SARGEPUG

Short history w/ the car, 76k original on the clock, owned it for a few weeks and drove it once when my friend owned it. Car was delivered w/ a full tank. I drove the car when my friend delivered it and no issues. Drove it a few times after and nothing. Brought it into my mechanic (who is tops in the biz and services all of Seinfeld's Porsches, most recently his Porsche tractor!) Aside from the typical oil changes of the gearbox and engine, the most mechanical things that were done to it were the replacement of the left side valve cover gasket, 2 bushings for the throttle, new oil line and cleaning of a couple of cables w/ corrosion. Picked up the car and nothing, nice and smooth! Drove about 5 miles and filled up w/ 93 at the local Mobil, who has been struggling big time, since Shell across the street reopend w/ a major complex. After I filled up, I drove her home a mile or so. Car sat for a few hours and when I took her back out, she had a ruogh idle, low end stumble and a slight pop inbetween high rpm gear shifts! Before I went on the 200 mile run, I put octane boost in and drove her nice and hard, averaging 80 - 100 mph and rarely shifting into 5th. When I arrived, I noticed she stumbled much less. Since then, I put a half tank of 93 in from a Mobil that is always cranking in the Hamptons. Then drove her hard out here, always 4k plus on the dial. Noticing the idle levelling out and less and less of a stumble. I then drove her down a 1/4 tank and put in dry gas and another 1/4 tank of 93 at the same Hamptons Mobil. Now it's all but gone other than at the most extreme loads, like pulling up my incrediably steep driveway w/ barely any rpms / help in first. Most cars would probably stumble under that load anyway. So, after all this, can it be that my mechanic caused the issue, or simply an issue of bad gas, that a 27 yr old car needs to fully expel?

CT Mike

I believe you can use several bottles of dry gas in one tank Water is the culprit in bad gas and sometimes it takes quite a bit to get it out.

Caferacer

So if I tell my wife I have bad gas can I drive 80 - 100 MPH all day in the Hamptons too? Sorry, couldn't resist. Hope the issue is resolved and I'm pretty sure you're right that it was spotty fuel and not CF. I had the same problem on a log splitter yesterday but the float bowl makes it pretty easy to drain the tank.

SARGEPUG

Is the type of work my mechanic did that I described, capable of causing this issue? I can see if he did major engine work, or adjusted the timing, etc.

@ Cafe, lol and it goes over smoother if the wife and kids are going to the Hamptons as well. We all came out for a long weekend. Excuse my air cooled ignorance, but other that Carbon Fibre, what do you mean by CF??

dshepp806

I don't see where he did anything major. My question would be "why" did he replace just one side of the valve covers? Have you a leak there?

Otherwise, should he have done ONLY what you listed, maybe you DO/DID have/got bad gas? Keep running the fresh stuff through,..see what happens. If it's gas, it will reslove.

BEST!

Doyle

SARGEPUG

Hi Doyle,

Yes, it was leaking enough that he felt it was worth replacing. Other minor seeping from the gearbox and left side cam shaft (which I was already aware of @ purchase), he said not to touch. He is very upfront and fair, he even told me not to go synthetic, because it was a waste of money. Sienfeld must trust all his 70 Porsches to him for some reason! lol
It has almost resolved itself, which further reinforces my feeling that it was a bad tank of gas.
Loving the car and I put almost 500 miles on her in 2 weeks! I am amazed at how well she performs across the board. Engine is always pulling, great handling, etc, etc. That is why these cars are so expensive when new, after 27 yrs, they still kick ***!

Caferacer

CF = Cheech Fernandez. Going to see him soon.

SARGEPUG

haha!!

SARGEPUG

Mystery solved!!

It was bad gas! I ran thru that bad tank of 93, with additives and multiple short refills. Runs like a champ again!!

irobertson

The wife hates when I have bad gas.......especially in the car.

Daniel Dudley

Run a bottle of techron through the car just before your next oil change.

Seriously.

Dwight Johnson

Does bad gas always smell bad?..okay I know this is asking for wise guys remarks.....I may have a bad gas problem but my mechanic dismissed it because he can't smell anything.

thanks, Dwight

SARGEPUG

Chevrons are few and far between in the burbs of NYC and the Hamptons. I can't even remember the last time I saw one! It's all good now. I now fill up at the Exxon on the corner of 27 and North Sea road in Southampton. Place is always brimming w/ Benzes, BMWs, Porsches, exotics, etc. The 93 flows like a river!

SARGEPUG

I think so, but I think it's not the actual smell of the gas itself, it's how it fouls the engine, that smells. The car exhaust smelt bad during that bad tank. Much cleaner smelling now.

Ed Hughes

Techron injector cleaner comes in bottles available at any auto parts store. With any injector cleaner, oil should always be changed after treatment.