4boer

Hello everybody. First post here so I'd like to introduce myself. I am 18 in November and I love to work on cars. My first project (Project Buick) was repairing my dad's 1993 Buick Park Avenue N/A with him after it had an accident. That was fun and turned out well, except for spray painting the hood from a junk yard. That looks awful. The other vehicle is a 2004 Toyota 4Runner with the 4.7. I love that truck. Super reliable, powerful, and a great offroader. I am on about 5 forums for that. I know everything about LandCruisers and 4runners. Of course, my dad and I maintain that too.

Anyway this is why I'm here. My mom has a 1987 lagoon green Carrera Targa (3.2, G50) tucked away in a garage. It hasn't seen the light of day in 4 years. Back then, it started to run very rough. She took it to two different mechanics and they both said that it was a fuel injection problem. At that time, we were not financially able to make the necessary repairs. We are even less able now. However, at my high school, there is an elective called auto tune up where the former mechanic teaches kids simple stuff about cars. Obviously, I am way past the rest of the class except for one friend. We are allowed to bring in our own cars to work on for lab days. This gives me access to a knowledgeable mechanic, all of the tools in the world, and many lifts. I am not going to let this opportunity slip away. I am determined to get this car back in driving condition. Whether my parents will let me drive it is questionable.

So this is my plan:
1. Go to the garage with a trailer. Will it start after 4 years? Battery will most likely be dead. Stabil was added.
2. Put car in another parking spot or favorably immediately into the school.
3. Perform leak down and compression tests to find out which cylinders are bad.
4. confirm that the fuel injectors are bad
5. order x amount of these. Real tight budget.
6. Take out the old ones and put the new ones in. Do i need to drop the engine to do this if i have a lift? I read this, but there are no pictures pertaining to the steps.
7. Burn out happily with a well running car


Does all of this sound right? Critiques are welcome.
P.S. I do not have any pic of the car right now.

theiceman

i think you are gonna find your compresion will be good and your injectors are fine .. of course you will need to flush them out as it has been sitting so long . i have been here a while and have NEVER heard of bad fuel injection on these cars ... a CHT making it run rich sure or the occasional ( very ) bad MAF. I would say start with the simple stuff . fuel filter , new gas , new air filer .

i wont bother with how to treat an engine that has been sitting for years . i am sure you or your teacher already know that stuff .. plugs out, manually turn over etc etc ..

Rick-A-Shay

Sounds like a great plan! I did two years in JC (about a hundred years ago) after working on cars on the side. Other students hated me because I knew too much 'cause of my experience. Porsches are a breed all to their own and I suggest you purchase a repair manual for the car. Bentley Publishers makes a good one.
It will be "dog eared" by the time you're done but, what ever done will be "right" the first time. Once, on the road, they are "bullet proof" and will prove to be a prize possession. Because of your age, insurance can be a pain, so don't get aggressive with driving the car and collect tickets!

Enjoy air--cooled transportation!!

User 4221

How many miles are on the car? If over 80k-ish, then I suspect the Cylinder Head Temp Sensor (CHT) is bad. They are easy to diagnose and relatively cheap to fix.

As Iceman noted, a bad one will make the car run rich or rough.

Before throwing parts at it, verify the simple things of air/fuel/spark.

All this can be done in the shop at nearly no cost.

Also, before buy new injectors, talk to Rich at http://www.cruzinperformance.com/fuelinj.html
They can rebuild your current injectors and verify performance before/after.

scarceller

Where are you located?

4boer

Chicago. I already ordered the Bentley manual. Also I heard that rebuilding the stock 158's weren't worth it. I have school access to ALLDATA by the way. Iceman, love the hockey stick prop. I've played all my life.

scarceller

Don't assume the injectors are bad. Other components usually cause fueling issues. Start with CylHeadTemp sensor then very the AirFlowMeter.

Amber Gramps

I'm also gonna say there are a few sensors that give out long before the fuel injectors do.

I do have a cool jumper/test rig I made from junkyard components. Injectors can be cleaned at home using a Harbor Freight ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and some Simple Green.

I'd start by replacing the head temp sensor. If you have access to a mill you can make your own tool by milling a slot in a junker socket. Your school most likely has one.

4boer

Slight change in plan: I have to get it running in the garage because my teach can't accept a non-operable car. If there is an emergency, he needs to be able to move it. That won't happen this week, because I have to write a college app essay. That should give time for the Bentley to arrive.

theiceman

just have it towed in and make a vroom vroom sound as they are pulling it in

I think it will be fine .. if you have mechanical aptitude and it sounds like you do , this is a great car to work on ..

Have fun

4boer

Thanks. Do I have to drop the engine to take the plugs out and manually turn the engine over?

theiceman

nooooo

but it is a bit of a PITA if you have AC

takes me about an hour to replace the plugs ... but i dont have AC

I would strongly suggest you get the 101 projects book .. gives some goof guidelines ..

4boer

cool

4boer

Hello again. I brought the car over yesterday and pumped the old gas out today. Here are some pics.





This is the old gas. Don't worry, the red color is from the pump being used for transmission fluid previously.

Reiver

Great project...wish my first 'project' was as nice.