My baby...'88 944 Turbo S, needs help

[morrigan]

My baby has had many problems recently, all the more frustrating because he has never had this kind of malfunction before. But I suppose it has just reached the natural life expectancy of the original factory parts...So, much went wrong all at once, needing to be replaced, belts, rollers, cooling system, and on the day I expected to pick it up I was told that there was a problem with the head gasket...best cast scenario something was warped by the high temp. b/c of cooling system malfunction, worst case it was "cracked" and would need repair by welding...I have no idea what any of this means...

Someone, anyone help me here, I love this car passionately but I have just put about $3,000 worth of work into it and now my mechanic is saying it may be another $2,000 to $3,000. I don't even know if it is worth more money (except that I love it so much) or if my mechanic is jerking me around b/c I'm a young woman. If anyone could explain it to me I'd appreciate much....Thanks!!!

[Lawrence Coppari]

Belts and rollers for the cam and balance shaft belts do indeed need to be replaced periodically. You could have a leaking water pump and you could also have a leaking head gasket. If the engine did not overheat, it is unlikely that your head is warped or cracked. Did you ever see the temperature gauge climb to a high level? Aluminum engines cannot stand this sort of thing like the old cast iron monsters could.

How many miles are on the car? Did it overheat? If your water pump were to freeze up (quit turning) you can severely damage your engine because your cam belt will snap. If that happens, your pistons will hit your valves. Your cam belt drives the water pump on these engines.

Welcome to the list. You'll find the people helpful here.

[awilson40]

Have you ever overheated...If not, then I dont see how you could have a head warp / crack issue. Ask your mechanic how he arrived at this diagnosis. If it did overheat, then its very possible. I have a stack of reciepts from the P.O. of my car ( a young lady) And I really think they stuck it to her on a couple of ocassions. So you need to determine how much you trust your mechanic.

[morrigan]

Ok, in answer to some of the responses I've gotten...yes, the car did overheat as I was driving home from work one afternoon and I felt the car hesitating so I quickly pulled over, called a tow truck and called my mechanic to say it was coming to him. No problems with my cam belts, pistons or valves...

He thought my car was done and ready for pick-up when the other mechanic who works under him noticed "a problem" but like I said he hasn't pulled it to see what exactly is wrong, and he won't until I can guarantee at least $2,000 for the work he is about to do. Therefore, I do not know the extent of the damage or if it is even fixable or really worth fixing....what if he gets in there, takes it all apart and decides oh, you have a cracked engine block, what then? Is that possible...? I used to trust my mechanic completely...he re-did my master and slave cylinders and other repairs and I've always been happy. But this has just been a comedy of errors...like "oh, you need this and this and that oughta cover it," then when I think I can pick it up "well, we found this and this that really needs attention," and then finally "I've got really bad news for you, it's the had gasket,". It just keeps adding up!

[1.2gees]

You might want to get a second opinion from another mechanic although it's possible that what he's telling you is indeed accurate.

If you're around North Carolina I wouldn't mind taking a look at it.
Ahmet

[ae1969]

The sad part is they were half way there when they redid the front end (seals, waterpump, rollers etc)....

$2000 is a little steep to redo a headgasket........

The odds that there is any damage to the block or head on this car if it just overheated and you shut her down........I would say is nil to none.....

I would say get a second opinion...... but is the car still in the shop? Ask them to explain what made them come to this conclusion.......

The upside to this....if there is one ....is that the car will not need to have any major work done on it for quite a while (except the usual maintenance issues...belt tensionning etc)...

Good Luck.

[awilson40]

Your mechanic had it done when his guy 'noticed a problem' ? Sounds fishy....what was the 'problem' that he noticed, and if they did all that work on your car, only to tear it down when they found another 'problem'...a problem that they ,as professionals, should have found before....Well, I think they should at least not charge you the labor for tearing it back down.
I say get another opinion.

[SidVicious]

Morrigan, where are you? The support network for these cars is out there, you sound like you need a little help. Is your mechanic a porsche mechanic, or is it "Joe's Garage"? I doubt you did significant damage to your car if you pulled over as quickly as you say you did. I would seek out a second mechanic and get his opinion.

My wife is petite and very pretty. Her car needed service when I was out of town on military duty, and a service advisor at the dealer reduced her to tears treating her like ****. You can imagine my first stop when I got back into town. I gave him fair warning though: I told him to remove his glasses if he didn't want them broken.

If you let us know where you are, perhaps someone here knows a reputable mechanic we can point you to.

[CW951]

Morrigan, I'd ask your mechanic exactly what he found that warrants another $2000 in repairs. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't $3000 seem a bit steep for belts/rollers/cooling system service? We all know that these cars are not cheap to repair, but I'd be hesitant to authorize any more work to someone who didn't address head gasket problems on a known overheat situation - and while it was apart already. I would certainly seek a qualified second opinion as the others have suggested. Where are you located? Perhaps someone has a suggestion for a reputable shop, even if only for a second opinion.

[emwporsche]

To replace JUST the head gasket and installing a widefire head gasket (recommended $60 and way stronger) it cost me $1082 for everything
mine is a 1986 944 turbo

good luck!

[morrigan]

Thank you, everyone that replied. My mechanic is a Porsche mechanic and frankly the only one around here besides the dealership...I'm in Mississippi so my choices are limited.

But it seems that I'm not the only one with a confused expression on my face, don't you have to remove the cooling system to repair a head gasket...the same system he just finished replacing...he wants me to pay him to remove everything that I just paid him to install...all because he didn't check the head gasket!!!

Then to top it off he told that this was (and I quote) a "big boy's toy," and obviously since I'm just a girl that I should probably sell it if I can't afford the drastic repairs...the first I've had to make (drastically) since buying it 3 years ago, oh, but he could probably find me a good buyer!

[awilson40]

I still would like to know what makes him thing you have a head gasket problem now that he has it all back together, and 3k for the previous work does seem a bit steep. Sounds like he has a buddy that wants to buy your car

[Lawrence Coppari]

It sounds like the guy is a jerk. My wife occasionally encounters this kind of crap too.

You basically drain the coolant from the engine, remove the intake system, remove fuel rail, remove the cam housing which means removing the cam and balance shaft belts. There are some hoses under the intake that need to come off to get the head off. The exhaust manifold has to come off as well as the distributor cap. I'm only typing what I think from memory without looking at the engine so I may have left something off.

Water pump does not come off for this operation. The head is part of the cooling system because water flows through it. It is labor intensive. I replaced the head on mine with a 'go faster' head several years ago. It took me two weekends but I am not a professional and it was my first time.

[PDACPA]

Sorry guys, I clicked the wrong post. Disregard my search for a turbo.

Morrigan, I think you need to persue a second opinion and hopefully you paid this guy with a credit card (if you paid him yet). That way you can bounce the charge if in fact he did not do the work intended or has not done it properly. Sounds to me like he buttoned the car back up and realized, oh gee, we forgot to check the head gasket. Call her up and tell her we have to go back in and charge her for the labor. WRONG. You had it apart, you eat the cost of the labor of tearing down and putting it back and just charge me for the parts.

Future dealings with this individual should be done with a witness (maybe a Pelicanite who knows 944's and can dispute the claims of the mechanic) so as to document the discussions should you need to move to legal action.

Not that the BBB can do much, but to me, there is cause to have them investigate.

[emwporsche]

i have a stock turbo from a 1986 944 turbo (k26-6) for sale
it works perfect with 86000 mi
$300 - negotiable

[CW951]

Well, it sounds like you're being taken advantage of because of your gender...just a gut feeling. From what I gather, you've paid top dollar for the work you've had done already by this guy. If you have a local dealer I doubt they would be more expensive - they may have been cheaper in the long run. Of course that also depends on their reputation. My opinion is that your mechanic should have recommended a head gasket along with the original work anyway due to the overheat and age. Awilson40 has a point - your mechanic may want to pick up your car cheap, and I've seen it happen before. I'd have the car towed for a second opinion if your mechanic will not work with you.

[DannoXYZ]

"I still would like to know what makes him thing you have a head gasket problem now that he has it all back together,"

yeah, just have him do a compression-check and give you the results.