Broken down in Kingman, AZ

[rrpjr]

Gentlemen: My brother just called from a lot in Kingman, Arizona after his 84 Targa broke down. He’s stuck for a solution, and asked me to post something to you guys. Car is now parked at shop of a local mechanic, closed on Sunday. Here is story:

He’d been driving for six hours averaging 120 miles an hour from Berkeley. No problem, no warning, running like a, well, a Porsche. He stops for gas, gets back in to start and it turns over sluggishly, doesn’t start. Checks what he can back there, and everything looks fine. He gets a push start, and continues. He goes about 6 miles and it starts sputtering, not running on all cylinders, and finally sputters to a stop. He has power to wipers and windows, but won’t start. After waiting about 15 minutes, he finds he has slightly more juice, but not enough to start. Then he sees a film of oil on the license plate. He’s throwing serious oil from underneath. He’s still looking for exactly where, but it is definitely underneath. Engine bay is clean as a whistle.

His oil temp was fine throughout, and oil pressure fine except for last minute dip before failure. Battery, belt, solenoid, and everything he could check according to troubleshooting guide in the service manual looked fine.

Any theories and speculations are welcome, or any questions you’d like me to ask him. He’s still poking around underneath. This, after putting in about $3k in work on an already very clean, reliable and low mileage Carrera in preparation for sale.

Many thanks for any thoughts.

[john walker's workshop]

pop the battery caps and see if there's any water left. carreras tend to overcharge and boil batteries dry. that could be the sluggish cranking thing. real low voltage won't run the fuel pump fast enough to build proper system pressure.

[rrpjr]

Thanks John. He checked, as he'd had that problem once before. Water level was fine.

[Grady Clay]

Does he have the tools to turn the engine by hand? Has he done that before so he knows the normal resistance? In a situation like this it is best to not push (or tow) to try and state it in case there is some mechanical difficulty.

Now that everything is totally back to ambient temperature, what are the symptoms?

What was done prior to the trip? You mention $3K.

Of course there is always a Liberal amount of suspicion for anything from Bezerkeley. I’ll be there next month.

Best,
Grady

[rrpjr]

Grady,

He flat-bedded it to mechanics. I'll ask for other details and let you know.
Rip

[rrpjr]

Grady: work included new DME computer, struts and bilsteins, turbo tie rod kit, a few minor oil leaks, voltage regulator and some cosmetic items. Under $3k.

Car is at PNP Car Care in Kingman, Arizona, which advertises work on Porsches. Curious if anyone from the area knows of this shop, or can otherwise recommend a good place.

Thanks again to all.

[DavidI]

How about the alternator? Did it fail and allow the motor to drain the battery? I would check those too.

David

[1973911s]

How did he average 120 miles an hour from Berkley? That is dam fast, or am I missing something.

Michael

[CRH911S]

fuel pump?

[rrpjr]

Thanks. No alternator warning light indication. But he'll know more tomorrow.

His valedictory drive in car and trying to make good time to Iowa, so pushing it when he could. Not his "average" -- my mistake.

[MovOvr1]

THe layer of oil and "throwing serious oil from underneath" would make me wonder WTF!! The oil may have been residual oil from previous leaks just blowing out from underneath (maybe under bumber?) from the high sustained speed. Maybe a fuel filter for a no start? Any new smoke from the exhaust when he got it running? After it was sitting a little while....any new puddles of oil? Hope he can get it going without anything major.

Brian

[rrpjr]

Thanks a lot, Brian. It happened so late in the day, and everything closed, he won't be able to tell much until Monday. It is puzzling. I like your theory of residual oil. The "anything major" question is obviously on his mind. I'll post an update as soon as I hear.

Rip

[kqw]

Have him check the cam tower oil lines.

[scottb]

I had the identical problem on my way a Porsche drive to Big Bear in my 84 (though I wasn't averaging 120 mph). It was the alternator. Tell your brother to have the mechanic start there. Also, there are a bunch of Arizona Pelicanites who might be able to help. JoeAksa and LeeH come to mind immediately (though both are in the Phoenix area).

[rrpjr]

An update: My brother's Carrera apparently had vapor lock or some kind of "heat soak,", maybe due to sustained high speeds (he'd had been traveling between 100-120 mph for several hours), lack of heat shield on catalytic converter. Alternator checked out fine. As for oil leak -- it was faulty installation of valve cover gasket by Berzerkley mechanic. Thank you the advice, and to LeeH for his speedy suggestions of good Porsche people in the Phoenix area.

[Jamie79SC]

Hmmm... Heat sink or vapor lock for sluggish starter / low juice? I'd keep my cell phone charged for the blalace of the trip

[LakeCleElum]

He might want to throttle it back a bit.....Could have been his angels dropping a hint......

[vash]

Originally posted by LakeCleElum
He might want to throttle it back a bit.....Could have been his angels dropping a hint......

yup, the angels were yelling, "slow down beotch! we cant keep up!".

glad it worked out.