I am purchasing a 78 928 off of my father. It has sat for many years in a garage. The car has about 35000 original miles on it and has sat for many years. He did start it for a bit 8 to 10 years ago. He mentioned he put Sta-Bil in the gas at that point. I have no idea what I am getting into any suggestions would be great.

I have not looked under the hood of this thing since I was a kid over 25 years ago. would I be able to turn the oil pump over with a drill to get things lubricated before I try to start it?

any idea what this would be worth if it runs?
78 first edition
5 speed manual
no sun roof
red with gold interior.
around 35000 miles.

There is also a specific story behind this car about being the first one in the US or something. I think it is all documented in a book that came with it when he bought it.

 

Pull the plugs, use a pump oil can to squirt an ounce or so of Dexron into each cylinder. Do that as far in advance as you can.

Ten years is far outside the capabilities of Stabil, so you will need to drain the fuel. It is almost certain that you will need some serious work on the CIS (Continuous Injection System) - it doesn't like long-term storage. You might disconnect a fuel line and see if the pump will empty the tank - no running pump, no running engine.

This is a non-interference engine, so it doesn't really hurt much to try to get it running - but it won't be easy. Expect a lot of cleaning of electrical connections, including grounds.

 

Thank you for your reply and suggestions. How hard or costly is the work on the CIS?

 

Wally's suggestion to add an ounce of transmission fluid to each cylinder is important for a car that has spent a lot of its life sitting up. The transmission fluid will act aggressively to displace any and all corrosion caused by moisture as it works its way into the bores. This helps to prevent damage to your cylinder walls once you start turning it over again. You don't want oil consumption and poor performance of course.

In my experience, the fuel pump can usually tell the story of what the health of the fuel system is. Start by putting a hot battery in. Remove the fuel pump relay and use a bridge wire to jumper terminal 30 to terminal 87. If you look at the leads of the relay, they will indicate which lead corresponds with which terminal at the relay socket. The CE (Central Electric Board) is located in the passenger front footwell. If you the pump run you may be in luck. Nevertheless, you need to drain the tank at the very least. I'd elect to drop it and clean it. Refill it with fresh gas. Change the oil and replace the filter. I won't steer any direction in particular there, but I would advise researching it as there are numerous easy-to-find discussions on that topic right here within this website.

Good luck.

 

Do some reading here and you will see where some take YEARS to get it figured out and or spend hundreds of dollars trying.... A rebuilt fuel distributor can be as much as $2,000...depending on where you get one.

 

Fuel system will be your bggest challenge, as shared by others already. You should plan on a draining the tank, flushing the varnish/sludge out of the pump, replacing the filter, as a first step. You'll then want to flush the rest of the system section by section, disconnecting each section you are flushing so you don't push upstream crud into downstream sections.

The critical pieces of the system end up being the warm-up regulator and the fuel metering unit/distributor unit. It's possible to diassemble and clean both, but if you don't have existing comfort with CIS injection, you can save yourself months of aggravation by recruiting an expert now to clean and rebuild these two pieces. They varnish up, they plug up with rust and debris, the little filters break up and foul the metering unit pistons and ports. There is virtually no chance the car will run even halfway decently without serious attention on those two pieces.

There are several good books on CIS systems that should be required reading. I think the Probst book is the best technically. Meanwhile, you'll casually shop for a set of CIS pressure gauges, a decent wide-band CO meter for fine-tuning, and a stash of patience and cash to support your new habit.

CIS is incredibly durable and forgiving, except when allowed to stand for too long, or when exposed to amateur tinkering and "adjustment" as owners try to use the injection to hide other problems with the car. It has virtually no tolerance for dirt and varnish, water, or other contamination in the system. All mechanical and hydraulic, there's no option to plug in a laptop for diagnostics or tuning. Everything keys on hydrauilics: fuel pressure and control pressure. It was a giant leap forward from most carburetor systems at the time, but takes a different set of thought processes and instruments to get working correctly.

Contact Tom at 928 International for parts and pieces. Jim Doerr on the list here is gathering and sharing a huge amount of knowledge on the early cars that will help you along your journey. James Bailey (posted immediately above this one) is a closet expert on this stuff too. Prior to getting his Big Break in showbiz, Jim fielded inquiries from folks all over the world who found themselves in your shoes. His archival knowledge and experience on symptoms and solutions 928 is more than impressive.

 

And of course the biggest question -- Why was the car taken out of service ten-plus years ago? Good running cars don't just suddenly get shoved into the corner and forgotten. You have the luxury of a handy previous caretaker, so get started on your research on the car's history.


Last but not least, post some pictures of the car. We all like to live vicariously with these rescue projects.

 

Thank you for all the great tips. I am sure going to do them all before i fire it up.

I am driving out of state to pick up the car 4th of july week and bringing it back home to Ohio that week.

The car was taken out of service because the owner has sat in his recliner for the last 20 years. It is in great shape inside and out. interior has one small tear in the driver seat from getting in and out about 2 inches long. No other cracks or tears anywhere. It was stored in a heated garage under a cover since he bought it from the original owner around 1990 (it was a personal car of the Porsche dealer owner).





the only picture I could get of the car.

 

Looks good !!! just take time to get it going. Hopefully the coolant corrosion damage is not too bad...ditto the brake and clutch fluids... If it was owned until 1990 by a former Porsche dealer it might just might be one of the very first 928s in the USA.....That would be cool !!

 

That one looks like a potential winner! Exterior cosmetics look good, climate-stable garage storage is ideal, pending some fluid deterioration issues that Jim mentions. More details and pics when you get it back.

There's a growing enthusiasm for good early cars, and this one surely qualifies.

 

If it does need a CIS unit...I believe member "Fronkenstein" had a unit or rebuild unit he bought but didn't need any longer, since he changed engine years. Maybe shoot him a PM.

Nice car, looks like a great start to a project. It would be interesting to hear what the vin. number is.

Brian.

 

Get a VIN Number and let our guys go to work with the backstory. Good luck, a true "Barn" find... Document everything when you pick the car up, we will all be following your progress.

Lon

 

Just do a 350 v8 swap. That engine is underpowered and performance parts are over priced.

 

That engine will push it to 140+ in stock tune which is enough to kill squirrel, rabbit, possum, and slow moving deer.

 

Fantastic car.....really interested in the VIN, as some of us here have the earliest U.S. cars made....the CIS is a challenge for a DIY'r, but the car looks amazing, from the one photo. Congrats. I hope you get her fixed up and keep it...these fine machines need owners who love them.

Replace ALL rubber fuel lines before you do anything else. Good luck.