70K951

Hey Guys, I bought a 951 with 70K miles from an insurance auction in 1999. I paid $3900 for it. I thought it was a pretty good deal at the time. It was a theft recovery. The interior was in nice shape, the factory stereo does not work.

I think the PO had it stolen. And now I know why. This car has so many problems I do not know where to start. This car has been driven 100 feet in the last 5 years.

I got the car home from the auction and had some keys made for it, threw in a new battery, and it started right up (that is the good news) Now the bad.

1. Cam box leaking on the exhaust, I replaced the cam box gasket and the timing belts. The leak is still there.
2. AC does not work and it squeels.
3. Brakes where shot.
4. Exhaust leak, I can't tell where it is.
5. Oil cooler leaks from scraping on parking curbs
6. Bad vibration at Idle (I guess it is the motor mount)
7. Power steering pump makes a lot noise.
8. Parking brake does not work.
9. Lots of door dings. At least the paint is original.

That is what I know about. I have not even had this car out of the driveway since I owned it. I have now decided to tackle this car again.

2 things I need advice on.
Should I put some gasket seal or RTV seal when I replace the cam box gasket?
Any Idea where the where the exhaust leak might be? It seems like it is under engine somewhere.

It is hard to believe that a car that costs so much new, can have some many things wrong with it a 70k miles.

The car had a for sale sign laying on the back seat when I got. I think the owner had it stolen, because I am sure the porsche dealer probably wanted a lot of money to fix it.

Sorry to vent, but It seems like I will never get this car on the road. After I replaced the cam box gasket on it, and it did not fix the leak, I put a cover over it and it has sat for 4 years, and now the fuel pump is seized, (I replaced with a 944 NA pump just to get is started).

The wheels and tires I bought for it are the wrong offset so I have to sell them.

Do you think I should tear the motor down to the head and replace the head gasket (to handle more boost) while I am replacing the cam box gasket. I would like modify it (chips wastegate, larger turbo, etc.)

I have an Authority Maf kit (with chips) for it, Nology wires with a MSD box
and a Broadfoot Racing Stainless cat back exhaust. Or do I just put some insurance on it and have it stolen. This car appears to be a real lemon.

Wish me luck getting this POS back on the road.
Mike

OriginalSterm

I'd say get it running before you start looking to mod it. Get the right parts in place and see if things start to fall into place. Some of those things seem to be easy fixes, or at least not major overhaul. The brakes are easy, the parking brake probably needs an adjustment, motor mounts aren't too tough, delete the AC, and buy a rebuilt or new PS pump.

Good luck, I'm sure there are plenty of people here who can provide guidance in this project!

Rob

Welcome Mike,

You should not need (nor really put) any RTV on the cam tower gasket. Have you checked the cover located on the back of the cam tower? These also leak with some frequency onto they exhaust. There are three bolts that hold this cover on as well as the rear engine lift bracket.

As for the exhaust leak, it might be a crack in the headers under the heat shielding (pretty common), one of the gaskets by the wastegate under the passenger rear engine compartment, or possibly even just a missing exhaust sampling tube (the fitting for this in on top of the crossover pipe by the wastegate). If it is a missing exhaust sampling tube, I think the thread is a 14mm x something pitch and have read that a closed end lug nut for a late model chevy truck works well to plug this off.

Rob

brad-cam

Mike, I feel your sense of frustration - I bought a 951 a few months back with the same mileage (70K). It had a ton of issues that seemed daunting at the time, but 3 months later, I've fixed them all and am now very happy. It does require some money for parts, but if you can do the work yourself (really required to own one of these cars, unless you have a money tree).

The most frustrating part is probably the exhaust leaks. Mine had leaking exhaust manifolds which I replaced with good used ones. You should replace all the belts, especially timing and balance belts, all front pulleys/idlers, front engine seals and oil cooler housing seals. There is a gasket on the back of the cam box which may be leaking on your exhaust too. Are you sure the cam box gasket that you replaced is still the source of your oil leak?

Brakes, fuel pump, A/C, etc., will probably just require parts and some work. I made a detailed list of to-do's and just started working through every weekend for 3 months. Parts were arriving from Ebay sellers, Pelican, etc. pretty much every day !! I'm on a first name basis with the UPS driver !!

Enjoy - it will be worth it !!



Oh, BTW, I agree with OriginalSterm - get it running really well before you start modifying it.

70K951

Thanks Rob for your advise. Is the cover for the cam box in the cam box or outside the box. Do I need to remove the turbo or what to check for the bolt.

I guess that it seems like I need to take the whole motor apart to fix all
these problems. My philosophy is that I might as well do the mods at the same time while it is torn down.

I would like to just fix the cam box leak and drive it. I can live with exhaust leak.
I still can't figure out where that cover is that might be the cause of the oil leak.

Mike

krutschman1

Mike, we all have had our our fair share of dissapointments (and for the lot of you who have not, your time will come). Tackle one problem at a time and ask lots of questions. Before you know it, all will be well in Porsche land! I would fix the hardest things first. That way, the task shrinks faster and you are encouraged to go on. One last thing, follow the other guys advice and fix your problems first before the modifications. Don't do the head until you have it running good. You're more likely to compound your troubles if you don't. Good luck.........Kary

User 41221

Word to the wise, even joking about having a car stolen to collect insurance on a public forum isn't a smart idea... I can guarranty you that Insurance companies do search this sort of stuff out more thoroughly than you might expect.

Where are you located? Do what we did in KC and get a group of like minded enthusiasts together to work on your cars. Its a LOT more fun that way and you'll save money and do the job right, unlike a lot of the "pro" shops out there.

Regards,

70K951

I was just kidding out having stolen. I do not ever plan of selling the car.
It is my dream car for the last 10 years. I had a 84 944 for years and did not one problem with it.

You guys are right about the shops, they are all pretty much worthless
The only place to get the real deal about these cars is right here.

I have the all the parts in boxes to fix the car. I am just pissed that I changed the cam box gasket and it still leaked, it leaks bad, smoke billows from under the hood with in one minute.

I have maf kit, and the custom exhaust that are not installed yet.

What is the step by step way doing the mods. What is the first thing to do?
Chips? the pressure regulator? wastegate shims? I have all those parts also.

Mike

LukeSportsman

Mike,
I think the first question you need to answer is keeping or selling! Anything can be fixed, but does it make fiscal sense to do so is the question. If its fixing to sell, then obviously don't modify. If its fixing to keep, then the answer might be a little different. I've looked back on some of past projects and wondered why I just didn't buy the "right" part the first time around. I guess I fall in between the two on modify or restore first. I would seperate it into two categories: 1. modifications that depart from the normal function of the car (MAF, MAP, chips, cams, etc.) that could lead to making it more temperamental 2. modifications that are simply a bolt on upgrade and need attention anyways (header, exhaust, brakes, seats, etc.). Why buy a used exhaust manifold for X$ if you "know" that you will later install an aftermarket header? But if she's not running correctly and you've installed an aftermarket MAP on the car....where do you cast blame? Just my $.02 and probably worth about that much

Just know which way your going before you start spending money. Be honest with yourself and make out a plan, a budget, and a time frame. Remember it will always cost 50% MORE than you plan!

LukeSportsman

And take twice as long

PorscheDoc

Mike, dont fret about it too much. You picked up a low mileage 951 for nothing, but expect now to dump 1-2k in fixing it up right off the bat. Yea it does have low mileage, but it is about 20 years old as well. In 20 years, parts wear out and need to be replaced. If you want to save yourself a lot of head aches, tear it down, replace all the hoses (vacuum and coolant), all the belts, and as many gaskets as you can all in one shot. Expect to dump 500 or so just doing that, but doing it at once will pay off....i didn't do it all at once, and i end up working on it every weekend, which for me is fine since i love doing it. I paid 3500 for mine with twice as many miles on it, and i since i did break a timing belt, i have about 1500 into it. It is all little stuff. But it is about 1300 in parts and the 200 in labor only...do it yourself saves a lot. Sh944 can attest to the condition it was in when i got it, and in a few months and a lot of wrench time (you have to accept it as a hobby), it is starting to turn into something.

I would tear the head off if you have the cam cover off....the 10 nuts and 2 allen head bolts that hold it on come off in about 10 minutes. Hardest part is the exhaust studs, its one of those you can turn the wrench 1/3 turn at a time, but an hour or so should have the exhaust manifold off.....then you can replace those gaskets as well, and get the side of the block cleaned up from the leaking cam cover.

I think if you are willing to put some time and money into it, you probably have yourself a pretty decent car. Most of those items are pretty basic to fix. My AC compressor clutch squeeled like crazy when i got it, and i didnt feel like dumping 500 to upgrade to a new compressor with R134a, so i gutted the clutch and put it back on. Now the AC just acts as a pulley and doesnt squeel at all. Will get a delete bracket one of these days. While you have the exhaust manifold off, there isnt any easier time to do the oil cooler. Lots can be done at once.

70K951

Thanks for the help, I will tackle the car this weekend, as you can tell I have way to many projects.

Mike

Flight_951

The For Sale sign probably meant the car was sitting in a parking lot somewhere, maybe for an extended period. Easy target for a thief. Then again, most of us drive around with a For Sale sign under our seats just in case...

Blueman33

You are lucky. $3900 is so cheap. Mine was for sale for $7995 at the Lexus of New Orleans dealer. 95,000 miles.

I got frucked for $8500 because some asssface bought the car sight unseen for sticker when I was on the test drive. On the test drive.....that was cold. He then resold it to me for $8500.

I had a clutch fluid hose break, that's it. The car hasn't given a sniffle of trouble, though i've put in cruds of money for sway bars, new dash, chip, test pipe, etc.......


$3900 LEAVES YOU A LOT OF ROOM! With a $6000 investment you could have a top notch scrocher of a car for less than $10,000!!!

jimbo1111

When I replaced my cam tower gasket the first time I didn't use sealant. After a couple of years it began to leak again. So I used sealant the second time around. If oil is leaking from the rear of the motor it may also be something else. I had oil leaking on my crossover pipe (exhaust) and had a tough time tracking it down. I replaced the balance shaft end rings, oil dip stick o rings,pan gasket and finally the culprit. The air/oil separator housing o rings.
Header are a common problem That must be repaired or replaced because they affect the turbos performance.
I for one like my a/c to work. Creecher comforts. There are many guys hear that part out there cars after accidents and what not. You waited 5 year. What's a few more days or months to find one in good shape.
The brake system on these cars is pretty good and probably only needs to be bleed with new fluid, pads and rotors.
If you really love the car restore it. If you don't want to take the time out there are many guys lurking here that would for sure take it off of your hand for what you paid.
It would be a shame to let her collect rust somewhere when someone could be enjoying a ride.