david benett

i recently spoke to some local reputable porsche mechanics in the area (SF). I was told that the going rate for a valve job was going to fall somewhere between $5000 and $6500 and involve about 20 hours of labor. the other main issue that came up is that one of the mechanics mentioned that there may be a possibility of having to replace the piston rings. to my uneducated ears, this is starting to sound more like a rebuild than a valve job.

my 88 carrera has about 155K miles and burns about a quart of oil every 600 miles. it has fouled the number 6 spark plug on one occassion but runs smoothly and doesn't have any sewing machine like valve noise. it puffs smoke on start up, but it usually subsides pretty quickly.

i have been told everything from leave it be and let it consume the oil at that rate to get a valve job asap. i posted to the board a little while back and another bay area rennlister told me that they were getting their valve job done in the east bay for about $3000. i was under the impression that this was more in line with the cost of this process.

what gives? are my estimates too high? are these mechanics being overly cautious?

what can i do to get an assessment of the condition of the valvetrain? do i pull all the plugs and look at their condition? is it unheard of to run a car w/ this level of oil consumption and replace a plug once in a while?

thanks

db

Howard

David,

Last year I over revved my 3.0 liter, broke 3 rocker arms, had to replace 6 valves, re-ground the cam shafts, did a port and polish of the intake and exhuaust ports,re-ground all valves and seats, all new gaskets,a set of AASCO racing valve springs and titanium retainers, and a few other things, and the cost was $3800. I think the shops you have spoken to are probably giving you the worst case scenerio, but this is just my opinion!

good luck !

Stephen Masraum

The factory says 1qt of oil per 1000Km is ok which would be what you are experiencing (1000Km=620miles). But this is generally considered on the high side. It doesn't sound as if it's too bad yet, but your quotes sound kind of high. Also how/where you drive can affect oil usage. Do yoiu wind it out often, are they mostly city or highway miles, etc...
Get some shop recommendations from this board, and then you may want to get on the email list because it seems to get more traffic than the boards and there are TONS of people in the SF area that can recommend excellent shops that shouldn't give you a problem. Good luck.

jlkline

A leakdown test can provide more precise information as to where the oil(compression loss) is going, but chances are, that if you're fouling plugs, you're ready for a top end redux.

I would say that $5000 may be a bit high, but not excessive for this kind of work by a reputable Porsche mechanic. I see them go for about $4500 in Texas, but if you have several good ones in the area, you might get a second opinion. Be sure that you are informed of potential costs associated with any problems found not associated with just normal wear.

At 155k miles, and assuming this is the 1st time the motor wil be apart, you should definitely do the rings and associated machine work, assuming the P's and C's are still OK. (if not, you'll be in for additional some expenses anyway!)All of the parts will be down anyway, so there is little extra expense to re-ring.

There's a lot of labor and know how that goes into Porsche engine work, if done properly, and saving a few bucks might lead to headaches down the road.

George 911-V8

Mr. Benett: I do not think a valve job will solve your problem. I think its about that time (REBUILD) its tired and shot. It should set you back if your lucky 10k good luck. I have seen chevy impala taxi cabs go 300k without a rebuild.


SWAMP MONSTER

Bill Gregory

Stephen,

I posted incorrectly last week....the correct statement is that the factory says 1.5L per 1000Km, which would say that David's quart per 600 miles is within factory spec.

David,

Valve jobs seem to, ballpark, go for between $3K and $4K. A full engine rebuild can go upwards towards $10K. If the shop is telling you 20 hours of labor, and a total bill of $5K - $6.5K, what on earth is their hourly labor rate? Are they sending the parts out to someone else to do the valve job itself? Sounds like more questions are in order, and as someone else suggested, a second, or third, opinion.

ZCAT3

Hi David - I suggest you take some time and drive down the Peninsula to CT Automotive in Campbell (a good chance to take your car on the 280 Autobahn). Call Don at 408-377-3885 and ask him what he thinks. CT will not suggest work they do not think necessary. I have no affiliation with them, but have had very good results on both of my Porsches that they have worked on.

t.p.

George, what does your point re: chevy impala taxicabs have to do w/ this post? This is a Porsche site - not an f__'in chevy site. I don't like it when people get snobby w/ you re: your 350, but stop being a dork. David was not asking about impalas.

George 911-V8

TP: Cool down a little I'm just stating that a old fashion push rod motor can take a beating. I was once in the same shoes as Thom so I'm speaking from experience.

SWAMP MONSTER

t.p.

no problems

Chris Blum

Maybe it's a regional thing, but that seems awfully high. I've seen top end rebuilds in the neighborhood of $3500. You could rebuild the whole engine for $5-8k.

I did get an estimate on a total rebuild of $18,500 for my '87. The guy claimed I was saving big bucks over a new factory engine which would set me back $44,221.

Hello?? Sorry porschephiles, but If I had $44,221 to throw at a car, I'd be looking to add a nice Red Modena Horse to my stable.

Thom Fitzpatrick

Who's quoting these numbers? Nieman-Marcus?

Thom Fitzpatrick

How did I get mixed up in this?

ken louie

Labor rate around the the sf/Bay area runs about $85-95 per hour.

Joe@Fabspeed

any Carrera with over 100,000miles will probably need new valve guides atleast. Why dont you have someone pull the engine and ship it to Andial for a 50hour performance rebuild........split the case and new everything. Put in a catbypass pipe and dual outlet exhaust extrude hone the intake plenums and enjoy 250HP. You spend $8000-$11000 but the baby will sing sweeter than ever before............better than brand new. Forget the 350,000mile mythical 911s..........if they are running send 'em to New Jersey to smoke out and kill all the West Nile Virus mosquitos .............