zerMATT951

Checked the battery tonight... 12.5 on a meter and seems to be a full charge. It was new in September. I put the plugs back in and cranked it again - it spun ok a couple times and stumbled like it was going to start, then stopped hard again. Trying to crank again, the starter tries but it can't spin the engine.

Pulled the plugs one at a time, trying to crank after pulling each one, no dice. I shined a flashlight into each plug hole and everything looks ok, but #1 seems a little wet (plug is dry) with a haze (steam maybe??). I can't see well enough to know if I'm looking at the top of the piston or something else... I wish I had a boroscope.

Next I tried to turn the motor by hand and I can't get it to budge, either the starter is locked or something bad has happened. I haven't pulled the belt cover yet, but I can see the timing belt through the inspection hole and that small spot looks fine.

Still tearing down my brother's car tomorrow... we stopped at 6 tonight with the only remains items to pull being the turbo (2-piece crossover is out), header, cam tower, and balance shaft covers. A few more hours in the morning and I hope we'll be bolting things back in again. I'm not going to get serious with my car until we get his buttoned up.

67King

Pull the starter and try to turn the engine over by hand, again. It sounds to me like you have a bad alternator, and maybe the starter got stuck engaged from low voltage or somehting. If after you remove the starter, the engine won't budge, that's a bad sign. How has your oil pressure been?

ausgeflippt951

I'd be surprised if the issue is a catastrophic failure. Still sounds to me more like either the starter or electrical.

Remove the starter and turn over by hand. It'll be stiff but not terrible with a standard length 1/2" drive ratchet. If it turns over, try swapping in your brother's starter from his 944 (you mentioned he's got one right?).

If the motor cranks but won't start, swap DME relay. If that doesn't fix it and your tach doesn't bounce, swap S&R sensors. If that doesn't fix it, take the DME out and resolder everything.



This was the exact procedure I went thru with a previous 951 I had. Turned out I had mucked up some solder joints in the DME when i had tried to jump start the car. It's actually a fairly common occurrence on these old cars.

dillon410021

any updates?

zerMATT951

Not yet - haven't had time to look at it with my brother's car in pieces. We worked until yesterday afternoon and had to stop and wait for a pair of balance shaft bearing journals (lower) to arrive... only one half was available locally, so we are waiting on one from Houston. We did get the upper balance shaft, AOS, turbo, turbo water pump, and heater valve, and new motor mounts installed yesterday before we had to stop because of the questionable bearing. I hadn't factored in all of the time we've spent cleaning nasty-dirty parts when I calculated the time it would take to complete his car... not sure how I forgot that part, as I clearly recall spending the better part of a weekend cleaning all of the grime off my engine parts last summer!

If I've got time one evening this week I'll pull the starter and see if the motor turns... otherwise it'll be Saturday before I can look at it.

Own Goal

by the way, never did find my oil cooler but lart had that and a working AC compressor. Thanks for the advice. I also see you guys did decide on the motor mounts after all. Might as well like they say while in there.

bimmen325

What happened to your brothers car?

zerMATT951

The back of the cam tower was dumping oil onto the exhaust in the rear and the upper balance shaft front housing was pooling oil on top of the block. The motor was coated with grime when we brought it back, so we put it on a lift to clean some of it off, and some of the leaks got worse after that. Smoke was coming out from under the hood every time he slowed down as it burned off the exhaust pipe near the starter.

Like most 951's, both balance shafts front and rear housing o-rings were flat and hard, so oil was making it through pretty easily. Lots of oil around the AOS seals too. Unfortunately the turbo has to come out to get the upper balance shaft housing and AOS out so we pretty much stripped it to the bare block, only leaving the head on since that gasket is new. Everything else that holds oil is being replaced, along with all new silicone hoses and a few other items that typically need to be addressed.

Own Goal

and did you figure out your lock up yet? You got my curiosity up a bunch when over there last week.

racerxrick

same here...

gruhsy

V2Rocket

pull the belt covers - i have a strange feeling the balance belt is nicely coiled up around your crank gear.

zerMATT951

Sorry guys... too much going on again. I *hope* to have a couple hours this weekend to pull the starter and the belt covers and provide a little more info!

racerxrick

looking forward to a good report Matt!

I'll be down for a little bit with mine. If you recall I put fresh a arms on not too long ago and had the car aligned (local high end shop). This was right before we did the bonzai run...if you recall I may have said the car felt a little "jittery" to me and we discussed alignment. Well apparently the last alignment was crap!

At the time (of the alignment) the front tires still had at least 50% left, hell they still do, sort of. Pulled into the garage last night and looked at the 951..white stripe inside of the front tire. Climbed under with a flashlight, both sides! Totally ate up. I'll be happy to share privately what shop. Toe must be terrible and the front end is fresh and tight.

Thinking I will try and take this opportunity to powder coat the centers of my CCW's and true them as well as have the lips polished. Already ordered two new front tires.

Will NOT be going back to the "Motorsports" shop for the new alignment! Duh! (Last time they were off in the back and ate up one of the rears) Should have learned the first time. Oh, and btw...my buddy had an alignment on his BMW same shop and sold the car. Just got a call from the new owner that the inside of the front tires are shot as well!

Own Goal

Rick, I really have been working on my car and sometime soon will have to take it for full alignment. My buddy you met at Zimms swap day recommended "the" place for alignment. PM me in case it's same place so I know first.