Okay, deal is done, car is home.

Good: Body is straight, nice 10-foot paint, runs strong, A/C blows cold. Interior is decent. Made the drive home with no significant problems. No spoiler, which I didn't notice earlier - a nice surprise. No significant electrical issues.

Not as good: Odo/Speedo inop, brakes are soft, blower motor is squealing, passenger seat & leather dash need recovered, sunroof & passenger window are slow, driver's door card needs attention, rub strips need removed, pumpkin is shot (found one for $100 on eBay).

Trouble: Clear fluid leaking from under motor (brake fluid, I think), oil leaking from the rear of the motor (sizzling off exhaust), clunks shifting to 3rd.

I need to go through the maintenance records in detail to determine a plan of attack for the basic 'high mileage' stuff (138k on the clock). Clearly I need to deal with the 'Trouble' list.

I think the clear fluid is brake fluid, and I found a couple MC threads here.

Not sure about the oil at the rear of the motor. I quick search didn't turn up anything helpful.

I also searched for the hard shift and didn't turn up anything helpful. The threads I found talked about EXTREMELY hard shifts. This is just a noisy clunk that I can feel through my seat.

 

Great news, take it one system at a time and don't rush the repairs. A lot of great vendors; Roger, Mark and others offer great deals and support.

 

Congrats and enjoy the ride~!

 

Congrats! I trust your patience and research will be rewarded.

 

Congrats - I like that car. Oil leak is probably the rear cam seals at the back of the cam covers. Not a big deal to fix, but from what I have gathered, a PITS to get to.

 

Another save on the way! Congrats. OBTW, you may need a bit of exhaust work as well. Just add it to the list... harhar. Keep us informed.

 

Interior and engine pics?

 

Rear main seal in motor is another but not so nice possible source for the oil leak, but against that is that it wouldn't drip on the exhaust. Note the AC evaporator drains condensate right on the exhaust, so if you were running the AC that would definitely cause a "sizzle". That would be a clear fluid drip at the rear of the motor. Brake fluid leaks, at least in an automatic, would not be near the motor. The mast cylinder might be close. In a stick shift the clutch slave would be under the rear of the motor, but you don't have that.

If the hard shifting of the auto tranny is mostly partial throttle (smooth under full throttle), then the vacuum modulator vacuum (either the modulator diapragm itself or more likely its vacuum source which runs all the way from the motor to the tranny) is bad. Easy to test and fix. If shifts are always harsh then the modulator can be adjusted to lower the main pressure and soften the shifts. Also, it's highly recommended to change the tranny fluid and filter on a regular basis (service interval is 30K miles) and make sure the level is correct. This is kind of a pain on the 928 due to the rear transaxle location. Fluid level is checked at the reservoir on the right side of the tranny under the car with the motor running in park (or neutral). The vacuum modulator is on the left side.

 

Body looks great. Congrats

 

I'm not 100% on the brake fluid. It was clear and felt a little oily and had no distinctive smell. Considering that the brakes are soft, brake fluid seemed like the most likely culprit. I had the climate control set to 80, but if the compressor was running I supposed it could have been condensate with a little old surface oil in it for texture.

Based on my vast experience with other cars that dripped oil onto their exhausts, what was hitting the exhaust absolutely had oil in it, there was a curl of blue-gray smoke and that distinctive smell. I figured it for pure oil but, again, it might have been water with a lot of oil in it. I stopped three times: after an hour (no oil), after two-plus hours (oil sizzle), and after three-plus hours when I got home (no oil).

I need to get into it and start poking around. Unfortunately, I have two bays in my garage that are on the door and one of them is full of a '96 Volvo with the motor torn down to the block and waiting on a new head gasket. And my floor stands are holding it up. So, it's going to be another week or more...

 

Yeah, if it was AC condensate, it would be clear water. Coolant leaks can be all over the place as the hoses run all around the engine bay, at least on the right side and back to the firewall somewhat to the left, with numerous clamped junctions. That can feel oily but it should be colored (could be green, yellow, blue or red) and you know glycol-based smells (and tastes, but don't do that) sweet. For brakes, the master cylinder is the only source that would not be at one of the wheels, at least in an automatic. It would locate to the left firewall. So, for oil to hit the exhaust it's either cam cover gasket or the cam endcaps, as mentioned. Cam cover gaskets leak rather routinely and drip right onto the exhaust manifold.

 

Ah that spoiler-less butt looks great, and rub strip removal is partly done! Really, congratulations! I'm looking forward to reports on your adventures with this baby.

 

Shawn, pretty PORSCHE you've got there. Paint looks good, is it original?

The rub strip holes can be plugged with very nice results with painted to match hole plugs.
I have some extras of you want to experiment with them and have the info on ordering a set.

If it shifts but clunks it is a matter of its age some needed maintenance and you becoming one or used to the car.
I would suspect that you are losing hydraulic fluid and have air entering the system and that would likely contribute to poor shifting as well as a few other items.

My car shifted poorly when i bought it (very poorly) and shifts great now once warmed up.

We can talk about what i did by phone if you'd like. I will PM you.

We need more pics and soon!-Matt

 

Looks a little like #6 ehh? I really like early red 928s.

 

Shawn,

Looks good, and it comes with just a few 'projects'. The 'brake fluid' is also the clutch master and slave fluid, with a hose leading to the slave. IF the clear liquid is nearer the center of the car than in front of the steering wheel, that might be an area to check as well.

Gary--