Compression numbers

[K9Torro]

Hello guy's,

Well I am at a mental cross roads here and need some input from fellow Pelican's.

My 79 SC project car is at the shop now and it is decision time,

I purchased the car in July with known engine leaks and needing some interior work and misc other small repairs . I am a fair hand at most stuff but did not feel up to the task of the engine leaks so I took it to the shop I am using.

I bought the car at a " right " price knowing this stuff had to be done, appx 6K below market value.

First let me say that I " trust " my shop guy and I am not trying to second guess him just getting additional information.

He has had the car for several days now and just got the call last night .

On the compression test he ran, the numbers ranged from 130 as a low to 160 as a high with most cylinders in the 130-140 range.

He also advised me that the engine is leaking like a seeve/collander what ever, bottom line is that the oil comes out almost as fast as you put it in, ( I knew this from my garage floor, and all the smoke from oil on the exhaust )

The car has 108 K on the 3.0 Euro motor, up graded tentioners, pop off valve and big fan, no heat, no a/c , open header exhaust and stainless muff, no cat no pre muff, no smog no extra anything.

I am planning on keeping the car for sometime, so the deal is this 4500 for a r/r reseal or 6500 for a r/r rebuild with warranty,

Thoughts anyone ????


Todd

[dsdw40]

at my ppi my wrench told me as long as the compression numbers are close(ie: 165-175 in my case) w/a disparity no greater than 10 you should be fine.

assuming a reseal alone is not going to bring all cylinders to the desired compression level. for the add'l $2.5k & a warranty i would go rebuild.

anybody know what the compression numbers from the factory on your engine should be?

[johnsjmc]

I would read the tech article on common oil leaks first . I would consider a reseal of most components as a relativly inexpensive do it yourself job for the handy owner. If the engine is worn out with burning oil and or a dead cylinder or a knock. I would consider a rebuild at $6000 as a good deal.
While you are changing valve cover gaskets ,doing a valve adjustment can help to even out your compression numbers. I don,t think a variation of +/- 20 psi is that bad if the oil leaks can be reduced to a reasonable level. The 3.0 engine lasts a long long time with annoying drips from one spot or another being a fact of life. Also a leaky but running 3.0 is still a more valuable core than average.

[Early_S_Man]

Where are the oil leaks? Does the 'reseal' work include replacing the lower row of Dilivar head studs with factory OEM steel studs? If not, that price is too high!

What you need is a top-end rebuild, and that should include new head studs and all of the 'reseal' work. New valve guides are an important part of a top-end job ... especially on a 'Euro' engine that typically sees very hard use, compared to similar mileage on USA cars!

[K9Torro]

Ok just got some exact info from the shop here it is :

The oil leaks are coming from:

Rear main Seal, Case Halves, Front Crank Seal, Oil Cooler Seals, and Between Cam Towers and heads.

The compression numbers for each cylinder are:

#1 - 135, #2 - 140, #3 - 160, #4 - 140, #5 - 145, #6 - 160

Thats about it for now.

Todd

[Fl Ted]

I'd be looking into the net costs (your 3.0 has value as a core) for a 3.2 or 3.6 swap, as it looks to me as though this car is meant to be your hot rod/custom/track car? (I see you also have a 996 )
Ted

[K9Torro]

Hey Ted,

Where is FL are you , I am just North of Jacksonville.

Todd

[johnsjmc]

The front and rear main are easy (3 to 5 hours for an engine drop). They may address most of the oil loss. It is admittedly much harder to reseal cam tower and case leaks,but those leaks are usually responsible for much less actual oil loss than a crank seal.Your compression numbers are OK.

[Fl Ted]

Hey Todd:
I'm in Bradenton. What is the '79 SC destined for?

[K9Torro]

Ted,

I really don't have any specific plan's for the car, just street driving maybe some DE's down the road. Purchased it as a project for the fall / winter.

Bought it for the right money with some known leaks, have been steady on doing stuff to it over the two months I have had it.

I am pulling the interior and replacing with RS style door panels, carpet set with rear seat delete, new seats and DAS sport bolt in bar, already updated to white gage faces, momo wheel, short shift kit/new bushings, and a ton of other small stuff, have all the window chrome trim to put on as well.

Thinking about a color change down the road, just trying to decide.

The car is in the shop now at Al's, ( www.broadfootracing.com) my 951 just came out from there last week.

Todd

[cyprusx]

Isn't it strange that one would have so many leaks from different places on a single engine? Is this common?

[Fl Ted]

Todd:
What a great looking car ! Whats the color? Can't really tell on my screen. Looks like: 1: black, 2: dark metalic grey, 3: dark metallic green, 4: none of the above! Wheels and tail look right !
However, from your list of mods and "possibly DE", who you kiddin'??
It's gonna be a track car eventually. (dual purpose, of course) Don't waste your money on a rebuild. Go for the 3.6 ! Did you check the current "Whos got a 3.6" thread? That should give you some inspiration!
Ted

[JeremyD]

#1 broadfoot has a great reputation. BUT - what I would do is look to see what you could get for yours - take that money and look at sticking a 3.2 in there. I would think that even as a core - your motor is probably worth a few $$ - so, for the price of $6500 - minus $2000 for yours - you might be able to pick up a low mileage 3.2 AND install for around your $4500 mark.

If you want to stay with the 3.0 - and your compression #'s look good - I would go for the R & R for $6500.

[K9Torro]

Hey Guy's

Ted - The color is a dark met gray, who ever did the job did it really well it was a windows out, doors off paint job recently. I can't figure out the original color on the car, need to decipher the tags I guess, it has the front and rear trim of a C2/4 964 car on it, but the older style rockers which I like better than the C2/4 ones.

Jeremy - agree 100 % on Broadfoot, they are the best around this part of the country thats for sure. The $6500 is for a complete rebuild on my 3.0 along with alot of really great stuff thrown in like powder coating on alot of the parts, check out the pictures on www.broadfootracing.com of the engines Al builds, they look and run great with a warranty.

I am thinking about upgrading to JE 9.5 - 1 pistons and having WebCam regrind my cams to the 964 spec but am not sure yet.

Cy - I knew I had some leaks when I bought the car but did not pay that much for it to begin with, they sound worse than they are, it slings about 1/2 to 3/4 quart every 500 miles, it does not help that the PO was running Mobil 1 in the car when I bought it.

Todd

[K9Torro]

Ok here are some of the current leak pic's...

[K9Torro]

[K9Torro]

[K9Torro]