(i'm not bandicot) In need of car skills...and support

[TedSlick]

Hi guys
I read thru the 'bandicot' thread...lots of good newguy info.

Welp, looks like some people do things the smart way and some...well, dive right in and figure things out later. In hind sight, it appears my DD was lacking when last year I went and purchased a high mi. (167K) 911 as a weekend hobby car, despite having limited car experience and no Porsche experience. But dang, I've always liked these cars! Bought it from a local judge, figuring he would be upfront/honest about any known problems (yeah, right). Also had it pre-purchase checked by a recommended independent Porsche shop. After going thru their checklist (road, compression tests, etc.), they advised me it was thumbs up as a weekend car, but probably not as a daily driver. Biggest caution was regarding the clutch possibly needing attention after several K more miles. I could live with that. I was advised the price was reasonable, so D'oh! I bought it.

Had a couple of co-workers at the time who took similar route, but with better luck in car selection. Mine, however, instantly seemed to become problematic, beginning with oil leak(s) directly onto the exhaust/heat exchanger...lots of smoke and coughs. Kind of embarassed to drive (comments at stop lights, and so forth), so I've pretty much garaged the car for the last year (minimal driving), waiting for enough time/enthusiasm to proceed. Since then, the driver side window has detached from the support rail (now floating loose), the CD player is kaput and most worrisome is the knocking I heard for the first time yesterday while idling.

Good news is, recently I stumbled upon this great 911 forum! I feel much better...like there's hope. In the meantime, I also constructed a big (8' x 4' x 6'd) service pit I can now use to get under the car (not that I know a lot about what to do once I get there). Friends and family probably think I'm crazy. Have pretty good construction/tools skills, but not so much relative to cars.

Hope you all don't get annoyed with me in the upcoming weeks/months. I anticipate having lots of basic questions, but I am good with the 'Search' feature and enjoy reading/researching info. before posting questions. After lurking here for the last few days, I think I'm in a good place with folks who are genuinely helpful.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can offer.

-TedSlick (as in oil slick)
Car nickname: 'GreaseSlapper'

[bandicot]

How can I be sure that you're not me?

[juanbenae]

GET WAYNES BOOK! its empowering..

[GIBSON]

Yes, get Wayne's book and start by getting the engine/trans really clean. Pressure wash, whatever you can do, just get the junk off the engine so you can see what you're doing. It will also help you find the source of your oil leaks.
Read everything you can find about these cars and when you post here, try to be as specific as you can, car year, any specifics about the car will help. And if you don't have one, get a digital camera. Anytime you can show us a photo of what your up against it helps us give you ideas.
Good luck!

[Early_S_Man]

Ted,

Welcome to the world of a car actually designed to be maintained by its' owner! At least that was the philosophy when the Porsche family was actively involved with the company!

A search of the archives turned up a few previous threads regarding the new owner and some basic needs before getting started doing your own maintenance, and a very important part is building a technical library:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52282&highlight=technical+library

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33373&highlight=technical+library

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31559&highlight=technical+library

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32735&highlight=technical+library

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32213&highlight=technical+library

Good luck!

[Rot 911]

Welcome to the club! The oil leaks are probably due to bad oil return tubes, which are very easy to replace! Get Wayne's book which will give you step by step instructions or check out the tech articles on this board. Be patient and we will eventually get all your problems resolved!

[TedSlick]

yeah, bandicot, wavysmiley faces look identical...guess you can't actually be positive I'm not you


I've made good progress cleaning the underside of the engine/transmission. I see one oil leak coming from way up on the engine topside, trickling down the side of the oil cooler, then onto the exhaust. The other one comes right out of a 3/4" semi-circular "hole" in the very bottom of the transmission-engine junction area. What is this hole anyway? The oil return tubes don't seem to be a problem. I think they've been previously replaced since they are the 2-part type.

I do have a digital camera I can use to convey questions better. It can also record sound if it's possible to post a sound wave file to convey strange noises, etc. Like I mentioned above, I'm so new to this, I don't know what's "normal". I can't say I have much trust in the Porsche shop that "helped" me during purchase process since it seems I was led astray.

BTW, my car is an '85 Targa. Had a tune up and oil change when I bought it last year ($550). They also replaced the oil hose from the oil tank to the oil cooler. The shifter was fairly sloppy, so they replaced some bushings(?) or something to tighten up the shifting. It now makes a funny "whirrrr" sound when I go from 2nd to 3rd gear. Have put 1,200 miles on it since purchase. Did one self oil/filter change yesterday...and yes, I made a mess as a flood of oil came pooring out the drain

Is it the "101 projects" book you guys are suggesting I get?

[Targa77]

Yep, that's the one

[drwest]

Ted,

sounds like an oil sensor on the top side of your engine may be your leak. It's common.

[TedSlick]

Will take a look at the oil sensor area, but seems difficult to get in there. Is this something that is fairly easy to remedy? Usually a matter of replacing a seal or gasket or something? Can be done with the engine in-place?

Also,
How should I start investigating an engine knock I can hear when below the car while idling? Sort of a dull tack-tack-tack-tack-tack... Not very loud, but definitely noticeable.
Uhhh...is this maybe normal?

Thanks.

[nostatic]

tack-tack-tack....valves need adjustment?

Buy the 101 book direct from Pelican (rather than Amazon). That way you get an autographed copy (priceless).

[Rick Lee]

What's the engine knock sound like? Is it really knocking, pinging or making a typwriter-like noise. If you had a tune up done, I hope a valve adjustment was part of that for $550. If not, that noise may be your valves telling you they need adjusting. I'd say throw some Techron in there and go for a very hard, spirited and long drive. It might make the knocks go away. I went to Hershey, then to Philly and back to DC this past weekend, after my car had sat mostly for about a month. It drives a lot better now. These cars do not like to sit.

[TedSlick]

The tune up did include valve adjustment about a year/1,200 mi. ago. Just can't remember the tack-tack-tack (sort of light knock, not so much a ping) sound. I use the highest octane Texaco fuel. I think I will try the Techron treatment and a long drive.

Hey, is there a way to attach a sound file on this board? If so, I'll try that.


Is it possible more usage will improve the oil leakage problem? A fellow 911 owner mentioned this once. Sort of a catch-22 where I avoided driving the car because of oil leakage/burning smell, but possibly the problem just got worse due to not driving???

The car did not leak to any great extent when I bought it and the mechanic who checked it out didn't mention leakage in his report! Is it possible for a seller to conceal something like this temporarily, then after I made the purchase and did an oil change, the problem reared its head?

[speeder]

Oil leak from oil cooler region,(upper right/front of motor), is common, I have it too. It runs down near engine oil cooler and directly onto exhaust. I think that it is usually thermostat seal or sensor in this location. (Experts, is this correct?). Not too bad to fix; partial engine-drop is required. Before you get scared, a partial-drop on a 911 means removing 2 mounting bolts for rear of engine,(the ones you see when you open hood), with floor jack under motor and lower a few inches. Don't think that you have to disconnect anything, just raise it back up and re-install bolts when finished. If you want to do this your self, we can walk you through it and answer questions along the way.

You need at least one good manual, either Bentley shop manual or Wayne's book which is supposed to be good. Good luck!

[TedSlick]

Speeder, do you just tolerate the leak? You get the burned oil smell I assume?

I suppose I'd be willing to try an engine drop to fix, but...uhhh, am a bit concerned with being really sorry I did. Will read up on it further. I thought there was more to a partial drop. Your description sounds encouraging.

Thanks.