Another Houston Area 1988 Auto 928 save underway
05-07-2011, 06:28 PM
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Another Houston Area 1988 Auto 928 save underway
This effort has been underway for some time. A lot of work has been done cleaning the chassis, suspension, undercarriage, replaced MM’s etc etc etc.
This car was purchased in Houston from a car repair facility last summer for a nominal sum. It had been sitting unclaimed for 3 years and was purchased from the auto repair shop for the amount of the repair bill under a mechanics lien. The odometer shows 95K and all else is unknown as to history. The new owner has not investigated the CarFax or AutoChex histories. The car was at the auto repair shop for a new fuel pump, oil and filter change, and the like. No major repairs were requested, nor done. Car was driven into the repair shop, repairs were completed, but car was not picked up when complete.
We uncovered some good news, some not so good news, and some downright bad news in our most recent work.
The good news is the car is LSD, “12” in the transmission part number, and of course it exhibits normal LSD behavior when one tire is rotated.
The not so good news is the drive shaft has slipped toward the transmission by nearly 2”. I am guessing this is just about the opposite of TBF…and the Allan bolt in the back clamp is either out or very much in the wrong place. Any thoughts anybody has regarding this problem would be appreciated. We are thinking we need to pull the TT and replace all the bearings minimally, check the transmission end of the driveshaft to find out how the shaft migrated, correct that, and install a PKlamp on the flex plate, if not the Superclamp.
The really bad news has to do with the formerly “running engine”. It is now locked up tight. Repeated applications of Diesel oil, Marvel mystery oil, and a lot of energy has not moved the crank a single degree. By the way the oil was clean, no aluminum sludge, no rust, no milkshake, etc. Along the same lines the coolant is bright green and no oil, no trash, etc. The net of this story is it appears as the engine head gasket has failed on the drivers side, putting enough coolant down into the back two cylinders as to freeze the engine. Moral of this story is to believe it when people say letting one of these cars sit is not particularly good for them.
A final tidbit from today’s successful engine removal effort, don’t buy a smaller engine stand for one of these engines…..spend the extra bucks for the big heavy duty type that is several times more expensive, but able to balance and reliably hold and rotate a 928 engine. While the new one on hand is reasonably robust, the track is not wide enough to keep the engine upright. Were it not for the still attached hoist, the engine would be on the floor in a heap and there would be a big dent in the passenger door….not entirely unexpected given I have had a couple of cheap engine stands in the past…..sort of akin to buying slightly used toilet paper…..not a good nor useful idea….
More to follow as the heads come off…..
This car was purchased in Houston from a car repair facility last summer for a nominal sum. It had been sitting unclaimed for 3 years and was purchased from the auto repair shop for the amount of the repair bill under a mechanics lien. The odometer shows 95K and all else is unknown as to history. The new owner has not investigated the CarFax or AutoChex histories. The car was at the auto repair shop for a new fuel pump, oil and filter change, and the like. No major repairs were requested, nor done. Car was driven into the repair shop, repairs were completed, but car was not picked up when complete.
We uncovered some good news, some not so good news, and some downright bad news in our most recent work.
The good news is the car is LSD, “12” in the transmission part number, and of course it exhibits normal LSD behavior when one tire is rotated.
The not so good news is the drive shaft has slipped toward the transmission by nearly 2”. I am guessing this is just about the opposite of TBF…and the Allan bolt in the back clamp is either out or very much in the wrong place. Any thoughts anybody has regarding this problem would be appreciated. We are thinking we need to pull the TT and replace all the bearings minimally, check the transmission end of the driveshaft to find out how the shaft migrated, correct that, and install a PKlamp on the flex plate, if not the Superclamp.
The really bad news has to do with the formerly “running engine”. It is now locked up tight. Repeated applications of Diesel oil, Marvel mystery oil, and a lot of energy has not moved the crank a single degree. By the way the oil was clean, no aluminum sludge, no rust, no milkshake, etc. Along the same lines the coolant is bright green and no oil, no trash, etc. The net of this story is it appears as the engine head gasket has failed on the drivers side, putting enough coolant down into the back two cylinders as to freeze the engine. Moral of this story is to believe it when people say letting one of these cars sit is not particularly good for them.
A final tidbit from today’s successful engine removal effort, don’t buy a smaller engine stand for one of these engines…..spend the extra bucks for the big heavy duty type that is several times more expensive, but able to balance and reliably hold and rotate a 928 engine. While the new one on hand is reasonably robust, the track is not wide enough to keep the engine upright. Were it not for the still attached hoist, the engine would be on the floor in a heap and there would be a big dent in the passenger door….not entirely unexpected given I have had a couple of cheap engine stands in the past…..sort of akin to buying slightly used toilet paper…..not a good nor useful idea….
More to follow as the heads come off…..
05-07-2011, 06:41 PM
#2
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Who drives a car in to a shop has a few hundred bucks of work done and then never picks it up?! That is INSANE! Who did the title say it has formerly belonged to? That is nuts...
05-07-2011, 07:38 PM
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05-07-2011, 08:04 PM
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I am voting on d)....
This repair bill was not ultra cheap, but it did make the car very reasonably priced, I would be more than happy to buy it for the price paid, even with the engine problem we now know of.
By the way the paint is original, a bit chalky, would rub out decently I believe, the owner is planning to repaint it in pearlesent white. The interior is mostly original white, a bit dirty, could be saved except for the white carpet, which is a bit too far gone to clean, easily. Sewer cover wheels in decent shape, tires OK but no big deal in any event, no body damages or repairs noticed. Rubber body seal strips, weather stripping and the like all suggest the car was well cared for and garaged, before the repair incident.
James, it is indeed a travesity that these things happen, but they do...and if we can save them from the crusher, so much the better.
Mickster, got your email, thank you, will get back to you with the information soon....
This repair bill was not ultra cheap, but it did make the car very reasonably priced, I would be more than happy to buy it for the price paid, even with the engine problem we now know of.
By the way the paint is original, a bit chalky, would rub out decently I believe, the owner is planning to repaint it in pearlesent white. The interior is mostly original white, a bit dirty, could be saved except for the white carpet, which is a bit too far gone to clean, easily. Sewer cover wheels in decent shape, tires OK but no big deal in any event, no body damages or repairs noticed. Rubber body seal strips, weather stripping and the like all suggest the car was well cared for and garaged, before the repair incident.
James, it is indeed a travesity that these things happen, but they do...and if we can save them from the crusher, so much the better.
Mickster, got your email, thank you, will get back to you with the information soon....
05-07-2011, 08:13 PM
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Attempted to do that today, but we were not properly prepared to measure it. Whatever it is, it is not "much" from my original effort. But, until we can get the crank spinning freely I don't trust my results. There were no symptoms of TBF in the oil pan or filter, can't see any on the crank counterweight/block, but need to pull the heads to see the real condition of the valves and the tops of the pistons, also flip the block and pull the girdle etc. So far, we have pulled rod bearing caps on 2 rods, which ones I forget and I did not take photos, but the bearings and crank are all PERFECT so far....much more to investigate. I hope this engine can be saved....
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05-07-2011, 08:20 PM
#8
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Hey, I have the same car sitting in my garage. It had an engine fire that messed the front up enough to make it a parts car. I probably have anything you might need for yours. Just PM me and let me know what you need. I am getting ready today/tomorrow to pull the engine. I just bought an HF engine stand rated for 1250 lbs. I hope it will work. I believe my engine to be sound, it looks like all the rubber and wires just melted. We shall see. I am going to keep it for the next 3 or 4 weeks and then sell it to one of the used parts suppliers.
05-10-2011, 10:37 AM
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Driveshaft migration issue questions?
Can anybody comment on this driveshaft migration? This is where the clamp was located before we pulled the engine. I took the photo after removing the pinch bolt. It did not seem to be torqued to the 57-60 pound feet normally recommended, but that is just a guess on my part.
Ideas on causes? I have not yet been back to the car to check on the connection on the transmission; it is of course obvious it has slipped. But my question is more along the lines of why, and what else should I be checking? I assume, perhaps wrongly, that the pinch bolt was miss positioned or not installed in back at all. The bolts attaching the flex plate have corners knocked off, so there has been at least 1 trained ape with an air impact wrench and an SAE hammer at work.....
The owner has no repair history on the car, Auto Check does not show much, other than the car has been driven 10,000 miles in the last 10 years. It has been most recently inop for about 3 years at the repair facility.
Ideas on causes? I have not yet been back to the car to check on the connection on the transmission; it is of course obvious it has slipped. But my question is more along the lines of why, and what else should I be checking? I assume, perhaps wrongly, that the pinch bolt was miss positioned or not installed in back at all. The bolts attaching the flex plate have corners knocked off, so there has been at least 1 trained ape with an air impact wrench and an SAE hammer at work.....
The owner has no repair history on the car, Auto Check does not show much, other than the car has been driven 10,000 miles in the last 10 years. It has been most recently inop for about 3 years at the repair facility.
05-10-2011, 10:42 AM
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Hey, I have the same car sitting in my garage. It had an engine fire that messed the front up enough to make it a parts car. I probably have anything you might need for yours. Just PM me and let me know what you need. I am getting ready today/tomorrow to pull the engine. I just bought an HF engine stand rated for 1250 lbs. I hope it will work. I believe my engine to be sound, it looks like all the rubber and wires just melted. We shall see. I am going to keep it for the next 3 or 4 weeks and then sell it to one of the used parts suppliers.
thanks and regards