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So a while back I picked up a '86.5 928 that had a sudden loss of engine oil when the PO hit an obstruction and tore off the alternator. The alternator struck the oil pressure sender and the oil filter, putting holes on both of them and causing a rapid loss of oil. The car was on a city street at the time.
I assume the motor stopped when the alternator broke off and took out the electrical connection to the battery.
The engine does turn over by hand and while the alternator belt was shredded, all other belts are intact.
I would take a few pictures of the damage and post them here.
Drain the oil and see how much comes out, it holds 8 qts.
that ought to get the ball rolling ,
also include your location
Fixing the oil sender and filter replacement is fairly easy. A lot of oil will have leaked out with a damaged filter and/or oil sender.
There could be thread damage to the block if the oil sender was really mangled by the hit. Hopefully not.
Make sure the oil pan didn't take a huge hit and developed a leak or God forbid, a crack in the pan.
If the pan did take a hit but is not leaking, tighten up all oil pan stud nuts to OEM torque specs.
My biggest concern would be possible damage to the area where the alternator bracket attaches to the block.
It would take a lot of energy to completely tear off the alternator.
My son hit a fairly large pothole a while back, luckily only the engine skid pan and oil filter were damaged. But it did make a horrible mess and it took about 5 cans of brake cleaner just to clear the mess.
In my case, I replaced the filter and oil. Cleaned everything up as best as possible and let the car sit up on a lift for a few days to see if there were small seeps or leaks.
After multiple cleanings and tightening the oil stud nuts, no additional leaks and no leaks since.
Other than the near impossibility of acquiring a NOS 82 belly pan (I got lucky) only my oil filter had to be replaced.
Good luck and hopefully everything in your case is as minor.
i remember that alternator is one big heavy beast on this car and there is a through bolt on it, but it has a machined bracket to fit. it would take a lot of force to bust that out. if that area is broken/damaged, it would need some serious welding and machining etc to get that slip fit....and i dont know if it can be done from underneath with engine in situ.
if that bracket is damaged, there is some serious welding, machining required but again depends on where and what broke etc your best scenario is that the bolt broke and alternator fell off etc
My location is St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. I might have the only 928 on the island. This is a land dominated by Chevy and Ford... local "expert" help is not likely....
The oil filter and pressure sender were torn open. The alternator/ power steering bracket sheared off, although the p/s pump is still there and the block looks fine.
The oil pan did make contact with the ground at some point. There are a couple of fins with sharp edges.
I haven't drained the oil pan yet. I have removed the air intake and throttle body. The engine is filthy and needs to be gone through and cleaned out. The valve covers are a mess and need new seals. A few of the bolts on the valve covers won't budge.
What did the guy hit and is there any damage to the suspension or steering rack?
Also you will need to have the alternator bench tested to ensure no internal damage before attempting to reinstall. A new alternator may be in your future.
The block is definitely going to need some welding work. I don't know if it can be done with the engine in place.
The block is definitely going to need some welding work.
In picture 1, is that broken piece just the power steering adjustment/alternator mount? Or is more broken than that? If it's just the PS adjustment, you can buy that piece by itself.
Looks like just the bracket took the hit. New bracket, new sender, fix the wiring harness and change what's left of the oil. Fire it up and watch the oil pressure. Then listen for strange noises!
Cut the filter open & look for signs of metal from running out of oil. Also, if there is still any oil in it, you might want to send a sample to Blackstone Labs
& see it there is anything abnormal. They will send you a collection kit.
The alternator mounts to a 'console', a bracket that includes the power steering pump and the alternator support. This is available as a used part from 928 International I'm sure, along with the other outside-the-block stuff that's damaged.
I assume the motor stopped when the alternator broke off and took out the electrical connection to the battery.
This may or may not be a valid assumption. If the alternator was in fact ripped completely free and fell on the ground, it's good. More likely is that the cable held on while the alternator dangled, or the cable connector at the alternator was broken with the wiring still intact at the connector. Power from the battery (via the connection at the starter) goes to the alternator, where a crimped connection gathers the feeder from the starter and the feeder to the front of the car and main electrical panel, and bolts to the alternator. If the two wires were still connected to each other after the alternator was hit, the engine would continue to run until the key was turned off.
Drain the remaining oil carefully into a bucket, through an old black t-shirt as a filter, and look for metallic debris in the oil, indicating metal-to-metal contact and wear. If there's nothing glistening in there you are probably OK. Othrwise proced cautiously until you can confirm what the interior engine damage is.
A few new pictures of the carnage. The oil filter was not leaking from a hole but from the sealing surface having been deformed. The oil pressure sender definitely got smashed open.
I also noticed a piece of stone still stuck in the oil pan.
02-24-2015, 09:13 AM
Sudden loss of engine oil, now what?
