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Hello all, I've been in search of my first classic car for over a year before I decided to narrow my search to a 1987-1989 G50 Porsche 911..
I think I've found a good match in this 1988 911 Silver/ Burgundy Interior, which I found appealing. It has 74k miles and was a two owner car,no accidents.. I had a PPI done and decided to pull the trigger...It arrives at my house this friday!!WOOHOO I'm excited but hopefully in one piece and without any problems (soft wall enclosed transport)....Below are some pics from the dealer and one getting it loaded up for a new home.
I'm used to working on my own motorcycle but have little experience with cars, I have a ton of questions regarding what to do to get ready for basic maintenance, I understand these cars have special tools?
Anyways, I wanted to get your thoughts or advice from you all on what to expect and any guidance going forward..
Hi and welcome to the air cooled club.
Great looking car! Love the burgundy interior.
These cars are relatively straightforward to work on. Not many special tools required, and most of them are for more advanced procedures than basic maintenance.
Some newbie tips/comments:
1) Check the oil when the engine is up to operating temperature and with the engine at idle on level ground. Verify what the gauge reads by checking the dipstick inside the filler neck.
2) Sometimes it helps to invert the filler nozzle when pumping gas.
3) Yes, the AC sucks.
4) Keep the revs up and enjoy.
The AC issue is that the hoses are much longer than on a front engine car with all the AC parts at the same end of the car, and they leak, even more so with the new refrigerant. The system is difficult to keep charged.
On the oil change, 5K is typical, but in hot summer months down South you might want to go with 3K as heat is the enemy to oil. Your oil temp should run at the first mark up from the bottom of the gauge, and it will probably spike to half way up the gauge when you are stuck in traffic. Higher than that is getting too hot. Although people call these air cooled cars, they are in fact oil cooled as well.
Most of us use a non-synthetic oil with high levels ZDDP like Brad Penn 20W50. It takes 10 quarts for a change. It's a dry sump system, which means that the majority of the oil is not kept in the bottom of the engine, but is stored in a tank. In our case, the tank is in the rear passenger side fender well.
You will find the forum here to be a very friendly and helpful group of people.
Most anything relating to these cars has been discussed previously. You can usually do a search and come back with several threads relating to just about any question you can think of.
Looks like a great car. Working on them is simple and straightforward. Once you are over the initial fear of breaking your new toy, nothing is difficult on them. Yours looks very well cared for. Welcome.
A common right of passage on your first oil change is a rapidly overflowing catch pan and a big oil puddle on the floor. Use a large open container, not one of those pans with the sloping sides and a drain hole in the middle. When you take off that drain plug, the oil in the tank comes out FAST. Around 6-8 quarts.
You won't be able to tell your story in the next "my first oil change" thread, but it's probably worth the tradeoff.
The AC issue is that the hoses are much longer than on a front engine car with all the AC parts at the same end of the car, and they leak, even more so with the new refrigerant. The system is difficult to keep charged.
On the oil change, 5K is typical, but in hot summer months down South you might want to go with 3K as heat is the enemy to oil. Your oil temp should run at the first mark up from the bottom of the gauge, and it will probably spike to half way up the gauge when you are stuck in traffic. Higher than that is getting too hot. Although people call these air cooled cars, they are in fact oil cooled as well.
Most of us use a non-synthetic oil with high levels ZDDP like Brad Penn 20W50. It takes 10 quarts for a change. It's a dry sump system, which means that the majority of the oil is not kept in the bottom of the engine, but is stored in a tank. In our case, the tank is in the rear passenger side fender well.
You will find the forum here to be a very friendly and helpful group of people.
Most anything relating to these cars has been discussed previously. You can usually do a search and come back with several threads relating to just about any question you can think of.
Question, how often does the chain tensioners and valve guides need adjustment? yearly?
Congrats on your purchase! Car looks it was well pampered by the previous owners. My one suggestion is to the replace the round ignition key cover. The discolored cover looks out of place in the nice stock interior.
She's a beauty and looks like that dealership has a few other gems there as well. 76k on the clock is nice low mileage and what I have on mine as well. You will absolutely love the driving experience. They are easy to maintain as stated above. Forget about the stock AC, even if it was up to 80s snuff, it pales in comparison to modern AC units. Only fix for it, is to spend $5-7k on an upgrade, which I've read works pretty well. Fortunately for me, the poor AC is supplemented w/ the top off!
Congrats on your purchase! Car looks it was well pampered by the previous owners. My one suggestion is to the replace the round ignition key cover. The discolored cover looks out of place in the nice stock interior.
08-12-2014, 12:17 AM
First time Porsche owner..
Welcome.
