First 964 - Pre-Purchase Inspection

[ryry]

Hey Guys!

I have been in the market for my first air-cooled pcar for a few months now. While searching for the car, I have been trying to do as much homework/research as I can on the boards. However, this world is still very new to me so I am hoping for some feedback/input on a recent find that I am considering buying. I had a PPI done, but am not clear if the leak down and compression results are decent? The seller already told me about a power steering leak which I will have addressed. I understand some 964 engines leak oil…and appears this one is no exception. Should I be concerned?

Vehicle:
964 - 1992 C2 Coupe
120k
Black/Black

PPI attached.

Thanks guys!

[aabarth]

Nothing here that would keep me from buying !!
My '92 has 130,000 miles and is very solid. No suprises in my 2 year ownership.
Your comression and leakdown numbers are great!
A few little leaks are no big deal ( I also have Italian cars so I'm used to it !) and the power steering leak is an easy fix.
If the price is right GO FOR IT !

[LouZ]

Like I noted on Rennlist, check those front tires!

[ryry]

Thanks guys! Sure do appreciate the responses. Some reassurance from the pcar community reduces my anxiety of the unknown.

- PS fix – Check. Quote is about 800-1000 bucks. Sound about right?

- Tires – Check (I’m thinking I’ll replace all four – fresh start!). Suggestions on preferred brands for this pcar? I’ve used TireRack in the past to buy Bridgestones for my E46.

- Seller price is firm at $36k. Would you agree this appears within market value?

Truly appreciate the feedback and input. Thank you, very much!

[porsche964guy]

Hi,
I don't see that you said if it was a standard or Tip?
Leave the engine shield off. It just over heats your engine.

I've owed my '90 964 Tiptronic about 6 years and have drove it every day since and I still love to drive it. It has been lowered and on its second engine and transmission with 250K on the OD. Yes I said 250K. I bought it fairly cheep around 100K miles. Had to replace the engine because I knew was in trouble from the test drive. Watch the Temp and Oil pressure after a spirited drive. I eventually put a valve through a piston on that engine. These flat 3.6 are not cheap to come by these days. I also as far as I know the only one who lost a Tiptronic trans, around 240K. If you drive much you will wear the rear tires 4:1 compared to the front.

Things I would check at the least:

Front Oil cooler Blower motor and temp sensor.
Rear forward blower motor in engine compartment
Two footwell climate control blower motors
check for the last valve adjustment that includes new seal kit( suspicious that its leaking there)
Belt between the two distributors.
Steering rack along with the pump you know about.
Oil return line - Not the problem as earlier models but still leaks.
Engine belts and the very important fan belt detector sensor. Important warning if you ever loose a fan belt. This engine will overheat super fast with out it.
I would make sure I had a owner service manual to educate you some on this air cooled engine.

Make sure to pass a smog if in CA . If these numbers are bad check the O2 sensor or even the CAT the can be very expensive.

I'm sure there's a lot more I missed....

Your old girl will need attention at intervals. But I would't change the experience of owning one of these 911 series 964.

[aabarth]

On tires, mine also came with ancient Bridgestones and handled terribly !
Now have Continental DW and am extremely happy with them ! Hard to beat the price and performance combo.

[ryry]

Whoops! Sorry guys. Vehicle is a manual, which I understand drives a little more of a premium?

Thank you for the additional guidance!

Here are some seller photos. If all goes well, I should be taking delivery this weekend!

[RedCoupe]

A couple of more checks for the 964: First, see if the seller has any information regarding the clutch and dual mass flywheel. The original DMF that Porsche used in the 964 didn't hold up very well, so Porsche switched suppliers. My own 964 had the original DMF fail at 50,000 miles. Second, a kit was retrofitted to most all 964 's that blew a little bit of fresh air into the distributor to clear out any ozone that might be building up. Ozone attacks the rubber distributor belt, so this fix is important to see if it is in place. You can easily see if there is a small clear flexible tube going into the distributor from the duct coming out of the heating/cooling fan. There also may be a second tube that connects to the central reflector to keep condensation out. I would also want to see if the seller had any documentation regarding when the distributor belt was last changed (if ever). One another check is the rubber "boot" that attaches to the back side of the fan housing and connects to the inlet for the heating/cooling blower. The rubber will eventually harden on this part from engine compartment heat and it can crack and disintegrate. When it fails, a whole lot of cooling air will escape through the hole instead of going through the cooling fins of the heads and cylinders.

[ryry]

Many thanks guys for all the input! I have made a list of additional questions and points for review, thanks to your guidance.

I check-out the car tomorrow! It is going to be tough to sleep tonight!