Determining 964 engine number from VIN

[jrose]

I have a burning question and I hope someone out there has an answer for me. Here it is. Is there any online resource that can tell me the engine number of the engine originally fitted to the 1991 C2 Targa VIN WP0BB296XMS440338? For that matter, is there a resource that can determine the original engine number for the the VIN of any 964? Help with this is very much appreciated.

[TV74911S]

there are two resources I know of. Adrian Streater's manual on 964s will give you the VIN series by year, geography and model along with the engine series associated with it. 964s build in '89 had K model engines , '90s L, '91 M, etc. These letters can be found after the first two numbers in the series.

Suncoast Porsche in Fla offers a fee based service that will give you all the build information you want based on the VIN of the car. This will include the exact engine number that goes with the car, how the car was optioned, color codes, associated recalls, etc. I used this service a year ago wihen doing the research on my '90. The cost was $10 and was well worth it. While I am not certain, any Porsche dealer should be able to run the same service.,

[jrose]

Than you TV74911S, that's exactly the information I needed. Rather than attempt this with my local Porsche dealer here in Charlotte, I'll contact Suncoast today to see if they will help me. As you might have guessed, I'm looking to buy a 964--a Targa like the one I bought new in 1991. I'm trying to find one, however, that was made after Porsche corrected the cylinder-to-head sealing issue for that model sometime in the production run. I found the engine number after which the sealing rings were installed, but I'd like to check that against the VIN of the car I'm considering. Thanks again for your help.

[TV74911S]

There has been a lot written about the sealing issue which might be worth reviewing before you purchase, but as a former 964 owner you probably already know this. I am likely facing a reseal myself, but in my case the car was so pristine (two owners, <32K miles, records from new, all original + rare color) it was too good of a deal to pass up, which was what the shop doing the PPI told me.

They also told me that 964s that get to 60K+ miles that show no leaking at the heads either have had the work done as some point or will never leak. They tend to be pretty conservative with their opinions, but believe that this viewpoint is shared among the 964 crowd.

[jrose]

Yes, I'm familiar with the sealing issue, though the '91 I owned from new and kept for 6 years never had the issue surface for me. I replaced that car with one of the first Boxsters to arrive here in the States...what a mistake that was! I bought my first new 911 in 1969--a 911E Targa--and have had numerous 911s--all Targas--since then. I've also owned 4 Boxsters--3 of which were much improved "S" versions. None of these cars has thrilled me the way my '91 C2 did. I want to find another one...a good one. The last Pano had one advertised which sounded like the right car. It was a '93, I believe, with low miles located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I called the owner immediately prepared to send him a Paypal deposit, but the car had been sold three weeks before. So my search continues. I may be on the track of another very low mileage, one-owner car, but it's a '91 and probably susceptible to the sealing issue. My friendly dealer here in Charlotte has quoted me a price for that work--$7K to $10K. I suppose, though I didn't ask, that they will install a new cylinder and piston set for that price rather than groove and add sealing rings to the old ones. Is that the approach most folks having this done today get? Tim Holt of Holt Motorsports in Philadelphia has a nice Targa for sale, but it's a bit too rich for my blood. He wants $63K for it, which is about what I paid for the new one in '91. If anyone reading this thread knows of any good Targas for sale of the '91 to '93 model years, I hope they'll contact me. I'll buy the right Targa, C2 or C4, as long as it doesn't have Tiptronic. By the way, I did email Suncoast about getting the specs on a car from its VIN, but I've had no reply from them yet. OK, enough for now. Thanks again for your consideration.

[TV74911S]

there are two for sale in my neck of the woods (cab and coupe) and a Targa as well I think. I'll look tonight and post the links.

[jrose]

Thanks once again, Tony. I'll check this thread tomorrow.

[f3nr15]

At the risk of stating the obvious, the engine number is usually listed with the options sticker in the Owner's Manual.

There's a gent on Rennlist who can decipher the car's specific options based on a VIN - I wonder if he might be able to help with the engine number enquiry?

Rennlist forums - VIN - Full Options Listing For Your Car

[f3nr15]

This lovely example was for sale in March in Ottawa - not sure if it sold.

Rennlist forums - For Sale 1992 Targa #119

Rennlist forums single post - 1992 Targa 119 of 210 for sale

[jrose]

For the record, I contacted Suncoast Porsche yesterday and got a very quick reply from Ric Knab of their parts department. He told me I could access the VIN decoder from their website, which I did. Today I got via email all the information I wanted and needed including the exact engine number for the car in question. I thank Suncoast for this service, and I thank Tony (aka TV74911s) of this forum for suggesting that source.