Coupe365

1988 Porsche 911 Carrera with 88k has been sitting in a garage for 16 years. Owner wants to sell and I may be interested but having no Porsche experience was looking for suggestions/thoughts. Gas tank was 1/2 full so we pumped the gas out (sludge) and the sending unit wire was caked with muck. I don't dare try to start it. Can't seem to get any help locally on what the car is worth in its present condition or where to from here. Body and interior in good shape.

One place says they'll cut the gas tank, clean it and weld it back together. Hoping you all have some experience to share about the gas situation and a reasonable offer to buy it. Sorry about the numerous questions but really looking for input! Thanks

wildcat077

All depending on the price ... being a G50 car,if it's a coupe they would normally fetch in the mid/high 20K's related to the condition.
Of course after having sat for that long,most of the rubber on the car has dried out,you will have engine oil leaks,fuel issues and the brakes would need rebuilding,four new tires and most likely other issues ...

Without pictures it's hard to set a value !

Cheers
Phil

gerry100

define the value of the car w/ 88k miles in good condition.

Subtract the costs to get it there and that's the value.

This can be a negative number in some cases.

Mondrian

Pretty much every single seal, rubber & tyres would need to be replaced as well as the battery. Engine, g/box & diff will need to be strip cleaned (to avoid additional damage) ... Basically a nuts & bolts job - if you are not handy with mechanicals then you need a fat wallet in which case you might as well get one which is sorted.

Todynot

How anyone can proclaim all the seals need replacing without knowing how the car was stored or seeing the thing is a joke.

Reiver

True.
But, big but, generally speaking this is a common issue with any car that has sat for that long...even in a museum and controlled environment.
Have all the fluids been changed in storage regularly etc.?

parkerfe

You can probably change the tries, battery, all fluids and recharge the a/c and have fun from there.

Amber Gramps

How???? A lifetime of experience. .....and if they left the tank half full for 16 years, its a really easy proclamation to make.

theiceman

Although I don't agree with many of the posts here, I would still think it's gonna be a bit of work for sure. These engines are very robust and I think if you can sort out the fuel system and brakes, you will have a good starting point.

jdjones2010

Coupe, could you take a few pics & post them! I'm sure that with All the Wealth of knowledge on here, some of these Guys could give you some opinions just by looking at it!

Mondrian

Todynot - there are just so many ways of arriving at the same conclusion that its a wonder how one can't arrive at the same conclusion!

Of course you can open things up and see (inspect) the seal but as an expert you should know that once you have opened it up in most cases (depending on type of seal) you have to change it regardless of age anyway.

In general non-metallic seals (as well as rubbers) have a shelf life - if kept in an aggressive environment then this shelf life is reduced and if kept in optinal environment its prolonged but never-the-less the shelf life is there and 16 years is way over acceptable tolerances even if it was wrapped in original packing sitting at Porsche air conditioned store room.

Coupe365

Will take some pictures and post once we get some sun again (yes we're in Florida with no sun.) Changed out the trunk struts yesterday (thanks to whomever posted to tie dental floss to the pin so it doesn't disappear if dropped while working.) Thinking of removing the gas tank and then hoping to find out how (or find someplace) to clean it out. Amazingly so far rubber is looking good but one step at a time.

Any ideas of the gas tank and lines---bring it on!

Thanks
Bill

Amber Gramps

Radiator shops are usually capable of flushing gas tanks. They may also have advice and experience on your fuel lines. You really need to check and recheck your soft fuel lines on your engine. They harden and crack no mater the environment.

Fuel injectors are easy to pull and have cleaned. The shop will put new seals and filters on them for you. It cost me $80.00 per set to get them cleaned/balance checked locally.

dshepp806

So much to note on a car in the circumstances you describe. Without question, your mechanical capabilities and time will be prerequisite, as to any areas of conditions.

Anything to do with fuel should be HIGH on the list.

As to the fuel tank, you may be able to simply clean the tank. I don't work on these pups for a living and haven't seen large numbers of fuel tank repairs/reworks requiring removal. At minimum, I would clean it, as well as removing the fuel tank filter (bottom of tank) for inspection.

As A/L suggested, I'd certainly have every single injector cleaned and look VERY closely at the fuel lines around back. Leaking or not,..if I were to see manufacturing dates on those fuel lines indicating they are the original lines,...OUT, they would go.

Fuel filter is a given,..maybe even 2, when you're done.

Fuel pump: I'd check this closely, as well. Noise,...actual fuel pressure at the rails,....manufacture date,...state of the connecting hoses in that area.

As to the engine/tranny-fluids side: ALL fluids would need changing such as (oil/filter-X2), brake fluid, tranny fluid, and all seals checked (there will be many). Leaks would have to be addressed. Brakes should be gone through completely, as breaking is important.

New battery,..probably a rework (cleaning) of that fuse panel,....fresh belts,....filters,....

Fresh tires,....

If she has a sunroof, best make sure THAT is good to go.

A/C will need to be checked/refreshed.

Probably will need a good tuneup with fresh spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor. You'll want to check the age of the plug wires..... check her mix for proper AFR....good compression/leakdown test,...has the car been cranked/run at all during this period of time?

The rest will be discovered through symptoms that may present later.

If you're good to go with doing most of this work yourself, you're way ahead. Otherwise, it's "wallet time"...that's ONLY if other things don't raise their head.

To find something "caked up" is NOT indicative of a temp-controlled environment. As A/L mentioned,....to have left gas in that tank (untouched) for that long,..a "proclamation", indeed.

Love to see some pics.

Could be a great opportunity. Have you the service history on this car? (although there probably isn't much, just over the unparked time period!)

Thanks!

Doyle

cairo94507

Remove the gas tank and take it to a radiator shop to have it boiled out and then have it coated to protect it in the future. I have not heard of anyone cutting a gas tank apart to clean it and then welding it back together. Sounds like a terrific find BTW.