Luis de Prat

I keep seeing ads in Pano with "engine rebuilt at 80K miles."

Tired engine or just standard maintenance?

J. Brinkley

valve guides
do you mean complete rebuild, ot just valve job?

Luis de Prat

Having to pull off the head.

Edward

Just a guess, but I'm betting that many have done "pre-emptive" rebuilds, or at least partial top-end rebuilds, as a result of "while I was in there" for other issues such as valve guides or head studs. Thus, the results, while interesting, probably won't yield any accurate assessment of how long these engines can go before a necessary rebuild ...again, just my speculation. Perhaps those who respond can include both the reason for their rebulid and the specific work that was performed ...just a thought, anyway.

Edward

Peter Zimmermann

"Thus, the results, while interesting, probably won't yield any accurate assessment of how long these engines can go before a necessary rebuild..."

Edward: You hit that nail square on the head! So many factors come into play on this subject; use of the throttle with a cold engine, average trip duration, track days oil quality, service quality, on and on... Good answer.
Pete

JBO

63k miles, but 23 years old and due to broken head studs.

summers3d

Is it generally better to find a car with a rebuilt engine or one without given that they have similar miles. Does a rebuilt engine mean that other things are going to be needed or that the car was not given proper care?
-David

gerry100

99k miles for head studs.

While in there, rings,valve guides,valves ground and 915 rebuild.

Bottom checked, no work necessary. According to my mechanic, the bottom end on theses good for 200K.

Peter Zimmermann

The "rebuilt engine" comment is one of the most mis-used, misunderstood terms in the Porsche world. Some of it is an innocent misunderstanding by the owner, due to incomplete info given by the repair shop, or not understanding what the repair shop was saying, etc. But in a few cases, be aware that nothing of the sort had been done. In the mid-'80s a customer-to-be called me at the shop. He said that he had just looked at a '69T (advertised in the L.A. Times) that had its engine "rebuilt" by my shop - this statement was made by the seller. The seller's name rang a bell, although quietly, so I pulled her file. The car had been to our shop only a couple of times, and the most involved thing we had ever done to it was an oil change. Hmmmm... When an engine has been "rebuilt," it's been completely disassembled, its crank & rods have been checked and approved, its bearings have been replaced, its crankcase alignbore has been checked, its piston/cylinder set has been replaced (or, if within factory tolerance, re-ringed), its cylinder heads completely refurbished, etc. When an engine has had a "valve job" that's all it had. Yes, if stated properly, an engine could have had a "valve job with head studs and rings." A "valve job" involves the cylinder heads, and in most cases includes guide and valve replacement as necessary. The term "top end" job can be used to describe a valve job with piston & cylinder work, but it should be clear to exactly what was done. The easiest way to determine if a car has a "rebuilt" engine is to look at the invoice parts list. If that list does not have main & rod bearings, rod bolts & nuts, piston work ,etc., that engine has not been "rebuilt." Timing chains are not a tipoff, because master link chains can be installed during a "valve job," or a "top end job," if necessary. Be very suspicious of someone who claims to have a "rebuilt" engine, but no receipts. Invoices for more than $10K rarely get lost!
Pete

Curt911

excellent post/poll, whish more would respond

Peter Zimmermann

'82 SC, 202K miles, no rebuild, no valve job, head studs OK. Camshaft replacement and Carrera tensioners at 194K.

'80 SC, 188K miles. Carrera tensioners at 125K miles, no other work. Head studs OK.

Both cars are run exclusively on Kendall GT-1 20/50, with oil changes between 3K - 5K miles. They both run as they should, use about one qt/thousand miles (excellent), and don't smoke.
Pete

Edward

Hehehe ...serious words to live by
(Thanks Pete for the kind words, BTW).

David (summers3d),

When I was looking for my SC, I was on a seriously limited budget, and so knew I would be cutting corners in some areas, but in the drivetrain I accepted NO compromises. There were LOTS of folks I ran into/talked to on the phone when scoping out for my SC, and too too many claimed "rebuilt" this and that. Then you ask the fateful question: have you the receipts? Any "stories" got an immediate dismissal in my book as no conscientious owner would discard a receipt that expensive and that significant to the worth and eventual value of a car (boy did that narrow the field quickly). And the other factor that's just as important as whether the "rebuild" was done is *Who* rebuilt it. Any rebuild of any component is more than the sum of their parts; it is the experience and attention to detail, tolerances, cleanliness and the like that separates a quality rebuild from a mere claim on a for sale ad. If you're looking to buy, the bottom line is do your homework if you want the best for your dough because a high mileage/unmolested engine can very well be the better option if you know what you're geting into, and it's priced accordingly. Hope this helps

Edward

fixnprsh

my 3.2 went 180K before the #5 rod decided to take an early retirement, however I will say in its defense the then current owner had started slacking on maintainance from the look of the records.

When I was at the dealer we had a customer with an 87 cab at 460,000! on the original motor noless. he had his maintainance book filled out with extra sheets stapled in from the day he bought it new at my old dealer.

Alan Herod

83SC with broken head stud on #5 leak down at 3% all cylinders except #2 which is at 17%+. I think the leak is an intake valve. Engine running strong with 171K miles when it came out of the car. Not sure how deep the refurbishment will go, at least to the rod bearings, but have no idea about the P&Cs.

fixnprsh

when I pulled mine apart the P's & C's looked almost new. I had them checked out and zyglowed and they are ready for new rings and another 180K, good old german over engineering.