ptuomov

Bought a used engine from a rear-end collision car that was totaled. Everything looks good on the surface, but owning a used 928 engine is a bit like waking up in Maputo, Mozambique hotel room next to people you don't know without any recollection of what happened last night. In other words, it might be all A-OK but a little investigation might be in order, if for no other reason than for some peace of mind.

Here's a question: What should I check on this engine while it's still on the pellet, unopened and intact?

The crank shaft end play is within the spec and the timing belts are not shredded. I'll pull the plugs next and stick in the borescope. Then rotate the crank. I don't have a leakdown tester, but I do have a compressor and a stethoscope. Anything else?

https://picasaweb.google.com/1059510...eat=directlink

Ducman82

thats one clean used motor.!! id look for the sign of leaks.

ptuomov

It looked good on the pictures and there was a video of the engine running in the wrecked car, so I went over my limit price paid over the market price. So far it looks like it was worth the $2500 I paid, but who knows what's inside.

Lizard928

Do a leakdown test on the motor, past that, do nothing but use it.

James Bailey

plan on doing the t-belt service and oil pan gasket before you stuff it in possibly Intake reseal before you install. If the car was hit in the rear then it was a running driving car before the accident....So good used engine just needs what most 20-25 year old engines need.

BerNard94

what kind of boost 'abuse' can those 'thin' '87 heads can take?

davek9

it does look good, no service history or milage, hey
If its sitting on the pan I would do the pan, and if unknow service, what James said while it's out.

Nice looking find!

Rob Edwards

It's an '87, so early pistons. Not sure whether it's in squirter range- it's ~3200 engines into the production range. Everything capped, LH harness looks pretty supple from here. Since it's a known runner and you got all the accessories (including the A/C and oil cooler hoses- good cores to send to Greg!) with it I'd say you did bery bery good for $2500.

ptuomov

Yes, it has the thick top, low compression pistons. The force is strong with these '87s. Very unlikely to have squirters given the engine number. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

The donor car VIN is WP0JB0922HS862302, give me a heads up if it was any of yours when someone rearended you. Or stolen from you...

Mileage by the meter was 123K. I am actually putting more stock in the fact that it was running well enough to be driven than what the odometer says.

It's sitting on the pallet on the motor mounts, not on the pan.

I'll just try to find gross leaks with the compressed air now and buy/build a leakdown tester later.

The thin boss R1 heads are just fine in my car. I think the R1 heads not holding up under boost is a myth. Nobody's cracked any of them there because of boost. The piston is going to give way before the heads. If they crack I would guess they crack because of some failure that lead to gross overheating or something. And even if you still think that they are unacceptably weak, go take a look at those photos of Mike Simard's engine and try squint and see if he started with R1 heads as cores...

One of the reasons why I took the $2500 plunge was that all the wires and hoses and auxiliaries were there. Both ECU connectors and the coding plug were there. By the way, ladies and gentlemen, when you advertise a _complete engine_ this is what it looks like.

Speedtoys

*shrug*

Id do whats easier out of the car, than in it...OPG, cam cover gaskets..rear injector ground points..TP/WP, front seal...

Just "the stuff".

ptuomov

I didn't mean what to do with this engine in the long run, I meant what to do with it today before I take it off the pallet and open it. If I find something really wrong with it today, I can return it to the seller. But so far it seems to check out pretty well.

I do have a couple of tweaks in mind before it eventually goes into a car... ;-)

Mike Simard

That looks to be in especially good condition.
One thing to look for are broken threads for the oil cooler fitting, if the steel part has been removed it's prone to damaging threads. If ithe steel part is still there leave it alone.
Look for signs of an amateur having worked on it, rounded bolts, mismatched hardware etc.
I'd have no problems accepting it. When you get the heads off to put in some fresh gaskets, hopefully you wont find a nagging amount of corrosion to the heads. Given the apparent care it's had, I wouldn't worry about that.
The 1R heads are just fine too!

Imo000

+1 for a leakdown on the pallet.

Hilton

Looks like a good buy - accessories, carefully unplugged harness, and a used MAF are all worthwhile to have as spares/cores.

As noted by others, just check for signs of idiots working on it.

In addition to the points raised above, I'd also check the AC compressor mounting points on the block/girdle for cracks (where the wedge-shaped aluminium bracket bolts to the block). If the car hits something (speedbump, kerb etc) the compressor is the first part to smack the ground stressing that point; more than a few have been discovered with cracks and an oil leak there.

It looks pretty clean from the pics - no corrosion, the early VW crank sensor is still attached correctly and the exhaust test pipes are intact, all of which implies its lived a garaged life and not had the intake off.

edit: The Auto box from that car has an LSD in it - in case anyone's on the hunt for a 2.2 final drive with LSD

Plenty of pics of the car at salvage auction here http://www.ridesafely.com/Inventory....che&mk=PORSCHE

polecat702

It was a runner, and I took very good care of the whole car. Totaled cause the frame was bent. Pictures were posted here back in March. It should still be filled with Royal Purple. You bought a great engine! The milage is correct.