do I buy? Water in oil.

bp944 · 08:19 AM

There is a very good looking 944 for $1200 but the seller says there is water in the oil. The car look well taken car of but it has 160,000 miles. I know water is a sign of a blown head gasket which would be easy enough to replace. But what else could it be (cracked block?) and how do I tell the difference without pulling the heads? I would like to swap the engine but I would like this engine to last for another 5,000 miles.

bp944 · 07-04-2011, 07:09 PM

He could tell there was oil from this procedure if you can decipher it (he's an older gentleman who struggles with typing).

"was told oil pump was gone changed oil & filter started it bad gauge or sender checked oil found water mix --------------- just not right how many oil pumps fail not have a motor go down"

mikepellegrini · mikepellegrini's Garage

$1,200 isn't bad if everything else is in good shape. And oil in the water is better than water in the oil...

It could be the oil cooler seals, or it could be a head gasket. You oughta be able to tell with a compression test.

It's unlikely that the oil pump failed - that wouldn't cause oil in the coolant, it'd just cause low/no oil pressure. And unless the car overheated badly, it's unlikely that the block is cracked.

Best bet is the oil cooler.

kmakovac · kmakovac's Garage

On a car of 20+ year is normal that every seal,silent block and rubber part is cracked and nead a replace.
I hava an engine that put out of the car because i change it with an euro engine and it have 250.000 miles.Bores and other are perfect but need to change all the seals and work perfect!
In my car have a 60.000 miles euro engine that had need the head gasket job too!

One of my neighbour have an 81!!! 944 with 400.000 miles!!!
He change only minor parts and seals!!!From documentation the first owner of this car was "Karl-Heinz Rummenigge"

This engines are very strong and from many cars and forums cracked block or similar is quite impossible.

Change head gasket,front seals,roller,belts and probably you have 10 years of pleasure.

bp944 · 07-05-2011, 11:09 AM

Just to get this 100% straight. Its almost a certain bet that its the gasket or a seal? If you were in my position, would you get this car?

Schwarzeritter · 07-05-2011, 11:14 AM

If the chassis is streight foward, the interior is not ultra violated and the exterior is proper.
It's a 1,200 machine. You can achieve some good times. These engines aren't ultra expensive
with a little bit of TLC you can achieve a really nice machine. Almost have debated picking up a 944 again myself as a daily.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

To decipher all the babble....

If it is just oil in the water, do a compression test, if it passes that, it is just oil cooler seals. You can easily fix that in a day.

If the car is otherwise good, I'd buy it....

bp944 · 07-05-2011, 08:46 PM

Beautiful! Thank you very much.

mikepellegrini · mikepellegrini's Garage

Yeah. If the compression is even and decent (130-140+) all the way across, then you've got a winner.

bp944 · 07-05-2011, 08:57 PM

I've never worked on a 944 and I've never done a compression test. Could someone give me a link or explain exactly what I need to do and have (specific wrenches and gauges) to perform the test. I'm only going to have about 30 minutes so I need to know exactly what I should do.

89-944NA · 89-944NA's Garage

warm the engine to operating temp, remove the spark plugs, coil wire and DME relay. insert compression tester into spark plug hole and turn engine over at least 3 times (crank with starter). Read gauge and move on to the next cylinder.
1) spark plug wrench
2) compression tester (best is the type that screws into the spark plug hole)
3) remote starter switch (or second person to crank over engine, or a compression gauge that will hold pressure until you release it)

89-944NA · 89-944NA's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by bp944

There is a very good looking 944 for $1200 but the seller says there is oil in the water. The car look well taken car of but it has 160,000 miles. I know water is a sign of a blown head gasket which would be easy enough to replace. But what else could it be (cracked block?) and how do I tell the difference without pulling the heads? I would like to swap the engine but I would like this engine to last for another 5,000 miles.

What year is it?

bp944 · 07-05-2011, 10:09 PM

1987. How can you tell if its a bad gasket, cracked block, or uneven heads?

dangerous · dangerous's Garage

Oil cooler seal failure is not uncommon. Blown head gasket, cracked head or block are rare. I'd bet $1200 any day that it's an oil cooler seal.

ernie9944 · ernie9944's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by bp944

I've never worked on a 944 and I've never done a compression test. Could someone give me a link or explain exactly what I need to do and have (specific wrenches and gauges) to perform the test. I'm only going to have about 30 minutes so I need to know exactly what I should do.

You migth want to take a look here & learn a little more about the car you want to buy & agree it could be the oil cooler seals. Clark's Garage Home Page (click on garage shop manual)

vdubr928 · 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bp944

I've never worked on a 944 and I've never done a compression test. Could someone give me a link or explain exactly what I need to do and have (specific wrenches and gauges) to perform the test. I'm only going to have about 30 minutes so I need to know exactly what I should do.

Hmmmm. My thoughts.

Unless the rest of the car is perfect 12 is too much. And I mean perfect. I would max out in the 5-8 range on anything valued around 5k running, if its not. The engine should be pulled and taken apart. No you can't (shouldn't) drive it for 5k with water in the oil. The bearings need oil and really wont accept water as a substitution. Ask yourself these question.s.

Are you prepared to buy it. Park it. Learn how to fix it.
Should you offer less so you have a little cash fir beer money to get your mechanic friends over? If you can't run a compression test you will need help.
Do you have a place to pull an engine? You could likely put a head gasket on the car and drive it but you should pull engine. Do reseal. Replace rod bearings. (Remember they have been run with bad contaminated oil) and maybe rings depending on compression numbers. Strengthen oil pickup tube and replace motor. There is probably nothing serious wrong with the engine so why burn it up? Fix it.

alfadoc · alfadoc's Garage

Reread the original post. Oil in the water, not water in the oil. Makes a big, big difference!

"No you can't (shouldn't) drive it for 5k with water in the oil. The bearings need oil and really wont accept water as a substitution. Ask yourself these questions"

vdubr928 · 07-06-2011, 05:48 AM

Oh..... that is different and more likely to be cooler seals. Still wouldn't drive it but probably no internal damage. Go look at it and run the comp test. You will need.

Spark plug tools. Tester. Good battery.
Remove #1 plug. (Engine.e should be warm but if it wont run you can approximate.
Screw in tester. Pull fuel relay so your not flooding.
Turn engine over for 5the seconds. Check reading.
Repeat on rest of engine. Notate numbers.
Should be (as mentioned) 130 or up and not more than 10-13 psi difference between all 4.

If there is no water on dipstick and only in radiator and this test is good snatch it up. Its not likely to be head gasket.

bp944 · 07-06-2011, 09:31 AM

SORRY!!! That's absolutely my mistake, the title of the post is correct. I just edited the original post. It is water in the oil so there is danger of worn bearings and a chance that the engine has run awhile with watery oil. Its also $1200 not 12 thousand. Is that still too much?

I would rather not pull the entire engine more for cost purposes. I was hoping to do a swap next spring. If that means I throw a bearing in another 5-10k miles, I would be alright with that. It would kill part of me, but I'd be okay with it.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

12 is too much, you've got your work cut out for you....