kick7ca

It's a 1989 3.2 with about 60,000 miles. Over the last 5 years it has only been driven 5,000 miles and hasn't been serviced in this time. Could these numbers improve with a valve lash and running time?

Thanks.

Peter Zimmermann

I used to recommend that before testing a 911, that has seen recent storage, to always drive the car at least a hundred miles, and get it up to full running temp at least a couple of times during that period. This will get rid of the debris that can form on valve seats and valves. Was the car moved directly from storage to a shop?

kick7ca

Basically yes, about 20 min drive from the fellow's garage to the shop. A week before that I had it on a brief test drive. Other than that all I can with certainty is has travelled 5K miles for the entire time this owner has had it (2002).

The PPI mechanic said it wasn't abnormal, but I'm looking for additional opinions.

Peter Zimmermann

Your numbers are a bit high (10% is generally considered the highest acceptable number), but a nice hundred mile drive, then a valve adjustment and re-test, and you will probably see numbers less than what you have now. For your peace of mind, would the current owner allow you to do a short road trip with the car, or maybe take one himself? If possible, also add a bottle of Chevron ProGard (formerly Techron) to the gas tank before the trip.

Mike Murphy

Five years and no service, so the first thing to do asap is to change the oil/filter.

If you can drive the car, you might want to drive it "spiritedly." I would get the engine up to temp and really run through the throttle and RPMS.

If you end up getting good leakdown numbers and end up buying the car, I would change out all the fluids and filters, and then run a can of BG44K through a full tank of gas.