951Ron

Hi. Great site.

What would you work on first on the car? Goal is to bring it up to healthy stock running condition first. Engine has just had a belt change. There are no oil leaks. Seems a little on the weak side until about 4,000 rpm then it pulls strong after that. Haven't pulled the plugs yet. Kind of confused about whether to use NGK BPR6ES or the colder BPR7ES? The technical article on plugs at the beginning of the section on 951s suggests the 6 is the plug to use if your car is stock but seems that many owners are using 7s on their stock cars. What would you suggest?

The only thing that isn't stock is a loud cat back system that I will be replacing with a stock 89 turbo S system. Thanks in advance for your input.

dillon410021

The stock turbo will hit full psi at about 4,000 rpm so that is when it does take off. I would compression test your car to find out how good the motor really is.
Also, welcome to Rennlist. stick around, you can learn a lot of valuable info from other 951 owners like stuff to do and stuff not to do.

User 52121

If it doesn't immediately NEED anything - new fuel lines. Couldn't hurt to do some other routine basic maintenance, like an oil change, new fuel filter, etc.

As for plugs, I run the 7ES's in my car, and it's mostly stock, power-wise (3" exhaust, Weltmeister chip, and a Lindsey Boost Enhancer set to 10psi.) While trying to troubleshoot a rough start condition, I swapped in a set of Bosch Super Plus 7900s. The car definitely felt like it ran smoother with the Bosch plugs, but then I had some audible detonation when the boost came up, so I went back to the NGK's.

minho78

Welcome to Rennlist. You may start Changing fluids, Tune up. Also if it's stock start planning for the max HP that you want to achieve. Why?? Because I said I was going to leave it stock, and I'm already thinking about a 3.0 Turbo.

MAGK944

I would replace the vacuum and fuel lines in the engine bay if they look like they haven't been replaced before. Lindsey Racing do a nice silicon vacuum line set for the 951 and a few of the vendors here do a decent high-temp fuel line replacement kit. Other than that just change the fluids & filters and enjoy. Brad Penn engine oil seems to be the most used on this site and Redline or Swepco transmission oil, oh and don't forget the fuel filter while your back there.

Papamurphdog

If you didn’t already give it a real good inspection… Start under the car from the rear; fuel filter, shift linkage (top of the trans: rubber bushings are toast for sure, new ones are cheap and its and easy fix that will make the shift lever feel fresh), check all four the CV boots on the rear axles and also make sure all the bolts are tight (if you have time, I’m sure the CV’s should be cleaned and re-packed), are the shocks original? If so, replace them. Check all the fuel lines to look for dents and dings, etc. Have the wheel bearings ever been serviced? If not the inner rear ones are a bitch, but the outers can be repacked easily. You are already doing the exhaust, but be sure to buy new rubber hangars; the old ones are hardened by now. Clean the starter electrical connections and use electrical grease. Have the bearings been serviced, if not service them. It’s actually pretty easy. When back together, replace the rear bushings on each A-Arm; yours are likely eccentric and cracked; mark the mounts well and you can unbolt/bolt with no alignment. Check the engine mounts to be sure they are not flat. Check the front shock/struts if still original. Check the boots on the tie rods and the steering rack for damage; fix if needed. Check the tie rod ends. All of the above is a leisurely weekend on jack stands or rent a lift from a local garage. Not too costly either unless something is amiss. Good idea to check anything rubber in the whole car. Good idea to replace ALL the fluids in the whole car; then you have a “service date” from which to calculate future service.

I did the above and then some with my 90 S2 CAB and it has purred ever since. Don’t have to do it all at once, but with 155K and 22 years old, give it some love.

951Ron

Thank you for the info. Looks like motor mounts first. The exhaust side looks like the fluid leaked out. Has anyone changed the transaxle mount? Looks like it's the original mount.

Thanks again for the information!

ArthurPE

as others have said, the stuff with the greatest impact if it fails:
fuel lines
brake lines & fluid
check all the wiring
the belts, but you said those were addressed...

after that:
tune up stuff
plugs/dist/wires
filters
diff/tranny fluid
a good cleaning & polishing

lart951

Fuel lines certainly, in the even that they burst, the consequences can be catastrophic.