Engine longivity

[a3holerman]

Hi,

Well its been 21 years since I sold my beloved 912 but the wife says go ahead.

I am looking at a 1990 Cab. It seems to be in excellent cosmetic condition, owever the 101,000 miles concerns me. How long assuming (yes I know) proper maintance and operation can one expect to go before a top overhaul is needed and also how long are the cluches good for ?

Thanks

Tom

Cape Cod

[cabman]

it all depends how those 101K miles got there. If the car was raced and/or pushed hard when driven, it will need a rebuild soon.

My 83sc has 113K miles on it, never raced, driven daily, and the engine doesnt smoke, burn hardly any oil or make funny noises... it drives like a 40K car.

[Rollins]

Assuming it has had proper care and is in good shape now I would say that anohter 50k isn't at all a bad assumption. It could go even more than that honestly. I've seen an SC which had 210k on it which was still going strong with no overhaul. The owner didn't do anything special to it other than chaging the oil religiously and using a few things like Gunk's sludge remover when he did so. As for the clutch, I would venture to guess that it has already been done, but if not then I would say that would be coming up soon. Take it for a drive and see how it feels.

[davis911s]

Tom ensure to have a proper PPI done before ANY purchase. It will save $ in the long run.

Shawn

[jabb]

Not 100% sure but I think there were some
factory recalls on some engine and distributor problems for that year. may want to verify these were done.... Anyone know the details....

------------------

• Joe A.
• 84 911 Targa
• 75 914/6 3.0

[Britwrench]

With that mileage, it probably has the oil leaks or it has been rebuilt already.
Head to cylinder leaks, timing cover leaks, power steering drive leaks......

Get ALL the service records and have a PPI.
These motors tend not to last as long as the 3.0/3.2L versions.

[Drew_K]

Tom, I haven't heard of many 964's with more than 100K miles. Not because they don't last that long, but because most 911 owners don't put high mileage on their cars. As a result, not many 964's have needed rebuilds due to engine wear so it's pretty tough to get an accurate feel for engine life.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the engine were to last another 50K to 75K miles before needing a top end rebuild IF the car was properly maintained. Personally, I would walk away if the car didn't have records & receipts.

If this car hasn't had the clutch replaced yet, I bet it will need one soon. If the clutch has been replaced, check to see whether the flywheel also was replaced at that time to the "Luk" flywheel. The part number should end in a "2" rather than "1."

Items to check for a 1990 964 Cab include: distributor vent kit and distributor belt, dual mass flywheel, and whether the engine leaks oil. I would run a search with the term "964". That should pull up a great deal of information.

IMO, this car should cost in the $20K to $25K range because of it's high mileage and because it was built before Porsche made some significant changes to the 964 (Luk dual mass flywheel, cylinder head gasket). I'm not saying to avoid this model year, but just to be aware that changes were made in the middle of the 91 model year (cylinder head gasket) and 92 model year (dual mass flywheel, 4 piston rear brakes). For these reasons, you may want to consider looking at 92.5 to 94 model 964's (if you're set on buying a 964).

Again, an 89-91 964 can be a great car, but you have to know a little bit more and be a little more diligent. On the other hand, the prices on these cars seem to be a relative bargain.

Good luck,
Drew 92 C2 Coupe