Hi Guys,
I am a 944 owner looking at an upgrade to a 928 (the full meal deal). I am considering an S4 that has 120K miles on it. How long do the engine go before they need to be overhauled? any obvious pit falls I should be aware of?

 

Al,

The most important thing with a 928 (or any used car) is the pre-purchase inspection.

During the PPI you/the mechanic who knows watercooled Porsches should have a static compression check and a leakdown test. Both of these should be performed with the motor cold first, then with the motor warmed up to operating temp.

The 928 motor seems to live pretty much indefinately IF properly maintained. I have seen many cars going strong at 150K+ miles. I have seen original cars at 200K+ miles. I have also seen 100K cars that required a complete engine rebuild.

My 84 has 175K on the original top and bottom end. Last time I did comp and leakdown on the car, all the cylinders were within 5 PSI and leakdown was under 5% on all cylinders. Not bad for 18 years old.

As always, YMMV, but this is not atypical. If at all possible, get someone who knows 928s to look at your potential purchase. Like any exotic, you can spend a ton of $, if you buy a bad car. Also, search the archives - I don't recall who, but I believe someone put together a pretty nice list of stuff to look at.

Good luck,

Greg

 

You question sounds like "how long is a rope?"

The only correct answer is "DEPENDS". It depends on how well the engine has been maintained, how the car has been driven, the type of fuel used, and whether the engine was originally made on a Monday or a Wenesday. ;^)

I have been told that there is(was) a older 928 in GA. with over 600k miles on the original engine. Clearly, YMMV.

~ Merry motoring ~

 

FWIW-

Last year at Sharks in the Mountains....there was a track car there - original motor - raced - with over 200K on the original mill.

Best Regards-

 

I would not worry about the engine. Unless deasaster strikes (e.g. because of neglected timing belt), it tends to outlive most other components of the car - even if you only do the factroy recommended oil change intervals... ;-)

It's other stuff, peripherals, that can cost you a bundle. That's why the pre-purchase inspection is so important!

Things that might cost you are:
- oil leaks (especially, if not driven daily)
- AC leaks (same as above)
- worn motor mounts (after about 70-80k miles)
- worn shocks (standard shocks last about 60-70k)
- idle regulator, knock sensors and TPS (60-90k)

...and some other little expensive-to-fix things. The cost largely depends on how "handy" you are.

 

Thanks guys, You've given me what I was looking for. Sounds very much like the 944 "to look for" list: belts, waterpump, motor mounts, leaks. I'm encouraged to hear of the 200K plus cars out there. The hard part will be determining "how long the rope is". But of course only I can do that inspecting the car. Thanks again. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />