StatmanDesigns

Just picked up a very nice original 52K miles black/black 1985 Targa. This was my best friend's car for 20 years, but he died 4 yours ago. His widow finally sold me his car. This is my third 3.2 Carrera, but I have a couple questions.

The car had sat in a garage for 4 years. I had it towed to the repair shop (Porsche of the Village / Metalkraft). A new battery was installed, 18 gallons of old fuel was removed from the tank and the inside inspected for varnish, and was found to be spotless. Oil changed. Brake fluid flushed, clutch cable adjusted.

Car fired right up and seems to run perfectly from a sound perspective, very smooth, free revving, idles perfectly, oil pressure gauge increases with RPM.

My problem is the car is SLOW SLOW SLOW. Nothing, no kick-in at 4500 RPM. I don't remember my 1985 Cab or 1989 Coupe being such a dog. I took my Boxster S out last night and it felt like a 400hp monster (it is dead stock MY2000).

What are the likely issues? Seems like it would be a fuel delivery issue, if so what is the best fix.

Drisump

If you have had these cars before you know that they are not acceleration monsters. But as you say, there should be a noticeable kick after 4000 or so. The early series of 3.2's offered to the American market was quite underpowered and as a consequence most examples have had Steve Wong chips inserted in the DME.....perhaps yours is a pristine, factory example. I would certainly not call my 85 Targa "a dog" but it is a Euro model with 231hp vs the 207 in your car. You didn't say whether in the course of recommisioning the fuel filter had been changed. Perhaps there is varnish build up within the filter....or maybe the filter had been replaced with the wrong orientation .....LOL! Good luck and have fun with her.

Bloose993TT

Swing it by a air-cooled shop and take the mechanic out for a test drive. If there any issues with the power delivery they will let you know.

Pep!RRRR

Good idea. Fouled injectors maybe?

r911

replace the fuel filter and give it a good comprehensive tune-up

also replace those rubber brake hoses & make sure the tires are < 7 years old

if that doesn't do it then chip it

theiceman

You can run a bottle of tech Ron through it to clean up the fuel system

BN244

Thats exactly what i did ...

Jherriott

Plugs, cap, rotor and wires?

spreeleon

I just recently got an 88 911 targa and i love it BUT it definitely won't win any drag races and does feel a LOT less powerful and lot less torque than an '04 996 i previously owned. Your previous 80s 911s had more pull than this latest '85 Targa? hmmm....were your previous cars chipped? did they have modified exhausts or any other engine mods?

spreeleon

btw, the car looks lovely especially with that gold Carrera lettering on top of the black paint. nice.

Amber Gramps

I'm also going to say fuel injectors are the culprit.

I had my originals cleaned and matched and it made a world of difference. Yes, it's chipped and now I've got modern 4 spittle injectors, but cleaning injectors that were older than all my kids really livened up the old girl.

I've got a friend in the business but you may too...

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/...253424655.html

stlrj

The mixture on the Carrera makes a big difference on how it behaves on low end torque. If set too rich as is common from the factory, they can be exceptionally slow off the line and also result in excessive valve guide wear.

Cheers,

Joe
87 Carrera w/ four hole Siemens injectors, AFM adjusted resulting no need for first gear

sig_a

Skip the chip stuff.

Many good suggestions though.

My car is very similar as a 1987 Carrera - also in Cincinnati, and I'm a parts only customer of Village Porsche.

In July 2012, I rebuilt or refreshed the entire induction system on the top deck of the engine, including all new fuel lines.

These two items improved performance the most:

I had the fuel injectors ('87 3.2) rebuilt by Fuel Injection Corporation in Livermore, CA 925-371-6551 $240.

I re-torqued to specification (new gaskets) the 12 bolts that hold down the intake manifold to eliminate any chance of vacuum leak. Very important.

In addition, make sure all spark plugs are fresh and specification tight.


These cars develop strong torque between 4800 and 5800 rpm along the curve.


BTW, Ohio Valley PCA members can be a big help.

grgallo

everything already said plus O2 sensor

Jherriott

Hey Amber, are those injectors for the jeeps the exact ones you run? Plug and Play or adjustments needed?

Jase.