Eddie Christensen

Hi everyone.

I am new to the forum, so pls. bear with me!
I am also a relatively new owner of a 1987 911 Targa. It has just 100000 kms. on the odometer, and from receipts and service records, this seems right.
However it is using quite a bit of oil, like 1 ltr. pr. 500 kms = 1qtr pr. 300 mls. when driven briskly on the road. Every now and then it also smokes a bit of blue smoke on start up. I haven`t been able to spot any smoke coming out when driving.
I would like to know your opinion on most probable cause.

Best rgds

Eddie C.

tf6905

I too have a 87 and have about the same oil consumption. My car is currently in the shop having this problem addressed. It seems worn valve guides are the cause in many cases(at least this is the problem with mine). Hope this is some help.

Eddie Christensen

Hi there,

I would like to hear from You again when your car is back out of the shop, please.
About work done and maybe some price quotes?

How did You determine it was the valve guides?

Best rgds

Eddie C.

tf6905

Weak valve guides are a well known problem in 3.2 motors. High oil consumption is a likely symptom. Estimated price for top end rebuild..$2500

Bill Gregory

Eddie,

I don't have the 3.2 specs for oil consumption, however, here are the specs for the 3.0L and 3.3L, for a frame of reference:

3.0L (911SC): Approx 1.5 liter per 1000 km.
3.3L (Turbo): 1.0 to 2.0 liter per 1000 km.

These figures are in the technical specifications book for each model, which I'm told have recently gone out of print by Porsche in the U.S. I'd be surprised if the 3.2L spec is much different than the 3.0L spec above.

nostatic

as a point of reference, a friend's 3.2 burns about 1 quart every 1000 miles. I believe this is about normal. He also has no smoke on starting.

From what mechanics I've talked to have said, the puff of blue smoke on cold start (it only happens after sitting for awhile) is one of the symptoms of worn valve guides.

Gary J. Spinella

My 88 Carrera Coupe has 89k on the odometer. At approx 81k the valve guides were replaced by the pre owner as part of the PPI.My oil consumption is now at 3200 miles per quart for normal street driving. This is with 20W-50 Valovline Syn Racing motor oil.

Eddie Christensen

Hello rennlist members,

Thanks for Your valuable info. I will soon be back with more questions.

Eddie

MTodd

3.2L valve guides

Assuming that one has good compression, but worn valve guides - other than the cost of using a quart at almost every fill-up, Is there any harm to the engine by not replacing the valve guides right away?

JDaniel

Check all your spark plugs to see if any are fouled. You might also want to have someone drive behind you at cruising speed (60mph+) to see if they can see any smoke.
How long has the consumption been this high? Do you notice any "abnormal" oil burning smells? Have you checked for leaks to make sure you are not losing oil rather than burning it?

It could very well be the dreaded valve guide wear...

"Estimated price for top end rebuild..$2500"... that sounds like a good deal. Is this a shop near you?
-Dan

tf6905

"Estimated price for top end rebuild..$2500"... that sounds like a good deal. Is this a shop near you?

Yes Dan, this is a local Porsche only shop in the St. Louis, Mo area.

Tom

Eddie Christensen

Hi Jdaniel

I had a leak problem before with bad smell of burnt oil, but I fixed that. Just a leaking oil return pipe and some rocker cover gaskets. After having read some of the older inputs on the board I realize that maybe i have been making matters worse by filling up with too much oil! I always fill it up to the top marker on the drip stick. That might be too much, when the oil warms up and expands!. I will monitor it for a while before doing anything drastic.
By the way. What is a "leak down test". I had compression test done and all cylinders were of equal correct values.

Eddie C.

Adrian

Dear Eddie,
The standard figure for oil consumption for the 3.2L and 3.6L engines from the Porsche manuals is 1.5Litres/1000klms.
Overfilling is a prime cause of blowing smoke at start up. You also need to watch this because the vented excess oil has a bad habit of findings its way into places you do not want it to. Contamination of the throttle body and some of the sensors is not unknown. Hunting rpm is often the result,
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

PS: Just for info. 1 litre of oil can make the difference between a full indication on the oil quantity indicator and running in the red area all the time. Let the engine find its own natural oil level and every engine is diferent.

ZCAT3

I know this is an old thread, but I am bringing it back as I have a question regarding oil consumption in my 87 Carrera. The car is fairly new to me so I do not yet have an accurate feel for the oil useage, but I estimate around 500-800 miles per quart. This seems high to me based on a prior 87 Carrera I owned, but the discussion above says I am well within spec.

"The standard figure for oil consumption for the 3.2L and 3.6L engines from the Porsche manuals is 1.5Litres/1000klms."

Assuming my conversion is correct this equals about 1.6 quarts per 620 miles or 2.5 quarts per 1,000 miles. Can this really be the acceptable oil consumption as stated by Porsche?