DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Simple service, but there is always a fight...

Time to do a bit of TLC on my long term ownership (38 years) 911.

Usual pre-spring jobs, oil, it's filter, the engine air filter, new fan belt as i can't remember when I last changed it, but a good 8 years now, plugs, and those pesky anti roll bar bushes the MoT man was not happy about last July.

Can't stand a cramped garage space when working on my 'machines' so had to tip the Yamaha and the Lola out into the fine sunshine, what a great weather day to get this lot done.
Mrs Hillclimber decided to go shopping.



Did the fan belt first, all apart easy with the right tools, and installed the new Porsche part. The old one looks perfect....Needed one shim in between the 'V'. Still a touch tight, but will soon ease off a touch.
Changed the plugs, again no idea when they were last changed, but the plug gaps had all grown all of 1 thou to 29 thou, but new went in @ 28 thou.
In this one plug top fell off! The corrosion was so bad inside the wire connection the inside connector had rotted away. New one arrived this afternoon (£38!).
The air filter was almost perfect, but as I had a new one that went in too.

Jacked the car way up to drop the oil which went amazingly mess-free, not a drop of old oil was split on the floor, a first for me.

Used my latest filter removing tool, what a brilliant bit of kit; no more bashing a large screw driver through the can.
The two sump plugs were totally free of anything steel and bitty, so a nice sign.





This hard/thrashed engine has had an oil change every year since i installed it in 1993. It was 60K miles old then and must be around 130K by now and still on the factory build, must check the MoT miles some time.

That all done, and time for the roll bar bushes, the ones that push onto the ball pins in the rear arms.
This will be my 3rd set since I've had the car, and to me can be 'one-of-those-jobs' where you wonder what Porsche was thinking with the design.

Getting the drop links off the arms was easy. Heat then to near melting point and a pry bar makes easy work of them.
Took the roll bar off to remove the drop links, check he bar and bushes and get ready for the fight that came along doing those acetal cup bushes...



New bushes to hand and the first bush was a pig to get in (as usual). Got it nice and warm but what a game as it refused to slip in evenly, but won the day in the end.
Discovered I had put the bush in from the wrong side...but the drop link was ok for the other side of the car! Whew.
Getting the drop link onto the ball was again the usual fight but after about 12 attempts it slid onto the ball. All a matter of balancing forces in play.

The other side took 5 minutes! All fell into place first time....

Jacked each rear suspension arm up until the shell just lifted off the axle stand (thus about road ride height) and tightened the roll bar bolts, same other side.

Oil into the car but will start it up tomorrow and set the oil level to tick-over-hot-mid way between min and max as Bob Watson used to lecture me all those years ago. (RIP)

Dew was starting to form over the Lola, can't have that, so time to put everything away.

Apart from the roll bar drop link bushes everything that came out of the car was perfect! The oil was almost still golden....

Thank you. How can you tell the difference between 28 and 29 thousand?

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Feeler gauge fingers at 28 thou, nice light 'drag' as the blades pass in the gap. 29 thou, feels loose in comparison.

I've worked in engineering on light fine mechanisms all my working life, so such things are 'with me' I suppose.

Now the Sage of the Lakes always said that you should change the oil before putting a car away for the winter rather than the start of a season.

Then I'm at 1/2 way position!

Car stopped being used as usual in very late October, and I usually have it ready for late March, my birthday. I had the car for my birthday in 1988.

Since 1990 it has been treated this way with 3 engines, a 2.2, a 2.4 and this 3.2 and things have been fine every year. I'm sure others do things differently, so not sure if there is a right or wrong way.

Similarly, the car has been left with whatever fuel was in the tank at the end of the year, maybe full, maybe not but i tried to have the level low as it might be less of a problem in case of a fire. The garage is joined to the house, not separate. Car starts every March no matter what for all these years.
Same goes for flat spots on tyres, never seems to manifest itself.

I do put the batteries on a charge around this '1/2 way mark' and they start at 12.3 volts and the charge current is 3 amps and to 1 ish within a few hours and back in the car fresh for the start up after the oil change which was today and happened with no issues, never been different, a great simple car and a wonderful engine.
The car has a motorsport electrical isolator switch so no current draw to anything. I think this helps the batteries.

I can see Mike's opinion, the fresh oil will flush away the majority of contaminants in the old oil, but in most cases my oil has done around 1000/1500 miles each year.

When I hillclimbed the car for 13/14 years through the 90's I drove 3000 miles a year; miles dropped there after with the car just a road car.

Interesting I changed my oil before it's been sitting for a while. I'm thinking about changing it again before starting as all of the crap should of worked it's way to the sump. Perhaps not useful for you dry sump boys

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bjmullan wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 8:53 pm Now the Sage of the Lakes always said that you should change the oil before putting a car away for the winter rather than the start of a season.

What's all this 'putting a car away' nonsense? Off to Stuttgart in mine in a few weeks!

You are correct Jonny.
My 911 is all road legal 12 months of the year, but we now have the salt where I live and the roads are as good a always wet.
Anyway, the wife does not exactly like the 911 and certainly not in the 'winter', but a few solo runs can come about on a good road day.

Down-side of having the Boxster. She is OK with that anytime.

911hillclimber wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 10:58 pm Similarly, the car has been left with whatever fuel was in the tank at the end of the year, maybe full, maybe not but i tried to have the level low as it might be less of a problem in case of a fire. The garage is joined to the house, not separate. Car starts every March no matter what for all these years.

I like to keep my fuel tanks full(ish) - less room for condensation, so less risk of water in the fuel. Maybe a bigger issue with diesel (specifically diesel bug and especially with boats) than with cars in a garage, but ....

Point I was making was over all the years it has never been an issue, the car just starts no matter what.

Some on here I know will avidly brim the car with ESSO Synergy, esp when it was ethanol-free.

Should add that the 911 only gets Shell 99 octane E5 something Bob always insisted on, and with my 360 bhp Impreza the mapper Andy forest insisted the same as both felt the fuel was a consistent octane rating.

I only posted this almost mundane task on here to spark a bit of conversation, so pleased to read these comments.

Soon be spring!

When I have a choice I use Esso’s top stuff, as it is apparently the only ethanol free fuel (unless you live in Scotland).

PeterK wrote: ↑Sat Jan 18, 2025 1:31 pm When I have a choice I use Esso’s top stuff, as it is apparently the only ethanol free fuel (unless you live in Scotland).

Or lots of other places, they decided NOT to supply ethanol free............utter BS to say ’Technical Supply Reasons'

This is what Esso say (https://www.esso.co.uk/en-gb/fuels):
"Although our pumps have E5 labels on them, our Synergy Supreme+ 99 is ethanol-free (except, due to technical supply reasons, in Devon, Cornwall, North Wales, North England and Scotland). Legislation requires us to place E5 labels on pumps that dispense unleaded petrol with ‘up to 5% ethanol’, including those that contain no ethanol."

This forum post the above was taken from, makes interesting reading as to where, dependant on refinery ethanol free is available, though doubt nowadays all now have it added to some proportion.
https://www.nortonownersclub.org/forum/ ... ed-sold-uk