...it seems to me it's saying that you don't want to shift from 4th into 5th without being at least at 2600 rpm in 4th (or going 48mph).

I do know my shift up light appears to come on a lot earlier that that, though (gotta put a little piece of electrical tape over that).

User 4221

You can pull out the tach remove the black wire to disconnect the light. It will not affect operation of other components

rusnak

I took the 911 to a meeting just now, and let it coast down to 1600 in 5th. That was hard to do! But I wanted to hear what it would sound like. There are all kinds of strange noises: whining, clutch slipping or vibrating at least, engine lugging, etc. I don't think the car was very happy.

audi328

Indeed not - the first thing I was told the first time I drove a 911, as I got up to around 60 mph and shifted into 5th, was to drop it down a gear and to try and keep the tach needle pointed more-or-less UP, as the engine is happier there.

Scott, good to know about the little black wire - I'll do that, and thanks for the tip.