I am shortly going to be a very excited and proud owner of a 1988 turbo. Low mileage. I have a list of cars that I want to own at some point in my life and this is very (very) high on the list. And although I'm a moderately experienced Porsche owner, it's all water-cooled (997.1) stuff. I've done many mods but the vintage and fundamental design of this car has me concerned about maintenance, strengths and weaknesses.
So I'm looking for advice for a moderately mechanically inclined new owner. I have done a good deal of research, but thought I'd ask this august body of experts. Anything in particular to look out for on the 930 series? Failure-prone parts and systems, maintenance tips and techniques, or mods that really help the health and reliability of the car?
Though I've mod'ed my 997, I plan to keep this car virtually stock; or at least easily returned to stock and nothing that will permanently alter the car and/or substantially stress the car beyond it's initial design.
So your experience and assistance would be welcomed.
Thanks in advance,
V

 

Wow, not a single response. Disappointing.

 

Verde, I'm also looking at buying a 930. What has been your experience so far with the 1998? Did it come with a clean title & maintenance record? Do you have any advice fort another newbie?

 

If you find a car that you are interested in aquiring, the first thing of importance is to get a solid PPI (pre purchase inspection) from a reputable facility- key points are paint check of every panel visually and with a paint meter to determine if there has been any paint or body work- I've seen lots of pretty good looking cars that have had significant paint and body work- a car fax isn't going to help much with a car that is of that age either.

With a turbo, you want to know if it has ever had a boost **** installed- even if they've been removed, often times the hoses get left unterminated and are good tell-tales. 930 with CIS fuel injection is really not capable of supplying enough fuel over 1 bar manifold pressure and can cause ring damage (we usually see compression rings come apart in 3 pieces when failed**) Also, running more boost can cause cyl head studs to pull/ break. Even on a stock car , the head studs are a weak point needing upgrade to 993 or ARP type fasteners for durability.

Highly recomend having a compression test performed to verify solid numbers with no more than 10% differential from highest to lowest.

Oil leaks are very common on an older unit and can even be worse if not driven (ie super low milage cars.) oil return tube seals particularly. Must inspect for RMS, case, valve cover and chain cover/housing leakages.

Other problems, high idle, poor acceleration when cold- idle air valves and warm up regulators fail- a warm up reg is Porsche oe only and they cost about $1000.00 for the part. Really, any of the CIS injection components are very pricey and will need replacement at some point. Availabilty is becomeing an issue as well- fuel distributors are NLA from Porsche as example. You can always go stand alone engine management and get rid of all CIS but be prepared to spend $$$.

CD boxes fail- only real replacement is Permatune units and they have been marginal on the QC lately.

Standard stuff to check, suspension, front wheel bearings, brake wear, front and rear rubber brake lines- when going bad those will cause a left or right pull under braking.

A/C is terrible on early 911's pre 1989/1990 964 models- even when working prefectly, cooling is marginal, especially if you live in a hot climate with high humidity like FL and through out the gulf or AZ, southern CA with high ambient temp even with out the humidity. About $4500-$4800 can get you an ice cold Griffiths system utilizing 134A refrigerant FWIW.

Hope that helps.

 

That sure does help! The 930's are sex on wheels, but I do live in FL and no A/C would not be an option...I've been looking for a little while now and lately I've been leaning towards the 3.6L air/oil cooled cars cuz you can find high mileage examples that are reasonably priced that seem to be great candidates for performance rebuilds/project cars. Any input would be greatly appreciated

Thanks,
Rick C.

 

There are some nice changes to the chasis from the 930 to the 964 and particularly the 93 on 964 turbo 3.6 litre motor. The A/C is def better though evaperators are pretty common failure on 964's generally (have a 964Turbo on the lift right now with that issue), requiring fuel tank removal to access the evaperator housing.

We've done a bunch of the 911/930 Griffiths conversions and though you're into it for $4500ish, they do work beautifully so if you find a good deal on a 930, i wouldn't let the a/c keep you from a terrific car. If you go 964Turbo, a 3.6 with efi is really the way to go however.

 

Thanks! If I find a nice 930 that I just have to have it's good to know the A/C upgrade is an option and in the meantime I will keep my eye out for a 3.6 with EFI
RC

 

Well, I've had a great experience with the 930 (well, Turbo) that I chose. I bought it through RUF (in Dallas) and paid quite a bit more than standard to get a very low mileage car (9K miles). I feel that a car is only young (i.e. low mileage) once and enjoy the knowledge of having had limited time on the road. I did the same with my Ford GT (200 miles). I don't know exactly how to value low miles, but it's an extremely valuable factor to me. There are risks of course with low mileage in that gaskets can dry requiring some potential big repairs. But 9K is hardly collector miles and so far, it's exceeded my expectations. The car has been essentially 'new' inside and out.
I did have a PPI done but I also feel (and I'm sure there will be some doubters on this) that RUF has a reputation to protect and will err on conservatism in documenting and backing their cars. And in fact, in the context of the sale (not the condition of the car) the RUF folks were extremely professional in handling some complexities of the transaction with respect to a competitive bidder.
So, about the car... Like I said, essentially new. Runs perfectly, smoothly and all accessories (except for one), exterior and interior surfaces, are in perfect condition. The exception is of course the air conditioning which is a no-op. Living in the Bay Area, I would expect it to work a bit, but not so far. I'll have it charged and I'm hoping for the best.
Now, as satisfying the car is as a beginner collectible, it is not a performance car by today's standards and is not a great DD (if that's your interest). My 997S is more comfortable, faster, stops shorter and handles better than this 'best of the best' from the 70's and 80's. But it's just a great car to own, and I don't expect to be trading it... ever.
If you have not yet purchased one, for the right reasons I highly recommend it and can't think of anything else of that era that comes close to the level of satisfaction that the 930 can bring. GL.