Ben951S

So what happened if the belt didn't break? ?

kevincnc

Thanks I'll check that out.

The car sat for a long time outside freezing and thawing through the winter in Flagstaff, then recently in the heat of Phoenix. Teeth just stripped off the belt. I'll put a new one on and do a compression & leakdown test. If valves are bent...I guess I get some experience doing a head.

My 951 will continue to live in a cozy garage when it's not getting exercise on the twisty road up & down the S.F. Peaks

smac951

That isn't the first time I heard of belts failing during deceleration, why is that? Anyway, I hope the repair process isn't too painful.

Ben951S

Old @$$ belt -> Belt Fatigue ->Stripped the teeth right off... =(

kevincnc

The belt was 5 years old, and re-tensioned about 3k miles ago. I'm not going to let my 951 belt exceed that age. Stripping off teeth during deceleration doesn't make sense to me either, maybe someone has a theory.

Mighty Shilling

it *should* be replaced every 3 years/30,000 miles according to Porsche.

nuszmd

Hi all, We just picked up an 85 944 (early) a couple of weeks ago. I had a list of things to do to it, including replacing the timing belt as I had no proof of when it had last been done. Right after buying it, we (kid and I) noticed that there was some gringing in the rear left wheel. We spent a couple of days tearing the rear axles apart and replacing both bearings on both sides of the rear. Took a long time, but it worked great. Problem solved.

Now I wish I had spent the time to first replace the timing belt. I am out of town on business and got the dreaded call from the wife that the 944 had broken down while the kid was driving to school this morning. He said he lost power after downshifting, and pulled over as the motor died. He opened the hood, and said there is oil all over the place. Said a lid or something has blown off and that is where the oil came from. Won't start either, though I don't know if it is cranking yet.

After reading this thread, I am worried that I might have a timing belt broken - though not sure where the oil could have came from. We had the car towed, and I'll have to check it out tonight when I get home. Dreading that the timing belt broke and ruined the engine. Big let down. We had a lot of plans for the car.

The car is in pretty good shape for an '85, so what do people think about repairing? Is it worth it if the timing belt broke and wrecked all kinds of other stuff in the engine (valves, etc)? What other damage can I expect? What if the kid drove it further than he says after having the loss of power? Scared of what I am going to find when I get home.

Any help / advice / compassion would be appreciated.

kevincnc

It doesn't sound like a broken timing belt, but I can't think of any "lid" that can blow off and get oil all over the place either. Where is the oil (on top of the engine, side, bottom..?) If it lost power because it lost oil pressure first, that's a major problem. Is he sure about a "lid", or is there a hole in the block? Sorry to say it but I think you're going to need more compassion than advice. Good luck and let us know.

kevincnc

Hey Darwin, where did you find the 3 years/30,000 miles recommendation? That's not what my owner's manual says.

Jay W

Maybe the oil cap came off. If it ran for a while like that then the oil would be everywhere on the engine. Have your kid send you a picture of the top of the engine.

nuszmd

Thanks for the guidance so far. I am getting info second and third hand for now. Will be home tonight to check it out. Wife just called and said that she found a bunch of oil on the driveway where the car was parked last night, so something happened yesterday before it was parked for the night. She says the oil looks pretty clear, not black like I would expect motor oil to look. Kid showed her where oil was coming from, and it sounds like it is near the windshield washer reservoir - maybe power steering fluid or oil cooler? I am hanging on to the hope that it has something to do with power steering, but with the motor lacking power and then stopping, I can't see how it could be anything other than motor oil / motor seizing.

I need to get home and look at it first hand. I will keep posting what I find out later. Can't be good news.

nuszmd

An update.... Car is still at the mechanic, but it looks like the engine is seized up. No oil on dipstick. They are about to put it on the lift, but based on the location of where the oil came out - it looks like something with the oil cooler / lines. Has anyone ever heard of these hoses bursting and losing all the oil in a matter of about 5 minutes? There is coolant in the car still, and I don't think it has oil in it.

So how hard / impossible is it to rebuild an engine that seized? Do the bearings usually turn and wreck the bearing mounts in the block? Or do these motors tend to just stop and leave themselves rebuildable?

Any insight / options / advise would be helpful. I am thinking that I am now in the market for a used or rebuilt motor. Does anyone have any leads on a motor? What should I expect to pay for a used motor or a rebuilt motor? I am in the Denver, Colorado area.

Thanks for all your help!

nuszmd

Ok, More info....from the mechanic this time. It looks like the last time the oil was changed (before we bought the car), the oil filter got double gasketed. This is where the oil leak occurred and shot all the oil out of the car in a matter of minutes.

We had already bought our oil and filter and were to change the oil this weekend. Now I wish we had. Maybe we would have caught the double gasket issue.

So now I might have a shot motor. Mechanic says that the belts are all intact, and that the motor is turning. Wondering if we should put oil in, check for spark, and see if it will crank up? Not sure how much more damage could occur from running it that has not already been done. I had already written the engine off. Any one have any input on this? I don't want to spend time / money on an engine that I will likely have to replace anyway.

nuszmd

We just placed an '83 motor on order. Hope it all matches up. I just about have the old motor out of the '85. Not sure what's broke yet. I'll tear it apart and find out after we get it out of the car. Not sure if it is completely shot or not. What type of problems can I expect / look for when I get it out?

Mighty Shilling

so I have an idea. instead of just being a jackass, why don't you correct me?