Newbie List of Questions
11-18-2001, 02:36 AM
#1
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Newbie List of Questions
Could someone please educate a newbie in some of these areas. Here is a list of questions that are pretty basic for most of you but for the new Turbo owner, they are pretty important.
1. Where is the best place to buy parts? Is there a place on line as well as locally? Do I have to go to the dealer?
2. What reading material is best to have on the 930 Turbo?
3. Basic do's and dont's of owning a 930?
4. How can I tell if I have a 1bar boost spring in my car?
5. Can I get the manuals that can with my car? ( Original ones not in it)
6. What is the best book to own if you are not mechanically challenged?
7. Is most of the service that is performed on the car able to be done by a individual or would you recommend a Porsche mechanic?
Thanks so much for all your time, I hope that after I am educated I can pass along my new knowledge to some other person.
Richard
86 930
**Better than any rollercoaster!***
1. Where is the best place to buy parts? Is there a place on line as well as locally? Do I have to go to the dealer?
2. What reading material is best to have on the 930 Turbo?
3. Basic do's and dont's of owning a 930?
4. How can I tell if I have a 1bar boost spring in my car?
5. Can I get the manuals that can with my car? ( Original ones not in it)
6. What is the best book to own if you are not mechanically challenged?
7. Is most of the service that is performed on the car able to be done by a individual or would you recommend a Porsche mechanic?
Thanks so much for all your time, I hope that after I am educated I can pass along my new knowledge to some other person.
Richard
86 930
**Better than any rollercoaster!***
11-18-2001, 01:56 PM
#2
1) You should always check with a Porsche dealer before ordering parts elsewhere. I've often found Porsche to be the lowest cost source. And my dealer delivers to my house for free. They're not always the cheapest, but quite often they are. I've also had good luck with Vertex. And Performance Products (Automotion) - but the latter is not inexpensive.
2) Join the Porsche Club of America then order their "Up Fixen der Porsche". It's a compilation of technical articles from the magazine going back to 356 days. Then go to your local club meetings and get to know other members with similar cars and problems. Learn from their experiences and you'll save a fortune over the long run.
3) Do drive it on the track. Do not let it sit in the driveway too long.
4) You have to take the wastegate apart to really know what spring you have. I thought I had one until my mechanic showed me it was actually just shimmed - not good. You also can't go by the factory boost gauge. It's not even remotely acurate. I put a real boost gauge in place of the clock. Though my factory gauge said 1 bar, the real gauge said 0.7. I know members with the opposite readings too. If you're worried about boost, get a mechanic to put a real gauge on it to test.
5) For manuals, look on ebay. There are tons available. I think My-Porsche also has them.
6) Shop manuals are harder. The closest I've found is the Bentley 911 SC manual ($99 from Amazon). It doesn't cover the turbo, but the car is mostly a 911SC or Carrera anyway. The Hanes book is useless. They have Porsche Parts CD-ROMs on ebay as well for $10.
7) With a 930 not only do you need a Porsche mechanic, but you need a good one. Not every Porsche mechanic knows the in's and outs of a 930. Even though your car is from 86, some of the technology in it is more from the 70's. If your mechanic is not experienced with all the silly little problems these cars have, you'll spend a fortune educating him. Again, join the Porsche club and listen to the experiences of others. There are still things you can do yourself like brake pads etc, but I would leave engine work to an expert.
Check put http://www.pca.org
It's the best $50 you'll ever spend.
2) Join the Porsche Club of America then order their "Up Fixen der Porsche". It's a compilation of technical articles from the magazine going back to 356 days. Then go to your local club meetings and get to know other members with similar cars and problems. Learn from their experiences and you'll save a fortune over the long run.
3) Do drive it on the track. Do not let it sit in the driveway too long.
4) You have to take the wastegate apart to really know what spring you have. I thought I had one until my mechanic showed me it was actually just shimmed - not good. You also can't go by the factory boost gauge. It's not even remotely acurate. I put a real boost gauge in place of the clock. Though my factory gauge said 1 bar, the real gauge said 0.7. I know members with the opposite readings too. If you're worried about boost, get a mechanic to put a real gauge on it to test.
5) For manuals, look on ebay. There are tons available. I think My-Porsche also has them.
6) Shop manuals are harder. The closest I've found is the Bentley 911 SC manual ($99 from Amazon). It doesn't cover the turbo, but the car is mostly a 911SC or Carrera anyway. The Hanes book is useless. They have Porsche Parts CD-ROMs on ebay as well for $10.
7) With a 930 not only do you need a Porsche mechanic, but you need a good one. Not every Porsche mechanic knows the in's and outs of a 930. Even though your car is from 86, some of the technology in it is more from the 70's. If your mechanic is not experienced with all the silly little problems these cars have, you'll spend a fortune educating him. Again, join the Porsche club and listen to the experiences of others. There are still things you can do yourself like brake pads etc, but I would leave engine work to an expert.
Check put http://www.pca.org
It's the best $50 you'll ever spend.
11-18-2001, 06:27 PM
#4
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Also, if you've been driving the car hard, be sure to let it sit for a minute or two in the garage or in your driveway before shutting down the engine. This gives time for the turbo to completely spool down and get the excess oil out of it.
Driving it hard, turning it off, and letting it sit until the next weekend without unloading the turbo is bad on the turbo.
And I agree with Peter. Take it to the track. You'll never enjoy the potential fun that is available from a 930 without doing so. Trust me, you can keep the car clean and shiny and well taken care of and drive it on the track a few weekends a year.
Brian
My 930
Driving it hard, turning it off, and letting it sit until the next weekend without unloading the turbo is bad on the turbo.
And I agree with Peter. Take it to the track. You'll never enjoy the potential fun that is available from a 930 without doing so. Trust me, you can keep the car clean and shiny and well taken care of and drive it on the track a few weekends a year.
Brian
My 930
11-18-2001, 11:32 PM
#5
Good point. Treat the last 2-3 minutes driving the car as a "cool down lap". Be easy on it with no boost or excessive reving. Then you can just turn it off without all the idling.
Oh, the other expensive lesson if this is your first 911 is to shift slowly with a deliberate pause between gears. If you try to speed shift it, you'll wear our your synchros in no time. Also, be sure to put the clutch all the way to the floor before shifting.
It's not a Honda. The transmission in these things is 1960's technology. They made improvements in 89. I consistently shifted too fast on the track and did two transmission rebuilds in three years. That really hurts!
Oh, the other expensive lesson if this is your first 911 is to shift slowly with a deliberate pause between gears. If you try to speed shift it, you'll wear our your synchros in no time. Also, be sure to put the clutch all the way to the floor before shifting.
It's not a Honda. The transmission in these things is 1960's technology. They made improvements in 89. I consistently shifted too fast on the track and did two transmission rebuilds in three years. That really hurts!
11-20-2001, 07:18 PM
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I agree with all of the above advice. Drive it and smile. Do not baby the car.
If this is your first turbo heed this warning well: DO NOT lift off the throttle if you are going heavy in a turn. These cars are absolutly wonderful once you know how to drive them. But if you go into a fast turn toot and hit the brakes, your tail will come around and you will leave the road rear first. I'm not kidding. Take it easy until you get to know the car.
Good luck and enjoy!
Paul H
If this is your first turbo heed this warning well: DO NOT lift off the throttle if you are going heavy in a turn. These cars are absolutly wonderful once you know how to drive them. But if you go into a fast turn toot and hit the brakes, your tail will come around and you will leave the road rear first. I'm not kidding. Take it easy until you get to know the car.
Good luck and enjoy!
Paul H
