Did the HG on my 84 with it in the car--not that bad of a job. But I'm with Karl, pull the engine if you can. If it is the block, hopefully Mark will have his annual 928 Intl's half price sale on used parts next month.

After all the work you've done, there's no way I would cut bait now.

 

The USA 1980-1984 cars have no oil cooler in the radiator. With such low horsepower and 55 mph speed limits there was no need for it...

 

It is worth a lot less than you invested.

If you truly don't want to deal with the car anymore (understandable to some, mind bendingly odd to others here), find a local wrench to do the head gaskets for you and sell it after the repair - you'll get your money back (for the headgaskets) that way.

Totally made up numbers, but the math idea is correct:

the car is worth 5,000$ as is,
Head gaskets cost you 2,000$
with head gaskets replaced, car is worth 10,000$

 

^This. Every time I get frustrated or annoyed with something, I just try to remember the things I've seen people to do try to get by in other parts of the world.

You're absolutely not the only one to get frustrated by these cars: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-this-car.html

Saratoga isn't my back yard, but it's not the other end of the world. If there's good bourbon on the menu: Have wrenches, will travel.

 

what an incredible offer! you are not alone, Gomez. once the initial sting subsides, I have a feeling that you will be able to tackle this issue and enjoy this car again.

 

Don't give up. You're invested so much of your time/cuts/bruises and money into it. An amateur like me was able to pull the engine, so you should have no problem.
Keep us updated. Your car is very nice and it will be great when you're done.

 

I've been taking pictures and telling people, for years, that the head gaskets in these engines have reached the end of their lives....especially on cars that sat for any length of time.

35 years is a very long time for a paper product to last, soaking in acidic glreen coolant.

Compared to the total amount of work you've done, this is nothing. Leave the engine in....pull the heads and see what you have to work with. If it goes easy, 4 hours of work. If the heads are "corroded" onto the studs and won't "lift off"....that takes longer.







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+1 on keeping the project, and getting her on the road.

hang in there

 

Replacing the head gaskets on a 16V car is relatively straight forward and becoming much more common because of the reasons stated by Greg above.

I would replace them and have your heads refreshed ( redo the valve seals and guides, repair corrosion, etc) while you're at it.

The engine should easily be good until 300K miles or another 20 years at this point.

Best of luck with whatever decision you make. I'm pretty sure you can tell we won't easily let you give up

 

+1

If there is one thing 928 owners should keep up on, it is the changing of fluids!

1. Oil? Annually for garage queens and low milers. 3,000-5,000 for drivers.
2. Coolant.? Bi annually with Zerex G-05 cut 50/50 with distilled water.
3. Brakes/clutch/PSD bleeding? Bi-annually. (continuing to lament the discontinuation of super blue)...
4. Auto or manual transmissions and power steering? I do mine every 5 years. (like religion, I could be wrong).

 

gomez 123 ....Keep going with the project ,It will be so rewarding when complete, you've done so much already.

Thanks 928 GT R great tips I'm going through all the fluids now as the car I just picked up sat for 4 years in WI.
It's an auto what trans fluid would you recommend when replacing old trans fluid....Thanks!

Very cool how helpful you guys are.

 

Thank's for all your support, I'll press forward? Are the blocks ever cracked on the 84? If going through.all of this should the block be checked for leaks? I'll pull the cylinder heads get them done at a local machine shop cleaned a checked?
This car runs great hard to believe anything is wrong even with the oil in the pan. Should I pull the crank and go the full Monti" Replace bearings both mail and rods, and wist pins?

One more big question, can you usually tell where location or if a head gasket leak ? Is it usually tel tale? I want to make sure I locate a fact determination where it was leaking,

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT ANS ADVICE.

Michael P Oneill

 

FIFY

Good luck and I agree with everyone here when they said that the 1984 MY is the best of all 928 years and should always be saved no matter the circumstances. At least that's how I interpreted the advice above but may be a little '84 biased.

 

I think Stan mentioned it above, but all you have to do is pull your sparkplugs and inspect them. You will know the winner of the failed head gasket lottery by the way the plug looks. It will look steam cleaned compared to the rest. Like it just came out of the dishwasher. I would do this before you do anything else or even begin to worry about replacing engine guts. Pull all 8, label them one at a time and post the group picture here.

BTW - You mentioned in your first post that coolant is leaking into the oil, but how do you know that? Did your oil look like chocolate milk or was it possibly just condensation buildup at the top of the dipstick and oil filler cap? Any signs of white smoke with sweet smell out of the tail pipe?? I'm optimistically hoping you just have condensation due to all the other projects you have completed. (knock on wood) If you think it may be condensation, take it for an hour-long drive and then see how your oil looks.

 

Cracked blocks very rare.

The problem will not be a mystery, when the heads are off....especially if you pull the plugs ahead of time and know where to look.