Gonz

I'm considering the purchase of a 94 GTS auto, and I'm wondering what issues I should be aware of? I have owned an 89 S4 so I'm familiar with most of the maintenance issues but I'm wondering if there are any additional items to be concerned with? Any help is appreciated.

Nicole

I've heard that some of the (early?) GTS engines had excessive oil consuption. I've heard this from both a mechanic here in the US and someone at the factory in Germany.

Jim Nowak

Nicole,

I've also posted information on this site about the excessive oil consumption. In fact, some owners filed suit against Porsche but did not prevail because Porsche calls this a normal operating condition for the GTS engine.

Jim

Kaz

I heard somewhere that if you used some warm up time on the engine before driving around, it would go a long way towards cutting oil consumption in the GTS's. Something about piston expansion.


K

Mike Velez

I have noticed the oil consumption demon. I typically let the car idle for at least 3 or 4 minutes before venturing out for the day.

Jim Nowak

Kaz,

Letting the engine warm-up is a preventative procedure for the avoidance of piston-slap. In other words, if you don't let the engine warm up on the GTS you could have catastrophic engine failure when the piston makes contact with the cylinder walls.

Jim

Kaz

Ahhhh. It is all clear now. Have any of the GTS's suffered this kind of failure?

K

Nicole

It has been said that letting the engine idle will increase time to warm up, add more and unnecessary wear due to longer cold run, waste energy and pollute the air because the catalytic converters also take longer to warm up.

I would consider it a serious design flaw, if you cannot safely drive your car at reasonable rpm until it is warmed up. It's hard for me to imagine this with an engine built in the 90ies...

BTW: In Germany - where that engine comes from - it is prohibited by law to let your car idle when it is not in traffic. Police can ticket you, and I've seen them do so.

I often wish they did that here in CA - then my direct neighbor would probably stop warming up his loud Ford V8 work truck for 30 minutes around 5:45AM. But he still thinks he is the only one in this world...

Sleepless in California.

Tabor

Buy a 1978 Camaro for $500 and run it when he is asleep. Don't forget to remove major exhaust components first.

Joe R

Sure am glad I have spent all this time in the NAVY to protect everybodies right TO DO OR SAY WHAT EVER THE HECK THEY WANT! not to mention hug a tree.

Randy V

Joe, to which post is your comment directed at?

Something appears to have riled you - wondering what it was.

Mike Velez

He's talking about Nicole's tree huging.

Tree huging and 928's don't mix. It's like an oxymoron.[/LIST][/LIST]

Nicole

Sorry, guys, but I don't consider myself a "tree hugger". However, I do consider a 928 relatively friendly to the environment - if used responsively.

After all, it lasts longer than most other cars, you only have to change the oil every 15k miles, and given it's performance, even the fuel consumption is very reasonable. Every time I had smog tests done on my 928s, the testers told me that my car is incredibly clean.

What's not bearable is that some people do not even give any thought to natural resources, pollution, and public health - as if there was no tomorrow. I think this is pretty selfish.

I invite you to visit the Bay Area, drive up on the hills on the Penninsula (Skyline Boulevard), and look down into the valley. What you see is 'brown' air. The same can be observed in LA, when you look down from the Hollywood hills. I hear, Houston, TX, has the worst air quality in the country.

WE AND OUR CHILDREN BREATHE THIS STUFF!!!

It doesn't take a tree hugger to tell you the effects on people's health: Allergies, Asthma and Cancer are not on the rise by accident - and we all pay for it in one way or another. Ask any medical doctor!

You might be young and healthy now. You might also have enough money to buy as much gas and oil as you want. But if you get seriously sick, you can't just go and buy your health back.

Joe R: Have the marines ever taken you to the former Eastern Block Communicst Countries? My first trip to the former German Democratic Republic was a real eye opener: The pollution was incredible, the houses all brown and dirty - it was disgusting! That's what happens if nobody cares...

I'm not trying to deprive you from having fun. But sometimes, being considerate and giving up just that last little 1% can make a big difference to your surroundings. Think about it next time you hear a child coughing from Asthma!

John Struthers

So the warm up is to allow for expansion?
Does this affect 'ONLY' the 92'-95' GTS's. with the 10.4:1 compression engines?
Sure seems like a radical design if the result was 'ONLY'an additional 25 HP over the previous engine -M28.47-.
Seriously, this sounds like a NASCAR 'loose 200-300 mile race engine ' setup. I can't believe the wunderkinder at the Zuffenhausen ranch would do something like that.
Nicole, in this day and age do you still write to family and friends in Deutchland?
I have some long neglected friends there, one being an engineer of sorts -racing/oil coolers. I would like to write him concerning developement of the 928 engine. Is posting a letter to a German citizen a problem ie.address/postage? Small gifts O.K.?
Thanks.
John S. & Pattycakes

DougM

Marc at DEVEK has posted in the past regarding this issue. He says that due to the metals used in the engine design, the car needs excessive oiling. Would you rather add a quart of oil every 1000 miles or rebuild the engine every 40k? Just because the factory states that you can go 15k between changes doesn't mean they don't expect you to add oil. Ferrari's owner manuals for various models say oil changes every 3500 miles but may use up to a quart every 800 miles.