1982 928 with 4.7 liter engine?

[924CarreraGTP]

I'm hopefully going to pick up a U.S. 5 speed '82 928 on Saturday. The funny thing is that it has a 4.7 liter engine. Though I find this a little odd as the U.S. '82 is supposed to be a 4.5, it's not the first one that I've seen.
A while back I called about another U.S. '82 4.7 liter 928 S 5 speed, and I explained to the owner that the car must be an '83 since it had a 4.7 liter engine. After verification with the VIN it was indeed an '82. I thought it was odd, but the owner said it was the original engine.
Now I have come across yet another U.S.'82 928 4.7 liter 5 speed.

I noticed on the 928 wiki page that for the year '82 it lists both 4.5, and 4.7 liter engines. So how many U.S.'82 928's were built with 4.7 liter engines, and 5 speed transmissions? This has to be a very low number, but I seem to keep running into them.

[Danglerb]

Anything is possible with 30 year old cars, check numbers etc.

[MPDano]

Have him give you the engine number stamped right in front. This will verify it's displacement.

[XLR8928]

It would seem unlikely that it is a 4.7, like Leo said, check the numbers. I imagine if it was built late '82, it could of had an '83 motor, (though seeing that Porsche is fastidious about such things, seems unlikely.) That being said I am the owner of an '80us, that has a 4.7 engine.. but it did not come from Stuttgart like that.
-K

[924CarreraGTP]

I'm positive it's a 4.7 liter engine. That is known. I do not have the VIN of this particular car that I'm going to purchase. However, the other almost identical car did have a U.S. 1982 year VIN. That car was in pristine shape as well with 80,000 miles on it.
The '82 I'm looking at is supposedly the original engine as well. I'm hoping that it's an '82 Euro, but it doesn't have the running lights on the front fenders. It has U.S. bumpers as well. I'll know when I see the VIN. I'll post back here with pictures if I buy the car.

[Landseer]

Engine number would help too. We can decipher using tech spec manual.

[Danglerb]

82 Euro could still be the non S 4.5L.

Lots of details get messed up on old cars, model years, Euro/US, engine types, etc.

[DougM]

So was the previous car you called about and this car you are looking at a 4.7 because the owner said so?
30 or so years after their original production, I would only verify anything having to do with engine displacement by the engine code stamped on every engine. There is so little understanding of these cars even in the Porsche community that I wouldn't accept anybody's word without verification.

[924CarreraGTP]

I imagine that there had to be a few prototype U.S. 4.7 liter cars before the introduction to the U.S. '83. I understand that either one or the both of them may have had a factory engine replacement in 1983, 84, or possibly an independent replacement later, but both of these cars seemed to be original, and have original engines as far as the owners know.
The other car in question had been in the same family since new. The owner said that the car had the original engine in it. I did not check the engine number because I never actually went to see the car. I did have the VIN and it checked out to be a U.S. '82 928. It clearly had a 4.7 liter engine in the pictures, and the owner said it was a 4.7 liter. It just kinda baffles me that I've now run into two of these cars. Both '82 5 speed 928's with 4.7 liter engines. Both claiming to have the original running gear. I did not go see the other car today because of ice and snow, but will report back soon.

[Landseer]

What are the visual cues from an engine bay picture?

Only difference is internal bore.

Need engine numbers, along with VIN number, that's the only way to tell.

1982 Engine codes ( the C in the engine code designates model year 1982 )
80C = 4.5L ROW (Kjet mech fuel injection)
81C = 4.5L USA/Jap (Ljet electronic injection)
82C = 4.7L ROW (Kjet mech fuel injection )

1983 Engine Codes ( the D in the engine code designates my 1983 or 4 ) .
81D = 4.7L USA/Jap (Ljet electronic injection)
82D = 4.7L ROW ( this is twin distributor engine with LHjet engine managememt computer)

It is possible to have a 928 manufactured in 1982 but having the 1983 my designation, same as buying a chevy truck. The manufacturing year starts about 5 to 6 mos earlier than calendar year.
Transmission also changed in 1983 my to the 4 speed (just as another point of reference to help you, if its an automatic being considered)

Good luck on the hunt, hope the car is a good one, and that the powertrain is somehow a protoype if that is what you are looking for.

[MPDano]

Agree, how do you visually tell a 4.5 to 4.7? You can't. Read post #3. Have the seller send a pic of the engine stamp via email. It's free.

Use this link once you know the engine code

http://porsche928forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16&sid=83ebcf2f19f400652fc995c666b013d3

[Landseer]

One other point, the Porsche documentation is pretty tight, compared especially to a lay-interpretation on wikipedia. Impossible to find in the ether, though. They were English language critical MY or subsystem updates that the factory used to communicate to the trained tech staffs at the dealerships. And, there was also a set of recall and problem solving documentation, bulletins, also invaluable. Did you know that in 1985, for the new 32V engine, for the first small set of cars that got out, the factory accidently printed the wrong sparkplug firing sequence on the yellow stickers on the radiator? Or that the WSM for the 1985 fuel regulator / dampner routing is wrong because it was totally changed early in the 85 MY? Stuff like that is documented and not usually findable online (not sure if the monthly shop services include that, they might).

Many folks on these boards, over time, me included, have emphasized the value of having the CD's of Porsche 928 documentation that were compiled a few years ago by a group of ur predecessor hobbiests. Then the newbies invariably rush to chime in on those threads about how the WSM's are available for free on the net, and/or on cheap ebay CD's, etc, implying its a waste of $80 to purchase the compilation, which is a totally different animal.

That's unfortunate because the OTHER documents Porsche published about the 928, compiled on that project along with the wsm/wiring diags, are so much more important and practical than the free online WSM i(aside from the wiring diag section -- critical no matter where you decide to snag it.).

To have a higher quality dialog about nuances between model years, it would be a godsend if we'd all get on the same page of refering to the 3 tech spec manuals and the 20 or so service info tech manuals that specfically contrast in great detail the adoption of year over year model changes. These docs made a difference to me in enjoying the hobby vs. always playing catchup.

Where I really breakdown, though, is the shartuning / computer discussions, huge weakness for me, that info is elsewhere. Instead of reading all those posts and discussions and learing, I'll just skim it and never absorb it.

[924CarreraGTP]

Originally Posted by MPDano

Agree, how do you visually tell a 4.5 to 4.7? You can't. Read post #3. Have the seller send a pic of the engine stamp via email. It's free.

Well, it's an L Jetronic. That can be seen by the engine photo. What I did not know is that the 81C = 4.5L USA/Jap was an L Jetronic. So that is probably what I'm looking at.
I was under the impression that all U.S. 4.5 liter engines were a K Jetronic. So what I'm probably looking at is a 4.5 liter engine with an L Jetronic electronic injection.
This all makes better sense to me now, and I'll verify this later. Every U.S. 4.5 I've seen from those years was a KJet mechanical injection.

I still can't spend $80 on a compact disc. I don't have a high paying job, and endless resources. Most cars that I buy are not running because I can't afford even the lowest sale price of $4,000 unless it's my 911. It was a very very good buy, but it took me seven months to save up the money to buy it. I do not get loans because I don't believe in payments or being in debt. I would love to be well off enough to spend $80 on a compact disc, but I just don't have the money to spend. Sorry if it cramps the style of those in the know about engine codes. Thanks for the information though. It was helpful.

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by 924CarreraGTP

Well, it's an L Jetronic. That can be seen by the engine photo. What I did not know is that the 81C = 4.5L USA/Jap was an L Jetronic. So that is probably what I'm looking at.
I was under the impression that all U.S. 4.5 liter engines were a K Jetronic. So what I'm probably looking at is a 4.5 liter engine with an L Jetronic electronic injection.
This all makes better sense to me now, and I'll verify this later. Every U.S. 4.5 I've seen from those years was a KJet mechanical injection.

I still can't spend $80 on a compact disc. I don't have a high paying job, and endless resources. Most cars that I buy are not running because I can't afford even the lowest sale price of $4,000 unless it's my 911. It was a very very good buy, but it took me seven months to save up the money to buy it. I do not get loans because I don't believe in payments or being in debt. I would love to be well off enough to spend $80 on a compact disc, but I just don't have the money to spend. Sorry if it cramps the style of those in the know about engine codes. Thanks for the information though. It was helpful.

Negatory sir. Look at the Specs link I posted. L-jet started in 1980 on the US Models.

[924CarreraGTP]

Hmm, okay well apparently I'm not up to speed on my 4.5 liter knowledge.

[MPDano]

Originally Posted by 924CarreraGTP

Hmm, okay well apparently I'm not up to speed on my 4.5 liter knowledge.

Try smogging a 1981 Euro in Calif when they expect Electronic Injectors.

[XLR8928]

I'll bet if I tried to smog my Frankenstein motor in Cali, they'd laugh me right out of the place

[Danglerb]

Our cars are so rare its a smog sword that cuts both ways, techs will sometimes look around a little then start clicking boxes to make it pass.

I think they look for signs of aftermarket mods, and much of what we do is model to model, much harder for a non expert to notice.