3.0L Engine: Should I buy or not?

I came across this guy who totalled his 80SC and now is selling his motor and trans. The engine looks clean but there is an awful lot of oil under the car. I can attribute most of the leakage on the extensively damaged oil tank, but I couldnt see much of underneath the car as this person has no jack and it was becoming quite dark. Im going to come back to his place tomorrow and bring a couple of jacks for further inspection. The impact on the right rear side of the vehicle damaged the oil tank and pushed the A/C compressor a bit closer to the engine. I could see from looking underneath that the middle of the case has some leakage. He said that its because the car has been sitting for 7 months. The engine has carrera tensioners and a air box blow valve. Overall, the engine looks clean from the top, except for the oil on the bottom. He's asking $2000 for the engine and trans. I would appreciate everyones input on this. Thanks.

That's a steal if it runs....you can do a leak down test w/o it running...

How do you do a leakdown test without it running and what equipment do I need?

Compressed air source and a leak decay device that screws into the sparkplug hole. Snap on has them and some of the better auto parts stores....

[This message has been edited by mikez (edited 12-09-2000).]

I think you ought to take some spray cleaner/degreaser and a roll of paper towels with you to your inspection ... that oil leakage may be from a cracked crankcase! An engine just sitting for months should NOT have massive oil slick under it!!!

Sometimes a deal that sounds too good should be avoided ... he is asking way below what a good engine and transaxle 'should' be worth! All he would have to do is look at a couple of issues of Excellence to find out the 'going' price for SC engines ... so please be vigilent for 'bad vibes' or any discrepancies in anything he says about the car or engine!!!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Warren is right...a good 3.0 engine goes for 4-5K....

Warren: That was my biggest concern. I couldnt get under the car today because the suspension is whacked and I didnt have a jack. I was worried that the crankcase is damaged. In that case, I will not hesitate in a heartbeat to pass on this. Is a crankase crack easy to spot? What should I be looking for? From where I could see the underpart of the engine, the most oil accumulation is concentrated on the oil sump.
As far as the leakdown test is concerned, is it referred to as a leakdown tester? Does the particular cynlinder being tested need to be on the compression cycle?

Case cracks could be hard to spot.

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'83 SC

I suppose every situation is different regarding a cracked block, but the ones I have seen were not hard to spot. And, it is pretty hard to imagine anything but that the collision forces that would crush the oil tank and bend the A/C compressor mount would transmit forces from the rear crossmember and mount directly into the crankcase and cause cracks! A crack 'low' enough to cause leakage will be below the level of the oil return tubes, and should have dust or dirt clinging to the oil seepage on the outside of the block.

If you end up purchasing this engine/trans combo and have to remove it yourself, I suspect it will be a most difficult removal job! Perhaps as long as five-six hours, because of removing binding and interfering 'problems' as they are encountered! You will also want to get the engine compartment 'console' that has the relays, regulator, and CDI-unit on it, as well as the tachometer and speedometer, and you might as well get the other instruments, too, including the later-version quartz clock!

As far as the leakdown test, yes, 'cylinder leakdown tester' is how I have seen them described. You rotate the crank to the ignition TDC point and lock or hold the crank bolt while each cylinder is tested with the input pressure at 100 psi. The percent leakage is computed by subtracting the measured psi 'held' from 100, but just as important is listening at the intake manifold, muffler, and breather hose for hissing to determine if the leakageis past rings, intake or exhaust valve. Good performance, or satisfactory numbers are below 7%.

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Rs,
2 cents here, and I agree with the others. There was an engine on e-bay (looked like 3.0) being sold by some Benz hack. No description whatsoever, but the engine hanger on the rear was twisted. Looked like a good smack in the rear. Your seller probably knows what "might" need to be done, and wants to cut his losses from it now.
This ad caught my eye, cause I too am selling an SC 3.0 from 78. I've tracked out the history on it, and found the P-mech that did the top end on it 2yrs ago. If you do purchase one with intent to drop n go, you better get some history first. 3, 500-5,000
is your realistic range on this engine type.
That's just the engine, which by the way is aluminum, and will crack before it bends.
Otherwise...that's a steal if you know you might be doing a rebuild--and getting a trans too!!!!
Good stars

Folks, Im sad to say that someone already beat me to the punch. I called the guy up Saturday morning and found out that someone purchased the entire car about a couple of hours after I had left on Friday afternoon. The car is a mess all the way around with no salvageable sheetmetal. It is, however, a cabriolet and the top is in excellent shape. The interior was also immaculate, as the previous owner had installed a fairly new
interior from a 964, complete with a pair of black power seats. The owner sold the entire wreck with a clean title for $4,500. I dont know if it's worth the price, but it wasnt for me because I was only after the engine for my other car ('73T). I did find a running '83SC with 100,000 miles (top end done 20K miles ago) but salvaged title for $5,000. I was going to take the engine and sell the shell or part it. Dont know if its still available though.
Clint

[This message has been edited by RS964 (edited 12-11-2000).]