mrdieseldude

Well, I rolled the dice and bought the 86.5 shark (cheap). It had been sitting for over three years, but ran good (supposedly) when the PO lost the key. New fuel, fuel pump, key, battery, fluids change and misc. later and I got her lit off. It started without hesitation and no smoke. Lotta noise from the engine room though. I suspect that it is a lifter or two, and I ain't talkin' about this tappet noise that goes away after a few seconds. This is bad enough to cause a rough idle/miss. Since it is not registered, I can't really drive it (California is hurtin' for dough and they would love to see this untagged porky rolling down the street . Quick as hell, even with the miss (but then again, I have never driven a 928 before... just the diesel Jetta). On just these short drives around the block, I have developed a fondness for the car. This is now my dilemma; keep it, or get rid of it and find one w/o the problem? I have always intended to do the work on this car myself, but I really don't want to get into a major repair right out of the gate. Any suggestions of best course of action?

SQLGuy

Lifter (technically, follower) noise in these is pretty loud and will last many minutes if the car's been sitting for a while. If she's only run once in all this time, I'd give it a couple more tries before being sure the problem is there to stay.

OTOH, the timing belt and associated hardware would have to be gone over before you do much of anything with the car, regardless.

Is it a CA car to start with, or would you have to "import" it to register it?

By the way:

A) 86.5's are pretty desirable cars
B) We'll need a lot more details (transmission, mileage, options)
C) Pictures!

Welcome aboard.

mrdieseldude

Thanks SQLGuy. I can't seem to upload a file... I will keep working on this to get a few photos out there.

Anyway, yes, the car is 100% CA, and hardly a spec of rust. 186K on the meter, but I am not sure that works. 5 speed that shifts like silk, at least R, 1 and 2 (not enough room to try out 3, 4 and 5 yet). I know about the timing belt requirements, and that will be the first order of business if I don't find a major engine issue. On your note about registering: that is really the big one. While I bought it "cheap", the guy never paid the last 3 years registration. This will add about $480.00 to the tab (plus all the CA contributions we get to make out here). All of this before I even know it it will pass smog. The one silver lining is I will get a 60 day operating permit to allow me to run it w/o having it smogged/registered.

I'll get the pics out as soon as I figure out how (I think the files to are too big). The body is quite straight though.

86'928S MeteorGrey

Take this advice. Bring it to Greg Brown at Precision Motorwerks in Anaheim. Depending on the noise and condition of the timing belt, decide if you want to try to drive it there, or trailer it. Have him give it a full inspection then heed his advice. It will probably cost $200-300 or so depending on how deep you want him to look. Don't quote me on the price though, as it's not my shop. You can't go wrong having Greg give you his 2 cents. He REALLY knows his $*%!... If the body, interior and transmission are all good to great, it would be crazy not to have the motor freshened. To do the heads on the 86.5, the engine must come out due to the head studs. Good luck! 86.5 5 speed is a good one to keep.

mrdieseldude

Thanks Mike. I was actually thinking of taking it to see Greg. Maybe I can get my buddy with the car trailer to haul it out there for me. The money I save on the registration (should I choose not to keep it) will more than pay for the "estimated" inspection... YMMV or whatever it they say . I read your post on the engine removal and it kind of talked me out of wanting to make a repair of that magnitude on the, well, let's say "maiden voyage". Oh yeah, the interior is a few degrees south of "good to great".

PS - looks like you've had a long day. Nice catch too....

Thanks for the recommendation.

Michael

danglerb

In Calif the seller is responsible for the smog cert, unless its sold out of state or to a dealer or wrecking yard. In practice what this means is that until its smogged, its never really sold.

Having Greg do a PPI will be money well spent, as it is you will have no idea how deep the money pit may be, or if it has SERIOUS safety issues like ready to catch on fire from bad fuel injection hoses.

OTOH if you plan to sell it, generally not one dime of money you spend fixing it will increase the selling price, except for making it clean and shiny.

mrdieseldude

Dang! You So. Cal sharkers are late nighters!

Anyway, thanks danglerb. Man, I didn't know these porker's could spontaneously combust. That might be one way to unload it... Now that's a joke... OK? Anyway, I agree, every dime I've put in it thus far is dough down the drain. The way I look at it is still cheaper than owning a boat, but I do want to cut my losses if this turns out to be beyond my desires to repair. I think the trip to Anaheim for a check out from a qualified 928 guy will be the "next" dime and I'll see where that take me.

Thanks

Cosmo Kramer

If you aren't scared to pick up a wrench, there is a boat load of information here to keep your car running tip top. An 86.5 5 speed is an awesome combination as long as it isn't too far gone. What is your intention if you keep the car? If you want a concourse winning show car sell it and get one like is already like that. If you want a reliable driver and can live with some imperfections and small things to tinker with, do the deferred maintenance and drive it like you stole it!

Mike Frye

Some great advice there.

I would only emphasize that the 86.5 5-speed is a very desirable car and no matter what it needs someone will be willing to make the effort I'm sure.

Try adding some Rislone to the oil with an oil change and run it with that for a while. That helped free up all the gunk in my sticky lifters when I first got mine.

Then do a short interval oil change after that because all that crap will now be plugging up your filter.

+1 on the PPI (supposed to be 'pre-purchase inspection', but some of us go for the 'post-purchase inspection' ).

mrdieseldude

Hi Mike Fyre,

I was going to try the Rislone approach, problem is the store had an "engine treatment" and an "oil stabalizer" (or something to that effect). Which product is it that you are suggesting?

Mrmerlin

you can also use Marvel Mystery oil for the lifters, add 1 qt to the oil and about 4 oz to the gas

Mike Frye

I think it's the engine treatment.
I used to use that stuff on my old VW. Great stuff, I think it has the same effect.

mrdieseldude

Mike and Mrmerlin,

I would love to think that I could put a couple of cans of MMO or Rislone in the crankcase and fix my problem. I guess I don't have much to lose, but I do want to re-state that the problem is not merely "noisy" lifters (tappets). I think I have a cylinder that is missing because of the bad tappet. Have you ever heard of a tappet coming back from the dead by use of either of these products? How long might I have to use it before I start seeing results? I am concerned that prolonged use of the engine may cause additional and subsequent damage.

Thanks for the help.

86'928S MeteorGrey

What do the plugs look like? Compression test? These are easy to do. I'd pull the front cover off, check the timing marks, and related components. Your sound could even be severely worn cam chain guides. I'd try the Marvel Oil, as it's cheap, and could yield great results. A sticky valve tappet will make an awful racket... Light oil has freed them up in the past. Next do an oil and filter change, and cut open your used oil filter... Look for metal. If you don't feel like digging in, just save yourself the trouble and get it to Greg. After his inspection, you will know exactly what you are dealing with, and you can make a better decision on how to proceed. Good Luck!

Mike Frye

Mike,

You beat me to it.

Basically you first need to know whether or not you want to keep it or pass it on, which probably means a PPI.

Once you know you're not going to grenade the engine by running it, the Rislone or MM oil can help a lot. It did with mine. I probably drove mine about 20-25 miles when I first got it (admittedly not revving very high) and the lifters never shut up. After the Rislone they quieted right down and I haven't had a problem with them since. It probably took a few days, maybe 10-15 miles?

First order of business (once you decide to keep it) is a set of caps, rotors, plugs, wires, filters and fluid change. Then you know what you really have. A miss could be a bad plug wire or any number of other things. PPI will tell you if you have compression and if so the rest is probably workable.