Reviving non-driven 928 (12 years in Garage)
 

Dear Forum

I have received a Porsche '79 928 S Automatic euro from a family friend. The car was stored in a garage for 12 years and has not run since.
It is currently stored away from me, but I can work on it every 4-6 weeks or so. My immediate goal is to get the motor running and leave the rest to deal with after the engine runs
So far I have done the follwoing:
- cleaned the grounds as far as I found them
- drained tank and flushed the fuel lines with new fuel
- replaced spark plugs and the battery
- checked belts & oil (look fine so far)

Currently I face the following problems:
- Key turns to "Start" and does not turn back. All kind of warning lights appear at the dash at "Start", if i wiggle the key and try turning it a bit, sometimes a lot of the warning lights disappear and the fuel pump comes on for a few seconds. (--> bad ignition switch?)
- Motor does not turn over via the starter. It does turn by hand. I removed the starter and solenoid and tried jump starting it. Starter itself turns, but the solenoid does nothing when bridging battery and key switch contact. (--> bad solenoid?)

Are my ideas concerning the replacement parts correct? Do you have any further ideas?
Since I can only go to the car once in a while, I want to purchase everything that might have failed or is stopping me from getting the engine running again before I specifically find a problem, so that I can fix the problem right away and do not have to wait for parts. Anything I should replace right away such as maybe the ignition coil?

Thank you!

You talk about 'wiggling' the key. How much play is in the ignition assembly? There are a couple of screws that hold the ignition switch onto the key barrel. These worked loose on one of my cars and the car wouldn't start until I tightened it up. You should be able to reach up under the pod and feel it.

I can't find a good picture of what I mean, but the cross-shaped shaft at the end of this piece:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b73243225d.jpg

fits into a cross-shaped slot on the other side of this piece. The two 'ears' have screws that hold this switch onto the back of a mounting bracket. They're what came loose in my car. I had to use a little right-angle ratchet with a Philips head bit to get up in there.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...b0b6538dbe.jpg

Also: THIS...

..

Don't leave 12 y.o. oil in there.

definitely drain and put in fresh oil. Plan on doing it again after you get it running.

Congrats! Pics might help in this case. 928 international can help you with parts. 79 has mechanical fuel injection...you will need to read previous posts to ID the special techniques for resurrecting that fuel system.

Search engine in forum doesn't work well, but you can search using Google, just reference subject and rennlist 928 forum.

That was quick, thank you!
I have already bought new oil and filter, will be replacing that before trying to start it up.
By wiggling the key I mean turning the key back and forth. Unfortunately I cannot check if the assembly is loose, because I can get back to the car in a few weeks. I will plan on replacing the ignition switch and order accordingly.

Fuses seemed to be fine, no corrosion or broken fuses.
I have ordered Bosch 0332019150 to replace the Starter relay 928.615.117.00 - it seems to be correct based on the circuit drawings, but I cannot find matching OEM numbers...?
Following is the new Bosch vs the original one - is the circuit drawing and the orientation of the pins the only thing that matter?
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...1899f98974.pnghttps://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...d97ca545be.png

..

You want to search CIS fuel injection.

Look at relay fuse poles, they are identified at the base with embossed numbers to match diagram. They only go one way.

Up til a couple years ago there was a rennlist guy active here named sharkskin. Very meticulous individual. Had a website that detailed chapters of his repair experience. It was a 79 car. See if you can access his website via Google search......

Check out this post by Hilton. My 928 had sat for about the same amount of time as yours. I also decided to replace the coil, plugs and wires, green wire, cap and rotor before starting.

Wait... Is you car on the road?

On your '79 you will not find "53" relays. They are '83 and later.
Dr. Digga - You are correct that, on the early cars the equivalent "common" relay is 928.615.117.00. By schematics the "117" and the "53" are very similar in operation, but I believe the "53" has an additional diode. (I had an odd situation where the correct "117" would work in an '82 relay for starter XIV, but the "53" would not. So, now I stick with the correct ones.)

By your description I would concur that it sounds like a bad ignition switch....a common failure and the result of a bad switch can cause all kinds of weird electric activity, such as a light show on the instrument panel !

And follow Landseer's advice: educate yourself on the CIS system. Very important since your car sat for a long time.
Sharkskin's website: https://members.rennlist.com/sharksk..._Main_Home.htm
Do a search, lots of threads on this.
Here are some to start:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...bernation.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-83-cis-3.html
Keep us posted!
Jason

Wait..huh? Yeah Shawn over 2 years ago now!

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...l#post14414859

I got nothin'...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ok I will try all of your inputs next time I am with the car and report back...
Thank you for the inputs so far!