3.2L Longevity

spot944 · spot944's Garage

Was considering a rebuild on my 3.2L w 117,000miles on it. It has always been maintained and my mechanic says it has a leak down of 2% and no compression problems. I know many variables exist but whats the general thought on durability and upcoming maintenance on such a beast? Should I rebuild it or just keep driving? Assuming I do not over rev the snot out of it, can I expect another 50K miles with normal maintenance? Need advice from more in the know folks than myself.

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

Is it using oil, leaking oil, making strange noises, or has it lost power? If no, and if it ain`t broke, don`t fix it. JMO...

Aurel

Flieger · Flieger's Garage

Your engine will last darn near forever. Those 3.2s were very well built. German Engineering

sww914 · 06-05-2008, 07:28 PM

I've seen several with over 200K on them and a couple with 300K. Valve guides seem to be the weak link if any. A lot of people can live with a puff of smoke on startup for a long time.

dtw · 06-06-2008, 05:39 AM

What caused you to start thinking rebuild? Just the mileage? If that's the only reason, forget about it until more objective evidence of a needed rebuild shows up. It seems as though the later 3.2s had valve guide issues, but if they were going to manifest, they did it at 60-80k; if the engine made it past that not-so-sweet-spot, they were usually ok. If compression and leakdown are good and oil consumption is tolerable, drive the crap out of it and enjoy it. A diligent maintenance schedule will help ensure a rebuild stays off into the future.

As mentioned above, the 3.2s will often last well over 200 and 300k with nothing more than scheduled maintenance. In my opinion, these are the best air cooled engines Porsche made; a great combination of performance, robust design, and reliability. Just my opinion though.

2.7RACER · 06-06-2008, 05:52 AM

My Son recently sold his '86 3.2 with 240,000 miles. Everything working fine including the factory air. No excess oil consumption or leaks. It looks and runs like a Carrera with maybe 100k miles. We put a clutch in it at 200K. This car got recommended maintenance and regularly driven at high speeds at Willow Springs.
What can I say, It's a Porsche.

OldTee · 06-06-2008, 01:55 PM

Beware broken head studs, fix exhaust leaks promptly. Keep injection system up to spec. Don't let it sit for too long. Drive it like you stole it. Good luck.