Dixon166

Hey folks,

I have my eyes on a 1989 Targa. The car has been maintained the last decade by a renowned local garage specialised in Porsche. They pulled the motor and the transmission 5 years ago, did a a compression test, and everything was fine.
Motor is a 3.2 and transmission is a G50. The car has 160k miles.
The car went for a PPI yesterday and they noticed oil leaks on motor and transmission. You can see photos they sent me below.

Do you think those leaks are problematical? Your help is appreciated!

Dixon

Dixon166

Up

​​​​​​What is your opinion concerning what we see on photos?

Hotshot

I’ll bite.. Just my personal thoughts..

I’d wipe up as much oil I can see and try and find where it’s leaking from. Oil is the same as any liquid and will make its way to the lowest point. Then you get pics that freak people out.

The drips on the case seam bottom don’t look like there starting there as the seam looks clean and is just low. The side looked like a splash or wife area.

Remember there are old drips that never increase on these cars, then there could be new drips.

id check the usual suspects like oil tube seals. That can be replaced easily and don’t need an engine out. Same for valve covers. Remember there’s 2 up top and 2 below.

I’d also try and log the drip rate..

Until someone cleans up all the old stuff you won’t really know. Could be anything from a spill while filling, to not using new crush washers, to something more serious.

Best set of luck, report back.

Hows the the rest of the car?

Dixon166

Thank you for your answer, it is appreciated and gives a good picture of what can be done. Unfortunately, I can't check myself because the car is located in Toronto and I live in Québec City.
Only the taillight housings are corroded (I don't really figure why), but I tell myslef that I can remove them, sandblast and respray, and it will be fine. Am I right?

The rest of the car is in really great shape. A full paint has been done 5 years ago, and a 3M protective has been added. The car has been maintained for the last 7 years by Auto Select in Newmarket, which seems to have a good reputation. Targa top has been redone too.
Interior looks good, with no visible worn instead of a small part of a seat, and a missing adjustment motor on the passenger seat. AC has been removed, including the condenser.
The car is well documented for the last 20 years.

theiceman

i dont think its anything major, i lived with those types of leaks for years before my rebuild.. when i tore it down i discovered it was just the rocker shafts ( very common) ti could hsvr fixed it years previously

its fantastic to have a bone dry 911, but if you dont its not the end of the world. i bet most leak .
you know what they say about a 911, if its not leaking oil its empty...

that usually ques up a line of pics of guys saying " not mine look mine is bone dry" , but personally i wouldn't sweat it.... see what i did there ?

Hotshot

Autoselect is amazing. Only folks I’d let touch my car. Can not say enough good things about them.

Hotshot

Same me as mine. They are open in the rear front so over the years road grim hits it. I plan on the same thing this winter. Here’s mine after hours of Simple green and scrubbing. And more to go. The whole car underneath was brown on mine. Couldn’t see red or the rust coating stuff people have added over the years.

theiceman

i've never actually looked under there.. now i'm not so sure i want to

Hotshot

get a podcast or an audiobook. Scrub scrub scrub.

this winter I’m taking off the bumpers and really going at it. She’s be new for 86 soon! Lol.

Dixon166

Thank you guys, your messages reassure me.
I think I will push forward with this car!