How clean should the bottom of the engine of a 2002 C2 be?

[WEldred]

Hi gurus,

I have been dreaming of joining the 911 owning ranks for years and I've found a 15K mile, single owner, 2002 C2. The car is immaculate, but when I looked at the bottom of the engine, I saw the following:



This car was garage kept and, as an example, there is no rust on the wheels near the brakes. It didn't seem to be leaking anything (other than some water from the AC).

I know the picture isn't great, but from what you can tell, is this a common look for a well-kept 2002 ? I plan on getting a PPI to ensure there are no issues.

Thanks for any thoughts/pointers !

Ward

[Rrrockhound]

I'd be more worried about the low miles than the dirt. These cars don't like to sit or be driven too gently. Make sure you get records showing regular oil changes.

[WEldred]

Originally Posted by Rrrockhound

I'd be more worried about the low miles than the dirt. These cars don't like to sit or be driven too gently. Make sure you get records showing regular oil changes.

Hi Rrrockhound,

Thanks for the reply ! Yes - I can't believe it has been driven so little.

Ward

[Rrrockhound]

If this car has been maintained by the book, at 15K miles it might have had only 1 oil change so far, which is why I say you should get the records. Hopefully nobody takes that 15K mile oil interval seriously, but some might. You've probably heard about issues on these cars with the IMS bearings? Nobody knows for sure what the cause is, but garage queens with infrequent oil changes seem to fail more often than cars that get driven a lot. Do lots of reading here and on rennlist.com and renntech.org so you know everything to look for and what questions to ask.

[WEldred]

Originally Posted by Rrrockhound

If this car has been maintained by the book, at 15K miles it might have had only 1 oil change so far, which is why I say you should get the records. Hopefully nobody takes that 15K mile oil interval seriously, but some might. You've probably heard about issues on these cars with the IMS bearings? Nobody knows for sure what the cause is, but garage queens with infrequent oil changes seem to fail more often than cars that get driven a lot. Do lots of reading here and on rennlist.com and renntech.org so you know everything to look for and what questions to ask.

Thanks again for all the pointers !

Ward

[logray]

Get rid of that cosmoline! Even Porsche replacement engines don't have any of it. All p-cars should be this clean!!!

Underside pic of 996 - RennTech.org Forums

[markwemple]

I'd wonder if the owner would let you do an oil change to check the filter. Its easy to cut the ends off to do a full inspection. I do it every oil change. The more these get driven the more they like it. I will also agree with driving them with vigor.

[88carrera]

To try and answer your original, specific question regarding the outer appearance of this engine, I would say that as long as it is dry I would not get too concerned about the "patina" that this one seems to have. It is not that unusual. Porsche puts some kind of protective agent on the engines of the cars it sends to North America ("cosmolin"-like?) that frequently begins to look like this. You can spend a lot of time trying to remove it, but it does not seem harmful.