Parnelli Joneser

When I bought my car I got a bill of sale and a registration card, nothing more. After seeing the asking prices on printed manuals (when you find them) I spent several days online searching and ultimately bought a CD-ROM copy of the FSM from a company that offers them for most cars ever built- I thought it a comparitive bargain at $20 Bear with me here...

It is most of what the sellers said it was - A scanned copy of an FSM covering all years of the 928, and wiring diagrams. All in the latest Adobe Acrobat format. It was supposed to have a copy of each year's OM, but I haven't found them.

My problem stems partly from the book, partly from my car.

I have an '83 Euro S model with a US engine in it, the orginal engine is under my work bench. Which US engine is unclear as I write this.

- the manual is a copy intended for North American dealerships.

One frustration is that certain parts make it very clear that it is referring to US and JAPAN ONLY, but not all the time, nor where you'd expect that type of warning, like in the engine and tuning sections.

The FSM had supplements that were to be added in or to replace certain pages periodically. The are fitted in where applicable and instantly recognizable by the varying typesets, sorry, fonts and at the bottom of each page is a printing reference. The manner in which the CD-ROM itself is broken into volumes is not the same as the manual, which is maddening as hell. Then I have doubts as to whether all the supplements are included because some are intersperced where applicable, others thrown in at the end of the volume.

I'm surprised that the scanned pages don't have greasy fingerprints on them.

Then, from year to year, Porsche changed the manner in which they listed the specifications- early years both kg/lbs listed, some years only metric, some other years different again. This is where I'm

My question is- How do I know if I have a complete manual?
The bottom of page printing references do not inspire confidence that it is.

I'm not as frustrated as I would be if I owned a later model 32V, as the additions really seem haphazard, but I naturally haven't studied those pages much.

Second question- after looking through the absurdly different year to year front of manual technical data pages and having looked at various forums, webpages, etc- What is the real difference between the 1983 Euro and US 928S?

My manual seemingly skips around MY 1983, listing on some pages specs for 1980, 1981, 1982 Models, (printed VII-1983) and only in US spec terms.

Then it lists the 1984-86 S Models (with US specs in parenthesis), printed-XIX, 1987.

I have mostly read 300 hp in the Euro and 234 hp for the US car. The '84 spec backs that up mostly, listing 310 hp to 242 via EC testing, with 234 hp via SAE test. Does that apply to '83 also?

Compression ratios Euro- 10.4 : 1 US 9.3 : 1

The cam specs are listed as different, which seems obvious, but it also says that the 16 valve engine is a zero clearance unit, and if I take the pages a face value regarding the parenthesis, the Euro engine is not zero clearance and the US engine is, which doesn't make much sense. I had read that the 32 valve unit was a valve bender and the 16 valve wasn't.

I already have, but I could go on, and on... Anyone else have a CD-ROM FSM?
I lost the weblink to the person/site I got mine from, but I imagine other CD-ROM versions could have been scanned up from any other real manual.

The wide difference in the supplemental pages is really crazy. While most are "printed" in official looking fonts and page references. other later add-in look like (and probably were) typed up on an IBM Selectric by who-the-hell-ever.

Any feedback- any- is very appreciated.

Garth S

Search through the archives here for a link to the author of a highly regarded pair of CD's - one containing the WSM plus PET5, etc., the other containing a wealth of technical publications ( I want that one! ). The name is Jim Morehouse: I don't have the link. From what I've read, the available CD format WSM's are far from being created equal - perhaps an owner of JM's CD's can verify that they are "more equal" than others.
As to the WSM's, well I have the 8 vol set. - and they are chock full of the points you critique ( ft/lbs one page, newton - meters the next, etc.): As frustrating as they can be at times, for they are both sparse and obtuse on many points - I wouldn't do without them!

ViribusUnits

Well, to decide which engine you have look at the engine "model" numbers, at 928 Spcalists web site.

US motor reconization.

Failing that does your car have EFI? If so then it's an 80 or newer.

Do you have twin distributors? If so, then it's 85 or newer.

If you fall into the gap between 80 and 84, you can look at the distributer's vacuum advance. If it has two vacuum connections, you have a 82 or earler, if you have 1 vacuum connection, you have a 83 or 84.

This is true, unless things have been messed with, in which case the only way to tell is the model numbers.

Richard S

The 83 Euro and 83 US engines used different fuel injection systems....CIS (mechanical) on the euro and L-jet (electronic) on the US. So what is on yours now? Was the Euro injection put on the US motor? Interesting to say the least. If you still have the original euro motor, it has better heads and cams than the US motor. What's wrong with the euro motor? Not likely to get 300 hp from the US motor, so you would be better off re-building/re-installing the original.

Jim Morehouse can help regarding the manuals on CD.

Rich

Parnelli Joneser

Thanks ya'll,
The car has CIS in it now, retained from the Euro engine. Does the L-jet engine have the same intake manifold, the "spider" ? The intake of the Euro engine came in a box and honestly I stuck it on a shelf and haven't looked at it, other than having the spider hanging on the wall. Both are single distributor units but I haven't been out to look at the advance yet. I took my mechanic when I bought the car and I remember him saying "Good." after the owner affirmed the retention of the CIS, and it seems like a very nice unit indeed. Will expound on the swap later.

ViribusUnits

If it is CIS, and the Euro motor was taken apart, all sorts of weird things could be happening.

Your really going to have to find the engine code, and then go from there. My stuff will help for cars that remained as the factory set them up, when things have been changed all bets are off.

Parnelli Joneser

I must be a dolt, especially since I have an engine out of the car to examine as well as the one in the car. Where is the engine code? I remember reading the it would be at the right rear (relative to the car) and could be seen by looking in between the legs of the intake. Well, there's nothing on the block there. I see three little circles on the head= one has an S in it, the middle has a 25 over an 11, the third has 83 in it. There's no 25/11 as a code that I've found either, and it's not on the block like I thought it was supposed to be. I'm sure it's a 5 too, not a worn 8.
As it is, the intake of the bought engine is L-jet, or I take it to be as it's wildy different from the simplicity that is CIS. The car runs quite nicely, starting without throttle input and the choke works great, settling down to an easy lope quickly.

Jim V

The engine code is stamped into a machined pad that is part of the block webbing at the front-top-slightly pass. side of the block.

That car sounds familiar; did it come out of The Dalles?

Parnelli Joneser

Ahh, thanks so much. OK, so was misinformed. The engines are just what we thought they are, the one out of the car is a M28/12, the 300hp engine with 3 sp auto box, and the one in it is an M28/20, or a 83-4 US spec 234 horser.
As for where the car came from, it has a rider on the title that says-
Previous Damage- Alaska
Whatever that means. I looked up the Alaska DMV online but found no elaboration. The car is Gaurds Red with black leather. And it looks like somebody left it out in the desert for a couple of years, except the dash, which is in near perfect shape.
When I got it it had two aftermarket alarm/immobilizers in it. That was fun.
The PO said he bought it in southern Oregon, Gold Hill IIRC. There are some nominal Americanizations, Toyota side markers in the back, extra lights scabbed into the turnsignal repeaters for front sides and an mph speedo of doubtful accuracy.
My guess is that the title may have been a way for an Air Force officer to bring a gray-market car into the US without much hassle. And alot of Air Force guys transferred from Germany to Alaska. Sounded plausible over beers last week, and it doesn't show signs of any major repairs that we can tell, but the door full of glass pellets means it may have been stolen, or at least someone tried. maybe... I dunno, I'm just fixing what needs fixing to make it more drivable while learning, and reading, and learning and wondering why I thought rotary engines confusing.