Kenneth Booher

I’m considering a 1987 944 turbo with 114k miles but it has a blown head gasket. It would be my first time doing something like this. Wondering if there are any dangerous risks.
Thanks!

rufrob

Probably not the head gasket. Probably the oil cooler seals. Be sure to check for oil or coolant in the cylinders and or compression.
If it's only mixing in the crankcase then probably the seals.

Ky944TurboNewbie

Head gaskets are not too bad to fix with all of the resources available to help you along.

Tom M'Guinn

If the car isn't running, then I suppose the biggest risk is not knowing what else is bad. These cars have fairly predicable things that go bad over time -- wiring connectors, CV joints, DME relays, fuel lines, timing belt needs to be fresh, various sensors, oil leaks/seals, head gaskets, odometer gears, vacuum leaks, etc. At 35 years old, unless the car comes with records with lots of that already done, just don't go in thinking you only have to fix one thing, as the odds of that are slim. As for the head gasket job (and oil seals for that matter), see my write-ups below to get a sense for what's involved. Probably too complicated for someone with zero mechanical experience, but you don't need to be an F1 mechanic either... With varying levels of frustration and learning-curves, most DIY types tend to get through the job eventually.

https://members.rennlist.com/tom86951/headgasket.htm

https://members.rennlist.com/tom8695..._seal_repl.htm

Kenneth Booher

The car does run.

MAGK944

Try to provide more details rather than letting it out in drips. Why do you think the head gasket is blown? How does it run? Is there any coolant in the oil? Oil in coolant?

Kenneth Booher

The guy selling it says that there’s water in the oil, so that’s why he thinks it’s got a blown head gasket.
Other than that I don’t know much else.

Chris White

then he is probably wrong! Oil in water is a classic oil console gasket failure.
If it is not pressurizing the coolant system and blowing out coolant from the expansion tank under boost its not a head gasket issue.good news is that is a cheap fix. Bad news is that the current owner is clueless so what other issues does it have is not known

fast951

You are getting good advise. I'll be concerned for how long the engine ran with coolant in the oil? Coolant + oil are not good lubricant, what is the condition of the bearings (rod, main, balance shafts, turbo), cam lobes...

Play it safe and plan on a full refresh. If you get lucky then you need a gasket.

MAGK944

The “risks” as others have noted depends on what exactly has happened. Worse case, if the head gasket has gone and allowed coolant into the oil, you are looking at a minimum of replacing the head gasket, replacing the rod bearings and flushing the oil galleries. But this is a 30+ yo car so they’ll be a bunch of likely wyit jobs like head skin, motor mounts, vacuum hoses, fuel lines, belts, foes, rollers, water pump, etc. It can get ugly very fast especially as this is your first time doing stuff like this. Folk here will help but you have to be motivated and capable of wrenching at quite an advanced level. These are not easy tasks on a 951, gl.

Humboldtgrin

Open a bank account dedicated to this car if you buy it. Put $10,000 into it and watch as it gets vaporized in a matter of months, weeks or even a day. Then do it again and again. Sadly I’m not joking.

dme

Bought an 86 951 in February knowing it needed some work. The previous owner tried, but didn't know enough about the car. Early April I went to do the motor mounts and got frustrated with the steering rack hindering me on the drivers side. Well the rack was leaking so I decided to remove and replace. Well, since I'm fixing leaks, it was time to do the oil pan. Too bad I have the one piece cross-over and cross-member. Took them off and sent them to Lindsey for modification since I never want to screw with them again. With the oil pan off I went ahead and replaced the rod bearings while I was in there. Then I went further and removed the turbo so that I could fix the two little O-rings on the AOS which of course were leaking. Back to the other side of the engine, I decided I should replace the camshaft assembly gasket because it was leaking. Heck, now that everything else is off I might as well remove the head since it has 160K on it and I can view oil leaking down the valves stems. Oh, did I mention that as a side job I would remove the waste gate because two of the studs broke when removing the cross-over pipe. Well, all four bolts on the outlet pipe snapped right off. Time for another waste gate.
And yet after all of that, I keep going. I bought the car as a project and it is fulfilling that purpose to the Nth degree. This is actually my third 951 and the 951 is probably the worst car to work on that I've ever owned. You will almost always remove two parts to get to the one you want. Many of the bolts are either made of cheese or fine crystal. They will round off or snap. Be liberal in replacing fasteners.
I was fortunate in that the previous owner had recently refreshed the front seals, replaced the turbo, and strangely all of the cam followers. Poor gal, she paid a mechanic BIG Time to do the work. That is why she couldn't wait to sell it to me. REMEMBER, there is NO SUCH THING AS A CHEAP PORSCHE! You can alleviate the cost by doing your own work, but leave yourself plenty of time.
The car is definitely a love hate relationship. I'm hooked and I keep coming back for more.

rufrob

Wow that's funny. Similar to my story but not so bad.
Dealer friend asked me to look at t a 951 he bought. It needed engine mounts and oil and water mixing. I change the mounts and replace the oil cooler seals. While flushing the engine with cheap oil he sells the car to me for $1500. I get it home and made a list
Peeling paint, mismatched interior colors, badly cracked dash, sunroof inop, no clutch pressure, leaking cam tower seals, bad ball joints, evident engine fire, many cracked engine vacuum hoses, tires, brake hoses and pads, rusted out battery tray destroyed turbo charger
Over the last 3 years I have repainted, redid the interior twice, just did the clutch, and all of the above mentioned. Good I don't need to drive it.
I think I may have spent $2k on maintenance and $3k on parking. No plans to sell though. The 944 was my first Porsche 25years ago. I'm happy to keep playing with it until I get it the way I want.

951and944S

If you decide to pass on car, can you PM me by clicking user name and let me know where the car is...?

T

Perry 951

Probably the best advice given in this thread!

As said above, coolant in oil is likey the oil cooler console seals/gasket. Proper repair is to fully clean the oiling system (block, cooler, lines), inspect crankshaft bearing surfaces, replace rod bearings, and replace seals. Plan on a timing belt job simply for piece of mind.