85.5 sitting for 1 1/2 years...Advice?

[OK-944]

Its been awhile since I've posted on this forum, although I check in regularly. But now that I'm finally about ready to breathe some life back into my baby - I need some sage advice.

First, a little history: I purchased my 85.5 exacly 2 years ago (my second 944) - just after the former owner installed a new spring clutch and timing belt (plus he retensioned after 1k miles).

I then rebuilt the front calipers, replaced rotors and pads, then rebuilt the PS rack. Also flushed out cooling system. All worked fine, but lots of "little stuff" needed doing - like the Speedo/Odo would cut out, the AC "needed a recharge" (according to the former owner), front wiper motor noisy, window washer not working, drivers side door won't open from outside - and then to top off this list of classic 944 symptoms - the engine sprang an oil leak on the passenger side, just right to drip on the exhaust just below the header pipe to smoke like crazy. Also has a cracked boot on drivers side balljoint (although the joint is tight) - and drives like it might need some new bushings (also needs tires). ODO says 76K (but who knows?) Nice car though - plus clean interior with no dash cracks.

The oil leak happened in the fall of '07 - and its been sitting in a barn ever since. In fact, a cat has been living in the back (drivers window open and battery dead) - but it leaves no smell (no cat piss) and I figure its keeping away mice so I leave it alone.

So...what I figure is that I'll do a reseal of the engine - maybe change out the rod bearings - rebuild the A-arms and change out lots of bushings front and rear - send the injectors off to Witchunter for rebuilding/testing - clean and check all grounds and other wiring in general - reflush the cooling system - install a new battery and then do continuity testing and try to identify and fix all electrical glitches - change out fuel filter - test fuel pressure and fuel delivery in general - repair or replace noisy front wiper motor and replace rear wiper motor - check rear CV joints and replace if necessary - check and replace shocks if worn - and finally, new tires all around (Bridgestone's I think). And before I drive it away I'll go ahead and replace the timing belt (even the belt was replaced/retensioned recently - it has been sitting, so I figure why not?)

Yup, pretty long list - but I love this car and want it back on the road and in good form. My questions have to do with my "order of attack" - in other words, how should I prioritize my to-do list, and whether I should just go ahead and pull the engine. I do want to give everything a good cleaning, and figure that pulling the engine will make this easier. I also figure that doing an engine reseal will be easier with the engine out. Plus I'd have an excuse to change out the mounts, which may be a good idea. Also, having the engine out will motivate me to take other stuff out too, like the fans and AC stuff - so I can clean/rebuild/replace what I need/want to.

Another question: the gas tank is about half full, and I'm on the fence about needing to empty it or simply add more gas plus some king of fuel system cleaner.

Yet another question - if I take the engine out for a total reseal (including the head) should I go ahead and do the rings and valves? Should I replace the dead battery first, then try to fire her up so I can check the compression before I do anything else? My fear is that if I do everything but rings - I'll get everything back together without having been able to test the compression - and if compression is bad then I'll need to redo stuff and replace otherwise new seals.

With all of the above in mind - maybe it would be ok to just put in a battery and fire it up - and take things from there?

Yeah, I know - this is a long and obsessive post. But this forum is great and has kept me motivated to get my car back into the running...so any and all advice will be much appreciated. Thanks!

[doc993md]

The more you dig around the more problems you'll find. I would drain the fuel tank, change the oil, flush the coolant system and make sure the timing belt is not too aged. Then fire it up, get it warm and do a compression and leak down test. If all is good then proceed. You may even find that the seals don't even leak. I would worry about suspension and safety items first. A properly working brake system is key. So make sure the calipers aren't rusted tight, also flush the fluid. Do a gearbox service. Repack the frt. wheel bearings. And do all the other odd and ends to the car. Doing this will allow you to drive the car as soon as possible. Now as you seem keen on doing alot of engine work the best way to accomplish this to get another motor and do all the work you mentioned before and swap them when ready. Doing this will alleviate pressure of having to get the car running and allow you to do things you might not have had time to do before. I.E. build a tricked out motor. I say this because I've done it both ways. Definitely the more fun way is having another engine on the bench and driving instead of staring at a mess of parts and walking. Really get the motor up to temp and run some oil thru it before you do any tests on compression and such. If you do it before you run it a little you will get bad numbers no way there is enough oil on those cylinders to get any proper sealing.

Good luck

[Icey1174]

From what I have seen with my 944, these cars are pretty tough. They do require a lot of TLC, but they seem very durable.

Sounds like the oil leak on the passenger side onto the exhaust is rear cam housing gasket. I don't know if I would pull the whole engine out unless you really want to spend the time and effort to go through the whole thing. I replaced my rear cam housing gasket and the cam gasket at the same time. It's a lot easier to get to the rear gasket with the cam off. It was a pretty easy and straight forward job. Maybe an hour or two if I recall correctly.

The Spedo and AC are something you can work on. I trust my speed to be able to drive temporarily without a spedo. AC will depend on your climate. I prefer to drive with the top off and the windows down in the warmer weather.

If the ball joint is tight you should be ok to drive on it. Replace when you have the cash and the time, or when it loosens up.

Check the bushings, they are not that bad of a job.

I don't know if I would worry about cleaning the injectors just yet. I would run it for a little while and see if it is needed. Unless you have extra down time for the injectors to be sent out.

Fuel filter, air filter, oil change and filter are all good to start with.

Timing belt is not a bad idea.

I would drive it before I got too involved with the CV Joints. You could repack them and swap sides, again, if you have time on your side.

You might want to get the car up and running this year and go after those bigger jobs in the winter.

Fuel - I would drain it if it is easy enough to do. Should be, but disposing of it might not be so easy.

Drain the fuel if possible, throw a new battery in, fresh higher octane (90 - 92) and start it up!

Do the minimum to get it running so you can have some fun while you make some of the more minor repairs along the way.

[ColoradoSteve]

Ditto to all of the above, siphon the gas out, do not run it through your injectors! Old gas can cause a lot of problems. I would put some gas treatment in with your first tank. Might also consider a new fuel filter.Sounds like your oil leak is cam tower gasket, very common, and not that bad a fix. Just fix what needs it, do regular maintenance and drive the hell out of it! Sounds like you want to rebuild the whole thing, is it going in a museum?

[OK-944]

To drain the gas and refill, along with an additive...what might be recommended for an additive? I've heard that Techron works pretty well. Any others I might want to consider? Thanks again!

[doc993md]

Tech-ron is probably the only off the shelf additive that works. There are others but getting usually involves getting from repair shops. Also use a high quality fuel such as Shell they use the proper detergents in all grades of there fuels.

Have fun